The Best of Highlands, NC: Top Hotels, Restaurants, Shops, and Attractions

May 9, 2025

Planning a trip to Highlands, North Carolina? This charming mountain town in the Blue Ridge Mountains is one of the most popular destinations in Western North Carolina, known for its luxury hotels, upscale restaurants, local boutiques, and outdoor adventures. Whether you’re looking for the best hotels in Highlands, NC, fine dining with mountain views, scenic waterfall hikes, or the most stylish shops on Main Street, our guide covers all the top things to do in Highlands, NC. From romantic getaways to family vacations, here’s where to stay, eat, shop, and explore in Highlands. —Eric Barton

THE BEST HIGHLANDS ADVENTURES

Whiteside Mountain: The Highlands Hike with Clifftop Views and Just Enough Sweat

This two-mile loop climbs to jaw-dropping vistas over sheer granite cliffs, often with peregrine falcons soaring at eye level. It’s short enough to do before lunch, but steep enough to make you earn that post-hike cocktail. For an added challenge, take the tougher, stair-heavy loop on the right on the way up. —Eric Barton

Dry Falls

Despite the name, you will absolutely get misted—but that’s part of the charm. Just off the main road, this easy trail takes you behind a roaring 75-foot waterfall, no poncho required but maybe a hat. It’s a quick stop that feels like a scene from a movie, especially when the light hits just right and the whole thing glows. —Eric Barton

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts

Housed in a stunning barn-like structure with mountain views, The Bascom hosts rotating exhibits, workshops, and a pottery studio that smells like wet clay and ambition. It’s the artsy soul of Highlands, perfect for a rainy afternoon or a break from hiking boots.—Maria Rodriguez

Highlands Wine Shoppe

Perched on a hill above downtown, this wine shop doubles as a chill hangout with tables under the trees and a rotating cast of retirees trading pickleball war stories. Grab a bottle, pour a glass, and let your labradoodle make new friends.—Eric Barton

THE BEST HOTELS IN HIGHLANDS

Trailborn Highlands: Modern Cool in the Mountains

Perched at the edge of downtown, Trailborn Highlands blends Scandinavian minimalism with cozy, Blue Ridge vibes—think cedar-lined rooms, pour-over coffee, and wool blankets. It’s the kind of place where you start your day with banana bread in the lobby and end it by the fire pit, wondering if you should just move here. —Eric Barton

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Old Edwards Inn & Spa

The crown jewel of Highlands hospitality, Old Edwards Inn is where Southern gentility meets spa robes and Champagne carts. With European-style rooms, a world-class spa, and farm-to-table dining, it’s less a hotel stay and more a high-altitude indulgence. —Eric Barton

Highlander Mountain House

An old inn reimagined by a former magazine editor, Highlander Mountain House has mastered stylish nostalgia. Antiques give the place a European lodge feel, and a British gastropub downstairs makes the entire experience feel like something special. —Maria Rodriguez

200 Main by Old Edwards

This sister property to Old Edwards keeps things sleek and simple, with leather chairs, hardwood floors, and a fire pit that draws a nightly crowd. Close to downtown but without the fuss, there’s just enough luxury to remind you it’s still Old Edwards. —Maria Rodriguez

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN HIGHLANDS

Highlands Supper Club: The New Spot for Wood-Fired Everything

Take a stone path to the hill above the Trailborn Highlands hotel and you’ll find a charming log cabin restaurant where the wood-fired kitchen turns out dishes like roasted oysters with pimento cheese and just about the best roasted chicken know to man. The vibe is intimate but unpretentious—like a dinner party hosted by someone who forages and also build the house themselves.—Eric Barton

Oak Steakhouse Highlands

An outpost of the Charleston-based mini-chain, Oak brings dry-aged ribeyes and wedge salads to a dining room that feels more clubby lodge than corporate clone. The view’s pure Highlands, the steaks are serious, and the bourbon list is long enough to test your loyalty. —Eric Barton

Four65 Woodfire Bistro and Bar Highlands

Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar

Attached to Old Edwards Inn but cooler than you'd expect, Four65 does upscale comfort food with a wood-fired twist—think Neapolitan-ish pizzas, short rib grilled cheese, and cocktails with house-made shrubs. No one’s judging your double order of truffle fries. —Eric Barton

Wild Thyme Gourmet

This downtown bistro is half locals’ lunch spot, half quiet date-night standby, with a menu that swings from Thai curry to pecan chicken. It’s not flashy, but that’s the point—just good food, a decent wine list, and the feeling that you stumbled onto a secret. —Maria Rodriguez

Los Vaqueros

A no-frills favorite just off the main drag, Los Vaqueros serves up sizzling fajitas, loaded chimichangas, and margaritas that lean heavy on the tequila. It’s the kind of place where the chips are warm, the salsa’s got a kick, and everyone seems to know at least one server by name. —Eric Barton

Ristorante Paoletti

For more than 30 years, Paoletti has been Highlands’ go-to for white-tablecloth Italian and an encyclopedic wine list. The veal saltimbocca and house-made pastas feel like something you’d eat on the Amalfi Coast—if the Amalfi Coast had black bears and rhododendrons. —Maria Rodriguez

The Ugly Dog Pub

Part neighborhood bar, part restaurant, The Ugly Dog is where Highlands lets its hair down—stiff drinks, a damn good Cobb salad, and burgers that taste best after a long hike or a short pour of something brown. The bar is where you’ll see a collection of everything from bankers to off-hours busboys all saddled up together. —Eric Barton

THE BEST BOUTIQUE SHOPS IN HIGHLANDS

Rosenthal’s Boutique: Highlands’ Go-To for Cashmere and Caftans

A Main Street institution, Rosenthal’s is where you go when you suddenly realize you under-packed for a stylish mountain town. The racks are heavy on flowy dresses, buttery-soft sweaters, and pieces that whisper “old money” even if you’re paying with Venmo.—Maria Rodriguez

TJ Bailey’s

This men’s clothier dresses the guys of Highlands in linen blazers, waxed-canvas jackets, and enough Southern charm to outfit a garden party. It’s the rare shop where you’ll find bourbon-scented cologne and someone who knows how to tailor pants properly. —Eric Barton

The Dry Sink

Part kitchen store, part Appalachian general store fantasy, The Dry Sink stocks everything from Le Creuset to local honey. It’s the kind of place where you’ll impulse-buy a ceramic butter dish shaped like a chicken and wonder how you ever lived without it. —Maria Rodriguez

Dutchman’s

Equal parts furniture showroom and gift shop of your dreams, Dutchman’s is stuffed with velvet pillows, reclaimed wood tables, and candles that smell like “Mountain Air” or “Blue Ridge Moon.” You’ll walk in for a thank-you card and leave with a new living room. —Maria Rodriguez

FEATURE

Highlands, NC: The Aspen of the East (But With Better Biscuits)

Upscale and outdoorsy, Highlands, NC is a scenic small town in the Nantahala with big views, luxury hotels, and a dining scene worthy of a major city.

—Eric Barton