a little breath of fresh air

October 6, 2014

Two weekends ago we took a little 3-day vacation away with our girlies and some friends and their kiddos. My girlfriend recommended this place for a Fall weekend of apple picking (here), lavender fields and a great slow-down breather. I am SO glad she introduced us to the Highland Springs Resort . . . we will definitely be going back. The rooms are very plain/lodge-like; nothing fancy but I enjoyed that. They have an amazing restaurant on site with fresh fruit and vegetables from the surrounding farms. It is only about an hour from Orange County so it is perfect for a quick getaway. It was nice to be up in the mountains away from everything . . . so quiet and peaceful.

The property has such a great history too . . .

"In 1927, Fred and William Hirsch bought the old Smith place, renamed it Highland Springs Resort, and developed it into a health resort. Fred Hirsch himself was made healthy through following the philosophy of Professor Arnold Ehret, who was an early proponent of juice fasting and colon cleansing. The restaurant on the resort was vegetarian and Hirsch grew a lot of the produce served at the restaurant on the property. He also grew his own grapes and operated a small vineyard. The resort became known as 'The Last Resort" as many sick people who were not able to get well with traditional methods, were able to get healthy through Hirsh's health practices while staying at the resort. Dr. Albert Einstein was a regular guest at Highland Springs Resort in the 1930s. He was known to be close friends with the Hirsch family and during his visits to Caltech he would always visit the resort in his personal time. Other notable historical figures that were fans of the resort included Bob Hope, Elizabeth Tayler, Ernest Hemingway and Roy Rogers."