Photo by John E. Mcdonald
When the air turns hot and thick, it’s time to seek higher ground. The South’s plentiful mountains are filled with fresh breezes, backcountry trails, and green-carpeted landscapes as far as the eye can see. But the best mountain getaways offer more than just stunning backdrops and tolerable temperatures. Set your GPS for one of these inviting small towns, and you’ll find world-class performing arts, historical architecture, funky bars and boutiques, and standout restaurants.
Illustration by Scott Schiller
Bryson City, North Carolina
Vibe: Think low-key chill (afternoon strolls through a postcard-perfect downtown) paired with high-key thrills (ziplining, mountain biking, or paddling Class III whitewater rapids), all bordering Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Favorite pastime: Book a whitewater-rafting trip down the Nantahala River through the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The river offers varying degrees of difficulty, making it popular among grandmas and gearheads alike.
Must-see attraction: Departing from a Bryson City depot, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad chugs through the scenic towns and gorges of western North Carolina.
Stay: Book one of 10 suites at the historic Everett Hotel. Welcome the sunrise with a complimentary made-to-order breakfast and later enjoy sunset from the rooftop terrace.
Must-stop shop: For 20 years, the Wild Fern has curated artisan-made jewelry, ceramics, soaps, specialty foods, and other giftable items—many from local craftspeople.
Grub: At the NOC’s restaurant, River’s End, you can polish off a trout-cake sandwich while watching paddlers glide down the Nantahala.
Watering hole: Order a juicy IPA or toasty lager at Mountain Layers Brewing Company, an award-winning microbrewery and taproom with a sunny outdoor deck.
Unofficial mayor: Evy Leibfarth, an NOC–sponsored athlete, has practiced on the Nantahala since childhood. She achieved hometown hero status when she won bronze in canoe slalom at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Clayton, Georgia
Vibe: If your idea of a perfect post-hike meal is artisan fare and a glass of local wine, this cozy town fits the bill: It’s home to a thriving culinary scene and sprawling vineyards.
Favorite pastime: Rabun County, at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, lays claim to 17 publicly accessible waterfalls, including the stunning, 100-foot Hurricane Falls in Tallulah Gorge State Park.
Must-see attraction: Experience Appalachian history and traditions at the Foxfire Museum, a village of 20 log buildings filled with artifacts dating from the early 1800s to the early 1900s.
Stay: Located in historic downtown, the White Birch Inn bed-and-breakfast offers six guest rooms decorated in mountain-chic style (tin ceilings, hammered copper sinks, canopy beds).
Must-stop shop: Treehouse on Main is the perfect spot to find jewelry by Georgia designers, floral-print dresses, and high-end furniture.
Grub: Located on Main Street, Fortify Kitchen & Bar serves Southern-inspired fare with ingredients sourced from local farms (think: fried green tomatoes and cornmeal-crusted mountain trout).
Watering hole: A stop at the tasting room at Stonewall Creek Vineyards offers beautiful views of Glassy Mountain and flights of Petit Verdot and Traminette grown and produced on-site.
Unofficial mayors: Josh and Alex Brown are the brains behind popular outdoor store Wander North Georgia, which stocks locally made wares.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Vibe: This quirky resort town in the Ozarks draws a diverse array of visitors, thanks to its friendly, inclusive charm, well-preserved Victorian architecture, and dozens of natural springs.
Favorite pastime: Seek out bubbling waters at downtown pocket parks, or indulge in a mineral soak and massage at the Palace Bath Hotel, the town’s last remaining original bathhouse.
Must-see attraction: Opera in the Ozarks, a professional training ground for vocalists since 1950, celebrates its 75th season this year with productions of Carmen, Into the Woods, and The Merry Widow.
Courtesy 5 Ojo Inn
Stay: This mountain town is full of charming B&Bs like 5 Ojo Inn, an easy stroll from downtown. Don’t miss the delicious breakfast, including the signature caramel French toast.
Must-stop shop: At Magee Jewelry, browse pendants, rings, and earrings handcrafted by father-daughter owners and designers Jim Magee and Emily Magee Eckman.
Grub: Ermilio’s dishes up hearty Italian faves (think: chicken parm, homemade meatballs in red sauce, cannoli) inside a picturesque Victorian home.
Watering hole: Missy’s White Rabbit Lounge is known for its playful cocktails (try the Mad Hatter), eclectic decor, and friendly atmosphere, plus live music and karaoke several nights a week.
Courtesy Thorncrown Chapel
Unofficial mayor: For four decades, Doug Reed has served as pastor of Thorncrown Chapel, a soaring glass sanctuary dreamed up by his father Jim Reed in the late 1970s and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protege E. Fay Jones.
Illustration by Scott Schiller
Lewisburg, West Virginia
Vibe: A quaint small town that’s also a vibrant cultural capital, this Allegheny Mountains hotspot boasts galleries, studios, and theaters—including Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the state theater of West Virginia.
Favorite pastime: See top-notch artists grace the stage at an honest-to-God Carnegie Hall. The town is home to one of just four halls endowed by Andrew Carnegie that’s still in use today.
Must-see attraction: Hike or bike a section of the 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail, which begins just outside town and meanders over 35 bridges and through two tunnels.
Stay: The Historic General Lewis Inn, originally built as a private home in the early 1800s, offers a mix of old treasures (period antiques) and new comforts (luxury linens).
Must-stop shop: You’ll find everything you need for an Instagrammable charcuterie spread, plus unique barware, kitchen gadgets, wines, and locally made gifts at Bella the Corner Gourmet.
Grub: Grab a table in the al fresco garden at the French Goat, a historic home–turned-bistro serving French classics like croque madame, duck confit, and crème brûlée.
Watering hole: Sip West Virginia–made brews and hard ciders at Briergarten, an open-air brewhouse that also serves German-style pub fare like soft pretzels and bratwurst.
Unofficial mayor: Spooky local legend Zona Heaster Shue (aka the Greenbrier Ghost) is credited with solving her own 1897 murder, appearing to her mother and naming her husband as her killer.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Vibe: Bounded by the fog-shrouded Great Smoky Mountains, this tourist destination is beloved for its family-friendly fun.
Favorite pastime: Welcome to coaster country: From Dollywood’s Lightning Rod (the world’s fastest wooden roller coaster) to the old-school Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, a destination unto itself.
Must-see attraction: Take a leisurely drive through the Foothills Parkway, a meandering two-lane road flanked by overlooks in the foothills of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Stay: Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort, located just 10 minutes from the theme park (where guests get priority access), evokes the Smokies’ rustic beauty—from the soaring stone fireplace to the cozy plaid bedding.
Courtesy Boot Factory Outlet
Must-stop shop: There’s no need for tough shopping decisions at the Boot Factory Outlet. For every pair of embroidered or fringed boots you buy, they’ll throw in two pairs free.
Grub: This town is stacked with pancake houses, including family-operated Sawyer’s Farmhouse, where you can order yours topped with strawberries and powdered sugar, stuffed with pecans, or rolled around sausage links.
Watering hole: Sample hand-distilled moonshine, rum, bourbon whiskey, and cocktails made from other small-batch spirits at Old Forge Distillery.
Unofficial mayor: A 20-year employee of the Old Mill restaurant, a local landmark, Jimmy Proffitt chronicles his childhood memories and family recipes on his site, the Appalachian Tale.
Roanoke, Virginia
Vibe: This lively town in the Blue Ridge Mountains has a walkable downtown packed with museums and shops.
Courtesy Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge
Favorite pastime: Take advantage of more than 400 miles of mountain-biking trails—including ones that lead to the famous Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain.
Must-see attraction: With its rippling metal roof, Taubman Museum of Art makes a striking impression. Inside, the permanent collection includes works by luminaries such as Norman Rockwell, plus more than 100 dazzling Judith Leiber handbags.
Stay: For 100 years, the historic Fire Station One was, well, a fire station. In 2023, the local landmark reopened as a boutique hotel that showcases original elements, like brass fire poles.
Must-stop shop: You could spend all day in the 40,000-square-foot Black Dog Salvage browsing treasures like stained-glass church windows, hand-carved doors, and vintage toys.
Grub: With a mix of ingredients sourced from the Roanoke and New River valleys, the Southern cuisine at the River and Rail features the best of what’s in season, like fresh Virginia oysters.
Watering hole: Part of the Virginia Blue Ridge Cheers Trail, Twisted Track Brewpub offers a wide variety of its own brews on tap, from thick stouts to fruit-tinged sours, plus hard seltzer, cider, wine, even kombucha.
Unofficial mayor: Local Instagrammer Genya Kalinina has built a following of more than 50,000 at @hello.roanoke, where she shares what’s happening around town.
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Hot Rentals
These mountain vacation homes don’t skimp on luxury (or views)
Riverside Retreat
Blue Ridge, Georgia, VRBO
Toccoa River Estate sits on 300 feet of the Toccoa River in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so you can watch the water rush by from the outdoor infinity pool—or from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the cathedral-like living room. Head to the dock to cast a line, curl up with a book by the firepit, or wander the estate’s private trails.
Games Galore
Boone, North Carolina, VRBO
With 18 acres to explore, not to mention an 85-foot waterfall and a hot tub that can fit the occupants of all seven bedrooms, there’s plenty to keep you busy outdoors at Hemingway Estate. Inside, you’ll find a home theater with a seven-foot screen and a fully-stocked game room (poker, air hockey, foosball, ping pong, arcade games—if you can play it, they’ve probably got it). Grandfather Mountain, with its Mile High Swinging Bridge, is just 15 minutes away.
Private Lagoon
Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, AirBnB
You’ve never had a backyard like this. Step outside this three-bedroom home in the Blue Ridge Mountains to find a rock quarry–turned-swimming hole, complete with a private beach, cabana, and plenty of canoes, pedal boats, kayaks, and floats. At Hapua at Quarry Run, numerous patios and decks offer ample water views, and a barn houses a full-service gym.
Illustration by Scott Schiller
Elevated Escapes
Mountain lodges around the Southeast take luxury to new heights
Courtesy Blackberry Mountain
Sister property to the renowned Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Mountain in Walland, Tennessee, promises a stunning getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nourishing the mind as well as the body is part of the resort’s guiding philosophy, and visitors who choose to focus inward can enjoy forest bathing, guided journaling sessions, and a whole host of outdoor yoga classes, followed by healthy, wholesome meals prepared by acclaimed chefs.
Photo by Chelsea Lane
At an elevation of almost a mile above sea level, the Swag in Waynesboro, North Carolina, offers 18 intimate and elegant accommodations on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. (Perk: The resort has a private entrance to the national park.) All meals are included, from daily packed lunches—perfect for picnics or hikes—to four-course dinners and weekly family-style feasts.
At 12,000-acre Primland Resort in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, guests can golf on one of the best courses in the state, ride horses on woodland trails, and join guided hunting excursions. The light-filled rooms and suites have warm wood paneling and deep soaking tubs, while the new, secluded tree houses provide a simple yet elegant escape overlooking the Dan River Gorge.
Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the historic Old Edwards Inn & Spa is walking distance from Highlands, North Carolina’s charming shops and restaurants. The European-style Relais & Châteaux property features farm-to-table dining (with most produce grown right on the property), an award-winning spa, and a cozy, romantic ambience (think in-room fireplaces and outdoor hot tubs).
Illustration by Scott Schiller
Must-See Waterfalls
Three natural marvels worth the chase
Named after the Cherokee word for “tumbling waters,” Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, Georgia, is the state’s tallest waterfall, spilling 729 feet—the same height as a 60-story skyscraper. Multiple trails lead to the cascades, but the East Ridge Loop, a two-mile switchback that zags past natural lookouts with breathtaking views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, is the most popular. The falls’ eponymous state park also features an adventure lodge with 20 ziplines, outdoor sports (ranging from archery to hatchet throwing), and luxurious mountaintop accommodations.
Courtesy Ruby Falls
Tunneling into the side of Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga caver Leo Lambert accidentally discovered a previously unknown cavern with striking geological formations and a plunging underground waterfall he named Ruby Falls. Today, travelers can ride a glass-front elevator 260 feet below the ground to explore the subterranean trails on a guided history tour or an evening lantern tour.
Cumberland Falls in southeastern Kentucky is a 125-foot-wide wall of water that draws comparisons to Niagara Falls due to its square shape. And because it faces and flows north, the roaring cataract produces an extremely rare phenomenon: a lunar rainbow called a moonbow. Even better, it’s fairly predictable, appearing most vividly on clear nights under a full moon between dusk and midnight. This summer’s dates include July 8–12, August 7–11, and September 5–9.
Illustration by Scott Schiller
All Creatures Great and Small
Encounter iconic and lesser-known animals that call the mountains home
Perhaps no creature is more closely associated with the Southern Appalachians than the American black bear. And while tens of thousands live in the area, they remain rather elusive. Those looking to spot the region’s largest predator should plan a visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where an estimated 1,900 bears reside (a positive sign, considering there were fewer than 300 just 50 years ago). Open areas such as Cades Cove and the more remote Cataloochee Valley offer some of the best chances for seeing bears, as well as the park’s largest inhabitants, elk. Reintroduced to the park in 2001, the herds now number more than 200.
The Southern Appalachians are also a global hotspot for salamanders. Seventy-seven species live here, some of which are found nowhere else. The Smoky Mountains alone are home to 31 salamander species, which is why the area is known as the Salamander Capital of the World. Keep an eye out for showy specimens, such as the Southern red-backed and the Blue Ridge spring, as well as the largest salamander in North America, the hellbender, which can grow to over two feet long. Among the best sites to find these lizard-like amphibians are Grotto Falls and Abrams Falls, both located within the national park. The Smoky Mountain Field School, a collaboration between the park and the University of Tennessee, offers salamander hikes during the summer, and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga and the Appalachian Rivers Aquarium in Bryson City, North Carolina, maintain hellbender exhibits, which promise the chance to see these masters of camouflage.
Illustration by Scott Schiller
Summit Sips
When it comes to standout libations, these distilleries, wineries, and breweries are peak performers
America’s most-visited distillery, Ole Smoky Moonshine in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a Great Smokies icon. Check out the authentic moonshine stills and sample signature flavors such as White Lightin’ and Apple Pie while listening to live bluegrass. In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Palmetto Distillery in Anderson, South Carolina, has two claims to fame: It produced the state’s first legal moonshine, and it currently makes the most-awarded craft whisky in South Carolina. Take a free tour and enjoy live music, trivia, and karaoke in the tasting room and bar. In the Ouachita Mountains, Crystal Ridge Distillery is situated in a century-old building in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. In addition to moonshine, whisky, bourbon, and vodka, they create canned vodka-soda cocktails in flavors including Spicy Melon-Rita and piña colada.
Courtesy Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery
At Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery in Dahlonega, French winemaking traditions find a home in the North Georgia Mountains. The European-style chateau offers panoramic views and a cafe where salads and charcuterie are paired with cabernet sauvignon, malbec, and Syrah. One of Virginia’s most scenic wineries, Veritas Vineyard & Winery, welcomes visitors to try its red, white, and sparkling options in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Stay overnight at the Farmhouse Inn or in the Barn Cottage. Celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, Yonah Mountain Vineyards in Cleveland, Georgia, is set on 200 acres and offers three cottages for overnight stays. Book a 90-minute Reserve Tasting that includes small-bite pairings, or indulge in one of the frequent multicourse wine dinners.
Courtesy Reece’s Cider Co.
Asheville, North Carolina, is ground zero for Southern craft beer, and Wicked Weed Brewing lives up to the legacy. Its downtown Brew Pub has a full restaurant, beer garden, bottle shop, and two pet-friendly patios. Devil’s Backbone Brewing in Roseland, Virginia, makes award-winning lagers, a line of canned cocktails, and local cider. Sample them at Basecamp Brewpub and hear live music at the outdoor Meadows Bar. In Ellijay, Georgia, Reece’s Cider Co. handcrafts hard ciders using apples from nearby BJ Reece Orchards, owned by the same family. Try flavors such as Ellijay Apple or Poppy’s Pick, and visit on weekends to enjoy food trucks and live music.
Cool Off
Mountain adventures to beat the heat
At 6,684 feet above sea level, Mount Mitchell in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the highest point in the eastern United States, and naturally one of the coldest. With trails of all levels, and summer temperatures averaging 56 degrees, it’s the perfect place for hikers who want to ascend to the summit for panoramic views. Take the moderate Balsam Nature Trail through spruce-fir forests set against a dense understory of moss and ferns.
Heading to the North Georgia Mountains? Don’t miss a tubing trip (and dip) in the Chattahoochee River. Book your “Shoot the Hooch” tubing excursion with a local outfitter, who will take you upstream north of Helen before launching you on a two-hour lazy river ride. The chilly Chattahoochee’s year-round 50-degree waters will carry you past thickly wooded banks and colorful granite outcroppings before floating you through Helen’s Bavarian-themed alpine village.
Grab a sweater and venture underground for a one-hour tour of Skyline Caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Maintaining a constant 54 degrees, the caverns feature expansive chambers with an array of stalactites and stalagmites, a 37-foot waterfall, and rare cave-ceiling crystal formations called anthodites. One of these anthodites is an 18-inch specimen known fittingly as the Chandelier; it’s the largest and oldest anthodite on earth.
This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Southbound.
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Jennifer Rainey Marquez
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