During the past years, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games was selected twice as one of the Top Ten Events in the Southeastern United States. The readers of the Blue Ridge Country Magazine picked Grandfather Mountain Highland Games as "Best Moment for the Mountains" in 1997 and "Best Festival" in 1998 during their choice awards.

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games was also one of a few events nominated in the United States to represent North Carolina in a national Local Legacy exhibition at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

In the fall of 2004, National Geographic Traveler Magazine selected our event as one of the 20 "must see" events in North America. This recognition appeared in the April 2005 issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine.

In 2007 GMHG was featured in the July 23rd issue of Sports Illustrated with a two page "Leading Off" photo by Associated Press photographer Chuck Burton. In 2010, GMHG was chosen by the American Bus Association as one of the top 100 events to attend in North America. The Games is very proud to be recognized by so many respected organizations and we look forward to continuing this standard of quality for many years to come.