Highlands Weekend Getaway for $770

The Highlands in North Carolina is an area I had heard a lot about but never visited up until recently! Just a short two and a half hour drive from Atlanta, this spot is a great weekend getaway. Below, I’ll recall my steps through our vacation there and give you some tips about what this scenic region has to offer.

Lodging- The Wells Hotel:

For this trip I booked our stay at The Wells Hotel. The Wells has recently been renovated and offers a convenient location from which to access most all activities in the Highlands. They were still working out a few kinks while we were there, but these were minor and I really enjoyed our time at the hotel. I loved that the Wells offered smores kits for use at their outdoor fire pit.

Day #1:

Breakfast at Mountain Fresh Grocery:

A family friend recommended Mountain Fresh Grocery for all our food needs over the weekend and for breakfast it hit the spot our first morning! I got a sausage egg and cheese biscuit with a side of cheese grits which was delicious. If you have time to camp out and enjoy breakfast, they have indoor and outdoor seating for you to enjoy.

Hike Whiteside Mountain:

Of course we couldn’t head to the mountains and not complete a hike! Whiteside Mountain was a fantastic way to start off and offered stunning views on what was luckily a clear day! This 2 mile loop took us a little over an hour to complete. Parking is $3, but be warned that the attendees only accept cash. Whiteside Mountain is dog friendly and very easy to navigate. We took the trail counter clockwise which I personally recommend to knock the hard part out first. My favorite part of the trail is the informational signs at the top about the geography of the area and its history.

Hike Satulah Mountain:

This hike is very different from most because you have to start in the middle of town and then weave through local neighborhoods to get to the top. We parked on 4th street right across from The Ugly Dog House. This trail is 2.9 miles out and back and took us about an hour and 17 minutes to complete. As mentioned, you go through neighborhoods which means you are walking on concrete with a fairly decent uphill battle. The road goes straight up, but the houses are beautiful to look at and the view at the end is stunning! Cost: Free

Dinner at Wild Thyme:

We had time to kill in the afternoon before our dinner reservation, so I enjoyed the fire pit at the Wells Hotel and read my book while my husband worked. For dinner we headed downtown to Wild Thyme which came recommended to us. I would characterize this menu as New American with a ton of variety to the cuisine. I started off with a delicious watermelon martini and paired it with their spring egg rolls. For my main meal, I had trout with polenta and asparagus! Wild Thyme’s menu is a little on the pricey side, but I think it is worth the money for a splurge night. To end the night, we snagged some ice cream at Kilwins for a post dinner treat and headed to bed early!

Day #2:

Breakfast at Mountain Fresh Grocery:

For the second day in a row we headed to Mountain Fresh Grocery because we loved their stuff from the day before! We made sure to eat a big breakfast because today was Waterfall day!

Bridal Veil Falls:

The first waterfall we stopped at is actually right off the highway! You can park next to it and walk under it as well. After a heavy rain, it can be quite wet so be careful as you pass. Bridal Veil is wheelchair accessible in case you need to plan around mobility concerns. Cost: Free

Dry Falls:

Right down the road is the famous and ironically namedDry Falls. There is a small parking lot, so you may need to be patient in locating a spot. It is a 0.4 mile trail out and back and you can go under this waterfall as well. It took us about 10 minutes to see the falls and admire its beauty. There is a $3 fee to park so make sure you bring cash! The trail is dog friendly as well.

Glen Falls:

This waterfall was stunning to hike down towards and you earned your lunch on the way back up. All Trails says it is a 2.4 mile out and back trail. Do not go all the way to the bottom of the trail on the map as it unfortunately ends abruptly! Once you hit the lookout at the bottom of the falls you can turn around and start heading up. It is a tough hike back up so make sure to hydrate accordingly. Glen Falls took us around an hour and a half to complete, but if we didn’t go all the way to the bottom, it would have only taken us an hour. This trail is dog friendly and free to park at.

Late Lunch at Bridge at Mill Creek:

After our morning of hiking we went back to the hotel to shower up and get ready to eat a late lunch. We found a restaurant, Bridge at Mill Creek, near the Wells and decided to check it out. I ordered a sweet cocktail and their fried chicken sandwich to fill me up from a day of hiking. The food and atmosphere was decent, but was pretty similarly priced to where we ate dinner the night before so I would not declare it an affordable option.

Unfortunately, it rained the rest of the afternoon and evening so we decided to stay in at the hotel and go to Mountain Fresh Grocery again for dinner where we snagged some meat, cheeses and dessert.

Additional Spots:

Since we didn’t have amazing weather on our last day and my husband had to work a lot, there were leftover some items I had written down that we didn’t get to accomplish:

1. Sunset Rock: this was most recommended to go watch the sunset in the evenings and even bring a packed dinner.
2. Drinks at Maidson’s(a little fancier),  The Ugly Dog Public House, The High Dive, or Satulah Mountain Brewing Company
3. Dinner at Ristorante Paoletti – this came highly recommended but they were sadly closed when we visited.
4. Dinner at Wolfgang Restaurant & Wine Bistro – this also came recommended, but was even more expensive than our Friday dinner so we decided to opt out.

Overall Thoughts:

I think the Highlands is a very scenic area, but is likely more catered towards older couples or those seeking a very quaint mountain getaway for the weekend. We drove up after work on Thursday night and left Sunday morning. I honestly feel like a regular weekend is enough time and a three day weekend is probably overkill to see everything you have on your list. I also had a lot of downtime during the weekend due to my husband having to work a lot, so I think if he hadn’t been working, we would have wrapped up sooner. Still, I think I am open to going back and giving it a second chance to try out some of the other restaurants and remaining hikes that we missed.

Budget: