The Alpaca Stable
Hawkesdene keeps a friendly herd of alpacas and llamas — essentially a private petting zoo, with daily feedings you’re welcome to join. Zero travel required.
Andrews, North Carolina
Things to Do
First, the important part: every meal of the weekend is covered at the estate, so nobody has to go anywhere. But the town is charming and the mountains are enormous — if you feel like exploring, start here.
In the Valley
Around Andrews & Murphy
Andrews is a one-stoplight kind of town — officially the Trout Capital of North Carolina — and that’s the charm. Murphy, twenty minutes down the road, adds a proper main street.
Morning Fog Coffee
The coffee stop, right on Main Street. Espresso, fresh pastries, and a good porch for watching the fog lift off the mountains.
morningfogcoffee.comHoppy Trout Brewing
Small-batch beer and legitimately good brick-oven pizza, minutes from the estate. The obvious first stop if you land early.
hoppytroutbrewingcompany.comFernCrest Winery
A family winery with vines up in the Snowbird Mountains and a tasting room on Main Street. Try the Chardonel and thank us later.
Mariolino’s
The local red-sauce institution — proper Italian with locations in both Andrews and Murphy. If you skip a house dinner for anything, make it this.
mariolinosnc.comDowntown Murphy
Antique shops, coffee, bookstores, and a walkable main street where the Hiwassee and Valley rivers meet. Built for a slow afternoon.
Farther Afield
Into the mountains
The estate backs up to the Nantahala National Forest. Pick a direction and go.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
One of the last stands of old-growth forest in the East — 400-year-old poplars you can’t get your arms around. An easy two-mile loop, quietly spectacular in winter.
The Nantahala Gorge
The whitewater is a summer sport, but the drive through the gorge is worth it year-round — river on one side, rock walls on the other.
The Polar Express
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad runs its Polar Express all December. Bringing kids — or feeling like one? This is the move.
Winter notes: small-town hours are real, so check ahead before you drive. And if a mountain road looks icy, it is.