Where to Eat, Stay, and Play in the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau of N.C.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that a little fresh air can provide a big mood boost. Add some soothing scenery and eye-popping views, and you're fully in the zone for a pure mountain high. Sound appealing? Then pack your bags and head for the Highlands-Cashiers plateau in western North Carolina, where the pristine mountain air and easy vacation charm is available in spades.

Just a few miles north of North Carolina's tiny border with Georgia, Highlands is a tiny hamlet sitting at 4,100 feet, making it one of the highest incorporated towns east of the Rockies. Cashiers, 10 miles to the east, is slightly lower in elevation but just as charming. Combined, the two towns offer boutique shopping, luxe accommodations, fine dining, and plenty of that storied Carolina ‘cue, providing plenty of restorative diversions. But that’s really all window dressing; the real attitude-adjusting ability awaits outside.

Nestled in the Nantahala National Forest that blankets the area’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Highlands, Cashiers, and the surrounding peaks and valleys offer a long list of ways to start or reaffirm a deep personal relationship with Mother Nature. Since their lofty perches also influence weather, keeping things cooler amid the South’s summer swelter, the perfect time to visit is late May through the end of summer.

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Getting To & Around Highlands-Cashiers

The Highlands-Cashiers area is about 130 miles north of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson airport (approximately a two-and-a-half-hour drive). It's about 70 miles southwest of Asheville, which also has an airport. With options for activity spread around and between the two towns, a car is essential for the full experience.

What to Do in Highlands-Cashiers

While the area’s bevy of outdoor adventures are the strongest draw, don’t shrug off a stroll down Highlands’ Main Street or the collections of shops in Cashiers. You'll have your pick of antique dealers, art galleries, gift shops, outdoor outfitters, and upscale clothing boutiques. But don’t linger; the mountains are calling.

Start with a stunner, a hike up Whiteside Mountain, a massive hunk of granite sitting between Highlands and Cashiers. The two-mile loop takes a bit of energy but isn’t strenuous and delivers ample rewards. At the 4,900-foot-high summit, you’re above a sheer rock face (one of the highest in the Eastern United States) and greeted by panoramic views of the Blue Ridge's sharper peaks transitioning to the soft, rounded hills of South Carolina’s Piedmont.

Those views can attract crowds. Avoid them on a far less-traveled path at the aptly named Secret Falls, a 50-foot glittering cascade that pours over a ledge. (The deep pool below may tempt you in for a dip but be warned: The water remains teeth-chattering cold year-round.) Silver Cove Falls, in Cashiers, is a sparkling gem that’s easy to access but usually not overrun.

You’re almost guaranteed solitude in Panthertown Valley, near Cashiers. The 6,300-acre backcountry recreation area has more than 25 miles of trails that traverse a wide range of habitat: deep gorges, tranquil forest glens, and gurgling streams that tumble into wide waterfalls.

Novice and established fly-fishermen alike should flip a few casts into the rivers around Highlands and Cashiers. Most hold their fair share of fine rainbow, brook, and brown trout.

Where to Eat in Highlands-Cashiers

Power up for an active day with a pile of banana bread French toast drizzled with sticky praline sauce at Blue Bike Café in Highlands. Or if your mornings are more about a light bite and caffeine, pop into Buck’s Coffee in Cashiers.

Lunch is easy at On the Side, a walk-up joint attached to the Cashiers Farmers Market that delivers tender pulled pork swimming in a tangy mustard-based sauce, with standards like potato salad and coleslaw.

For dinner, Ristorante Paoletti offers some old-world atmosphere with its thoughtful interpretations of northern Italian cuisine. Opt for the simplicity of N.C. rainbow trout sautéed with lemon, butter, and white wine; or tender tortellini with sweet peas and prosciutto. At the edge of a meadow in the shadow of Laurel Knob, Canyon Kitchen easily earns the honor bestowed by OpenTable diners as one of the country’s most scenic restaurants. Bites like deviled eggs studded with Iberico ham and apple-cider brined pork chops score rave reviews.

For a casual alternative, Ugly Dog Public House (with locations in Highlands and Cashiers) offers North Carolina craft beer (if they’ve got it, go with Satulah Mountain Brewing Co.’s Sunset Saison) and bar food bites like fried mac ‘n cheese and fat, juicy burgers.

Where to Stay in Highlands-Cashiers

The Old Edwards Inn, a multi-year winner in our annual Readers' Choice Awards, is a no-brainer for Highlands accommodations (rooms from $375 per night). The stalwart consistently delivers stellar service and elegant yet comfortable rooms, as do its parent company’s other spots: Half-Mile Farm (rooms from $370 per night), a few miles out of town and cozied up to a quiet lake, and casually chic 200 Main (rooms from $185 per night), which is just down the street from the Inn and provides some Old Edwards bang for a lot less buck.

For something new in something old, check into the rustic-meets-refined Highlander Mountain House (rooms from $230 per night), an 18-room hotel in an 1885 clapboard farmhouse. And in Cashiers, a landmark property just reopened after a full-scale freshen-up. The beloved historic resort, High Hampton Inn (rooms from $595 per night), was recently renovated by the team behind Tennessee’s revered Blackberry Farm.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler