Highlands, North Carolina was founded in 1875, by two midwestern developers, Samuel Kelsey and C.C. Hutchinson. According to local legend, they drew a line on a map from New York to New Orleans and another from Chicago to Savannah, betting the intersection point would become the Southeast’s next great commercial hub. They missed the mark by 120 miles and Atlanta ended up with the title, but Highlands still flourished. Today, the resort town is a two to five hour drive from most of the region’s major metros.
DRIVING
There are 12 on-site parking spaces as well as ample street parking.
FLYING
An hour and a half from Highlands, the Asheville Regional Airport offers direct flights from Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and New York City (seasonally).
And with non-stop flights from nearly every major U.S. city, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta is only two and a half hours away by car.