Grab your smart phone, get your steps in, and learn some Highlands history.
The Highlands Historical Society museum closed its doors in November for the 2025 season. But that does not mean the history buff must wait until next season to learn about the rich history of Highlands.
To celebrate Highlands’ 150th Anniversary, the Historical Society has curated a walking tour of seventeen of the most historic buildings in downtown Highlands and the tour is available year-round. The tour is sponsored, in part, by a grant from the Cullasaja Women’s Outreach.
The buildings chosen for the tour include the three buildings on the Historical Village campus and three of our historic churches.
There are also four former businesses and four inns on the tour.
Unique to the tour are buildings which no longer stand, including one home whose site is marked by its still standing chimney and the former site of two Highlands schools. Lastly, there is a building built as a log home that is now a thriving local business. Each site is marked by a plaque bearing a QR code to scan. When scanned, a short video will play telling the story of that building and its former occupants.
You can pick up a map and brochure at the Highlands Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, from the kiosk in front of the Prince House in the Historical Village, or simply print a copy from the HHS website at highlandshistory.com. With your map and smart phone in hand, take the tour in any order that you wish to learn about each of these famous buildings and how they played a part in the long history of Highlands. The tour will take the average walker about an hour and a half, so wear your comfortable shoes.
If you are one who would rather not spend the time and energy on the walking tour, the same videos are available on the HHS website under the “Exhibits” tab. This allows you to sit at your computer and learn about each of the seventeen buildings from the comfort of your own home. In addition to learning about the buildings on the walking tour, you can explore our website to learn about many of the exhibits that the Historical Society museum has to offer.
The Highlands Historical Society museum will reopen in May for the 2026 season. Bookmark our website to check back for our schedule of events and other important information that will soon be posted. The Highlands Historical Society’s Historical Village is located at 524 N. 4th Street in Highlands. Make plans to visit once we open again next Spring to check out our newest exhibits.
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