Overnight Tour to Highlands, Cashiers and the Etowah Golf Resort

On Saturday July 15, drivers of 22 Porsche automobiles, and their navigators, signed in for the second overnight Peachstate PCA tour of 2017. These 40 participants drove up into the north Georgia mountains. Some of the best narrow, twisty, scenic roads in the south are available here. Then we continued into North Carolina skirting Franklin before turning south to go through the Cullasaja George on US 64. This highway is very similar to the famous Tail of the Dragon in that speed limits drop as low as 35, and even that can feel fast due to the narrowness of the road and the twists and turns it takes going through the scenic gorge.

Once through the gorge we stopped to explore the beautiful little town of Highlands, NC and have lunch. We regrouped and picked up an additional two Porsches and four participants. From there we continued through Brevard and onto Hwy 280 to the Etowah Golf Resort located between Brevard and Hendersonville. Here we had time to relax, socialize in the peaceful surroundings, and get to know many new members who had come along on their first Peachstate tour. It really is about the people. The resort served an excellent prime rib buffet that evening, and a wonderful full breakfast the next morning. The staff there are friendly and accommodating and made us feel right at home.

On Sunday we drove back to Brevard, and climbed Hwy 276, stopping at the Cradle of Forestry visitor center to see displays on the founding of the forestry school and forestry methods used there over a period of more than a century. Then we proceeded up the mountain, crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway, and back down the other side to Waynesville, NC where we picked up US 23 to NC 107 to Cashiers, NC where we had lunch at the High Hampton Inn. The staff had setup dedicated parking for our Porsches in the grass at the entrance to the inn, which made for a fine display, and the meal was first class.

No tour in this area would be complete without following twisty Hwy 28 into South Carolina, from which you turn onto War Woman Road to Clayton, GA. That pretty much completed our overload of twisty mountain roads for the weekend, but there is an abundance of additional good roads to drive on future tours.