Down Home, Up High

Whether you’re on the trail of warblers or wildflowers this spring in North Carolina’s High Country, you’re sure to work up an appetite. And just because you’re stalking songbirds doesn’t mean you have to eat like one, too. There’s no risk of leaving hungry at the hilltop Over Yonder in Valle Crucis. Since opening last June, this more casual sister restaurant of Mast Farm Inn has breathed new life into the historic Hard Taylor house, taking over the former home of 1861 Farmhouse. 

Andrew Long, the Louisiana-born chef of both Mast Farm restaurants, prepares classic Appalachian cuisine “without any fuss”—from pan-fried rainbow trout with sweet potato casserole (pictured) to okra served crispy in a cast-iron pan. Spring means chow chow and lots of pickles, made from heirloom vegetable varietals grown by Long’s wife, Megan, in the organic garden. Hearty menu standouts include a pastured beef cheeseburger, tomato cobbler, and stone-ground Adluh grits (pick your add-ins: pimento cheese, green gumbo, a runny farm-fresh egg, sage sausage). 

Whether in by the fireplace or out on the wrap-around porch overlooking the valley, you may just want to while away the day here, too, over banana pudding, a mason jar of North Carolina beer, or a latte spiked with Catdaddy Carolina moonshine. 

3608 North Carolina Highway 194, Valle Crucis, N.C. Open daily except Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 8 pm. 828-963-6301; overyondernc.com.

Sweet on Asheville

Forget mountain highs: In Asheville these days, it’s all about the sugar high. Downtown’s French Broad Chocolate Lounge—known for its “bouncer” at the door and line down the block—moved around the corner to a prime spot on Pack Square for dispensing its award-winning truffles, caramels, bars, drinks, cakes, and brownies. Lest cocoa have all the fun, two new temples to fried dough have also recently opened to much fanfare: South of downtown, Vortex Doughnuts offers yeast and cake varieties with a twist—from peanut butter jelly donut sandwiches to a “rotating tap” flavor made with Asheville beer and local malt. Across the French Broad River, Hole keeps it simpler, offering three weekly flavors of glazed yeast doughnuts served hot. 

A Bear With a Tale

In the spring of 1996, a bear cub climbed an old sycamore tree on the public square in Dahlonega, Georgia, and camped out for a few hours. Nearly 20 years later, the foothills town throws an annual free party in its honor, aptly called the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival (April 18–19). Think that’s a good tale? The 2015 festival has even more yarns to spin. Nationally renowned storyteller Adam Booth of West Virginia will share stories, lead two workshops, and emcee the festival’s Appalachian Story Slam on Saturday night, featuring students from University of North Georgia’s Appalachian Studies program. Booth’s appearance comes as a result of the National Storytelling Network, which recently named the Dahlonega festival this year’s Southeast Regional Spotlight Event for Storytelling. bearonthesquare.org

What’s in a Label?

To be sure that cornhusk doll or beaded jewelry was actually made by a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians—not in a factory—a new label clears up any doubts. The Authentically Cherokee brand represents contemporary artists who embrace indigenous tradition through modern interpretations, including Betty Maney, known for her miniature white oak baskets, and Nativologie’s Christy Long, who makes laser-engraved syllabary blocks and wooden jewelry. “The Cherokees are such a talented art community, but unfortunately a lot of that is overlooked,” says Hope Huskey, director of program development at Cherokee’s Sequoyah Fund, which created the label to help artists build their businesses while also educating shoppers. Look for the yellow tag at spots such as All Nations Trading in Hendersonville and Smoky Mountain Host in Franklin, both in North Carolina. authenticallycherokee.com