BHAM BUZZ
The high life

One of the most interesting shops along Main Street is Cyrano’s Book Shop, which bills itself as the “Biggest Little Book Store in America.” As with most things in Highlands, it lives up to its billing with everything from best sellers to local history books and an impressive line-up of authors on tour including Pat Conroy, Cassandra King and Charles Frazier.

You can spend the day walking up and down Main Street, shopping, stopping for ice cream, looking at antiques, browsing in the art galleries and enjoying the cool mountain air, the original reason this town of 3,000 year-round residents became a destination. More than 4,000 feet into the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Highlands you are always surrounded by the majesty of the mountains, waterfalls that take your breath away, and woodlands that bring you back into touch with the wonders of the natural world. If you are interested in outdoor adventures, opportunities for biking, hiking and horseback riding on nearby mountain trails are easy to take advantage of. If you love the water, the region’s rivers and lakes offer some of the nation’s finest canoeing, fly fishing and white water rafting.

Still pristine despite its popularity, Highlands and nearby Cashiers offer wonders in every seasons, from the native rhododendron blooming in spring to the snow blanketing the still mountains in winter.

Whatever the season, you’ll find Highlands restaurants that will make you believe you’ve reached the pinnacle of culinary experiences. At Old Edwards Inn and Spa, the signature eatery Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden offers a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu that accentuates the classic training of the culinary team in the kitchen and the wonderful ambiance of mountain dining. For dinner try dishes such as steamed Carolina mountain trout with crushed fingerling potato salad, parsley-champagne vinaigrette and fresh horseradish froth or black truffle stuffed Carolina chicken breast with fava bean and hominy ragout and sweet corn emulsion. The restaurant has been honored with a Wine Spectator award every year since 2005.

Next to Madison’s, the Wine Garden offers a more casual dining experience in the open air and inside the inn, the Hummingbird Bar and Library carries the ambiance and comfort of a wonderful old English drawing room with great martinis and entertainment on the weekends.

Just across the street from Old Edwards are two great restaurants: Ristorante Paoletti, which has been serving veal, chops, pasta and seafood for 22 years in Highlands, and features a 1,000 selection wine cellar, and Wolfgang’s Restaurant and Wine Bistro, an elegant yet casual restaurant with a European flair and extensive, Wine Spectator award-winning wine list.

For great accommodations, dining and mountain relaxation, Highlands and its signature destination, Old Edwards Inn and Spa, is a recipe for rejuvenation.

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November Birmingham, Alabama

  

 
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