We took our first family weekend getaway a few weekends ago! We went to Cashiers, NC! This was the perfect weekend getaway with a baby. (Ben was almost seven months old when we went for reference.)
Today, I’m breaking down where we stayed, what we did and where we ate in this travel guide.
I will say the Cashiers/Highlands plateau was affected by COVID. A lot of places are understaffed and were closed on Wednesdays, and a few places we had on our list to try were only serving drinks rather than a full menu. We went on a weekend, so we weren’t really affected by the Wednesday thing, but I noticed a lot of the doors had signs noting their closures.
So with that being said, here are all the details from our trip to Cashiers, NC with our seven-month-old.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Hotel Cashiers! This boutique hotel is a completely renovated and remolded travel motel. It was so adorable inside. Usually, I am not “team motel”, but this has really been converted to have the hotel experience. There is a great lobby with wine and snacks. The lobby is part of a strip with shops and restaurants. Then the rooms are behind it on the next road.
Our room was precious and so cutely decorated. I actually loved being able to park right outside our room and carry all of Ben’s junk inside. (He does not travel light!) Plus it was easy to pop in and out in between our activities.
Also, it’s within walking distance to downtown Cashiers. We drove because it was chilly and we had Ben, but maybe when he gets a little older we will make the walk.
I also have to give a huge shoutout to the staff at Hotel Cashiers. They were beyond accommodating and easy to communicate with. They were all super friendly and gave great advice on what to do in Cashiers, NC.
Where to Eat
On the Side Barbeque – this little barbeque joint is literally “on the side” of the Cashier’s Farmers Market. It’s perfect for a stop into the market and to pick up lunch. We did this on our first day before we went sight seeing. That way we could do downtown Cashiers and then stop by the hotel for a bottle/diaper change/etc. and we ate our lunch at the picnic area at our hotel. The barbeque is great, and I recommend the mac n’ cheese.
Slab Town Pizza – This pizza place was in the same strip of our hotel lobby. This was our back up plan when we found out the Ugly Dog Pub only served drinks due to a staffing shortage. This ended up being a great stop especially with the baby. We had mozzarella sticks and delicious buffalo chicken pizza. Then we just popped over to our room for Ben’s bed time.
Bucks Coffee – This place has excellent coffee and a great atmosphere, BUT it is packed after everyone is done hiking. So plan accordingly and go early.
Cashier’s Farmers Market – While you are stopping for barbeque, be sure to get a bottle of Cashier’s Chardonnay and baked goods for evening time. The coffee cake was unbelievable on the day we stopped in. We had wine and coffee cake after Ben went to bed while we watched the Braves go to the World Series in our room. (Any chance to throw in that the Braves are World Series champs!)
Mountain Fresh Grocery – We drove over to Downtown Highlands a few times and loved our stop to Mountain Fresh Grocery. After hiking, we sat outside and enjoyed the fall foilage and a burger.
**HIGHLY recommend this portable high chair. We took it everywhere and used it at every restaurant.**
What to Do
Waterfall Cruise – Y’all. If you are looking for the best fall foilage and waterfalls, you have to book a waterfall cruise. You can bring a cooler with snacks and drinks and you get the best views from Lake Glenville. I’m not kidding. The waterfalls were gorgeous, but if you are looking for leaves, this is the way to see them. Captain Mark gives a great tour and you can see so many things. Benny stayed awake for the beginning and then the boat kind of rocked him to sleep for his afternoon nap.
Whiteside Mountain – This is a great, relatively easy hike for those with a baby. Stephen wore Ben on his back and I carried the diaper bag. The views are spectacular.
Bridal veil falls – This is an easy stop where you can see a waterfall from the road. We stopped and took a quick look here.
Dry Falls – you can either walk down and get a good look at the falls, or just look at them from the viewing bridge. With Ben, we opted from just the viewing bridge. These waterfalls are gorgeous!
Walk around Downtown Cashiers or Downtown Highlands – both have cute little shops, restaurants and breweries to check out.
Relax – the best part about this little mountain getaway for me was the relaxation portion. There aren’t a zillion things to do in the area and most things close early. So we really used this weekend to unwind and move at a leisurely pace. It was the perfect place to take Ben because we didn’t feel like we had to do everything and could move slowly.
I loved our weekend in Cashiers and am so glad that we made the trip. Cashiers is only around a 2.5 hour drive from Atlanta so it’s the perfect little mountain getaway. We were in it for the fall foliage and it did not disappoint. We were there Oct. 22-24, 2021 and the leaves were perfect! Exactly what we wanted. I know it varies from year-to-year, but we hit the nail on the head with timing.
Have you ever been to Cashiers or Highlands? What was your favorite thing you did?
