The Highlands Guide · By Fairview House
Everything worth knowing about Highlands, North Carolina.
Local guides to the waterfalls, trails, restaurants, seasons and events of the Highlands plateau, from the hosts of Fairview House on 4½ Street.
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Planning your first trip?
Highlands, NC: Everything to Know Before You Go
Elevation, weather, layout, parking and how long to stay, for first-timers.
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30 Best Things to Do in Highlands, NC
Waterfalls, summits, galleries, lakes and zip lines, with drive times from town.
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The Best Time to Visit Highlands, NC, Month by Month
Weather, crowds, events and winter closures for every month of the year.
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Explore the guide
Six ways into the mountains
Things to Do
The essentials and the local favorites.
Outdoors
Waterfalls, summits, lakes and trout water.
Seasons & Events
What each season brings, and the weekends worth planning around.
Towns & Day Trips
Cashiers, Sapphire Valley and further afield.
Plan Your Trip
Getting here, when to come and planning for a group.
In season now
Late fall and the holidays in Highlands
Color hangs on at lower elevations into early November, then town turns to the ice rink, Thanksgiving and the lights on Main Street.
- Late fall colorWhere the last color hangs on, and the best drives.
- Holiday eventsIce skating, Light Up the Park and the Christmas parade.
- Christmas in HighlandsLights, the parade and holiday shows in town.
- Winter weekendsWhat's open, roads, and snow days.
- Thanksgiving for a crowdGetting the whole family under one roof.
Highlands by month
When should you come?
Walk from Fairview House
Leave the cars in the driveway.
Main Street restaurants, coffee, ice cream, boutiques, galleries and seasonal events.
Concerts, lectures, film screenings and live theater on 4½ Street.
An easy 1.4-mile round trip to one of the best sunset views in town.
Indoor and outdoor pool, pickleball and tennis, skate park and playgrounds.
Native plant gardens and trails at the Highlands Biological Station, open year-round.
Open lawn and a small water feature, good for kids or a slow afternoon.
Stay with the people who wrote the guide.
Fairview House sleeps 22 in a restored 1910 estate, four blocks from Main Street. Book direct.