The Highlands, NC was a such a beautiful, pleasant surprise. Funny enough, I had never even heard of the Highlands until about 7 days before I arrived. Tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina is a tiny mountain town with picturesque charm. The main street is lined with cute boutiques and restaurants. The surrounding area is filled with scenic hikes and waterfall paths. If you are looking for a quick and secluded getaway, the Highlands is your place!
One of my absolute favorite parts of this trip was actually the Airbnb we stayed in.
Our Airbnb was perched on the side of a mountain at the end of winding wood roads. It is so secluded that halfway through the drive down the driveway I debated if we were going in the right direction. To paint an even better picture… the driveway to the home is 1/2 mile long. The room is a master suite detached from the owner’s home. It has a tiny kitchenette, grill, private porch and a hot tub. The view is absolutely spectacular. One of the reasons why we didn’t end up doing as much hiking as we planned is because we didn’t think the hiking views could beat the one we had from our own porch. It is truly one of my favorite places I stayed at and I cannot recommend it enough! I’ve linked the Airbnb here.
The Outdoors
While on our trip, we ventured out to two separate outdoor excursions. Our first trip was to Sunrise and Sunset rock. This is a quick hike with satisfying views. In total, it is an easy 1.5 mile hike. Once you reach the top of the hill, there are two separate paths. One path leads you to Sunrise rock and one leads to Sunset rock. Both locations would be great to take a bottle of wine and soak in the views. This hike is extremely close to their main street and could be an easy activity before lunch or breakfast.
Our second destination was Dry Falls. This is a quick 15 minute drive away from the main strip. Make sure you have $1 for their parking fee! I wouldn’t consider this a hike but it is definitely a must-see spot in the area. One parked, there is a paved path that will take you down down a few flights of steps to the waterfall. Be careful with the steps…. there was ice and I took a tumble.
The Eats
Lakeside Restaurant is the perfect date night spot. My boyfriend and I were talking to our Airbnb host and learned that he was the previous owner! Lucky for us, he gave us some great dish recommendations. This restaurant is a fine dining experience with a reasonable price point. We started off with one of the appetizer specials, peach bourbon glazed scallops with crispy bacon. They truly melted in our mouth. Although this was a special, they have a permanent scallop appetizer that I am sure would be just as good. In true Mike and Lauren fashion, we decided to order two separate entrees and split them. The first entree was the crab meat stuffed trout. The trout was wrapped in peppered bacon and paired with wild rice and broccolini. The second entree was soy demi-glace grilled salmon with asparagus, rice pilaf and a coconut cream sauce. Both entrees were delicious but the salmon dish blew it out of the water for me. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the coconut cream sauce tied the entire dish together.
Highlands Smokehouse has some of the best barbecue I have ever had. This is the perfect post-hike meal. I just recently started loving Bloody Mary’s and the one at Highland Smokehouse may be the best one I have ever had. The “Texas BBQ Bloody Mary” is made with a house mix, Texas BBQ sauce and a splash of Guinness. Yes, you heard that right. Guinness beer. I do not like Guinness beer and I loved this Bloody Mary. We treated ourselves to the pork belly burnt end appetizer and a brisket tray (enough for two).
