Highlands is an incorporated town in Macon County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located on a plateau in the southern Appalachian Mountains, within the Nantahala National Forest, it lies mostly in southeastern Macon County and slightly in southwestern Jackson County, in the Highlands and Cashiers Townships, respectively.

Located within the Nantahala National Forest at the highest crest of the Western North Carolina plateau, the area now known as Highlands was a hunting ground for the Cherokee that was settled by people from around the U.S. in the late 1800s.

Highlands, North Carolina, is everything a mountain town should be — read on to discover why. According to legend, Highlands, North Carolina, was formed in 1875 after developers in Kansas pulled out a map and drew two lines, one from New Orleans to New York and another from Chicago to Savannah.

One of the best things to do in Highlands is go for a road trip! There’s no shortage of scenic drives in North Carolina, and in the Highlands region, the Cullasaja River Gorge scenic drive, which travels between the towns of Highlands and Franklin, is one of the more popular ones.