News
HAPPENING IN HISTORIC TOXAWAY
New Owners of Historic Toxaway Market
The Laurel Magazine, April 2025
Whether you live in the Sapphire or Lake Toxaway area or are passing through the area, don’t miss the opportunity to stop at the Historic Toxaway Market. Lauren and Chris Wiener purchased this charming gourmet shop this year and are excited to welcome everyone to stop by.
Read more here.
Mountain Oasis
WNC Magazine, Spring 2025
Part conservation project and part work of art, the Southern Highlands Reserve began as two nature-loving parents’ endeavor to instill that same reverence in their kids. High atop a mountain, 4,500 feet above sea level near Lake Toxaway, this stunning 120 acre arboretum and center for hands-on conservation and research boasts unique plants that only thrive at high elevations, along with familiar local beauties.
The Backstory:
In 2002, outdoor enthusiasts Betty and Robert Balentine created the Southern Highlands Reserve as a North American Land Trust conservation easement when they noticed their children’s disconnection from the natural world. The Balentines grew up in the mountains and wanted to instill in their kids the same sense of love for the landscape that they themselves held. Working with expert landscape architects, as well as conservationists, they created a collection of remarkable outdoor rooms that showcase different qualities of natural beauty, with a focus on native plants.
Read more here.
A view of Lake Toxaway from Gorges State Park. Photo by Steve Pagano.
WNC’s Hidden Gem
Asheville Citizen-Times, March 14, 2025
In October 2012, a kaleidoscope of monarch butterflies flew over the brand-new Gorges State Park Visitor Center, where then-superintendent Steven Pagano and Park Ranger Kevin Bischof were moving in supplies from a strip mall down the road.
Fewer than 15 years before, this sprawling Appalachian temperate rainforest near the South Carolina border — home to a third of Western North Carolina’s rare or endangered species — was set to be developed for its natural resources by Duke Energy, its rivers and waterfalls funneled through a vast network of hydroelectric plants, Pagano said. Read more here.
ARCHIVE
2024
Well-Paired, WNC Magazine, Fall 2024
The Greystone Inn Changes Hands, Transylvania Times, September 17, 2024
Red Spruce Superfan, Garden & Gun, September 17, 2024
Mountain Monarch Magic, Our State Magazine, Autumn 2024
Treasures and Tickets, The Laurel Magazine, August 2024
A Tale of Two Lakes, NC Living Magazine, Summer 2024
Lake Toxaway’s Engine: Historic Toxaway Foundation, The Laurel Magazine, July 2024
Lake Toxaway: Birth, Dearth, Rebirth, Blue Ridge Country Magazine, June 27, 2024
A Lakeside Escape at The Greystone Inn, Our State Magazine, June 2024
Getaway to Nature, The Laurel Magazine, July 2024
Live Amongst Nature’s Beauty, The Laurel Magazine, June 2024
Memories of Lake Toxaway, The Laurel Magazine, June 2024
A Land Rich in History, The Laurel Magazine, May 2024
Lady of The Lake, The Laurel Magazine, May 2024
The Night’s Thousand Eyes, The Laurel Magazine, May 2024
Coming Together: Two Families Share Space (and A Friendship) on Lake Toxaway, 8 Places for a Relaxing, Low-key Vacation, Get Your Hot Buns, The Laurel Magazine, April 2024
Gorges State Park, The Laurel Magazine, April 2024
50 Things You Didn’t Know About NC, Our State Magazine, April 2024
2023
Lake Toxaway for the HolidaysA Love Letter to Gorges State Park
How a Red Spruce from North Carolina Became a Real-Life Giving TreeLocal Author Tells ‘America’s Story’ thru Rosman Station’s Past and PresentWritten In The Stars: PARI Finally Gets The Biography It DeservesGarden & Gun Visits Lake ToxawayNext Stop: Fine Dining at Grand Olde Station
PARI Today: Hands-on Science Education
The Day The Russians Came To PARINASA/Rosman At The Forefront Of Weather Forecasting
Former CIA Officer Writes About PARI’s Secret Past
2022
Ruby, the Capitol Christmas Tree, is part of a species in climate peril, The Washington Post, November 28, 2022
Restoring the Magic of Ancient Forests, 1,000 Spruce at a Time, Brevard News Beat, October 4, 2022
Major Development To Bring Community Hub to Lake Toxaway. Also Congestion, Noise, brevardnewsbeat.com, October 5, 2022
Longcliff Village Developers Discuss Their Plans, Transylvania Times, October 5, 2022
Major Mixed-Use Real Estate Development Planned In Lake Toxaway, The Transylvania Times, September 26, 2022
Swing Time: North Carolina’s Suspension Bridges, Our State Magazine, September 2022
All Aboard For A Ride Down Toxaway’s Memory Lane, The Transylvania Times, August 17, 2022
Waterfront Escapes, Southern Lady Magazine, August 2022
Lake Club, NC Living, July 2022
Gorges State Park: Managed for Both People and Wildlife, The Transylvania Times, May 16, 2022
State recognizes Transylvania Tomorrow program, The Transylvania Times, March 10, 2022
Local Magazine Features Southern Highlands Reserve, NC Living, March 2022
A Bite of History, Plateau Magazine, April 4, 2022
Gorges Has A Rich History, The Transylvania Times, February 7, 2022
Igniting Artistic Passions, The Laurel Magazine, March 2022
Conserving Carolina: Protecting Wonderful Places For Nature And People, Exploration Local podcast series, January 17, 2022
2021
Oxbow River Snorkeling On VisitNC Cover, Explore Brevard, December 2021
Summer + Stargazing, Carolina Country Magazine, August 2021
A Different Kind of Arboretum, Bold Life Magazine, July 1, 2021
Sparks Fly At Earthshine Lodge, Bold Life Magazine, July 1, 2021
Updates on Transylvania County Fire Tax & Other Budget Items, The Transylvania Times, April 28, 2021
Killer Bees Honey Has New State Wildlife Refuge Designation, killerbeeshoney.com, April 5, 2021
Gorges State Park To Get First ‘Front-Country’ Campground, Asheville Citizen-Times, March 30, 2021
Despite Dams, Toxaway River Remains Wild, Transylvania Times, February 15, 2021
SHR Outreach with TC Henderson Elementary, SHR-News, February 3, 2021
Another Round Of Emergency Relief Fund Launched, Transylvania Times, January 21, 2021
2020
Gorges Photo Wins Grand Prize in Contest, Business Wire, December 16, 2020
Historic Lake Toxaway Club Adds New Amenities, World Property Journal, December 11, 2020
Announcing Think Local Transylvania, Transylvania Times, October 21, 2020
Killer Bees Honey Chosen As Awards Finalist, Transylvania Times, November 18, 2020
PARI Certified As International Dark Sky Park, Mountain Xpress,
A Porch With A Past: The “Caretakers Cottage” at Lake Toxaway, Our State, August 2020
Photo Essay: The Boating Life, WNC Magazine, Summer 2020
Paradise at 4,500 Feet, Our State Magazine, July 2020
Fly Fishing This Fall In Transylvania County, explorebrevard.com, September 2020
In The Land of Waterfalls, Our State Magazine, July 2020
A Lake Toxaway Lodge Takes Root, Verandah Magazine, June 23, 2020
PBS Program Highlights Lake Jocassee as “Jewel of the Escarpment”, March 2020
Greystone Inn on Southern Living’s 2020 List, Southern Living, March 11, 2020
Plant It and They Will Come, WNC Magazine, Spring 2020
A Place Apart: Native Plant Sanctuary Preserves and Restores, WNC Magazine, Spring 2020
The Sisterhood: Killer Bees Honey Thrives On The Plateau, The Plateau Magazine, April/May 2020
Gorges State Park Is One of NC’s Best-Kept Secrets, onlyinyourstate.com, March 12, 2020
Explore These Waterfalls in North Carolina With a Quick Trip from Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 26, 2020
Restaurant Review: The Blind Mule at Toxaway Station, Plateau Magazine, February 25, 2020
10 Amazing State Parks in North Carolina, onlyinyourstate.com, February 21, 2020
PARI: This Underrated North Carolina Attraction May Just Become Your New Favorite Destination, onlyinyourstate.com, January 2, 2020
2019
Winter Safety: Know Before You Go, blueridgeoutdoors.com, November 21, 2019
Help for Panthertown Valley, The Sylva Herald-Ruralite, November 6, 2019
Greystone Inn named a top resort in the South, Blue Ridge Now, October 27, 2019
Here’s Your Seasonal Guide To A Mountain Getaway At Lake Toxaway, charlottefive.com, October 17, 2019
Sprucing Up the Great Balsams, Asheville Citizen-Times, October 7, 2019
SHR Receives Garden Club of America Commendation, southernhighlandsreserve.org, October 1, 2019
Field Notes: Yesterday and Today Come To Life in Historic Toxaway, explorebrevard.com, The Adventurist newsletter
A Timeless Beauty, WNC Magazine, September/October 2019 issue
Live, Work & Play In Transylvania County, transylvaniaexplorer.com, September 9, 2019
Making Memories on Lake Toxaway, Our State Magazine, September 2019 issue
Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman, Our State Magazine, September 2019 issue
Lake Toxaway Charities: Giving Since 1975, Transylvania Times, August 22, 2019
How Gorges Was Saved, Blue Ridge Outdoors, August 19, 2019
Dedication of the Sports Complex at Lake Toxaway Community Center, Transylvania Times, June 27, 2019
Lake Life, WNC Magazine, May/June 2019
