Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
A local institution on Slab Town Road in Cashiers, eight miles south of the lake — creative and classic wood-fired pies, taken seriously enough to have a devoted following of its own.
A hickory-wood-smoked barbecue spot on US 64 West in Cashiers, from the same owners as Slab Town Pizza — closed for the off-season, typically reopening in spring, so check current status before planning around it.
The only marina right on Lake Glenville, established in 1994 and five miles north of Cashiers — pontoon, tritoon, canoe, kayak, and paddleboard rentals April through September, plus scenic waterfall cruises on a 28-foot luxury pontoon that reach hidden falls only accessible by boat.
Visit ↗A boat and Sea-Doo rental operation on Highway 107, recently under new ownership improving the docks and boat storage — call ahead to confirm current hours, historically April through October.
Visit ↗Built in 1941 by Nantahala Power and Light, then owned by ALCOA, to generate the hydroelectric power needed for wartime aluminum production — at 3,494 feet above sea level, the highest lake east of the Mississippi when completed. The dam flooded the entire valley north of Cashiers to a depth of 300 feet, submerging the original town of Glenville, its schools, homes, and farmland. Known as Thorpe Reservoir from 1951 to 2002.
A free public access point near the dam's north end with a sandy mountain beach, swim area, fishing pier, and picnic tables — one of three free public access points on the lake, the others adding a boat launch and a second fishing pier.