It may not be the most well-known resort in the North Carolina mountains, but it's earned the love of its guests, many of whom call it an oasis.

Producer Clay Johnson and his videographer Eric Olson take us to the Highland Lake Inn And Resort.

[inspiring music] - [Clay] Highland Lake Inn and Resort is 26 acres of trees, flowering shrubs, grassy spaces, and historic buildings on a 30 acre lake.

- [Britt Combest] You know when you're here, because there's nowhere else in the world like Highland Lake Inn and Resort.

- [Clay] In the late 1800s, the property belonged to South Carolina's governor whose daughter created the mill pond that is now the lake.

- In 1910, it was the Highland Lake Club, which were a bunch of investors from Charleston.

A lot of the folks from Charleston came here to get out of the summer heat.

- [Clay] The club failed after just two years and its large inn burned down.

Over the next few decades, the property was a boys prep school, a military academy, and a couple of summer camps for kids.

In 1985, a new owner opened it as the Highland Lake Inn and Conference Center.

In 1999, Jack and Linda Grubb took over.

- Part of what we like is we like the openness, the open spaciousness of the whole thing, and we've gone through and renovated major renovations all the way across the property.

Just about the time that we finish renovations across the property, we start all over and renovate again.

- [Britt Combest] We've done the updates, but you can still feel the history.

- [Clay] There are 53 lodging rooms from small rustic cabins to larger cottages, a short walk to a swimming pool.

- All of our poolside cottages have full kitchens and multiple bedrooms and multiple bathrooms, so they're a great place for families.

- [Clay] The Woodward House is like a bed and Breakfast inn.

There are 16 individual rooms, some with hot tubs, fireplaces, and patios.

It also has a large common living area and kitchen.

- [Britt Combest] We do individual lodging here or sometimes we have family reunions, corporate groups and that sort of thing can come in and do an exclusive use of this building.

- [Clay] The same is true of the historic 20 room lodge.

- [Britt Combest] It's kinda a ski lodge feeling.

It has a beautiful, old, warm, wood bar, it has a rock fireplace, a game room, meeting area.

- [Clay] The Grand Old Hall is a renovated gym that serves as an event space with vaulted ceilings, restored hardwood floors, and a stage.

A stand of tall pines on the lake is a shady space for gatherings.

- [Britt Combest] And we do wedding ceremonies there and corporate group meetings there.

- [Clay] And the lake itself offers opportunities for swimming, fishing, and non-motorized boating.

A restaurant named Season's serves guests and the public.

Executive Chef Peter Fassbender calls its menu "New American."

- Which is basically the melting pot of every culture from all over the planet in one spot.

And then I can adapt all of that with the ingredients of here, of North Carolina.

- [Clay] Many of the ingredients come from the resort's organic garden.

- [Peter] I basically just give the list to the gardener and tell him this is what I want.

And then he plants it.

- [Clay] Season's menu adapts to the seasons changing four times a year.

Chef Fassbender shows off some signature dishes.

- We have the Prince Edward Island mussels.

These are Spanish mussels served with dried chorizo with bell peppers and tomato nage.

Then here is our pork Duroc served with melted leeks, with potato latke, with braised radishes and green onion pesto and green peas.

And then for dessert, it's our creme brulee served with a little bit of raspberry coulis, a strawberry and some whipped cream.

[gentle music] - [Clay] Many guests come to this area for the same reasons people did in 1910.

- We get a lot of folks from the Atlanta area, from the Charlotte area, from the Charleston area.

A lot of folks that are leaving the heat to get to the cooler climes.

And that's kind of why Flat Rock is here.

- [Clay] And why the resort is here too.

- I bet I've been here no less than 30 times.

Part of the appeal to it is you feel like you're way out in the woods somewhere, out in the mountains, but you're really close to everything.

- [Clay] Close to tourist attractions and outdoor recreation with Highland Lake Inn and Resort providing guests with a home base.

- We said, we want our service to be delightful.

We want the food to be delightful.

We want the rooms and the property to be delightful.

So they're not just taken care of, they're actually delighted with what they see.

To do all of that and have it be extraordinary but unpretentious, I think that's also part of who we are.

- The Highland Lake Inn is at 86 Lily Pad Lane in Flat Rock.

To book a room or make a reservation at Season's restaurant, give them a call at 800 635-5101 or go online to hliresort.com.