Highlands, North Carolina

The name of this small town could not be more appropriate – high elevation, high quality and high prices. At a lofty 4,118 feet (1,255m) above sea level, it provides visitors with welcome relief from the lower elevation heat of the eastern Carolinas. It is located on a plateau in the southern Appalachian Mountains, within the Nantahala National Forest. The average high temperature for this small town in July and August is a moderate 77 degrees F (25 C). The town is dotted with many antique dealers, a well-known auction house, restaurants (six of which have received awards from Wine Spectator), shops, inns, and several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. For visitors interested in the performing arts, there are four theaters: The Highlands Playhouse, the Instant Theatre Company, the Highlands Community Players, and the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center. In the 1930s the town became a golfing mecca when Bobby Jones of Atlanta and some of his well-heeled golfing buddies founded the Highlands Country Club. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.