Transcript:
Episode: The 2026 Cashiers Designer Showhouse and The Top 3 Outdoor Events
Welcome back to Radio Cashiers!
We have a great episode today.
This is Hannah Lee with Radio Cashiers and today is September 1st, the 244th day of 2026.
As we always do, let’s check temperatures across the Highlands – Cashiers – and Sapphire Valley region.
Reviewing our area’s weather stations shows it is 59at the Highlands Newspaper, 61 at Cashiers Lake, and 62 at the top of old Baldy in Sapphire Valley. Cassidy we’ll cover a more detailed weather report later in this episode.
The 2026 Cashiers Designer Showhouse: A Celebration of Design, Community and Mountain Living
The 2026 Cashiers Designer Showhouse is one of the most significant events of the summer season on the Cashiers-Highlands Plateau. Celebrating its 29th anniversary, the Showhouse continues a tradition that has brought thousands of visitors to Cashiers for nearly three decades. Presented as the signature fundraiser of the Cashiers Historical Society, the event combines exceptional interior design, architecture, craftsmanship, special programs and community gatherings while raising funds to support the Historical Society's mission of preserving the history and culture of the Cashiers Valley through education, stewardship and advocacy.
The 2026 Cashiers Designer Showhouse will be open from Friday, August 28, through Saturday, September 5, 2026. General Showhouse hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with Sunday hours from 12:00 noon until 4:30 p.m. The final admission each day is at 4:00 p.m., allowing visitors adequate time to tour the home before the final shuttle departs the Showhouse at 4:30 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine. Tickets are date-specific and must be used on the date for which they are purchased, although they may be transferred to another person for that same day.
This year's Showhouse is located within Cashiers Lake, a private residential community centered around the newly restored Cashiers Lake. The setting represents an important new chapter for the village, combining the convenience of an in-town location with the natural beauty and mountain character that have long defined the Cashiers area. The Showhouse itself is a three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath cottage retreat designed to reflect the traditions of Appalachian architecture while interpreting them through a refined contemporary perspective.
In addition to touring the home itself, visitors can enjoy the Showhouse Shops at Lewis Hall at The Village Green. The marketplace features antiques, artisanal products, specialty home goods, apparel, jewelry and other curated items. The shops are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m. They are open to the public and provide another important fundraising component, with 20 percent of vendor sales donated to the Cashiers Historical Society.
Ultimately, the Cashiers Designer Showhouse is more than a home tour. The event has evolved into a major cultural and social gathering for the Cashiers community and visitors to the Plateau. It brings together architecture, interior design, landscape design, antiques, gardening, food, music and local history while introducing visitors to new ideas and creative talent. Most importantly, every ticket and fundraising event supports the Cashiers Historical Society and its ongoing efforts to preserve and share the stories, traditions and historic character of the Cashiers Valley. As the Showhouse celebrates its 29th anniversary in 2026, its location at Cashiers Lake provides a particularly fitting setting for an event that looks simultaneously toward the future of Cashiers and toward the preservation of the community's remarkable past.
Here’s Cassidy with your top three things to do this week around The High South.
Hello everyone, it’s Cassidy with a special list for you – the top three!
The top three outdoor activities to experience around the Highlands, Cashiers, and Sapphire Valley plateau this week are hiking Whiteside Mountain, discovering the waterfalls of Gorges State Park, and boating on Lake Glenville.
You can start by hiking the iconic two-mile loop trail at Whiteside Mountain, which sits right between Highlands and Cashiers and offers a moderate climb leading to striking 700-foot sheer granite cliffs with sweeping panoramic views.
Next, head east toward Sapphire Valley to explore Gorges State Park, a rugged temperate rainforest environment where you can trek the three-mile round-trip trail to the roaring, 150-foot Rainbow Falls or venture into the adjacent Panthertown Valley backcountry.
Finally, spend a day on the water at Lake Glenville just north of Cashiers; as the highest major lake east of the Mississippi River, it features 26 miles of forested shoreline and three massive waterfalls that are uniquely accessible by renting a pontoon boat from our friends a Signal Ridge Marina!
Ok, what does the weather look like for all this outdoor fun?
We’re looking at a classic mix of late summer warmth and typical high elevation afternoon moisture.
On day one, expect a beautiful and mostly sunny start across the entire region. Temperatures will climb to a warm afternoon high of eighty-three degrees, which is fantastic for getting out on the water at Lake Glenville early in the day. As the afternoon rolls on, the moisture on the plateau will build slightly, bringing a light twenty percent chance of a stray pop-up shower or thunderstorm after three p.m. Once the sun drops behind the ridges, the temperature will fall to a comfortable overnight low of sixty-five degrees.
Moving into day two, the weather remains quite warm and bright for the mountains. Skies will stay mostly sunny during the morning hours, pushing the daytime high back up to a peak of eighty-three degrees. It is an excellent day for hiking in the shaded canopy of Gorges State Park, but you will want to keep a poncho handy just in case. The humidity stays relatively stable, and the day will wrap up with a pleasant overnight low of sixty-three degrees under clear starlit skies.
For day three, we will start to see a slight shift as a bit more atmospheric energy moves into Western North Carolina. The day brings a mix of sun and increasing clouds, with a thirty-five percent chance of scattered afternoon thunderstorms developing over the peaks. Despite the cloud cover, afternoon temperatures will still reach a warm high of eighty-two degrees before the rain cooled air takes over. By nightfall, the showers will clear out, leaving behind a refreshing overnight low of sixty-two degrees.
On day four, the plateau transitions into a much wetter pattern that you will definitely need to plan around. Clouds will dominate the sky for most of the day, bringing a high sixty-two percent chance of widespread rain and thunderstorms. Because of the heavy cloud cover and moisture, the afternoon high will be held down to eighty-three degrees, though it will feel quite humid. The four-day stretch wraps up with a damp and cool overnight low of sixty-two degrees.
Thank you for tuning in! Don’t forget to check out our Local Music Calendar on our website as there are music sets everywhere this week and weekend. For more information and links to all today’s podcast items including our suggested dining venues, find area web cams, and other important information, visit Radio Cashiers.com. This is Radio Cashiers, keeping you connected to the community all season long.
See you next time.