The temperatures have been scorching lately. On top of that, we haven’t participated in our usual summertime activities. No cookout gatherings with a supper club; no weekend getaways with friends. Needless to say, it was time for a change of scenery. My husband and I needed to escape the mundane and the heat. A day trip to Highlands, NC was the solution!
We’ve been to Cashiers and Highlands too many times to count. It’s about an hour and a half to Cashiers and just thirty more minutes or so to Highlands. We felt like it was a familiar enough place that we could maneuver and adjust to whatever new policies and procedures may be taking place due to the coronavirus.
Our plan was to leave our house around 9am in hopes that we could be seated at a restaurant early for lunch around 11am. If we couldn’t find a restaurant we felt comfortable in, we would just grab something at the local grocery store, Market Fresh, and have a picnic somewhere. We were a little worried about crowds and if we could actually find a place to sit outside for a picnic. So our third option was pick up food at Ingles in Cashiers and take it to picnic at Whitewater Falls. And our fourth option was, if all else fails, we’ve at least escaped and enjoyed a beautiful ride up and down the mountains!
As we approached town, we noticed some traffic at the crossroads in Cashiers and arriving in Highlands and we were a little hesitant to be in such crowds. Rather than even trying to park on Main Street, we went directly to a back street away from the crowds. Parking was not a challenge!
I loaded my purse with hand sanitizer and masks and we headed to Main Street. We went directly to Wild Thyme Gourmet restaurant. My hubby picked it the night before because we knew they had outdoor seating and we’ve enjoyed their menu on prior occasions. When we arrived at the hostess stand, they were able to seat us inside immediately. Outside seating was spread out, but it was pretty full and it looked like it might rain. We were fine eating inside! Honestly, there was hardly anyone inside so we felt very comfortable with that. I’m glad we arrived early though! As noon approached, more people were being seated inside. They still kept an empty booth or table between parties, but I was still glad we arrived early and had the place mostly to ourselves.
After dining, we went in a few shops and just enjoyed walking Main Street. It was only 75 degrees! Such a dream! Here’s some of my favorite places to stop and shop!
Have you been to Highlands or Cashiers? I’d love to know your favorite places to shop and dine! Please share! I’m hoping I can take a weekend trip there soon and recap it fully with lots of dining, shopping, hiking options!
