Visiting a re-envisioned version of a place that you have been visiting your entire life is most likely going to entail some unrealistically high expectations and a potential let down. 

To set the stage, my family and I are lucky enough to own a home in Cashiers, North Carolina. I spent years and years visiting this area as long as I can remember, my husband and I got married in this area and I’ve bee lucky enough to watch it grow over the years. Cashiers is a quaint, slow mountain town that has continued to gain more and more popularity in recent years. 

Highlands, a quick 25-minute drive down the road, has taken most of its spotlight, with a picturesque main street and the well-known Old Edwards Inn (an amazing hotel worthy of another post). 

However, High Hampton Inn is the reason that I am here today. This historic inn has been open since 1922, when the two-story inn was first constructed in addition to the golf course (at that time only 11 holes).

The property was purchased owned by the same family from 1922 until 2017, leaving those who purchased it with extremely high expectations from those who have loved it for many years. That being said, the new ownership was a few-well known Birmingham families including the leadership from the acclaimed Blackberry Farm. 

It was a recipe for success, but seeing the property first-hand was truly impressive. 

We visited in late September when the cool air had begun moving into the Blue Ridge Mountains, right before peak leaf season (though the colors of the mountains were already showing off). 

It is impressive when a property that has been so newly updated is able to maintain it’s character in so many ways. The team responsible for the design allowed the space to feel updated, cozy, chic and full of history, all at the same time.

When I have described the property to friends and family, I have said you could say it was like an adult-summer camp. The accommodations are spread throughout the property in different cabins, each with completely unique design and detail. The hotel boasts a world-class golf course (which is saying a lot for the level of golf available in the Highlands-Cashiers plateau),  a wide-variety of activities, ranging from canoeing, kayaking, tennis, pickleball, basketball courts, paddle boats, hiking and more, and a series of wonderful restaurants (breakfast and dinner are included in the rate- making it all the more camp-like). 

Our experience at the property, though only for two nights, was a perfect combination of things, allowing it to be high-end without being pretentious, homey without feeling dumpy and with service that would give some of the nicest hotels in the world a run for their money. It is telling that despite the fact I have a free place to stay 3 miles away, I will be back to visit a beautiful hotel in a special destination for years to come.