Experience the finest among North Carolina Vacation Rentals in Highlands NC at The Lakehouse on Lake Glenville in Cashiers

There is something incredibly special about the holiday season that brings friends and families together like no other time of the year. This year, make your time together even more memorable by initiating a new ‘day after the feast’ family tradition – a family outing at one of the many Christmas Tree farms located in western North Carolina’s Jackson County to hand-select and harvest the perfect Live Christmas Tree. Two of our favorite tree farms, Ty-lyn Plantation Christmas Tree Farm and Tom Sawyer’s Christmas Tree Farm, offer rides on a vintage red fire truck or in a horse-drawn wagon, hot cider and chocolate, bonfires and even an elf village to engage young and old alike. Located on opposite sides of Lake Glenville, a short walk from the lake, both tree farms are an easy drive from our lakefront lodge. The Holiday season will be here before you know it – so start planning today!

On a crisp, fall evening in the heart of the Western North Carolina Mountains, one of our favorite places to dine is The Gamekeeper’s Tavern. The rustic mountain elegance and sophisticated casual style of the dining room, is enhanced by the warm glow from three large stone fireplaces and the cool musical notes of Bobby Sullivan at the piano. The menu, under the direction of Executive Chef Jonathan Reid, focuses on locally sourced, seasonal creations like the double-cut Cervenia Elk chop, sweet potato apple smash, and cherry demi pictured in this post. The Gamekeeper’s Tavern is open for dinner every night. Reservations are recommended. 828-743-GAME. 3646 Highway 64 East, Sapphire, NC. Drive time from our Cashiers vacation home, the Lakehouse, is approximately 20-25 minutes.

One of the many great adventures when you visit Jackson County  (Cashiers-Lake Glenville) in the North Carolina Mountains is a wide range of Great Smoky Mountain fishing opportunities. From dropping a line ‘right off the dock’ at the Lakeshouse to the numerous other lakes, rivers and streams in the area, angles find plenty to suit them here.

The Tuckasegee River is the largest body of water in Jackson County, and has been called “Western North Carolina’s best trout stream for fly anglers“. The North Carolina Mountains also offer scores of small streams that make for great mountain fishing locations. Fishing is also available in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the Cherokee Indian Reservation and on many North Carolina Mountain lakes in Jackson County including Lake Glenville – a 1,500 acre pure-water lake with 26 miles of shoreline habitat.

Fishermen visiting the Great Smoky Mountains have good success in their search for rainbow, brown and native brook trout, bass, bream, walley and crappie. Keep in mind that fishing regulations may apply and vare depending on where you choose to fish. Go to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission website for information about trout regulations, licensing information, Jackson County stream stocking information and directions to handicapped-accessible fishing spots.

Visit WNC Fly Fishing Trail for information about 15 prime spots to catch brook, brown and rainbow trout in Jackson County. Detailed trail maps are available free of charge on the site and at the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce and outfitters throughout Jackson County.

Fall has arrived at the Lakehouse at Katie Camp in Western North Carolina’s High Country where autumn color isn’t limited to nature’s brilliant display of red, oranges and golds – you will also find it on your plate, in your glass and in the sights, sounds and smells of dozens of seasonal festivals, fairs and events. For reservations at Katie Camp call 904-321-2210.

There’s no better time to explore the hamlets and villages tucked among North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains than in the Fall when the mornings are crisp, leaves are brightly colored and festivals and fairs celebrate the harvest. The next several blog posts will feature some of my favorite towns and villages that surround the Lakehouse and Lake Glenville.

A stop in Bryson City is a great way to begin. Train buffs should stop a the model railroading museum, Smoky Mountain Trains. More than 7,000 Lionel locomotives and cars, some dating back as far as 1918, are on display. There’s more than a mile of track where six trains run simultaneously post a five-foot waterfall and animated scenes.

A short walk to the Bryson City depot is where you will find the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, a full sized train that offers daily excursions through some of the most scenic country of Western North Carolina. The 10th annual RailFest will be held September 16 – 18th. The weekend event offers guests a taste of railroad food, memorabilia, storytelling, music and special train excursions and events that happen only once a year.

An idyllic destination for day-tripping families in search of a place to jump from a high dive, enjoy a bluegrass jam, sun on the beach, fish in a mountain pond or explore historic structures is Table Rock and Table Rock Park. Located less than an hour’s drive from the Lakehouse where scenic Highway 11 meanders parallel to the Blue Ridge Mountain range and South Carolina nudges up against Western North Carolina. The preserve has ten miles of trails for hikers, a small nature center with snake skin displays, an old-fashioned swimming hole complete with floating swim-platform and high and low dives, sandy beach, motor boats, canoes, kayaks and paddle boats for rent as well as fishing for bass, bream and catfish. (Anglers should bring a SC fishing license. Rental rods and reels are available at the park’s welcome center.)

History buffs can explore recently restored han-hewn chestnut log structures build by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers. During the restoration, project volunteers discovered dozens of locally quarried blue granite steps cut and land-laid by CCC workers in a serpentine pattern from the old lodge building (1930′s) through the woods and along the lake to the boathouse.

Park is open daily 7 am – 9 pm. Children are free, $2 admission for adults, additional fee to swim. Lakes are closed to swimmers on Mondays.

Cheers! Sante! Chin-Chin! Skal! No matter how you say it, you’re in for a good time at the Asheville Wine and Food Festival Grand Tasting to be held on Saturday, August 13th at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Asheville. The Grand Tasting promises to be a celebration of the largest gathering of wines and local delicacies that Asheville has ever seen under one roof. This year, more than 100 wineries, distributors, food vendors and restaurants will participate. The second annual Western North Carolina Chefs Challenge Finale will take place at the festival along with live entertainment and food and wine workshops. Asheville is a short drive from the Lakehouse at Katie Camp.

Folkmoot USA begins its annual celebration of cultural heritage in Waynesville today and continues through July 31. Held each summer across the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, Folkmoot features performances, a parade and workshops by up to 350 performers from 10 – 12 different countries. This year, Folkmoot invited Italy, Nepal, Trinidad, Finland, Guadeloupe, Turkey, China, Croatia, Burundi and the USA group American Racket (a dance troupe that makes a “racket” with clogging and percussive dance).

Performers demonstrate their cultural heritage through colorful, authentic and original costumes, lively dance and traditional music. Created twenty-seven years ago by Clinton Border, a surgeon from Waynesville, NC, over 200 folk groups from more than 100 countries have shared their heritage and culture at the Folkmoot Festival.

Public performances are scheduled at venues throughout Western North Carolina including the towns of Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Bryson City, Cullowhee, Flat Rock and Franklin. Festival schedule and directions to event are at FolkmootUSA.

                                                         The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design in nearby Hendersonville, just a short distance from the Lakehouse at Katie Camp, has a woolen installation, a part of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, recently displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Australian mathematician sisters, Margaret and Christine Wertheim, applied mutated algorithms to the art of crochet to create the lifelike coral reef to raise awareness about the decline of the world’s living coral. Crafters from around the world, including crochet groups in Western North Carolina, have joined the Wertheim sisters’ project to create satellite reefs. The Asheville Reef, created by Western North Carolina crafters is on display through August 12.

Cherokee, North Carolina, Ramp It Up! Festival – March 27

Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds, 745 Trail Blvd.; Saturday, 10 am.

This homegrown celebration marks the arrival of spring and trout season. Join the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for a meal of smoked trout, fried potatoes and the pungent, onion-like ramps that grow abundantly in the Great Smoky Mountains. The day also includes Cherokee music, crafts and games, as well as the Chief’s Horseshoe Tournament with a $1,000 cash prize.

Sylva, Greening Up the Mountains Festival – April 24

Main Street & Bridge Park; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

A 5K run opens this annual spring fete, named for the way foliage creeps up the mountainsides as warm weather arrives. Local artisans and community organizations welcome visitors to their booths. In keeping with the festival’s origins as an Earth Day celebration, an area is devoted to environmental education. There’s also a youth talent contest and live music throughout the day.

Asheville, Spring Herb Festival – April 30 – May 2

Western North Carolina Farmer’s Market, 570 Brevard Road; Friday & Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Ointments, soaps, teas, medicines, salves, herbs and plants are among the varied items for sale at the 21st edition of this annual festival which features more than 55 vendors serving 25,000 herb enthusiasts. Talk with growers, certified herbalists and natural gardening and landscaping specialists or get expert advice from one of the Master Gardeners who will be on hand.

Flat Rock Playhouse, Steel Magnolias – April 29 – May 23

Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greer Hwy; Wednesday – Sunday, 2 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets $34

Originally staged as an off-Broadway play by Robert H, then made famous by the film version, this story explores the bonds of friendship between a group of women in northern Louisiana. The story unfolds at Truvy’s beauty salon, and follows the trials and tribulations of its characters over a three-year period.