Top 5 things to do in: Highlands, NC
- Visit Blue Valley Overlook
- Visit Bridal Veil Falls
- Visit Dry Falls
- Visit “Bust your Butt” Falls & swimming hole
- Shopping/dining on Main & Fourth Street
Highlands, NC is a quaint town with mountain views, hiking and waterfalls. Highlands is a 2.5 hour drive from Atlanta which makes it a great weekend getaway. We spent a Saturday here and found a few hiking trails and waterfalls to visit. There are lots of restaurants and shops to visit on Main street as well if you prefer to wine and dine. Our first stop on the drive in was Blue Valley Overlook. There is a pull-off area with a beautiful view of the mountain range.
We drove into town afterwards and toured some of the shops before heading to the waterfalls. There are a few popular places to eat in Highlands like Madison’s Restaurant, Kelsey Place Restaurant and Wolfgang’s Restaurant & Wine Bistro. These restaurants are in the $$$ price range and are highly rated.
After touring the city we headed towards Bridal Veil and Dry Falls. These are easily accessible waterfalls that don’t require much walking or hiking. Bridal Veil falls is a 45 foot tall waterfall that you can walk behind. In the past, you could drive behind this waterfall but it’s since been roped off for safety reasons. A mile from Bridal Veil is Dry Falls. This is another waterfall that you can walk behind but is a bit larger at 75 feet. We were able to walk behind the falls and had a light breeze that blew mist over us. We visited in October and saw the beautiful fall foliage and colors that come with the season.
Our last recommendation is “Bust your Butt” Falls near Highlands. This is a swimming hole with rocks that you can slide down during lower water levels. We didn’t do any swimming on this trip but have heard that it’s a great spot to pack a picnic and enjoy the cool water in the summer! Overall we enjoyed Highlands, it’s definitely a couple-of-hours day trip for Atlanta folks looking to get some fresh air on the weekends.
