Travel - Highlands, NC
David and I needed a little winter getaway. We’ve visited Highlands a few times over the years and just love the natural beauty of the area. This time, we decided to choose a “new to us” accommodation and loved it!
We took the “river road”, as we call it, from Chattanooga (I-75 toward Knoxville, Cleveland & Ocoee) toward Highlands. This spectacular view was from a pull-off spot near our destination.
Highlands Smokehouse
When we arrived in Highlands, we were hungry for lunch and this casual, cozy place hit the spot! I had the brisket nachos and David had a brisket sandwich. My nachos were delicious and could’ve fed four people. ;)
I loved the branch peace sign on the front!
Highlander Mountain House
We checked into Highlander Mountain House that afternoon and I was very happy to see which room was ours! This is the one I admired on their website and hoped we would get to stay in this beautiful space. I fell in love with the wallpaper and everything else about it, really. The furnishings were a perfect combination of casual, mountain antiques, a nod to British furnishings, a few mid-century modern touches and a respectful homage to Native American art.
The headboard is covered in a printed velvet fabric featuring pheasants and grouse. There was a cute, retro-looking radio on the bedside table. The bed linens were so soft and warm and the mattress was very comfortable. The vaulted ceiling made the small room seem more spacious.
I loved the Native American art placed throughout the hotel.
nice touches
On top of the lovely antique chest was a record player and a coffee & tea station. There was a mini fridge in the room with drinks and snack selections for purchase.
This beautiful chest provided good storage for our clothes.
There were a couple of albums offered but, of course, we chose Van Morrison (famous Irish singer and part of the soundtrack of our early dating days). There were more vinyls downstairs in the tavern to borrow during your stay.
charming
What a sweet, antique desk and orange velvet chair!
This gorgeous sink and taps was located in the room, outside of the bathroom but that didn't bother us. The bathroom featured a huge blue tiled shower with brass fixtures, tile floor and toilet. The entire room and bathroom was spotlessly clean.
The Ruffled Grouse
On the first evening of our stay, we ate a delicious dinner in their restaurant, The Ruffled Grouse. I had pasta and David had fish. I enjoyed my first martini, The Alpine, and it was delightful.
It’s open to the public and reservations are recommended.
We loved the casual, elegant tavern with its cozy, romantic vibes. We sat near the crackling, wood-burning fireplace. Every chair had a soft, “sheep-skin” rug to sit on in the beautiful dining room.
timely
There was a stone fireplace in the adjoining lobby area, complete with excellent coffee table books to flip through while relaxing in front of the fire.
The large fireplace is original to the house, built for a sea captain in the 19th century.
After dinner, we stepped outside for a few minutes to enjoy the fire pit and string lights.
When we arrived that afternoon, this stone patio was packed with locals and visitors, enjoying the warmth of the fire in the brisk air, sipping drinks in the late afternoon light.
slow, quiet start
The next morning, we went downstairs to grab a complimentary coffee and slice of banana bread in their lobby. We had a Sunday brunch reservation later that morning. While we waited, I took the chance to read out on the small balcony of our room. I would recommend this book, by the way. The movie is coming out in April.
This was my view, looking up from the balcony, watching the clouds drift by, on a crisp, winter morning. It was so nice having an outdoor space, be it tiny, to get a breath of fresh air and hear the birdsong. The hotel is on the main road of the town but there is very little traffic noise, if any. It was mostly completely quiet on Saturday and Sunday, with more street noise on Monday morning before we checked out. It’s very quiet at night.
We enjoyed a scrumptious Sunday brunch, complete with live bluegrass music. I had a yummy breakfast sandwich with potatoes and David had a burger. Everything we ate here was delicious. I especially loved how the guitarist played “The Tennessee Waltz” while he waited for his partner to arrive. Reservations are recommended for this very popular brunch.
coffee to go
After brunch, I grabbed a coffee to take with us while we explored the shops and trails.
fun fact
The ruffled grouse bird lives year-round in the mountains of western North Carolina.
side view
Our room was the one with the balcony on the left of this beautiful, historic house.
There are several seating areas encircling the property.
well-stocked
There’s plenty of firewood on hand for the two, huge stone fireplaces inside the lobby and tavern.
churches on every corner
We love walking down Main Street through town, admiring all of the old churches. This is First Presbyterian Church.
First Baptist Church
This is the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, built in 1896 and on the National Register of Historic Places.
There are many shops to wander through and gorgeous, old buildings to see. I loved this lantern on one of the shops,, up on a hill, above Main Street.
This shop, by far, was my very favorite! It was a delight to walk through, full of nature-inspired candles, linens, gifts, etc. The “twig” tapers in beautiful colors and the best-smelling candle EVER was super tempting to purchase. I believe the scent was called “forest floor” and truly, it smelled exactly like dirt and pine needles, in the best possible way.
Highlands Nature Center
We met a friendly, local woman at the hotel and she highly recommended this glorious area. In years past, we’ve hiked the many, more challenging trails around Highlands but this time, due to my back and foot issues, we needed a gentler trail. This was perfect! We only saw a couple of people the entire time and it was so peaceful and quiet. It’s a very short drive from the town center with parking at the nature center. It’s free to simply walk on the trails. The Nature Center itself was closed on Sunday and there is a fee to tour the facility. There are easy, fairly level paths through woodlands and around the lake. On this day, most of the water was still frozen, which added an enchanting element to it.
We stopped for a little sit-down on a cute bench and just took in the sound of the wind and birds, looking out onto the frozen lake.
We’ve discovered, over the years, there is more rhododendron in Highlands than anywhere we’ve ever visited. I’d love to come back in the spring to see them in bloom.
There was still a smattering of snow along the boardwalk.
This cute mallard couple were having their lunch.
Four 65
After an absolutely wonderful day outside in nature, we walked from our hotel to this casual, inviting restaurant for dinner.
In case you’re wondering, like we were, the name comes from their street address. The service was good and the prices were reasonable.
and then this happened!
This hot goodness came out of one of their ginormous pizza ovens and hit the spot after a chilly afternoon of exploring out in the wild.
and then this happened….
“leave the gun, take the cannoli.” - “The Godfather”
We had the trifecta of chocolate chip, plain and pistachio.
“It’s a marvelous night for a Moondance.” - Van Morrison
It was a clear, moonlit night, walking back to our hotel. The half moon was hanging above this beautiful stone archway.
I loved this tall, bronze bear sculpture tucked away off the street between shops. We touched his paw for luck. I used a black and white filter because I didn't like the colors around him. I’m glad this is the only bear we ran into during our day outside.
We returned to the hotel and were greeted by the roaring fire and this adorable sheep! (sidenote: sheep are my favorite animal) We relaxed by the fireplace, perused a few more coffee table books and then called it a night.
tavern’s namesake
This is the only grouse we saw, perched above the lobby fireplace.
interiors
The following photos will give you a glimpse of the look of the interiors of the hotel. We loved how they meshed pieces, reflecting the original residents and settlers to this area of North Carolina…the Cherokee Native Americans, Scotch-Irish and English peoples.
pub
There is a quaint, pub room adjacent to the lobby and tavern with a pretty bar.
This beautiful wooden, carved bust is sitting on the front desk as you enter the hotel.
There is an old-fashioned key cubby behind the desk.
refreshing
I love it when accommodations still use real door keys!
not your typical tags
How charming are these door signs?!
not your typical railing
We really liked this railing made from real branches at the top of the staircase.
I loved this wallpaper! I think it’s “Willow”by Morris and Co. I also liked the lovely shade of blue paint on the wainscoting.
The hotel is filled with so much art on its walls. I love this vintage oil that’s a bit worn with more modern sconces flanking it.
We said goodbye to this cozy, welcoming place and traded the fire for water.
We stopped at the stunning Dry Falls!
There was ice remaining from the much colder temps and snow from the previous week. Usually, you can walk down behind the falls but it was blocked off on this day due to the slippery conditions.
I don’t know if anyone else would notice this or care, but I love how we’re accidentally color coordinated to the scenery. ;)
I do so love different shades of green in nature. These tiny plants and moss were growing on the rock wall leading down to the falls.
I also have a thing for ferns.
We said a “thank you” and farewell to Highlands on a mild February day. We would definitely recommend a weekend in this beautiful area of North Carolina. It’s about a 4-hour drive from Chattanooga. Highlands was affected by September’s Hurricane Helene but fortunately fared better than other Western North Carolina areas, such as Ashville. Highlands experienced power outages, downed trees, road closures and damaged homes. You would never know it now, as everything seemed back to normal where we stayed. We would encourage everyone to visit these beautiful areas of North Carolina! Our favorite thing to do here is get out into the woods and breathe in the fresh mountain air, enjoy a change of scenery and just slow down for a bit. My favorite singer says it best.
“In my mind, I’m gone to Carolina. Can’t you see the sunshine? Can’t you just feel the moonshine? Ain’t it just like a friend of mine to hit me from behind? Yes, I’m gone to Carolina in my mind.” - James Taylor