This summer I got to visit the quaint and upscale mountain town of Highlands, North Carolina for the first time! I had seen other bloggers share about trips to Highlands over the years (notably Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearls and Sydney from Summer Wind), so when my friend Emily selected it for her bachelorette trip destination, I was excited to finally get to visit. It had been several years since I'd been to the North Carolina mountains, and I had never been that far west in NC. The town of Highlands 100% exceeded my expectations, and I loved my brief time there for Emily's bachelorette. The night that I got back home to Virginia, I texted most of my Charlotte, NC girlfriends to tell them all that they had to visit! You know it's a good destination when you can't wait to recommend it to friends.
I'm excited to share a little Travel Diary for Highlands today with you!
Highlands is a small mountain town located deep in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and within the Nantahala National Forest. It's in the very western corner of North Carolina. Technically the area is also considered to be a rainforest, due to the high amounts of rainfall that this part of the. mountains gets annually. It is a hike to get to Highlands from Virginia Beach. It's about 8 hours of driving without traffic, and more if you do hit traffic. The nearest airports are a few hours away in Asheville or Charlotte, so driving can make the most sense to get here. Emily and I broke up the drive and drove to Charlotte the first night, and we spent a night with her sister who lives there. We did drive straight back from Highlands to Virginia Beach on the way home... which was long!
There is a charming downtown Main Street area in Highlands with many shops, restaurants and inns. Old Edwards Inn is a well-known luxurious historic hotel that's right in the heart of Highlands. (More on that later in this post since we ate several meals there!) Since I was in Highlands for a bachelorette trip, our group opted to stay in a rental house on a lake that was just a couple miles from town. There are tons of rental home options in Highlands, and the neighboring town of Cashiers. Definitely no shortage of lodging in the area for bigger groups!
I would absolutely recommend the rental home that we stayed in. The main house had three bedrooms and could sleep up to six adults comfortably (and more if you utilized air mattresses and the living room couch). There was also a smaller guest house cabin next to the main house that had additional bedrooms. We weren't a big enough group to need to utilize that building, but it was included in the rental price. The home was right on Lake Sequoya, and we had a wonderful private dock. The lake is swimmable, and our house also came with kayaks and paddle boards that guests could use! The house definitely had a "rustic cabin aesthetic" inside most of the rooms, but it did have a spacious renovated kitchen and bathrooms.
There are lots of outdoor activities in Highlands Besides for lots of lakes, there is also an abundance of golf courses, hiking trails, waterfalls, and lots more! Our group hiked the 2.5 mile loop at Whiteside Mountain. The trail was about 15 minutes away from our house, and there is parking on-site. The hike up the mountain was a bit strenuous at points, but once you're at the top (and the way back down) it was much easier! The only bummer is that it was raining the morning that we hiked... and the rain created fog which completely hid the mountain views. I heard that this mountain has stunning views, and we didn't get to see any! Haha. But it was still a great hike and I would 100% recommend it if you get luckier with weather than we did.
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| This should've been an amazing view at the top of Whiteside Mountain... but sadly the fog hid it! |
We also went to see Bridal Veil Falls! This is one of the most famous NC waterfalls. It's located right off US-64, and just a few miles from downtown Highlands. You literally pull off the side of the road to enjoy the waterfall, no hiking required! Bridal Veil Falls felt extra special to see since we were all there for a bachelorette trip. 😊
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| 2024 brides! |
There is also no shortage of incredible food in Highlands! I wish I could've stayed longer to try more of the local restaurants and cafes. The majority of meals that we ate here were at the restaurants at the Old Edwards Inn. They have several dining options on property, and I was so impressed by the restaurants that we ate at! Here's the breakdown of everywhere we ate that weekend:
Calders Coffee Cafe (384 Main Street, Highlands): A quaint local coffee shop right on Main Street, serving a variety of coffees, teas, sandwiches and pastires. We went here for a casual breakfast to-go before hiking Whiteside Mountain.
Four65 (465 Main Street, Highlands): This is more casual Italian spot at The Old Edwards Inn. They specialize in wood-fired pizzas. Emily and I went here for lunch the day we arrived (we got to town before the other girls). We loved it so much that we recommended the whole group have dinner here that night, and we went back! I loved everything I tried here, but especially recommend the breadsticks. They were so light and fluffy and not greasy in the slightest- so different from the way a lot of restaurants serve these! There is also a gorgeous little courtyard with outdoor seating at Four65.
Madison's (445 Main Street, Highlands): The fanciest restaurant in Highlands, and the crown jewel of dining for The Old Edwards Inn. We had dinner here on the second night of the trip, and it was such a meal to remember! Everything was absolutely divine- from the wine (recommended after the house sommelier personally visited our table!), to the main courses to the dessert. My main course was swordfish which was a daily special on the evening that we went. It was delicious, and I was very impressed at the generous portion size! Dining at Madison's is definitely a splurge, but it is memorable fine dining and I think so worth it.
Whiteside Brewing Company (128 State Rt. 107, Cashiers): We went here for a casual lunch in between our hike at Whiteside Mountain and before visiting Bridal Veil Falls. It's a very popular brewery! There's a ton of outdoor space for eating in the summer months. They had a lot of beers and other drinks, and a good lunch menu. The smash burgers are their speciality item. I got the nachos, and I was impressed with them.
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| Our fancy dinner at Madison's, complete with complimentary roses given to use by the staff! |
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| The outdoor dining at Four65 was lovely. |
There are also so many fantastic shops and boutiques on Main Street to enjoy. The shopping here is absolutely top notch! So many boutiques that carry luxurious designer clothing, bags and jewelry. Who knew that a little mountain town would have so much high-end shopping?! One store that I really enjoyed popping into was C. Orrico. I've seen their stuff pop up on Instagram over the years, and had no idea they had a Highlands location! Such a cute boutique.
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| C. Orrico in Highlands |
I absolutely loved my brief first visit to Highlands. It is truly the most lovely and naturally beautiful area. Honestly- it reminds me a lot of my beloved favorite coastal NC town of Edenton... but the mountain version! It's the perfect destination for so many things: bachelorette, girls' trip, family trip with kids, romantic getaway for a couple... many possibilities!
The only negative thing I have to say about Highlands? The general one-hour radius in any direction from Highlands is home to the most car-sickness inducing roads that I've ever been on in the US. I have suffered from bad car sickness since I was a kid, and I've never been able to read or do work in the car. Thankfully I do better as a driver than a passenger, but even as the driver on this trip I had to fight off intense feelings of nausea on all of the mountain roads. Emily and I carpooled together, and we took a different route to Highlands than we took coming home. Both routes were equally car sickness inducing for me. Both the final hour of the drive heading there, and the first hour of the drive for our trip home made me feel so nauseous! I never threw up thankfully, but I swear that if I had been the passenger instead of the driver, I would've been so sick. Just a disclaimer to my fellow car-sickness sufferers out there! These windy and narrow mountain roads are absolutely no joke.
It was such a treat to celebrate my friend Emily's upcoming wedding in such a beautiful place! (And if you're reading this and wondering "Annaliese, didn't your friend Emily get married a few months ago?" The answer would be "YES!" I feel so lucky to have two close girlfriends in my life both named Emily, and both got married this year... the same year I'm also getting married! Lol!!)
Gosh, I still haven't made it to Highlands and I'm about to cross my five-year mark of living in NC. Your guide is the kick in the pants I need—it looks simply perfect for a weekend away!
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