Highlands, North Carolina.
If you love the outdoors like I do, then you know escaping to the mountains for the weekend is the best stress reliever, ESPECIALLY from all the stress that your job can put on you.
One of my favorite places to visit is Highlands, North Carolina.
It's quiet, peaceful and incredibly beautiful.
From the miles and miles of vast mountain ranges to the beautiful waterfalls and hiking trails, Highlands has a lot to offer for outdoor adventures!
I was introduced to this place because my wife's family owns a mountain house in Highlands. When my wife and I were still dating (in the boyfriend-girlfriend stage) her family invited me to go up with them for the weekend.
Ever since then I've been hooked!
Highlands also has outdoor shopping with lots of different clothing stores, outdoor stores, art and jewelry stores, various restaurants and one of the best ice cream shops I've ever been to.
If you ever go to Highlands you MUST visit SweeTreats Ice Cream and Yogurt Shop!
Annie and I totally recommend either getting their Mint Chocolate Chip OR their Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip ice cream!
The shopping strip is also a great place to get out and walk around if you just want to enjoy some fresh air and see some neat local stores in Highlands.
This past weekend I brought my new Samyang 8mm fisheye lens to take pictures with around town, so many of the pictures you will see below will look like you are in a bubble!
One of the neat things about Highlands is all the different churches they have in town. I love walking around and looking at the architecture of the buildings.
I decided to snap a picture of this couple walking up the steps because they were going to church. Before they walked up the steps, however, they stopped and asked me if I got any good pictures of their church, so I showed them. They enjoyed seeing the shots because they had never seen fisheye pictures before. "Wow! I love the sky in these pictures. Well, have fun! God bless."
Here are a couple more buildings and architecture I found interesting while walking around the town!
So why did I share all of these pictures with you and talk about how I love visiting Highlands, NC?
Because life can be stressful. Work can also get so busy that we don't actually stop to enjoy life. We get so caught up in the routine of: wake up, get ready, get to work, clock in, get through the check list, meet my numbers for the day, clock out, get home, eat dinner, get in bed and then start the cycle all over again the next day. If we're not careful then we can begin to become unhappy with life and especially our jobs.
I believe the best medicine for anyone is the great outdoors. Even if you don't enjoy bugs or hiking, getting away to a place that is quiet and peaceful is good for any soul.
Plan your next get away even if it's just for the weekend and go somewhere away from society and the busyness of life!
Where do you like to escape to in order to get away from all the busyness of life?! Where would you LIKE TO escape to for the weekend?
