According to officials at the company, the final decision to invest so heavily in our area was based on some of the unique natural and cultural resources that our region has to offer. Chief among these factors were the quality and quantity of fresh spring water, ease of shipping and the quality of life that our area will offer to their employees.

The $70-million dollar facility will employ 90 people initially with a restaurant and gift shop in addition to the state of the art production plant. While Sierra Nevada’s current brewery was developed over the years as the company expanded, this new brewery will be designed and constructed with everything they’ve learned over the years incorporated at the very outset.

Industry watchers believe that the new Sierra Nevada brewery in Asheville may stand to revolutionize the way craft beers are brewed in America. Yet another reason to arrange a stay at our nearby Highland Lake rentals!

Nearly all of the vegetables grown at the Highland Lake Garden Hamlet are produced using 100% organic gardening methods that incorporate a number of key permaculture principles designed to minimize the gardens impact on the local ecosystem. During your stay at our Highland Lake rentals, be sure to take time to inspect some of the ingenious gardening methods that the groundskeepers of Highland Lake Inn have incorporated in their effort to foster agricultural sustainability.

In addition to all of the different fruits and vegetables that are grown on the Garden Hamlet at Highland Lake, Flat Rock, NC, guests are also greeted by a wide variety of farm animals that are sure to impress younger visitors. A short stroll from Seasons at Highland Lake Inn will take you to a fenced in pasture that is home to a handful of goats with dispositions ranging from finicky to friendly. Bright white peacocks populate the garden hamlet, as do chickens, roosters and the occasional turkey. Wild geese and blue herons linger along the lake shore, and every spring features a new parade of waddling ducklings and hatched from wild nests just beyond hamlet.

Recently, permanent residents of the nearby Highland Lake Village have also begun farming their own organic vegetables here on the garden hamlet as part of a community effort for healthier living and lowering their carbon footprint. This portion is a communal garden that is tended and harvested by household members who reside just outside of the Highland Lake Resort. Feel free to check out what kinds of gardening projects that they currently have going on during your stay at our Hendersonville NC vacation rentals – you just might find some great ideas to bring home for a community garden of your own.

Take a moment now to find out more about our seasonal rates and discounts for Highland Lake rentals by contacting Diana at 1-800-873-0224. We have a full range of North Carolina lake cabins and cottages available to accommodate parties ranging from romantic getaways to full scale family reunions. Some of our cottages are completely pet friendly, meaning that even your furry family members can enjoy a relaxing getaway at the Highland Lake Garden Hamlet.

The North Carolina Apple Festival is an annual state sponsored that has been held every year in Western North Carolina for over 60 years. Apples have been a major food staple in our region for as long as anyone can remember, and we use this occasion to celebrate all of the great tastes, memories and revenue that this modest and quintessentially American fruit has brought us over the years.

Attendees at this year’s festival will enjoy one of the best Southern street fairs of the year, featuring a wide variety of arts and crafts, indulgent festival food and, of course, all of the freshly picked apples you could possibly desire. Free entertainment is provided throughout the festival with live shows that range from festive blue grass and rock to a wide variety of dances that recognize the cultural heritage of Appalachia and the surrounding area. Kids will find plenty of thing to do at the festival as well at the Family Fun Zone, featuring inflatable attractions, children’s rides and more.

The North Carolina Apple Festival comes to a culmination on Labor Day with the King Apple Parade. With over 60,000 participants, the parade really is quite a site to behold. From impressive floats and marching bands to fire trucks and plain old citizens, the King Apple Parade isn’t just a celebration of our annual apple festival but our entire regional community.

If you are planning on traveling from out of town to attend this year’s North Carolina Apple Festival, consider booking reservations at one of our beautiful Highland Lake cabins and cottages. For more information on our Highland Lake rentals, please call Diana at 1-800-873-0224.

Water Lilies

Highland Lake is home to two distinct types of water lilies, the fragrant white water-lily and the sweet pink water-lily. Botanists seem to quibble over whether these are truly separate species or simply two subspecies of Nymphaea odorata. Either way, the lily pads get pretty thick on some parts of the lake, providing excellent cover for some of the larger bass residing in the local waters. If you find yourself paddling through a dense patch of water lilies, keep an eye out for the small turtles that love to sun themselves atop the large floating leaves. Blossoms appear in June and often stick around into September.

Japanese Irises

All along the coast of Highland Lake during the mid-spring, visitors are greeted with the sight of countless Japanese irises in bloom right along the water’s edge. Technically not quite wildflowers, Highland Lake’s irises have officially gone native and colonized nearly the entire circumference of the lake. When they are in full bloom during May and June, they are truly a sight to behold.

Bladderwort

While the bladderwort may be humble both in name and appearance, this fascinating species is easily one of the most interesting plants that you will find during the summer at our Highland Lake rentals. The floating bladderwort, Utricularia inflate, is one of a handful of species of carnivorous plants that inhabit this region of western North Carolina. Bladderwort obtain a large portion vital nutrients through the use of small ingenious traps floating just below the surface of the lake. The traps function by periodically sucking in a small quantity of water and slowly filtering it back into the lake, leaving behind insects, tadpoles and small fish that are slowly absorbed by the plant’s digestive juices. These North Carolina bladderworts can be found by anyone visiting our Highland Lake rentals from mid-summer on into early fall.

The easiest way to spot aquatic wildflowers at Highland Lake is to get out and paddle around the lake itself. However, guests can spot some pretty good examples of all three plants directly from the pier and shoreline as well.

For more information about Highland Lake and our rental properties, please contact Diana at 1-800-873-0224

Hubba Hubba Smokehouse

Carolinians flock from miles around to savor the incredible smokehouse BBQ and fixings cooked up at Hubba Hubba’s. Slow cooked for hours on end over wood fires until the meat falls right off the bone, this ain’t your run of the mill roadside BBQ shack: It’s art on a plate. If your passing through during the summer, be sure to visit on Saturday for their delicious smoked fish tacos.

Flat Rock Village Bakery

There’s nothing like visiting the Flat Rock Village Bakery and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee and a pastry while watching the world go by. With their friendly staff and back patio seating, this bakery is a second home to many locals and a great place to visit when your staying at our Highland Lake rentals. Be sure to pick up some brick oven bread or pizza while your there.

Hand in Hand Gallery

The Hand in Hand Gallery offers an eclectic collection of crafts, paintings and photographs created by local artisans. This region of the Carolinas has long been recognized as a source of some of the best pottery, furniture and other crafts in the country, and you’ll find out why as soon as you step in the door of the Hand in Hand Gallery.

The Wrinkled Egg

The Wrinkled Egg is generally considered the anchor of Flat Rock’s Little Rainbow Row. Best known for their selection of care packages and other essentials for young campers, The Wrinkled Egg also carries a wide variety of unique folk art and Life is Good brand clothing. Even if your just poking around, this is a cool locally-owned shop that you really don’t want to miss.

The Cherry Cottage Shops

Whether your looking for the perfect gift, commissioning a family portrait or just doing a little window shopping, Cherry Cottage Shops has something for just about everyone.
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These are just a few of the businesses worth checking out along Little Rainbow Row, and Flat Rock has several other shops and restaurants to offer. If you are planning on a Flat Rock getaway in the near future, call Diana at 1-800-873-0224 for more information on our Highland Lake cabins and cottages.

• Cabins: Cabins offer an ideal getaway from the crowds and stress you find all around you. Nestled in peaceful forest areas, they provide spectacular views and tranquility. Well appointed cabins are available, with ample facilities to ensure you enjoy your stay. Cabins are ideal just to relax or to actively enjoy the mountains. You can go for nature walks, hiking, fishing or trekking in the forests all around you.

Cabins for highland rentals are available in many sizes, and you can find one of suitable size even if you are travelling as a group. Many cabins accommodate more than one family, at the same time providing enough privacy for all. Most are modernized with heating and air conditioning arrangements. Cabins provide unique views of the mountains and some are located right near waterfalls, streams or lakes.

To enjoy a mountain resort there is nothing like staying in a cabin. It is the ideal way to get close to nature. You can enjoy a rejuvenating stay in the tranquil surroundings. Live amidst waterfalls, lakes and lush greenery right in the middle of natural forests. Enjoy natural lighting indoors and see nature in its glory just beyond the walls.

When choosing your Highland Lake rental options, think through the options. Cabin accommodation can supply a novelty and thrill which is hard to find in any other setting. It can provide enough adventure to make you want to come back, year after year.

You have a choice of renting from a single bedroom home to six or more rooms cottage. The facilities available keep you in touch with the modern world like internet access, cable television, DVD players and some have wireless broadband accessibility for your laptop if you have brought your work here. Smaller homes have queen beds, one bathroom and half bathroom, small pantry or kitchen to fix your quick meals before you hit the dirt trails leading and disappearing into the hills above. Enough room is available for a family or group of six to stay comfortably in these smaller Highland Lake rentals. Larger cottages or homes have multiple bedrooms with some even having stone wood burning fireplaces, hot tubs, king size beds and luxurious furniture in the living room.

These homes are ideal for families, friends and groups because they often work out to be cheaper than hotels and inns and are better located with all the facilities available in hotels. You can enjoy greater privacy and more relaxed informal atmosphere to enjoy your holiday. The great outdoors in the area has everything for everyone and you can go trekking in the Blue Ridge Mountains on long winding trails overlooking deep green valleys. Fly fish in the numerous lakes and ponds, drink from gurgling streams rolling down secret gorges, raft down roaring rivers that threaten to suck you out of the raft, pontoons that are perfect for an afternoon picnic or canoe across the crystal clear lakes in the midst of forests or even have a swing at the ball in some of the best golf courses available in this part of the world.

Food is never far from these vacation homes if cooking is not your idea of fun after a day spent hiking or riding a horse around the country side. Eateries and fine restaurants ranging from American to international cuisine are available within half and hour from the lodgings and evenings are lively and ringing with music and conversations in these temples of food. If the whole family wants to cook and sit together for a family meal, then well equipped kitchen and barbeque pits out on the decks are the perfect place for a great family bonding opportunity.

Highland Lake vacation rentals are something to look forward to when planning your next family get together.

Getting a Highland Lake rental deal isn’t all that hard – you just need the right people to talk to and right means to use. The most important thing is to know what you would like to do there and the number of people you would be vacationing with. The place offers everything from exquisite sites to visit, adventure sports and recreational activities and events. Thus, the various resorts offer packages and deals accordingly.

Life has become easy with the development of technology – mainly internet. If you’re searching for quick get-away offers and don’t know where to start, just google it. The resorts and inns usually post their deals on the internet in order to attract more people. Hence, you are likely to come across many resorts providing lodgings at special rates. Even better if you have lots of options to choose from – you can go with the best deal proposed by comparing the prices. Whether it is a wedding party or business retreat, you deserve to get options so as to decide what the best is.

While internet is a great source, you could also ask the opinion of your travel agents. More than often, travel agents carry information about the places to stay in a town and sometimes even offer discounted rates. An area like Highland lake is a tourist attract-magnet and with the gaining popularity of the place, our agent would be able to provide you with some reviews. It also makes it more personal to deal with a human intermediate rather than a computer.

A Highland Lake resort may be able to provide you easy access to wireless internet and activities like cycling, boating,and fishing. Because Highland Lake is a place where you can get involved with the nature, it would be an advantage for you to get more than just a roof over your head. There are a lot of places to visit – lakes, falls, and mountain and also markets to get the real feel of the place and a resort can help you with everything. Your trip would become a dream come true with a comfortable environment and a place to call home after all day of hiking, trekking and enjoying the nature.

Dress, utensils, festivals, music, dance, paintings, sculptures, literature, places of worship, etc – these are various aspects of culture and art forms that influence the lifestyle of a society as a whole. It is the people who inhabit the place that play an important role in the evolution of cultural arts of a region.

Highland lake and its surroundings in North Carolina were originally inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. As European settlers began to increase in numbers in the seventeenth century the Cherokee Indians were eventually overpowered. Currently there is a Cherokee Indian reservation in Swain County, North Carolina.

An Indian village complete with the houses, ambience, costumes and crafts has been recreated to provide a peek into ancient culture and customs. Traditional Indian dance shows and the famous drama “unto the hills” are performed. There is a Cherokee Museum that showcases the history of the Indians and their lifestyle right up to their confinement to reservations after the arrival of European settlers. A casino has been opened in the reservation in recent years.

You can visit the home of noted American poet and historian Carl Sandburg who lived in Connemara during the later years of his life. A large number of students, teachers and artists performing various genres of music converge at the Brevard Music Center that is a hub of activity all year round.

The Flat Rock playhouse in Flat Rock is the state theater of North Carolina. For almost half a century various dramas, plays, American classics, Broadway musicals and comedy shows are being performed here. It is one of the most important cultural centers of the highlands.

The nearby town of Ashville is the epicenter of cultural arts in this region. The Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains and the Blue Ridge parkway have been the source of inspiration for many artists, poets, writers and craftsmen.

Ashville art museum is an award-winning museum with exhibits of contemporary and yesteryear arts and crafts. The Ashville urban trail takes you on a tour of bronze sculptures and artworks made by local artists that capture the evolution of the place and some prominent personalities who inhabited the place.

The Basilica of St.Lawrence has the tallest freestanding elliptical dome of all the catholic churches in the United States and is an architectural marvel in addition to being a major spiritual center.

Asheville has entertainment facilities catering to people with wide-ranging tastes. Experimental theater, contemporary arts, drama, films, jazz, rock and roll, symphony, ballet, folk arts, Shakespeare plays, etc – the highlands are abuzz with multiple cultural and performing arts throughout the year.

Many artists and craftsmen have set up their own galleries and studios to display their products. Highland lake is the ideal gateway for overworked executives, newly-wed couples or families.

The location of Bridal Veil Falls, Highland Lake NC is just gorgeous with the scenic mountains around. Bridal Veil Falls is in the Macon County and flows on a tributary of the River Cullasaja through Nantahala National Forest. It is the only water with a drive-under; its most distinct feature. People can drive under the waterfall without getting their cars wet because of the over-hanging bluff. But, during high or moderate waterfalls, the visitor won’t get lucky and end up getting soaked to the skin. In winters, the falls get frozen – freezing its base and if it stays cold enough, it forms a giant column of ice. Furthermore, there is a recessed alcove at the top ledge of the waterfall where you can hide behind the veil. Be careful when you go up there. The rocks around the fall are always slippery and no one wants to break some bones while getting involved with the nature; or anytime for that matter.

In 2003, the drive-under was blocked when a huge chunk of rock fell off the cliff next to the falls. As a result, the road underneath were closed as the Forestry Service couldn’t afford to remove it. People could still walk through it but the circular drive was impossible until in 2008 a local builder volunteered to blow the rock into pieces. Sure, the falls were open even before that to view the falls from behind but the drive-through was something that made the falls in Highland Lake NC special. Once the smaller rock pieces were trucked away, the road was re-paved and re-opened much to the pleasure of the locals and visitors.

People come exclusively to witness the amazing falls while others stop on their way to Dry Falls. Other than the obvious reasons, the falls are popular because of their accessibility. It is just next to the road, on the highway with a forest sign just below the falls. Although the opening could be tricky and you might miss it, but once you find it, it would be all worth the trouble. It is also believed that a maiden who walks under the falls gets married by the end of the year.

There are a lot of falls by the same name around the world but the Bridal Veil Falls in North Carolina is something to look out for. Visiting Highland Lake NC and missing out on the Bridal Veil Falls would be tragic. The bridal veil-like cascade is incredible and if you’re lucky, the rainbow would make the sight perfect. To capture the moment, don’t forget your waterproof camera.