4118: The Highlands; Our Weekend at Old Edwards
When Justin shared that we were going to Old Edwards to celebrate the New Year into 2022 I was so excited—this drivable destination had been on our list for a long time. And finally, finally we were set to visit.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Book ahead. This was supposed to be a surprise trip and I don’t know when he was going to actually tell me but long story as to how I found out, but I did…and he booked this trip for New Year’s Eve back in AUGUST. Y’all, August.
The Highlands was beautiful and picturesque with an elevation of 4118. In December, we had very mild weather for the season but it definitely gets cold up there. Alternatively, we learned that the summer months average temperature is 78 degrees which is the next time we plan to visit (and with Fitz in tow, more on that).
While we weren’t planning to really go to town with restaurants/bars we were shocked that the town really seems to shut down after dinnertime, or even before that. We took a really nice NYE stroll around 8:45 p.m. and the parking lots in town were empty! Empty! We felt it was similar to Napa Valley in this aspect, where a lot of restaurants aren’t open past 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
We were the last people to check in because the Inn is quaint. It was only 7:30 p.m. so we were kind of surprised, but we got a bit of a late start on the road. We received complimentary champagne which is always a nice touch upon arrival.
Once we dropped our bags, we walked over to Wild Thyme Gourmet and sat outside. They had a fabulous wine list and I picked out a very (IMO) reasonably priced bottle of Jordan. Picking dinner here was hard—a lot of flavors popped out on the menu but as soon as I found out that the crab cakes were gluten-free, I knew that’s what I needed to have. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had gluten-free crab cakes, probably a few Christmases’ ago I think we found some GF frozen ones, but like, y’all, GF crab cakes at a restaurant!!! It’s the little things. Not only that but they were excellent. There were 3 crab cakes filled with lump crab and great flavor. Justin ordered the lamb. We also split the hearts of palm salad because, #veggies.
We went back to OE with some of the Jordan (it started to get cold outside) and we sat both outside and in our room – we had a smaller suite so a full sitting area and TV plus a little balcony with two actually comfortable chairs.
FRIDAY
Justin was in need of a coffee ASAP, so we walked over to Calders Coffee Café. I drank something completely out-of-character: I ordered the Highlands Mist Latte. It was like a London Fog with lavender, I subbed black tea for the Earl Grey as sometimes Earl Grey is not always GF. The tea latte was excellent, even with the lavender on top! We started to window shop as many stores didn’t open until 10:00 a.m. until I saw the dog bakery next store was open. Highlands Mountain Paws was a cute little boutique and I picked up some soft duck treats for Fitz. He has LOVED them.
We walked down to Mountain Fresh Grocery for breakfast. They also serve pizza! After breakfast, we walked around the OE property to explore the lodge, saw the pool covered, and started scheming our next visit.
After exploring more of the property, we went to the Highlands Wine Shoppe to snag a bottle of wine and some champs for midnight. This shop is right on the main road, but it’s a hidden gem. The owner was so kind and helpful and I thought the wine selection was strong with some unique finds. We picked out something new (to us) – the Storybrook Mountain cab. It was a delicious bottle.
Around 11:45 a.m. we headed to the spa for our massage appointments. I have visited spas all over the country and I will say, OE Spa is probably in the top 5. The spa kept going and going, it’s so large, the Old European architecture was beautifully detailed, but not over the top, and the décor was warm and inviting. My massage, on top of it all, was wonderful. It was a very much-needed 55 minutes.
Post-spa bliss, we headed to the spa café, which was set in a bright-filled sunroom, and again can absolutely imagine a balmy summer day with the retractable windows open. Justin had the infamous chicken salad sandwich on a croissant, which looked wonderful but it had nuts so I couldn’t have a scoop on top of my salad. I chose the seasonal salad with chicken which per the server is a popular choice. I loved it. The marinated garden veggies were tasty and the apple cider vinaigrette was a nice dressing.
We finished our wine by the fireplace, certainly a picturesque afternoon of rest and relaxation. It was lovely, I could have spent the whole day there (and I am sure people do).
We decided to continue to explore a bit of town and headed over to the Highlander Mountain House for cocktails from the Ruffed Grouse. They have a lovely outdoor area and absolutely scored two great seats in the rustic twig chairs on the covered front porch. My (traditional) negroni (I say this because the one on the menu is a mezcal) was delicately balanced, I was impressed! Justin’s Manhattan was really, really good, too.
On the way back to the Inn (I just have to call it that, right!?), we stopped in at J.McLaughlin and I snagged a beautiful sweater. There is A LOT of beautiful luxury shopping here so make time to pop in and out of fun stores…and sweets. Had to stop in at Kilwin’s and I got some—okay it was more like 1/2lb—of fudge. Oh my oh my, I don’t like seek out fudge on a regular basis, y’all but WOW. The salted caramel was out of this world. Justin opted for his old-faithful mint chocolate chip ice cream and I stole a bite…or two.
We got ready for our New Year’s Eve celebration, walked down to the Hummingbird lounge in Old Edwards where I ordered another Negroni. This time, not traditional, I did get the one from the menu which had a chocolate liqueur in it and while different than usual, it was very good.
We ordered room service from the Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar which is part of the OE property. Y’all I’ll get to my pizza eventually, but can I say, THE CHERRYWOOD FARM GREEK SALAD…as soon as I opened the container, Justin was like, “OMG that looks fantastic.” #bestillmyheart and wow, this salad was out of this world. IDK if it was because of the peppers or the grilled onions, or the olives, or the goat feta, or if it was the aged red wine vinaigrette (Old Edwards, what are you doing with these salad dressings!? I need these recipes ASAP!) but it was an excellent start to our NYE dinner.
Justin ordered the meat lovers pizza and I ordered one with mushrooms and arugula with no cheese (because we had planned for a cheese board later, too). The gluten-free crust was also top five in my book. It was not like a cardboard crisp, it actually had crust bubbles (!) on it, and I could fold it. What a way to go into the new year with a great gluten-free pizza. It’s hard y’all!
After dinner, we put some wine in to-go cups (shhh…) and decided to walk around and look at all the lights. We stumbled across the ice skating rink in town and watched the too-cool-for-school high schoolers that were running it play on the ice. The good ‘ol days.
We walked to the other side of the property for cocktails at the Lodge which had a live musician playing classic rock and he was so talented. We sipped our libations on the front porch in oversized rocking chairs before we retreated back to our room for the ball drop, champagne, and shortly after midnight, bed.
SATURDAY
No morning run on the first day of the year – but we did get it in when we got back to Charlotte. We slept in a little, packed up our bags, and walked to the Blue Bike Café which serves breakfast all day and lunch.
I will say, if you do go, I LOVED my breakfast, but I wish I had ordered the traditional hash browns instead of the rosemary home fries. I thought the hash browns were better I preferred a little bit of the crunch. With that said, I also ate some of the best homemade sausage patties I feel like I’ve ever had.
We loved our short getaway to the Highlands and absolutely recommend a trip to visit—the winter was magical with the holiday lights and in usual years there’s absolutely a chance of snow, and the summer months look to be a wonderful reprieve from the humidity of the South.
Recap
Stay
Eat & Drink
Calders Coffee Café (coffee only)
Do
J.McLaughlin + LOTS of shopping!
