Enjoy Nature, Eat Delicious Food & Explore Downtown In Highlands, NC

Things to Do in Highlands, NC

Visit Downtown Highlands

The first thing I recommend you do is go straight to Downtown Highlands. Highlands, NC, is a small town, so the downtown area is where you will find the bulk of your “things to do”. This area makes you feel like you’re walking around the set of your favorite Hallmark movie. From the flower beds lining the streets to the storefronts, all perfectly curated for the summer season, it all makes you feel enchanted.

There is ample parking, although it does get busy on the weekends, and all the parking areas were free where we parked. Once you park, you can walk up and down the streets where you’ll find high-end shopping, a toy store, many restaurants, and more. Most of the shops closed at around 5 pm, so be sure to check their websites and social media pages before heading downtown. Here is a list of our favorite shops and restaurants:

• Calder’s Coffee Cafe: They have amazing coffee and a large cafe where you can sit and enjoy your morning latte. I went here several times during our weekend trip.
• Highland’s Pizza Place: We had lunch here, and the food was divine. The kids ordered pizzas, and my husband and I ordered subs. The subs were fresh and perfectly toasted. A great place for lunch or dinner!

• Highlands Kids Toy Store: The Highlands Kids store is right on the corner of downtown on Main Street. They sell kids’ clothes, toys, games, and more.
• Dutchman’s Casual Living: This home decor store is absolutely stunning. They sell everything from women’s clothing to custom drapes and home furnishings.
• Four65 Woodfire Bistro & Bar: This bistro was delicious. We went there for appetizers and drinks before dinner at a different restaurant. The cocktails were really great, and the spinach and artichoke dip was delicious.
• Main Street Gifts: This gift shop is quaint and offers a large selection of souvenirs and other gifts.
• The Southern Way: This upscale boutique offers men’s and women’s clothing. My husband really loved this store as he found some nice work and golf wear.

• Kilwins Ice Cream: We had ice cream here twice, and it was really tasty!
• Churches: There are two beautiful churches in downtown Highlands. My favorite was the large white church with the red door. I am not sure if you can tour this church, but I would love to on my next trip to Highlands.
• Blackbear Breakfast & Lunch: This breakfast place was really unique. It was traditional breakfast items, but made with a Latin flair. I have never had anything like it, but it was delicious.

There are so many more shops and places to eat that we didn’t venture inside, so there is certainly something for everyone to explore in downtown Highlands. We saw lots of spas and golf courses to enjoy as well.

Dine at the Highlands Supper Club

In addition to the restaurants downtown, we also had dinner at Highlands Supper Club. It was so good that I have given the Supper Club its own section in this article. When you arrive, you walk through a quaint yard with outdoor tables that leads into an old log cabin house. This cabin was built by local legend Joe Webb. Webb was a renowned home builder and carpenter who specialized in building rustic log cabins that were known for their intricate designs. The inside was so beautiful, and they have preserved the cabin perfectly. The food here was the best food we had the entire trip.

🔥Hot Tip: Order the Biscuits! For our appetizers, we ordered biscuits with honey butter and a side of the burnt pork ends. We haven’t stopped thinking about those biscuits since that evening we enjoyed them. The biscuits melted in your mouth, and the honey butter was so fluffy. If I could have those delivered to my doorstep today, I would.

We really love any kind of burnt pork ends, so they were much enjoyed as well. The drink menu had many options, whether you were looking for a cocktail, soda, glass of wine, or tea. We had water and cocktails, while the kids had Sprite. When the main courses came, they were really large portions and divine. I had fried chicken and collard greens while my husband had the elk tenderloin with cheddar grits. Then we shared a family-style macaroni and cheese as another side.

Our children ordered the kids’ cavatappi pasta with fries and said it was good. The food was so delicious that we didn’t have room for dessert, but the kids got a bowl each of homemade vanilla bean ice cream, which my husband said was fresh and delicious. This is a must-visit!

Highlands Supper Club Website

Outdoor Adventures Near Highlands, NC

Highlands, NC is pretty well-known for its hiking trails and waterfalls. We are not a big hiking family simply because our kids are just now getting to the age where they can hang for miles and miles. This trip was a great introduction to hiking for them.

We headed to Highlands Aerial Park to see the hidden waterfall. Highlands Aerial Park offers zip-lining, several hiking trails, and adventure courses. They have a trail that goes to a waterfall and a trail that goes to a suspension bridge, so we did both! We did not do any of the ziplining or other activities, but they did look fun (if you like heights). Each hike was a little under a mile both ways.

The BEST part of this experience was that while the kids were hiking with us, they had to look out for a very specific gnome. This gnome would win them a prize back at the base station, so they had a blast looking for him. Every single part of the trail had the most intricate detail worked into the landscape. There were so many fairy houses, gnome sculptures, and hidden faux insects peppered along the trail. It was so neat!

Other outdoor adventures near Highlands, NC include:

• Dry Falls– Amazing 75-foot waterfall in Cullasaja Gorge.
• Sunset Rock– Short hike for gorgeous views

Special Events in Highlands, NC

We lucked out and caught the annual Highlands Motor Show the weekend we were there. It gave the town even more southern charm as we strolled through the lines of classic cars with our warm coffees in hand. It turns out that the Highlands Motoring Festival is an annual festival. It was free to attend. They had several vendors set up, and they even chose a winning car. In addition to this event, they have an extensive list of other annual events and festivals that you can attend. The Highlands Performing Arts Center is rather popular. Check out the Highlands Chamber of Commerce events page to stay current on their upcoming events.

Where To Stay

We opted for a rustic cabin in the woods and had a really great time there. There are a few boutique-style hotels downtown as well that we saw. Here is a list of the boutique hotels we noticed while walking around. If you don’t want to stay downtown, you can search for private rentals online.

• Old Edwards Inn & Spa Website
• The Park on Main Website
• Trailborn Highlands Website
• Skyline Lodge Website
• 200 Main Website
• Highlander Mountain House Website

Lastly, if you want to take another adventure about 30 minutes outside of Highlands, NC, you can go to Julep Farms in Dillard, GA! Read our Kidding Around Review of Julep Farms! If you visit Highlands Aerial Park, you can keep driving up the road and head to Julep Farms!

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Have you been to Highlands, North Carolina?