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Taste the New Delights

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Chasing Sunsets and Waterfalls

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There are so many great articles in the pages of The Laurel Magazine, sometimes you want to read them again. You won’t miss a thing. Use these helpful search parameters and find just what you’re looking for about Highlands, NC and Cashiers, NC.

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The Art of Collecting

We all collect something we love, and when you visit The Bascom you’re sure to find that something. With a focus on local and regional artists in our Shop, you will always find work in wood, ceramics, glass, paper, and more. Whether it is an exquisite turned bowl by one of the world-renowned Moulthrops, an amazing crystalline glazed ceramic piece …

Kokedama Mama

Given time, Janice Mankovich of Little Flowering Mountain would fall in love with just about every kind of flower and/or foliage on the planet. Last week it was Snapdragons. Today it’s Chinese Asters. Next week it could be Dianthus or Pansies or Galax. She often showcases this week’s best foliage pal in a delightful natural hanging planter, self-contained, made of …

Plateau’s Artful Icon

Patty Calderone is synonymous with Fine Art in Highlands. She knows her way around a canvas,  around the region’s consortium of artists, around the complex business of art, and lately around the art of France. She’s a talented artlaw (art outlaw), upending traditions and rules in surprising, inventive ways. She began as a watercolorist. Over the years, Patty broke through …


Flies and Specks

Most of us know them as Brook Trout, or Brookies, but if you grew up in Western North Carolina,  you know them as “Specks.”    Specks are our only native trout species here in the Southeast, and they are technically an Arctic Char.   I know what you’re thinking…native species / Southeast / Arctic Char?…something doesn’t add up.   Millions …

Red-bellied Woodpecker

This relatively large, Robin-sized bird is common year-round on our Plateau and in the eastern U.S. from Canada to Florida. The Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) has a black-and-white barred back and wings with a pale pink belly. The male has a distinct red crown and nape. The female has similar plumage but lacks the red crown.  Look for these birds …

Perfecting Your Putting

I was recently asked by a student of mine what part of the game I felt players struggled with the most.  The answer was easy, putting! I think it’s a pretty well-known fact that the quickest way to shave strokes off your round is to tighten up your putting. Yet I see very few people actually practicing this skill. When people …


Visit Dry Falls

About three miles northwest of Highlands on US 64/NC 28 along the Cullasaja River is Dry Falls.  The trip from Highlands follows a National Scenic Byway which is part of a nine-mile declension of the river, forming a series of falls and cascades that culminate in Dry Falls before flowing into the Tennessee River near Franklin. There are pull-offs along …

A Landscape Mainstay

The Hydrangea is a genus of over 75 species and native to Asia as well as the Americas, but  we are used to seeing only three-to-six species in this area.  Its name comes from the Greek word, Hydor, meaning water and Angos, meaning vessel. Another name is Hortensia, deriving from Latin, meaning of the garden.  Don’t you wish every plant …

Birds, Bees, & Butterflies

Many of us wonder what we can do to help reverse the alarming declines in many bird, butterfly, and bee populations.    One way we can make a real difference is by using native plants in our home landscapes, because they are by far more nutritional than exotics for native insects needed for pollination and as food for nestling birds.  …


Dragonflies on the Plateau

Dragonflies are found throughout North Carolina in a large variety of colors and sizes. The state boasts 187 species of dragonflies and their smaller cousins damselflies, which are collectively in the insect order Odonata.  The scientific name Odonata, comes from “odon,” the Greek root for tooth and refers to this group’s sharply toothed jaws that hint at their predatory habits, said Jason …

A Virtual Masterpiece

As Covid-19 cuts its swath across the South and Western North Carolina, and events close to maintain social distancing, The Cashiers Designer Showhouse will be thriving virtually this year.   As Chair Melissa Hudson noted, “This moment demands a pause of our in-person tradition and a play on creativity.”      Ticket Holders to the 2020 Showhouse will be able to take a state-of-the-art …

Mountain Motoring Cranks Up

Earlier this year, with the coronavirus bringing vast sectors of life to a standstill, organizers of the June 13th annual Highlands Motoring Festival, made the difficult decision to cancel the event despite the fact that nearly all the events were sold out.   What had become one of the South’s most popular automotive events and voted “Best Concours” by Classic …