I’m so excited to be writing about our getaway to Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, NC. I plan to start sharing more of our travels in 2020 so that I can look back on our trips & hopefully share some helpful info with you!

I have always wanted to visit Old Edwards Inn! We tend to book things last minute, and this trip was no exception. We tried to book it for New Years Eve, but it was full, so we checked in on 1/1/2020 to start off the new decade! We checked in at The Lodge after a 3.5 hour drive from Charlotte, NC. We were a little early for check in, but the VERY helpful and informative staff at Old Edwards Inn pointed us towards The Ugly Dog Pub for appetizers and a drink while we waited on our room.

We took their advice and headed to The Ugly Dog which is only steps away from The Lodge! This is one of the best parts about Old Edwards Inn. It is located in downtown Highlands, so everything is extremely walkable! Brenton and I were fully expecting a hole-in-the-wall “grunge” pub feel. We were happily surprised when we walked in to see an adorable and lively restaurant/bar! I got wine, Brenton got a local beer, and we split fried green tomatoes and the pesto flatbread to hold us over until our 9 pm dinner reservations.

We were able to check in (yay!) and Allistar from the front desk, who was so helpful during our entire stay, escorted us to our cottage. We were delighted to find that our cottage was located directly across from The Lodge, aka the center of the grounds! Our “room” consisted of a cute entryway, a sitting room complete with a fireplace and bar, a full patio, master bedroom, and a bathroom with heated floors. I am very picky about hotel rooms, and I was shocked at how nice and spacious everything was! In my head I was expecting something similar to The Grove Park Inn, which I love, but those rooms are very dated and small in comparison to Old Edwards Inn. Our exact room was one of the Laurel Lodge Cottages- number 602.

Since we had several hours before our dinner reservation, we decided to explore and hit up one of the two hot tubs on site. The hot tub was tucked away to the side of the pool area to where we didn’t even see it at first! The pool and surrounding area is stunning and we will definitely be returning in the warmer months just for that.

We had 9 pm dinner reservations at Madison’s Restaurant that night. Madison’s is a part of Old Edwards Inn, so it is a short walk to Main Street and the restaurant is beautiful! Since we were so last minute, we were happy to be able to get a late reservation here through our American Express agent. I would definitely recommend booking ahead for this restaurant! The food was good, but the service was exceptional. Overall we had a great night here!

The best part of Old Edward’s is how relaxing and peaceful it is. We slept in until around 9 am, and made our way back to Madison’s for a nice breakfast. You don’t have to worry about making breakfast reservations here because it is only open to hotel guests during morning hours! The breakfast was delicious and the restaurant is so pretty that we enjoyed sitting in this spot with our coffees for a good while. We stopped in the Hummingbird Lounge, which is above Madison’s and beside the spa, to peek around after breakfast! It is a gorgeous great room where they serve cocktails and light fare in the afternoon.

We walked around cute downtown Highlands and went back to relax when the rain started to get heavy. The accommodations and lodge are so nice that the rain didn’t bother us at all. There are lots of outdoor activities you can do at Old Edwards Inn & Spa when the weather is nice listed here.

We wanted a casual and easy lunch, so we went to Highlands Deli which is connected to SweeTreats on Main Street. They have good sandwiches if you want something fast! I can’t speak for the ice cream, but it looked delicious!

I originally planned to get a massage during the day, but because I was last minute, they didn’t have a female provider (which I generally prefer) so I decided to just continue relaxing with Brenton. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying fireside cocktails and cards at Art’s at The Lodge and playing games of chess and checkers in the Game Room downstairs. Mark, the bartender at Art’s, was so friendly and helpful during our stay.

We went to Wild Thymes for dinner on our last night. This ended up being our favorite meal of the trip! The cocktails were perfect and the food was delish. I had *two* blueberry mojitos (my favorite drink- IF the bartender knows how to muddle!!) and we ordered the lump crab fillo appetizer, the onion crusted salmon, chicken parm, and coconut cake for dessert. We really enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere! It was packed, so I would recommend a reservation. It is located right on Main Street, so it is walking distance just like everything else!

After dinner, we went back to The Lodge for more fireside cards and champagne. We were sad to check out the next morning, but agreed that two nights at Old Edwards was the perfect amount of time and we will definitely be back!

Xoxo, Olivia