Summer’s Last Hurrah!
Labor Day weekend is North Carolina’s unofficial closing argument for summer, and this year it comes with apple donuts, jazz by the lake, Ocracoke seafood and a couple of very good reasons to pack a swimsuit.
A Long Weekend With Options
In Hendersonville, the North Carolina Apple Festival takes over downtown September 4–7, turning the holiday weekend into a celebration of one of the region’s signature crops. The street fair brings together fresh apples and apple treats from Henderson County growers, arts and crafts, food and live entertainment. Monday provides the finale: the King Apple Parade rolls through downtown at 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day.
A few hours east, the soundtrack changes. The John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival returns to Oak Hollow Festival Park in High Point September 5–6. Set beside the lake in the city where Coltrane’s musical journey began, the two-day festival offers the sort of Labor Day plan that requires little more than finding a comfortable patch of lawn and settling in for an afternoon and evening of music.
Keep heading toward the Atlantic and Saturday can taste considerably saltier. The Ocracoke Seafood Festival on September 5 puts local seafood at the center of an island gathering that also includes live entertainment and other festival activities. It is a fitting Labor Day weekend celebration for a place where the water and the people who make their living from it remain closely connected.
One More Swim Before Fall
Not every three-day weekend needs a festival schedule. At Hanging Rock State Park near Danbury, the seasonal swim lake offers an old-school summer option, while boat rentals and other park activities make it easy to stretch a lake day beyond the beach. As of mid-August, the swim lake is open Saturdays and Sundays and boat rentals Friday through Sunday, making it worth checking current hours before leaving home.
On the coast, Hammocks Beach State Park offers another way to squeeze the last drops from summer. Passenger ferry service to Bear Island operates daily through Labor Day, with the summer ferry schedule running through September 7. On holidays, ferries depart more frequently than on Monday through Wednesday, though service can be interrupted by weather.
Whether your summer sendoff calls for apples, jazz, seafood or one more day with sand between your toes, find more North Carolina recreation ideas through the Guide to North Carolina directory at https://www.guidetonc.com/recreation-places.
