fbpx
Travel

Day Trip to Highlands, North Carolina

Georgia

When I was in the States, I went on a day trip with my mom up to see my grandparents in northern Georgia. They live in a small town called Clayton, Georgia: population 2,234. It’s a really cute, Southern town with one main street lined with locally owned shops, restaurants, the town pharmacy, a post office, and a couple of churches. I’d gone up to surprise my grandmother for her 80th birthday, which was why I was home in the US to begin with, but because it was a big party we didn’t get much quality time together. So I was excited to see her again and go out to lunch, talk, and head up to Highlands, North Carolina.

Highlands, North Carolina

The highlight of our trip for me was getting to go up to Highlands. Since I graduated from college, I’ve only been home about 2 or 3 times a year. Every time I did get to visit, we’d do our usual day trip up to see my grandparents and my grandmother would always insist on taking me shopping in Highlands. This trip was no exception. Can you believe it’s only a 30 minute car ride from my grandparents’ house in Georgia to North Carolina? There’s literally a point where you can get out and stand in 4 different states at once.

Highlands, North Carolina

Like Clayton, Highlands is also a small town but has a lot more “trendy” boutique shops with all sorts of clothing, home decor, accessories, and trinkets. Not much has changed there over the years, except for the renovating of what is now a 5-star, luxury mountain village resort & spa and the opening of a new Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I was surprised to find a new interior design store opened up that totally radiated a hippie boho meets southern comfort vibe.

Highlands, North Carolina

The base was concrete and wood with pops of vibrant, earthy tones and mixed materials. They sourced most of their design products internationally from places like Cambodia and Thailand, but had some artisanal products too that were made in the USA like these awesome handcrafted, vegan & pesticide-free Finchberry soaps from Florida. 

Highlands, North Carolina

I ended up getting one of the soaps to take back to my boyfriend in support of a vegan small business. My grandmother also treated me to a bunch of kitchen props at the appropriately named store The Kitchen Sink, a Free People dress that was on sale, and a nice room spray (also for my boyfriend). I even found this adorable nail file that said “I think I’ll just be happy today!” which was screaming my name. What a sweet daily reminder to carry around in my purse.

Universal Joint in Georgia

For lunch, we went to one of my grandparents’ favorite local spots in Clayton: Universal Joint. I filmed a short little video to share with you exclusively! I hope it gives you a good sneak peak into my real, regular life.

It’s a really cool hang out that used to be an old gas station which they converted into an open air restaurant & bar. They’ve got a bunch of outdoor seating which is key in the mountains, because being outside is such a precious, enjoyable experience when you’re somewhere blessed with fresh air and surrounded by nature.

Blue Ridge Mountains, Georgia

I feel so lucky that my grandparents live somewhere so rooted in nature and the outdoors. I grew up visiting them as a kid almost every other week and I think that’s how I developed my love and respect for nature. Even though I live in one of the most densely populated cities in the world now, Hong Kong, I still have this yearning to be outside. I loved having the freedom to run around as a kid, climbing trees and building forts. It was such an imaginative time for me that still inspires me to this day.

Universal Joint, Georgia

It’s these snippets of happy memories that I carry around with me. So whenever I’m feeling homesick or sad, I just try to remember all of the good times I’ve had. I think about home and my family and it always makes me feel better. I’ve had an especially hard time transitioning from being home to being back in Hong Kong. It’s really crowded and humid and can make me feel claustrophobic at times. But then I remember than I’m lucky to be living here in the first place, pursuing my dreams, and traveling. 

Universal Joint, Georgia

My grandmother is the sweetest and called all the restaurants to see what vegan options they had.

When I first became vegan, she had no idea what it even meant. Now she’s on top of it and always try to make me feel comfortable and included. She even bought me a vegan cookbook and had it shipped to me in Los Angeles.

Universal Joint, Georgia

Universal Joint had a couple of vegan options like hummus, chips, salsa, and salads which all had vegan dressings. It was a beautifully sunny day, so we sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air. Even though the restaurant was crowded, I felt so at peace being disconnected from social media.

Universal Joint, Georgia

I think that played another big part in me feeling more in tune with myself when I was home.

I noticed that I checked my phone less. Also, I was more present in my conversations with people and generally felt less jittery or anxious. Sure, I still had my phone on me, but I wasn’t constantly checking it for Instagram likes or Facebook notifications. It was such a freeing feeling to not feel the urge or pressure to be connected to the virtual world. For once, I felt fully present.

Georgia

The rest of my time spent at home seriously flew by in a flash.

I stayed for 2 weeks, but it felt like just a couple of days. Here are a couple of highlights from my trip. We had my brother Matt and his wife Megan over for dinner with my niece and nephew. We ate homemade sweet potato fries, put together a cat puzzle, and baked my famous peanut butter cookies. I also especially enjoyed going to see Ember’s soccer game where she hustled and scored 6 goals!

Highlands, North Carolina

I also feel incredibly grateful that I was able to spend time with my parents.

They’ve always supported me and been by my side through everything. They even took me to go see The Jungle Book in 3D. And, they patiently put up with me literally stuffing their fridge & freezer with all my vegan food. I have the best parents in the world!

Universal Joint, Georgia

There was also this really funny moment where my mom and I found a notebook at Barnes & Noble with a cat on it that said, “my tape is my tape!”. We laughed at that for a good 30 minutes. Oh yeah, and there’s this video that made my mom laugh so hard she started crying. It’s always the little things, the little moments that pass by almost unnoticed, that mean the most to me.

Blue Ridge Mountains, Georgia
Previous Post Next Post

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply