Most cabins in these mountains offer a view and a hot tub. This one has a cedar-lined Finnish sauna somebody built by hand, and three floors quiet enough that eight people can share the place without sharing every minute of it.
Come up on a Friday, get the fire going, and don't look at your phone again until Sunday.
The reason people rebook
A real sauna, not a spa amenity
It's on the lower floor, lined top to bottom in cedar, and it was built by hand rather than ordered from a catalog. You'll smell it before you see it.
The six-person hot tub is out on the lower deck, and the fire pit sits below that with Adirondack chairs around it. The sensible order is sauna, then tub, then fire, then bed. Most guests work this out by the second night.
How the house is laid out
One king on every floor
Three stories, three king suites, one per level. Nobody draws the short straw, and two couples can travel together without ending up ten feet apart.
Cathedral ceilings, a private balcony, and a jetted tub. The loft outside it holds the billiards table and the good reading chair.
Kitchen, dining for eight, the stone fireplace, and the screened porch. Where everyone ends up during the day.
Opens straight onto the deck. The sauna, foosball table, and arcade cabinet are down here, plus a nook with two twin beds.
Eight guests total — three kings and two twins. Up to two well-behaved dogs, and the yard is fenced.
What's here
The details that matter
Outside
- Screened porch, seating for seven
- Covered deck, six rocking chairs
- Six-person hot tub
- Fire pit and Adirondack chairs
- Gas grill and picnic table
- Corn hole
- Long view over the valley
Kitchen
- Granite counters, stainless appliances
- Keurig and a 12-cup drip
- Griddle, waffle maker, blender
- Crockpot and food processor
- Dining for eight, bar seats two
- S'mores sticks in the drawer
Games & sauna
- Handmade Finnish sauna, lower floor
- Billiards table up in the loft
- Foosball table
- Arcade cabinet and Xbox
- 60″ TV, gas fireplace
- Board games
- Mini fridge and microwave
Sleeping
- Three king suites, one per floor
- Two twins in the lower nook
- Log beds, ceiling fans throughout
- A TV in every bedroom
Bathrooms
- Two full baths with jetted tubs
- Walk-in showers, double vanities
- Third full bath downstairs
- Half bath on the main floor
Practical
- Unlimited WiFi
- Central heat and air
- Washer and dryer
- Paved road, paved driveway
- Two dogs welcome, fenced yard
The place itself
Select a photo to enlarge
Getting here, and what's near
Close to town, far from everything
Highland Nook sits between Blue Ridge and Blairsville, which means you get downtown Blue Ridge — the shops, the restaurants, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway — without staying on top of it. The drive in is paved the whole way, including the driveway, so you don't need a truck or a nervous disposition in January.
Morganton Point on Lake Blue Ridge is a short drive for a swim or a boat launch. The waterfall hikes off the Toccoa are closer still, and there are enough wineries within twenty minutes that you'll want to pick two rather than attempt all of them.
Atlanta is about an hour and forty minutes south, which is why so many stays here start on a Friday afternoon.