Several months ago, among the craziness of moving, I decided David and I needed a night or two away together. I’m often the instigator of the trips/travel in our family, so I started thinking through the options. I decided two nights would be ideal, something fairly close by/drivable, and after we had settled in the house and enjoyed the holiday season would be best. This took us into January and the timing lent itself to work well for using the getaway as both a time of reflection on 2024, planning for 2025, and a chance for us to celebrate David’s January birthday together.
We are typically doers and don’t “just relax” very well, but for this particular getaway, some time to chill and a massage sounded dreamy. I had heard good things about the little mountain town of The Highlands in North Carolina, and being that it was only a 90 minute drive from our new home, I started there. Old Edwards Inn and Spa came up immediately, as I had heard good things from friends and acquaintances about the Relais & Chateaux property. I booked us two nights in the historic inn, dinner at their best restaurant, and massages for two, then we counted down the days with eager anticipation.
As the weekend approached, so did the prediction of snow, and my concerns of if we’d be able to make it to our destination began to surface. I decided there was nothing I could do about it either way, and made up my mind to enjoy the snow (which we did). Mom even came up a couple days earlier than planned to make sure she would be here with the kids in case we could make it, which was super generous. Fortunately by the morning of our departure, the roads were mostly clear, which was a good thing because the windy mountain roads to get to the Highlands would have been a bit too exciting for my liking if they would have been iced over. Luckily the ice was only on the side of the mountain in the form of gorgeous icicles and frozen waterfalls for us to admire and nothing on the roads to make us slip.
We arrived midday and were happily surprised to have our room ready already, so we checked in and went to put our things away. We had a Historic Deluxe Room in the main inn, which was built in July of 1878. The rooms are nicely updated though with heated bathroom floors and our room, room 18, was spacious and very comfortable.
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We were there with a full afternoon stretched out ahead of us, so we decided to get lunch and then explore, as the resort sprawls several acres right in the middle of The Highlands’ cute downtown area.
On property is a pizza spot called Four65 Woodfire Bistro & Bar, so we walked over to it to claim a window seat. We split the Caesar salad and a Napoletana pizza with fennel sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, tomato, basil, and garlic. Both were excellent.
With fully bellies we decided to walk around and get our bearings. We wandered the cozy hallways of the historic inn and poked our head in the spa before crossing the street to visit the fitness center, the pools (which were closed for the season but had open hot tubs), and the lodge. By late afternoon we made our way back to the Hummingbird Lounge, a cozy spot within the historic inn portion of the resort, and ordered a smoked bourbon drink (for him) and an espresso martini (for her).
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The afternoon was fabulous and just what I was after. We just chilled, relaxing and talking, and starting to take some of our 2025 intentions and taking them one step closer to becoming full on plans. The afternoon flew by and soon we realized it was time to change so we could make it to our dinner reservation.
We had 6:00 reservations at Madison’s, a farm to table restaurant located right in the historic inn, so we walked the two flights up to our room to change, and came back down for dinner. The service and food was very good, with the complimentary pimento cheese and my scallops stealing the show.
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We both slept well in the comfortable bed but were startled awake at 7:00 by the fire alarm. It seemed persistent so we rolled out of bed to dress and go down to the lobby where other half sleeping guests gathered as well. The fire truck and fire fighters showed up and discovered there was some incident in the kitchen with a cut line in a hood or something like that. After about 20-30 minutes they were able to get the alarm to stop. At that point we were up and ready to go.
The kitchen was out of service at the inn, so they directed us to a cute little spot call the Blue Bike Cafe just a block down the street. They steered us well because breakfast was delicious! I had shrimp and grits with eggs and David raved about the grilled breakfast burrito and the dipping sauce. Afterwards we walked to the fitness center, a well appointed two level facility to get in leg day.
Once fed and exercised, we were ready for some rest and relaxation, so we showered and made our way to the spa, about an hour before our appointments. The spa is very nice, with the co-ed solarium and relaxation room being the highlight for me. The rooms are cozy and comfortable. In the men’s area, David enjoyed the whirlpool and steam room, but was surprised that there was no men’s dry sauna, since we did have one on the ladies’ side. I enjoyed the amenities as well, then we both went in for 80 minute massages. It was wonderful.
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We relaxed together afterwards in the solarium, chatting and sipping coconut water and hot tea. Eventually we decided to get dress and go exploring. We played a game of chess in the lodge where a friendly waitress tole us about two waterfalls just a few minutes’ drive away. So we loaded up to go see Bridal Veil Falls, which was right on the side of the highway.
We were unsure about Dry Falls, within the Nantahala Forest, because we had heard the path was icy, but decided to go for it anyway. I’m so glad we did! We carefully navigated the short (icy) walkway and the pay off was huge. Dry Falls was gorgeous, especially with the icicles that decorated it. We found out that it was once four times as big as Niagra Falls (crazy, right?!) and this is what is left of it today. It’s breathtaking. I wish iPhone pictures did it justice.
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We returned to Old Edward’s Inn last afternoon and set up shop in the Hummingbird Lounge. We intended to get dinner across the street at The Tavern, but it was closed for cleaning for the week. A lot of the town seemed to be taking a rest after the holiday season, which is understandable. I’d love to come back in summer and fall and see it in all it’s bustling glory, but feeling like we had the wintry town to ourselves was its own kind of cozy special experience.
Hanging out in the Hummingbird Lounge ended up being the perfect endcap on our quick getaway. We scored a couch by the fire, chatted it up, and enjoyed dinner there as well, since they serve food from Madison’s restaurant.
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We ate breakfast the next morning back at Blue Bike Cafe (excellent, again), and then took off towards home feeling relaxed, mentally rejuvenated, and best off all, connected. It was fun to be reminded of how much fun we have together and we’re excited to take on the new year.
The girls loved their time with Nana and since David had to take off that afternoon for some work travel, mom even stayed another night to take the kids to basketball while I got my feet back under me at the house. Is that not the best feeling? Grateful!
Have you been to the Highlands? Do you have a favorite little mountain town to visit? Historic Inns- do you love them or prefer more modern accommodations?
