Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 29

Left: Kids try stand up paddle boarding (SUP) in Hinton, West Virginia.
Above: Boaters take to the gentle waters of Hampton Lake near Cashiers, North Carolina.

Here's our salute to summer with some
sizzling slices of life in seven states:

North Carolina
It's tea time on Tuesday. Kids clamor
for cookies and lemonade. Adults
scoop up egg salad sandwiches. And,
boy, the way Glenn Miller played-
on the speakers-in the lobby of
the High Hampton Inn, a gathering
ground for generations in the stony
mountains of North Carolina.
Here, even at 4 p.m., the early
birds make their arrival in their suits
and ties, ready for the dining room
buffet. Truth be told, though, we
did not come dressed for dinner.
Heading to High Hampton Inn
was actually an after-thought for
my 10-year-old son and me on a
multi-day adventure. Still, the staff
graciously made arrangements. Instead of having a meal in the dining room, we held our own party
on the patio, piling our plates with

the bounties of the buffet and enjoying the best view of Rock Mountain
while tended by a personal waiter
and savoring a feast fit for kings-
with shrimp and pork chops, vegetables and pasta.
Come morning, our casual dress
was deemed fine to dine, and we
gratefully took window seats for a
breakfast of blueberries, biscuits and
bacon.
On the second floor, we marveled
at the antique architecture of our
room-a nook without television,
which, these days, forces all to go
downstairs and enjoy the luxuries
of the lobby. There, we bought into
bingo-five bucks for six boards
and four games. And while we did
not win, we did leave smiling and
satisfied, relaxed by the lullaby of
the bingo master, calling letters and
numbers with a hypnotic tone.
Originally called the Hampton
Hunting Lodge, this 1,400-acre
property at Cashiers takes its name

from South Carolina General Wade
Hampton, who bought it in the
1850s. The lodge became public in
the 1920s, but was lost to fire in
1932. Rebuilt, the High Hampton
Inn (highhamptoninn.com/828-7432411) remains a rustic, charming,
stone-and-wood structure listed on
the National Register of Historic
Places. It's ideal for family reunions,
says the general manager, Clifford
Meads.
On the 35-acre Hampton Lake,
my son and I launched a canoe at a
floating dock and paddled past rhododendron and Canada geese. Then
we tickled our toes in the sand of
the swimming area-just like being
at the beach-all the while staring
at the stony face of Rock Mountain,
rising high above the lake surface.
We also took cues from the
front-desk staff to find a nearby
swimming hole: Little Sliding
Rock, just a few miles from the
main gate. In a word, it was cold-
May/June 2017 29


http://www.highhamptoninn.com/828-743

Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017

Features
Romance, Reunions and Family Fun for Summer
Mountain Summer: A Photo Essay
When Asheville Took over the 1970s’ Paper Dress Fad
Bateaux along the James River
On the Appalachian Trail, the Easy Way
BBQ!
Departments
Letters / Worth a Click
Contributors
From the Editor
Mill Creek Stories
Creature Feature
Mountain Report
The Good Walk
Country Roads
Singing in the Garden
Festivals & Events
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Letters / Worth a Click
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Contributors
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - From the Editor
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Mill Creek Stories
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - The Good Walk
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Country Roads
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Romance, Reunions and Family Fun for Summer
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Mountain Summer: A Photo Essay
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - When Asheville Took over the 1970s’ Paper Dress Fad
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Bateaux along the James River
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - On the Appalachian Trail, the Easy Way
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - BBQ!
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Singing in the Garden
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2017 - Cover4
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