re: Anyone been to W. North Carolina mountain areas recently?

I'm in Highlands this week and thought I'd give an update.

Highlands has a mask ordinance in place. You have to wear one on any public sidewalk, in any store, and when you enter a restaurant until you are seated. It looks like all the restaurants are open here, as well as all the shops. Trails and outdoor sites are all open. It was pretty crowded this past weekend when we arrived, but has thinned out, which is normal. It does seem a little less crowded than normal though(we come up here every July)

We drove up to Sylva yesterday. There is no mask ordinance on sidewalks there, just in stores and restaurants. It wasn't nearly as crowded as it normally is, maybe because Western Carolina has suspended classes? A couple of stores were closed, but all the restaurants and the 3 breweries there were all open.

Going to Brevard tomorrow, so may give a report on it tomorrow night, but I expect about the same.

All in all, it appears everything is operating here about as close to normal as possible. Just bring a mask and expect to wear it in stores and restaurants. Saw some people wearing them on the hiking trails, but we did not do that.