If you are looking for a great place to get away from it all while still having access to fine dining and upscale shopping, then you may want to visit Highlands, North Carolina. With its spectacular waterfalls and abundance of hiking trails throughout the surrounding mountains, Highlands is by far, one of the most beautiful places our family has ever visited, east of the Mississippi.
The Highlands is beautiful anytime of the year however, autumn is one of our favorite seasons to visit. We recently picked the perfect weekend to take a three hour drive from Knoxville, Tennessee to the western part of N.C., (2 hours from Asheville and 2.5 from Atlanta). We woke up to the best of both outdoor worlds: snow on top of the colorful fall leaves! We hiked for about three hours on a well-groomed trail around Whiteside Mountain through the fall and wintery mix, stopping to take-in all the varied sights and snap breathtaking photos. After our hike, we went into the small hamlet of the Highlands for coffee at Buck's and shopped at a variety of really nice shops. One of my favorite's was a place called Colonel Mustard's, where you could sample every type of salsa, dip and jam, one could imagine. Our teens also stumbled across a "Shakespeare and Co." bookstore, which brought back memories of a trip to Paris, where we found a bookstore with the same name. Turns out the owner named their's after the famous Paris establishment. Our accommodations was the only aspect of the trip that was somewhat disappointing. We stayed at the Highland Hotel Suites in the heart of the Highlands on Main Street. While it was convenient to all of the restaurants and shops and easy on the family "budget," the hotel was nothing to "write home about." The next time we go, we'll definitely try one of the many bed n'
breakfasts such as the historic Highland Main St. Inn which exudes charm and character.
