The first part of our tour were three cottages that formed a family compound. They were very close together and housed so many beautiful things! Unfortunately we were asked not to take pictures inside of the homes, but nothing could compare to the outside views and the homeowners had created beautiful outside areas for us to enjoy. The owner of the first cottage was present and she was just a delight to talk to about the three cottages and her family. You could tell these homes were well loved!
Since this was the first year they had done the Kitchen Tour, you would expect some mishaps or things not to run smoothly. That was not the case. From the personally driven cars that took us to each home, to our goodie bags we received with our ticket purchase,the committee did an excellent job of keeping everything moving along. They even offered shaded areas to stop and have a glass of lemon flavored water. This garden was the perfect place to pause!
The committee used these kitchen inspired signs to show the way to each home on the tour.
There were beautiful blooming flowers everywhere you looked, from window boxes to
elegant cutting gardens.
This is the exterior of the fourth home and it was here that author, Pat Conroy was signing copies of his new book. The Pat Conroy Cookbook Recipes and Stories of My Life.
I just love this unusual pattern on the gate at this home. They were cooking up lots of good things for us to nibble on here.
The committee members had begged, threatened or whatever it took to rope some of their husbands into being drivers for the tour. They were quite the characters from being highly entertaining with their good sense of humor, to telling us history of how the Highlands area was founded. This home was in a private gated area and we got a little side tour to see some very breath taking views along with our history lesson.
On the drive to the last house we got an "insider tip" to step off the main walk and take a secluded path that led us to this pond and gazebo area.
At the last house on our tour we had another culinary treat from Sheri Castle who gave us samples of her recipes and signed our copies of her new cookbook, the New Southern Garden Cookbook. The big fella peering in the window was so jealous of all the goodies we were getting to enjoy!
We ended up our days adventure on the bistro patio at the Main Street Inn relaxing at their outside tables with a beverage. As the sun was going down we had fun people watching and enjoying the laid back pace of Highlands. It is easy to see why so many
enjoy this beautiful mountain getaway town.
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