Hands down the BEST place to ride/ learn no matter what age or experience level! Julie and Chris…read moreare patient, funny, kind and truly care about their horses and riders. They don't only teach you how to ride but they also teach how to care for the horses yourself. I can truly say this is the best part of my week and I look forward to every lesson :)

The Christmas at the Barn was a wonderful experience for the kids!! Looking forward to spring…read morelessons!

My third tour this season with Justin and Aimee! I learn something new each tour. It is a MUST…read morewhen visiting Highlands or even if you live there!

We had an AMAZING time with Justin and Highland Excursions! My husband & I have been to Highlands…read moremany times, but we thought it would be fun to actually learn about the area and go see some areas we hadn't seen yet (like Satulah mountain). What a great decision! My husband commented that we should have started our week this way (instead of our last day). We went to a section to hike that we never would have tried (as it's on the Highlands Cashiers Land Trust) that was a beautiful hike with amazing views. Justin was a delightful guide, providing a rich history of the area. We also enjoyed talking geology with Justin, who was a wealth of information. Even if you've been to Highlands & Cashiers many times, treat yourself to a Highlands Excursion to see the beautiful waterfalls, mountain ranges & more. You won't regret it! Can't wait til the next time!

My friend just got married at Castle Ladyhawke at bear lake reserve ! It was a beautiful venue! The…read morecastle itself was impressive it felt like such a fairytale. Then when you go behind it for the ceremony space it has the most gorgeous view. It is surrounded by greenery and hilltops it is picturesque. The staff was so kind and helpful. I am vegan and they made sure all of my food was correct. Her wedding was perfection and it was such a dreamy place to be!

Bear Lake Reserve is beautiful! The views of the lake and mountains are incredible, and the whole…read moreplace feels peaceful and relaxing. Our rental was clean and comfortable, and we loved spending time at the Lake Club, hiking the trails, and kayaking. Staff were super friendly, and it was the perfect mix of adventure and downtime. Can't wait to come back!

My granddaughter took lessons for 2 years, was an awesome experience, I couldn't ask for a better…read morefirst riding experience. Jan Gibson

we had a ride schedule for 2 P.M. waited for 20 minutes no one every showed and they wouldn't even…read moreanswer the phone we will ride at another stable

Fire Mountain Inn Cabins and Treehouse is a great stay. I wanted to relax in a place with the…read moremountain outlook, and this place offers a stress-free getaway due to Scaly Mountain and Blue Ridge Mountain. Parking: One-way trail after you hit a certain point on the property. Easy to navigate. Plenty of parking in the accommodation area. Service: Matthew and Hiram follow strict COVID-19 protocol here. Guests must wear masks around the property and maintain the 6-feet social distancing. They do not enter booked rooms 2 days before and after the guest's stay. Guests must go to the front desk to get service (extra toiletries, towels, etc.), as there is no maid service currently. No complaints about the service. WIFI: It's non-existent, even though there is "free" WIFI. Connection was not great. Some cellular service may come through, but it was nice to escape from the tech world. Location: Perfect! It's about a 15-20 minutes drive into downtown Highlands. Great distance away from great hikes and views. They have an easy trail throughout the property here, if you do not want to leave Fire Mountain. Massage 1-hour (3/5): Very nice lad but wasn't the best I've had. Great view when you enter though. Clean, high windows that will let the blazing sun through, so it can get a bit hot. The lady followed COVID-19 protocol. Fire & Water Restaurant Dinner (3/5): 1. Watermelon Gazpacho (2/5): It was refreshing with the watermelon. However, the flavor was lacking for me. Bland overall. 2. Cornmeal Crusted Trout (4/5): I cleaned most of this plate. Trout was crusted perfectly without too much cornmeal. Carrots with the sweet glaze were a nice touch. The other 2 veggies were OK. 3. Peach Cobbler (3/5): I'm not a big fan of cobbler. This was just OK for me. Matthew and Hiram are genuine and knowledgeable. They do try to keep up with this place. Matthew is a great cook, as he changes the breakfast and dinner menu up here and there. Would I come back? Yes. Only thing is the restroom.... the space is kind of cramped in our room, especially the shower. I did not like that.

Fire Mountain is a quiet inn nestled deep in the Nantahala National Forest. From arrival, co-owners…read moreHiram and Mathew's passion for the experience is apparent. I was greeted by Mathew and their adorable dog Lily, given a tour of the grounds, and handed maps of local hikes, waterfalls, and excellent places to eat in the nearby town of Highlands. The inn itself is thoughtfully decorated, a combination of rustic and posh which is typically a difficult balance to strike. And yet, they've achieved it with aplomb. I stayed in the Nantahala room at the Inn, drawn to the extra-large soaking tub that I used numerous times. I never expect these large tubs to fill adequately, and yet there was plentiful hot water to soak my cares away. The first thing you notice about Fire Mountain is the lack of modern distractions. There are no televisions and no radios. I had about two bars of LTE (Verizon) that kicked in right as I drove up the hill, allowing me to text my partner upon my arrival and feel like I could be "connected" if I chose to. The Inn also has guest WiFi which allowed me to do basic internet stuff as I pleased. It probably wouldn't support any streaming service... then again, why anyone would want to watch Netflix up here is beyond me! The other thing you notice is the air, which is a few degrees cooler than the nearby town of Dillard down the mountain (and a proper 10+ degrees cooler than the Devil's Doorstep I came from!). The humidity is low, even in mid-July. For this reason, Fire Mountain does not have air conditioning and doesn't need it. Despite being a lifelong Southerner, I'm quite sensitive to heat, but the temperature was comfortable my entire trip. Following Mathew's recommendation, I closed up my room in the morning and opened it back up mid-afternoon, leaving it open all night so I could rest peacefully serenaded by the crickets and tree frogs. I'm no stranger to this area, so the eight or nine mile drive into town was nothing to me. In fact, the winding mountain roads, two scenic overlooks, and abundant rhododendrons made each trip delightful. Hiram and Mathew's recommendations for food, shopping, and sights helped me reconnect with the Highlands region in blissful ways. Breakfast at Fire Mountain is substantial. Each breakfast started with a plate of fresh fruit. Mathew additionally provided boxed lunches for me, perfect for carrying up a mountain or down one of the area's many waterfall trails. I only wish I could have enjoyed dinner at the Inn, which was unfortunately not available during my stay. Such is life; I'll just have to return another time! I'm running out of space, so I'll just say that Fire Mountain was a 10/10 recommend from me. I can't wait to return!

I can't express enough how pleased my wife and I were with Cabin #7, Cast A Line, at the Ela Shores…read moreCabins. There were actually 3 other couples that traveled with us and they stayed in Cabins #5, #6 & #8. Each cabin was very large with all amenities that you could ask for, were very comfortable, spotless clean, roomy, great views and right on the river. The cleaning staff was friendly and accommodating in every aspect. Our entire group trailered our Harely Davidson's up from Florida and spent 5 days riding in the mountains. The cabin property had spacious trailer parking out of the way of the cabins and also has covered motorcycle parking which was great to have. My wife and I were so happy with the location and quality that was provided within the cabins we are planning to return in 2025 for another week.

We have stayed at Ela Shores several times. WE LOVE IT !!! Great location. Very clean, very…read moreaccommodating. Owners are fabulous to work with. Great place for a family reunion. So much to do in the area around Ela Shores. You can't go wrong.

I have been coming here since I was 15…read more The area is absolutely gorgeous, the misty mountains painting a perfect backdrop for relaxation and golf, if you play. We are located in n the fairway forest , off i dont know what hole, but the views here are incredible. Our unit sleeps 6, is fully furnished and oh so comfortable!

DO NOT GO HERE FOR ZIPLINING. The staff is so rude, the girl Dee was the most unhelpful person…read moreever, and the facilities are underwhelming. We ended up going to Highlands Aeriel Park instead and had the best time. It is worth the drive and the additional costs to have an amazing day in Highlands vs this place.

My husbeastie and I are up in Sapphire Valley, spending our week in my family's time share. The…read moreweather has been absolutely fabulous, so we decided to do something outdoorsy. As a teen, I would tube down this river so I offered this as an option to the man and he agreed. Given that he's a larger man, tubing was out, but a single person kayak, called a ducky, would be fine. I opted for the same thing. It was a touch more expensive vs opting for "Extreme tubing" but it was a lot more fun. We both got kitted out in our life vest, got our paddles and into the van and were driven to the Dillsboro drop off site, we were given pointers of where to go and what to look out for. The staff was great! The water was cool but not terribly cold, the river wasn't crowded for the height of summer and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was about 2 hours in the water from the time we put in until we took out. Yes, we did get stuck on a few rocks but we managed to get off of them without dumping ourselves into the drink. We certainly got an upper body workout from using our paddles!

We went on a Sunday morning. They don't do rafts on…read moreSunday. But they do tubes and kayak. We decided the way to go was tubing. The staff was sooooo friendly. We totally recommend this place. The water was a little low. But still it was enough for us to relax and float. And have a little fun at the drops. It took about 2 hrs. To go down the river. And at the stopping point, we didn't have to wait. Some one was there waiting for us to drive us back to our car. $15.00 per person for tubing.