Highlands, North Carolina ...
a mountain watering hole

Just a ways into the mountains of North Carolina, northeast of the red soils of Georgia lays the Nantahala National Forest. This is a mid-size mountain range with many streams, rivers and quite a few beautiful waterfalls. Highlands is a fairly trendy town that is blessed with being located in a relatively unspoiled natural setting. It is close enough to Atlanta, Florida and the coastal regions of both Carolinas to be frequented by people seeking a relief of the summer's heat and the colors of fall foliage.

One of the benefits of a town being devoted to recreation and tourism is that there are many choices of where to stay and many choices of where to have dinner. The town is very quaint and pleasant to walk through with, of course, many shops waiting to accept your credit cards. On the downside, it is a bit expensive and there are many people waiting to accept your credit card. Your NotAMall reviewer is not the slightest bit interested in seeing a chain store when traveling. Hell, I can go to any mall for that kind of shopping experience. On the plus of the downside, Highlands has a number of unique shops and as of the last time I was there in 2003, no malls. On that occasion, holiday presents for everyone on our list were purchased (in September) at The Stone Lantern just because we found so many interesting things in one place. It is nice to have a cute town to prowl through especially because it can be a bit rainy in the mountains but the best reason for being in the Highlands area is to be outdoors without any pavement in sight.

There are many trails through the woods, along the streams and up the mountains with a variety of difficulty and durations to choose from. You really do need a car to be able to get around though, and being America, you really need the car just to get there in the first place. A day's drive from Highlands will find many beautiful spots to get out and walk around or find a long trail for a good hike. Many waterfalls can be easily located along the mountain roads and much time can be passed walking along or in the streams. If you would rather be on the water than in or beside it, there are many navigable waterways for everything from kayak and canoe to some great whitewater rafting.

If you get sore from all the outdoor exploration, there are quite a few gemstone "mines" where you can pan for semi-precious stones. Once and a while a really nice stone is found but it is just plain fun to peck and poke looking for a nice sapphire amongst the worthless gravel in a bucketful of dirt you buy. In fact, there are a number of legitimate places in the region where gemstones such as garnet, emerald, sapphire and rubies have been mined for many years but some of the places do provide you with material from other locations. If you are unlucky in your prospecting, they have cut and polished stones for sale at the various stone mining. If you do strike it rich all of the "mines" will be happy to cut and polish your finds too.

Highlands and the surrounding region are a great choice for spending time with friends or family while enjoying outdoor activities and having other options available as well. Many of the lodges and inns also provide access to tennis courts and golf courses as well.