By Jon Tharp, Broker · May 20, 2026
North Carolina has been a film production hub for years — from the long run of "Dawson's Creek" on the coast to countless productions that have used the mountains as a backdrop. If you've ever thought about getting in front of a camera, Backstage has put together a current list of casting calls across the country worth knowing about.
View MoreBy Jon Tharp, Broker · May 20, 2026
If you haven't spent time fishing in Highlands, you're missing one of the better-kept secrets in Western North Carolina.
View MoreBy Jon Tharp, Broker · May 20, 2026
Highlands is welcoming a new spot worth knowing about.
View MoreBy Jon Tharp, Broker · May 20, 2026
Downtown Waynesville is about to get a little more colorful — and a lot more historic.
View MoreBy Jon Tharp, Broker · May 20, 2026
At a Glance
Western North Carolina is home to some of the best natural swimming holes in the South, fed by cold mountain streams that stay refreshing even in the heat of August. This guide covers both the famous spots that draw crowds and the quieter pools that locals keep to themselves, with specific driving and hiking directions to each one so you can find them without guessing.
The water in WNC is cold. Even in the middle of July, even after a week of ninety-degree days, the mountain streams running out of Macon, Jackson, Haywood, and Swain counties will take your breath away the moment you step in. That is the point. These are not lazy float rivers. They are fast, clear, cold, and fed by elevation.
View MoreBy Jon Tharp, Broker · May 19, 2026
At a Glance
Built in 1905 and completed in 1908, the Balsam Mountain Inn is one of the oldest surviving resort hotels in the NC mountains. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has survived the Great Depression, the decline of the railroad era, and multiple closures. Today it is being restored by Rodney and Lorraine Conard, whose families have deep roots in WNC.
There are buildings that age gracefully, and then there are buildings that become legends. The Balsam Mountain Inn in Balsam, North Carolina sits firmly in that second category. For more than a century, this towering three-story wooden hotel has watched the mountains change around it. Trains came and went. Families arrived by horse and carriage, then by automobile. Prosperity gave way to hard times, and hard times eventually gave way to revival. Through all of it, the inn stood.
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Photo by Audri Van Gores (@audrivangores) on Unsplash
By Jon Tharp, Broker · May 18, 2026
At a Glance
The best spring bloom hikes near Highlands, NC include the Coker Rhododendron Trail at the Highlands Botanical Garden (easy, free, April through May), the Glen Falls Trail to Chinquapin Mountain (3.1 miles, moderate, best in early May), and Scaly Mountain via the Bartram Trail (3.5 miles, late May into June). Highlands sits near 4,000 feet elevation, pushing peak wildflower season later than the rest of the state and extending blooms well into early summer.
Highlands sits at nearly 4,000 feet, and that elevation gives the Plateau its own calendar. While the rest of the South is already deep into green, the mountains around Highlands are still moving through spring ephemerals, native azaleas, and rhododendron, with blooms running well into June.
If you know where to hike, this window is worth planning around.
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Photo by Spencer DeMera (@spencer_demera) on Unsplash
By Jon Tharp, Broker · May 18, 2026
At a Glance
Rails & Rhythms Bluegrass Night returns to downtown Old Fort, NC on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The free outdoor concert closes out the annual Trails and Trains Festival and features Grammy-winning headliners The Travelin' McCourys alongside the Hayley King Trio, Zoe and Cloyd, and Backline. No tickets required. Bring a chair.
The Travelin' McCourys are headlining a free outdoor concert in Old Fort on Saturday, June 6, and if you have never made the short drive to McDowell County for a summer evening, this is the reason to start.
Rails and Rhythms Bluegrass Night runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. in downtown Old Fort, closing out the annual Trails and Trains Festival. The show is at 91 S. Catawba Ave., near North Railroad Street, and admission is free. Bring your own chair, and plan to stay for the full evening.
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Photo by William Smith (@william_smith2024) on Unsplash
By Jon Tharp, Broker · May 18, 2026
At a Glance
Burnsville and Yancey County have a packed March 2026 calendar featuring the RuthFest chili cookoff benefiting WNC recovery organizations, a Spring Fest handmade craft show, a Pink Floyd 360-degree planetarium show at Mayland Earth to Sky Park, a Paint & Sip at Homeplace Beer Company, and a community Easter egg hunt on The Square. Events run throughout the month and are mostly free or low cost, making March a strong time to explore one of WNC's most artistically rich small towns.
Burnsville doesn't need a big festival to fill a weekend. The town sits at the center of one of the most artistically rich communities in the country, and in March 2026, Yancey County has a calendar packed enough to justify more than one trip north on 19E.
Whether you're driving up for the day or staying over, here's what's on the schedule.
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Photo by SOHAM BANERJEE (@soham1991) on Unsplash
By Jon Tharp, Broker · May 18, 2026
At a Glance
Studio Alive is a figure drawing and painting group at The Bascom in Highlands, NC, meeting on select Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. year-round, except March. Founded in 1980 by local artist Catherine Christie and revived in 2013, it welcomes all skill levels. No class fee is required; participants share the model cost, typically $5 to $10 per person.
For somewhere between five and ten dollars, you can spend a Monday morning drawing from a live model in a studio at The Bascom in Highlands, alongside artists who range from total beginners to people who have been doing this for decades. No critique, no pressure, no class fee. Just work in your preferred medium and share the space.
That is Studio Alive, a figure drawing and painting group that gathers at The Bascom on select Monday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sessions run year-round, with the exception of March. All skill levels are welcome, and the coordinators mean it.
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