High Hampton Inn casts cultivated country spell in Blue Ridge foothills

Often people who come to the Cashiers, North Carolina area to look at real estate for sale will ask me where a nice place to stay is. I found this article on High Hampton and thought I would post it for those of you who like something different. I took the picture last winter which is the view from the Resort looking onto the lake.

see: last minute accommodations

Covert Carolina
High Hampton Inn casts cultivated country spell in Blue Ridge foothills
BY DANNY LEE ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

Some say the High Hampton Inn & Country Club isn't for everyone, but it's hard to imagine who would dislike the historic resort's comfortable mix of rustic charm, seasoned sophistication, and service that is attentive without being intrusive.


"I'm not sure we want the secret to get out," chuckled Lexington, Ky., anesthesiologist Emil Menk as he reeled a bass lure through the shallows of the inn's 35-acre, spring-fed Lake Hampton. "It's really a great place to get away."

The 1,400-acre resort, finishing its 85th year open to the public, is located just a few blue ridges north of the South Carolina line and an hour or so southwest of Asheville. Once the property of wealthy South Carolina planters, it is just south of Cashiers (pronounced CASH-ers), N.C., along N.C. 107. From Cincinnati, it's about a six-hour drive.


Daily rates for the 117 rooms begin at $135 a person on the traditional "American Plan," which includes meals. "It seems expensive," said Menk, "but if you get three meals a day, it's really quite reasonable."

At the High Hampton Inn & Country Club in Cashiers, N.C., the ambience is much more pine and planky than fine and swanky. There is hardware dating to the Tennessee Valley Authority era, window latches can be balky, and room keys come attached to rough wooden disks.


Paths are covered with checker piece-size stones worn perfectly smooth and flat by untold ages in rushing mountain streams - tough to walk on in heels, but perfect for teaching your children the art of skipping rocks, which is exactly the kind of low-tech, high-satisfaction activity the old inn offers.

And everything works: beds are soft, bathrooms are modern and convenient, and there's even wireless Internet service in the lobby - but only there, along with the inn's only phones and televisions.


NO NEED TO WANDER
It's a nice surprise in these days of specialization to find that the resort is essentially self-contained. You can hit most of the high points of Blue Ridge mountain tourism without ever leaving the property: swim and boat, or hike the scenic trails that range from a gentle round-the-lake stroll to challenging jaunts up the resort's looming, granite-faced Chimney Top Mountain (4,618 feet) and Rock Mountain (4,730 feet). Go now through November, and the forests will be bursting with rich reds and golds.

You can get a steam bath, massage and workout at the 5,500-square-foot spa and health club, curl up with a book in one of the innumerable nooks and crannies, try tennis on one of the six clay courts or a round of golf on the resort's course, which has been praised for its beauty and playability in Golf Digest Magazine.

After-dinner activities include speakers, magic shows, live music and bingo that can fill the lobby with a 100 or more laughing guests of all ages. A casual mixer-type atmosphere puts guests at ease and establishes relationships that can span a vacation, or years.
In the summer, organized activities for kids include hay rides, pajama parties,and arts and crafts. Teens enjoy kayaking, bonfires, disc golf and geocaching, a sort of treasure hunt game using satellite-based global-positioning technology.


A COOL RETREAT
The inn traces its roots 170 years back to Civil War General and South Carolina governor Wade Hampton, who used the mountain refuge to escape the stifling, mosquito-cursed summers of his lowland plantations. The present inn, reconstructed after a 1932 fire, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its chestnut-bark exterior provides natural bug protection as well as a backwoods look.

On the broad veranda of the hunting lodge-style inn, you can play Ping-Pong or sit in a rocking chair and contemplate the old-growth bald cypress and heirloom gingko, bottlebrush buckeye and copper beech trees growing on the front lawn. Or you can try the ring-and-hook game that seems irresistible to children.

The dining room is full of families of 10, 15 or 20 members of succeeding generations surrounding long tables decorated with fresh dahlias grown on the property. (From late July through early October guests are welcome to cut blooms in the sun-washed garden near the front gate to decorate their rooms or cottages.)

Other High Hampton visitors make the resort the scene of social, rather than family, reunions. Allison Holly, of Miami, Fla., spent girlhood summers at nearby Camp Merrie-Woode while her parents vacationed at the High Hampton. "We would put on a musical every summer, and come to High Hampton Inn to put on the show," she said.

After she and other camp friends graduated from Wake Forest University and launched adult lives, "We just started thinking, wouldn't it be fun to come back with our families and have a group trip," she said. "We knew that it was super family-oriented and kid-friendly."
The wholesome atmosphere of the resort, together with its buffet-style meals where men are expected to dress "appropriately" for dinner, seemed perfect for the old friends, their spouses, and a posse of 10 kids, none older than seven. "I love it; the men have to wear a coat and tie for dinner," laughed Allison. "It's fun; it really brings everyone together."

Togetherness isn't limited to your own group. Like a traditional cruise ship, you'll have the same table throughout your visit, dining near the same folks for the duration. It's easy and pleasant to get into the habit of exchanging the day's itinerary over the dining room's hearty and delicious fare such as pork roast, egg soufflé Spanish style, steamed vegetable dishes and the inn's trademark trout.








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For more information regarding Real Estate, and Lots for sale mailto:info@carolinapg.com or call 828-226-8837

Cedar Creek Racquet Club -Tennis Destination and Residential Community

In the 1920’s Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lupton, from Chattanooga purchased 730 acres of land in Cashiers, NC. Mrs. Lupton wanted to build a summer home on the east side of Highway 64 near Rochester Creek. The clearing had begun for the damming of the stream and for construction of the house, but at the last minute, Mr. Lupton decided he wanted the main house which is where the well known Cedar Creek Racquet Club is now located.

Visit the Cedar Creek Racquet Club Website for information on Tennis and Social Memberships

The Cedar Creek Racquet Club

The inspiration is to provide a private club for active families who prefer tennis over golf. Cedar Creek Racquet Club is the premier tennis destination in Western North Carolina with finely manicured clay courts partnered with a full-service pro shop providing tennis apparel and supplies, game arranging, racquet stringing, and on-site tennis professional. Cedar Creek also has a brand new fitness center, hiking trails, racquetball, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and many other activities.

The club is located on a magnificent 43 acre site which was part of a large private estate. The beautiful Horsepasture River bisects the property and empties into Lake Lupton, which is in direct view of the clubhouse. The River was designated by Congress as one of the "Wild & Scenic Rivers". Throughout the entire site are uninterrupted views of surrounding mountains, dense areas of natural vegetation, introduced apple orchards and grassy field areas.

Cedar Creek Woods, the residential neighbor of the Racquet Club, is contained within the 150 acres once known as “Sleepy Valley”. I'm realizing why the town was called Sleepy Valley. When you first arrive, the altitude has an effect on you that makes you sleepy, comfortable, and relaxed.

If you are considering building a home in Cashiers, Nc a limited number of lots are available for purchase and range in price from 75K for 1 acre to 180K for a 2.77 Acre Lot. Looking for an estate sized lot? Combine two lots for over 4 acres. The lots offer a wonderful view of the Horsepasture River, and the Mountains in the background.

There are only four homes listed for sale in in the exclusive neighborhood of Cedar Creek Woods ranging in price from 725K to 1,195,000.

If you are looking to live amongst million dollar homes and have access to the Cedar Creek Racquet Club... this is the perfect location. The Cedar Creek community is close to the crossroads of Cashiers, NC, Shopping, Restaurants and the popular travel destination and Historical Town of Highlands, NC. If you are considering a move to the area, this is an established community you won’t want to miss.

To receive further information regarding Real Estate, Land and Lots for sale in Cedar Creek Woods mailto:info@carolinapg.com or call toll free at 888-277-2006 x2

Real Estate, Cedar Creek Racquet Club, Cedar Creek Woods, Estate Lots, Land and Lots for sale Sapphire Valley-Highlands-Cashiers-Lake Glenville NC, Land Developments Western North Carolina, mountain property, Private Clubs Lots for Sale Cashiers,

Cashiers, NC History

The Village Green, a two acre park centrally located in the heart of Cashiers, provides walking paths and a pavilion enjoyed by all that visit. Located at the Village is the Village Play. A fantastic playground, designed by the local youngsters and built with love and pride by the area residents. The Cashiers area is blessed to have many social and cultural happenings on a seasonal and year-round basis.



Western Carolina University, located only a short drive "down the mountain", is noted for its many educational, recreational, and cultural events available to the public.



To please those educationally inclined, Clemson University is only about 36 miles in the other direction. The Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library is a gift to Cashiers from many of its generous citizens and was completed in 1994. The library offers a variety of services including computerization, childrens programs and a community room for meetings.



Lake Glenville with its 26 miles of shoreline nestled at 3500 feet above sea level is the highest man-made lake of its' size east of the Mississippi River. Sports and recreation abound on the 1,400 acres of impounded water, and fishing is good on the lake and in the many local rivers and streams. Being surrounded by thousands of acres of US Forest Service lands, magnificent vistas and dazzling waterfalls, the mountains around Cashiers provide a perfect setting for all types of outdoor activities.



A system of well developed and maintained mountain trails exist for hikers of every ability. Rafting in the nearby Nantahala, Chatooga and Ocoee Rivers, mountain biking, kayaking and fly fishing are all popular pastimes. Many outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the close proximity to Panthertown. Often called the "Yosemite of the East", Panthertown is well known locally for its remote location, rushing streams and creeks and pure unadulterated isolation.



The township of Cashiers is located in Jackson County in the Southwestern part of North Carolina. The state is divided into distinct regions by terrain. The Piedmont is rolling and fertile, the Coastal Plain is of course flat with sand hills and the world famous Outer Banks where Wilbur and Orville Wright launched the first powered, manned flight at Kitty Hawk. Western North Carolina is known for its' mountains.



The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located about 50 miles north of Cashiers, encompasses over one half million acres and is the most visited National Park in the United States. Visitors in 2000 totaled over 10 million.



The Cashiers area is renowned for its many fine private clubs and summer home communities. Foremost among the golf communities are ones designed by Donald Ross, Arnold Palmer and George Cobb. As a national mecca for golf enthusiasts, Cashiers provides more than 40 miles of golf fairways within a 20 minute drive from the center of town. The Tom Fazio designed Wade Hampton Golf Club is the highest ranked mountain golf course in the world. For the tennis enthusiast, Cedar Creek Racquet Club and Chatooga Club provide excellent tennis facilities and other family oriented amenities. The Chatooga Club is also the site for the World Croquet Championships.


If you are considering moving to the area or just purchasing a second home, you'll want to meet with the local builders. This is an example of the interior of a home built by Koenig Builders. These types of homes are the rage here in the North Carolina Mountains. Rustic, Cabins, Chalet style homes with all the finest touches and details. Koenig Builders have become one of the most recognized and renowned builders in the Highlands - Cashiers area.



For more information regarding Real Estate, Log Home Builders in the Cashiers area and Lots for sale send an email to info@carolinapg.com or call
888-277-2006 x2

America's Best Kept Secret-Cashiers, NC

COMBINE THE DRASTIC granite dropoffs of the Blue Ridge escarpment with more than 80 inches of rain a year and something dramatic is bound to happen. Around the town of Cashiers (pronounced CASH-ers), perched at 3,500 feet on the Eastern Continental Divide, the jackpot shows up in the form of waterfalls—everything from tiny cliffside seeps to 400-foot-plus cataracts that roar into deep gorges. The downtown is little more than a crossroads, the junction of U.S. 64 and North Carolina 107, and a mile or so radius of antique shops, high-end restaurants, and second-home clusters discreetly tucked into the woods.

OUTDOORS: Hikers can go short, on spur trails to waterfall lookouts, or take on longer segments of the Foothills Trail or the Chattooga River Trail. Fly-fishers and kayakers pilgrimage to the Nantahala, Ocoee, and Chattooga rivers. Panthertown Valley, a 6,700-acre wilderness area, is the closest fat-tire-trail web, and the Tsali Recreation Area, a one-and-a-half-hour drive west, is an off-roader's dream, with more than 40 miles of epic singletrack. The thousand-foot cliffs of Whiteside Mountain provide the kind of hairy, multipitch, huge-exposure climbs that would almost make you swear someone had trucked the place out from Yosemite.

REAL ESTATE: If you can live without a water view or 18 holes, you can find something—an old Appalachian cabin in a hollow, or a two-bedroom condo—for $250,000 or so. But you'll have to comb through humbling rosters of seven-figure properties first.


HANGOUTS: The High Hampton Inn & Country Club, on 1,400 acres, with a lake mirroring Rock Mountain, is all chestnut-rustic, with front-porch rockers (doubles start at $92 per person, including three buffet meals; 800-334-2551, http://www.highhamptoninn.com/).



Several pricey restaurants have opened around Cashiers: Wolfgang's,
20 minutes away in Highlands, has a menu that bridges New Orleans and Bavaria.

For questions about real estate in North Carolina or land for sale contact info@carolinapg.com