The Barn Ramble at Flat Mountain Farm: Saturday, Nov. 15
Highlands Food & Wine returns November 13–16 for its 10th season, a long weekend where music, food, and drink converge in settings as varied as botanical gardens, barns, lodges, and the heart of downtown.
While the big street events draw the crowds, the festival’s special gatherings are where the personality of the Plateau really shines – moments that feel more like invitations than performances. This year, the calendar brims with opportunities to savor Highlands in unexpected ways, from a twilight garden stroll to a barn-raising party to a celebration where fire and smoke set the stage.
On Friday afternoon, November 14, Vines in the Pines unfolds at the Highlands Biological Station from 4:00 to 5:30 P.M. Guests take an unhurried walk through the Botanical Gardens, pausing along flat trails to sample natural and sustainable wines.
Each tasting station offers something distinct, but the real crescendo comes at the lakeside Teaching Pavilion, where the final pour is served as the sun lowers over the water. Tickets are $75 plus fees and are available through the festival’s website. It’s a tasting meant to slow your pace, let the wines breathe, and fold the natural setting into the flavor of the glass.
Nikki Lane at Her Voice, Her Vintage: Friday, Nov. 14
That same evening, Skyline Lodge hosts Her Voice, Her Vintage from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M. Nikki Lane, whose voice carries equal measures of grit and velvet, performs in the outdoor pavilion while guests enjoy hors d’oeuvres paired with curated wines. It’s an intimate event, both in scale and in spirit, pairing song and sip in a way that feels like conversation. Tickets were $150 and quickly sold out, proof that the concept – highlighting female artistry alongside thoughtful vintages – struck a deep chord with festivalgoers.
Saturday night brings The Barn Ramble to Flat Mountain Farm from 7:00 to 9:30 P.M. For $65, guests trade the polished atmosphere of the larger tastings for something looser and more freewheeling. Nashville songwriter Sam Morrow takes the stage, blending outlaw grit with soul-driven swagger, while the farm’s barn fills with laughter, movement, and the clink of glasses. Light bites are provided by Little Secret, and drinks flow from taps and cocktail shakers, including spirits from Blade & Bow.
What sets the Barn Ramble apart is its mix of energy and intimacy – it’s part concert, part neighborhood gathering, the kind of evening where strangers become friends before the last note fades.
But if the festival has a spiritual core, it might just be Smoke Signals, staged Friday, November 14, from noon to 3:30 P.M. at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Here the air is thick with woodsmoke, music, and anticipation. Chefs from across the region gather to show what fire can do, from briskets and ribs to oysters and vegetables kissed by flame.
Smoke Signals: Friday, Nov. 14
Among them is Kyle Bryner of Blue Hound Barbecue in Dillard, the Season 6 winner of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, whose Southern Appalachian barbecue marries Texas boldness with Carolina tang and mountain soul.
On stage, Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves open with a set of raspy, roots-rich Americana, followed by Railroad Earth, a band that bends bluegrass into something expansive and improvisational. Tickets are $275 plus fees, available online, and worth every penny for the way food and music feed each other until you can’t tell which is leading and which is following.
Together, these events show the festival’s reach: a reflective walk in the gardens, an evening of voice and vintage, a barn alive with music and movement, and a smoky afternoon where barbecue and bluegrass share the pulpit. Highlands Food & Wine has always been about more than what’s in the glass or on the plate. It’s about the setting, the stories, and the way those elements come together to create something larger than themselves – a celebration of this mountain town and its singular ability to throw open its doors and make everyone feel at home.
For more information, visit highlandsfoodandwine.com
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