Highlands, NC

A Main Street institution known for its ribs and hand-cut steaks — the dining room is warm-toned wood with a fireplace, and the bar keeps a focused whiskey selection. Portions are sized for people who have been hiking, and the kitchen doesn't overthink the proteins.

Highlands' casual pub anchor on Main — covered deck, pint list leaning toward craft regionals, and a bar menu that covers burgers, wings, and loaded nachos without pretense. The outdoor seating fills faster than the interior on cool evenings, and the crowd mixes locals with summer visitors seamlessly.

The dining room inside Old Edwards Inn — white tablecloth service, Southern-influenced contemporary plates, and a wine list built for the clientele that books the inn. Local sourcing is genuine rather than decorative, and the kitchen applies real technique to familiar regional ingredients.

One of the oldest operating restaurants in Highlands, with a reputation for straightforward Southern home cooking — country ham, biscuits, and seasonal vegetables done without elaboration. The lunch service is the busiest, drawing a mix of residents and day visitors who want a real meal.

A gourmet provisions shop and café on Main that sells prepared foods, artisan cheeses, charcuterie, and specialty grocery alongside a café counter for espresso and light breakfast. Popular as a picnic assembler before a waterfall hike or a quick stop for people who are self-catering in a rental.

A wine-forward small-plates restaurant that fills the upscale-casual gap in Highlands' dining scene — the list skews toward European producers and the food is built around cheese, charcuterie, and small composed plates that pair with wine rather than competing with it. A good option when you want to drink well without committing to a full tasting-menu format.

A long-standing Highlands institution on Smallwood Avenue with a deck overlooking a private lake — the kitchen does New American plates with an emphasis on local trout and seasonal produce. The view is the context for everything, and it works best at sunset when the lake surface catches the evening light.

A Main Street grill with a following for its hand-pressed burgers, beer-battered fish, and an unpretentious bar that draws a mixed crowd of second-home owners and service industry locals after-hours. The room is straightforward and the food delivers without fuss.

A candlelit restaurant with wrap-around verandah seating above a creek — seasonal menus lean Southern contemporary with local sourcing, and the setting is the most romantic in Highlands proper. The kitchen has been consistent for decades and the service matches the room's ambition.

Highlands' long-running Chinese and Asian fusion restaurant — a reliable option for nights when mountain Southern fare isn't what the table wants, with a menu spanning Sichuan-influenced dishes and broader pan-Asian plates. The lunch specials are the best value on the menu.

A Main Street Italian that has anchored Highlands dining since 1983 — handmade pastas, wood-fired dishes, and an Italian wine list that holds its own. The room is warm and densely set; the kitchen stays consistent across the full menu rather than excelling at one category.

A tavern inside Old Edwards Inn with a more relaxed format than Madison's — the menu covers shareable small plates, elevated bar food, and a focused cocktail program that draws from local botanicals and Appalachian spirits. A better fit for late arrivals or groups that want to graze rather than sit for a formal dinner.

A family-friendly American restaurant in Cashiers serving straightforward steaks, salads, and comfort plates in a room that has been feeding the plateau's visitors for years. The kitchen doesn't deviate from its strengths, and the value relative to Highlands' upscale dining scene is worth the 12-minute drive east.

A two-mile loop around one of the largest exposed granite cliffs in the eastern US — the rim section offers unobstructed views across Cashiers Valley and into the Nantahala National Forest. The trail gains about 400 feet total and is manageable for most fitness levels despite feeling more exposed than the numbers suggest.

A 2.2-mile out-and-back trail descending steeply into the gorge to reach three distinct waterfall tiers on Overflow Creek — the lowest tier is the least visited and the most dramatic, with a deep plunge pool. The Blue Valley views on the descent are as good as the falls themselves.

A moderate ridgeline trail in the Nantahala National Forest that traverses second-growth forest and occasional open heath balds south of Highlands — less trafficked than the waterfall trails, with better solitude and strong autumn color. The trail runs as part of a network that can be extended into longer loops.

A climb to one of the open grassy balds south of Highlands — the summit at roughly 4,100 feet sits above the tree line in a heath bald ecosystem, with 360-degree views toward Georgia on clear days. The trail itself is straightforward but the exposed summit requires caution in afternoon thunderstorm season.

A 4.2-mile round trip in Rabun County, Georgia, climbing Georgia's second-highest peak at 4,696 feet — the summit observation deck provides the widest panoramic view available near Highlands, spanning into three states. The trailhead is about 25 minutes south of Highlands via US-64 and Bald Mountain Road.

A 37-mile backcountry trail through the Nantahala National Forest named for 18th-century naturalist William Bartram, who passed through the southern Appalachians in 1775 — accessible from multiple trailheads near Highlands, including the Scaly Mountain and Glade Gap access points. Day-hike sections work well without committing to the full route.

A community theater company producing four to five productions per summer season in Highlands — the level of performance consistently exceeds what the setting implies, drawing from a pool of semi-professional actors and directors who come to the plateau for the season. A genuine cultural anchor for the summer community.

The public face of the Highlands Biological Station — free natural history exhibits on the southern Appalachian ecosystem, a native plant botanical garden, and a small aquatic display featuring local stream species. One of the better free visitor resources in the North Carolina mountains.

A small downtown park at the center of Main Street commemorating Highlands' founders, Samuel Kelsey and Clinton Hutchinson, who platted the town in 1875 — the park hosts summer outdoor concerts, farmers market pop-ups, and community events. The fountain and benches make it the natural gathering point on the plateau.

A professional-grade performance venue hosting classical music, touring performers, and the Highlands Chamber Music Festival — the summer programming draws serious musicians and audiences from across the Southeast. The room has better acoustics than venues three times its size.

The plateau's flagship property — a Forbes Four-Star inn with a full spa, multiple restaurants, an indoor pool, and a culinary arts program running classes through the summer. Non-guests can book spa services and dine at the restaurants, making it accessible as an amenity rather than just lodging.

A conservation organization that has protected more than 18,000 acres of the Highlands-Cashiers plateau and maintains public access to several properties — the Land Trust's preserves include creek corridors, ridge viewsheds, and the headwaters of several major southern Appalachian river systems. A good resource for finding lesser-known access points to plateau terrain.

A 75-foot waterfall on the Cullasaja River where US-64 clings to the gorge wall — you can walk behind the curtain of water on a paved path and stay almost completely dry in most flows. The short descent from the parking pullout takes about five minutes, and the basin below the falls holds its cool even on the hottest plateau afternoons.

A broad 120-foot cataract that spills directly over a former section of the old highway — you can drive a car (or walk) under the overhang when water volume allows. The wide rock shelf under the falls stays dry enough to stand, and the volume of the plunge is impressive even after dry stretches.

A three-tiered series of cascades dropping roughly 60 feet total on a Blue Ridge Parkway access trail southeast of downtown Highlands — each tier has its own character, from wide fan to narrow chute. The 2.2-mile round-trip path descends steeply into the gorge and rewards with views down into the Blue Valley.

A town reservoir just west of downtown that the Highlands Biological Station uses as a research site — shoreline birding is productive year-round, and the dam spillway draws paddlers and picnickers. The lake sits at 3,700 feet, so water temperatures stay cool even in August.

An 800-foot granite cliff face rising out of Cashiers Valley — one of the tallest exposed cliffs in the eastern US and a nesting site for peregrine falcons from February through August. The two-mile loop circumnavigates the summit dome with open views across Jackson County from the rim.

A University of North Carolina field station operating since 1927 on Horse Cove Road — the attached Nature Center has free natural history exhibits covering the southern Appalachian ecosystem, and the station grounds include a botanical garden and a spring-fed pond. One of the oldest biological stations in North America and still an active research facility.

A six-mile stretch of US-64 dropping 2,000 feet between Highlands and Franklin — the Cullasaja River punches through the gorge below, passing Dry Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and several unmarked cascades en route. The road itself is a series of narrow, cliff-hugging switchbacks with no guardrails in places.