The estate itself
Hawkesdene is ours the whole time: hiking trails, the alpaca stable, a lodge full of board games, fire pits, and plenty more. Zero travel required.
Andrews, North Carolina
Things to Do
In the Valley
Around Andrews & Murphy
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.comThe Tattered Tartan Pub
A proper pub on Main Street: darts, foosball, Scotch pies and fish and chips, with live music or karaoke some nights.
Hours & events on FacebookThai Garden Cafe
Thai on Main Street, and a welcome change of pace after a few days of mountain food.
thaicafeandrews.comAndrews Valley Rail Tours
Pedal-assisted rail bikes out of the Andrews Depot, over trestle bridges and through an 1894 tunnel. Seasonal, so call ahead before you count on it in December.
andrewsvalleyrailtours.comMariolino’s
The local red-sauce institution, with locations in both Andrews and Murphy. If you skip a house dinner for anything, make it this.
mariolinosnc.comMurphy’s Chophouse
Steaks, mountain trout, and a full bar on Murphy’s main street. The dressed-up dinner out.
murphyschophouse.comDowntown Murphy
Antique shops, coffee, bookstores, and a walkable main street where the Hiwassee and Valley rivers meet. Built for a slow afternoon.
A few of our own afternoons in town: the pub, and the rail bikes out of the Andrews Depot.
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, with 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.