Stroll among the giant hemlocks, listen to the cadence of frogs, to crows calling, to sounds of rushing water. Serenity is yours.

Combine the drastic granite dropoffs of the Blue Ridge escarpment with more than 80 inches of rain a year and something dramatic is bound to happen. Around the town of Cashiers (pronounced CASH-ers), perched at 3,500 feet on the Eastern Continental Divide, the jackpot shows up in the form of waterfalls—everything from tiny cliffside seeps to 400-foot-plus cascades that roar into deep gorges. The downtown is little more than a crossroads, the junction of U.S. 64 and North Carolina 107, and a mile or so radius of antique shops, high-end restaurants, and second-home clusters discreetly tucked into the woods.

The pace of life is such that you can do some things you seldom have time to do. Sit by a rushing creek basking in the warmth of the sun on your back. Amble along a trail, stopping often to admire a wildflower or to look up into a tree to find that elusive bird that is singing to you. Take a leisurely ramble in your car, exploring, finding grand mountain views, weathered barns, tiny towns that are nothing more than a filling station and a post office.

You can relax in our cabin on Creek's Bend, perched on the side of a hill and with an overlook that takes your breathe away.