North Carolina Restaurant Named 2nd Best Fine Dining Spot Nationwide

Looking for the perfect fine dining experience? White tablecloths, fine china, famous chefs, and a meal you won't ever forget?  It's closer than you think! The Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice Award Best of The Best Restaurants were recently announced. And North Carolina was right at the top of the Fine Dining category. It's a restaurant in a town I've talked about several times recently, and one of my favorite places to visit- Blowing Rock. Blowing Rock has some incredible eats but the one that almost topped this list was The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge.

The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge is a part of an inn by the same name. It's known for its views overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway. Guests are invited to "dine al fresco" on the terrace or in an intimate European-styled dining room. No matter which setting you choose you'll have the spectacular long-range mountain views as your backdrop. The menu changes daily. This allows the Culinary Team the unique ability to only use the best ingredients available from local farms and small-batch purveyors. Ingredients are sourced directly from the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A sample menu includes dishes like Wagyu Beef Striploin, venison tenderloin, and NC mountain-caught redfish as entrees. Trip Advisor reviews have given the restaurant a perfect 5-star rating. Reviews say things like "Some of the best food we have ever eaten - ever!" Another said it was one of the finest meals he had had in North Carolina. The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge is open for dinner Tuesday - Saturday by reservation only.

TripAdvisor says that the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best restaurants have "a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews" from users over a 12-month period. Fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor’s 8 million listings are awarded Best of the Best. You can read the full list and more about Gideon Ridge the North Carolina fine dining award winner here.

If you could live anywhere in the United States where would it be? New York City, Los Angeles, perhaps somewhere near the beach? For years I would have answered that question with Nashville. But a lot of people would answer it Charlotte or Raleigh. Yes one North Carolina city is actually the second most popular city people are dreaming of moving to. This is according to data from Coldwell Banker. The tallied the most frequent searches of people looking to move, using their Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC Move Meter℠ tool. The tool compares characteristics such as cost and quality of living city by city. And the second most popular destination was right here in North Carolina.

The data collected includes tens of thousands of searches over the course of the year. And it reveals the most sought-after cities for Americans looking to relocate. One interesting trend over the past year was the decrease in people looking to move out of state. Last year 82% of all Move Meter searches were for out-of-state moves, compared to 72.5% this year. The top places people are moving from? The list included cities like Los Angeles, Louisville Kentucky, and Chicago.

Listen I've lived in North Carolina my entire life. I'm not actively trying to leave in fact, I don't think I would even if the opportunity presented itself. But I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that North Carolina is where people are dreaming of moving to. I know they are coming- we see them every day and deal with the traffic. But you could go anywhere in the United States and North Carolina is the top choice? I'm not a hater, just don't see the mass appeal. Here are the NC cities people dream of moving to as well as the others in the top 3.

The North Carolina capital city ranks 7th on this list. I know there is a bit of a rivalry between Charlotte and Raleigh but as someone who loves both dearly, I will fiercely defend Raleigh even living in the Queen City. Plus it's great for our state that both cities are thriving and desirable places to relocate to.

Daydreaming about moving to New York? It's a common occurrence and no surprise to see the city that never sleeps on this list. I love to visit New York, but the only way I could live in New York is in areas and in a way that in this lifetime I will never be able to afford to. If it's not in the Upper East Side I don't want it. But I do have several friends and even a family member who have moved there permanently or temporarily. I'll stick to visiting!

While I don't quite understand the why, I definitely see the people coming. More and more everyday. I know it's good for the economy and the city, but it's not good for rent prices, the housing market (if you're a potential buyer), and traffic. So while I'd try and convince people we are full, I guess it's a good thing our city is one people want to move to. As someone who was born and raised here, I do question what is so tempting. I love Charlotte and have no intention of leaving, but really the second most desirable place?

Austin is certainly one of the trendiest cities right now. It's pretty high on my list of places I want to visit, but until I have I can't say whether or not I'd like to move there. But a thriving music and cultural scene are enticing and I've heard the food is incredible as well. Maybe in 2024 I'll finally check this off the bucket list!

The top 10 is filled with some pretty great cities. Outside of the ones discussed above it was my dream to relocate to Nashville several years ago. Music City has seen a similar growth at the Queen City in the same time period so it makes sense it is on this list as well. While I personally couldn't live in Atlanta (that traffic) it's an enticing destination for sure. And I have good friends who just moved to the Tampa area. Is your dream city on this list?

You can read the full Coldwell Banker study and results here.