Jayne11159

Idauria and iceeu--

Here is the website:

www.townsendgetaways.com

If you end up contacting her let her know that you're the person I emailed her about. She grew up in Knoxville and is incredibly knowledgeable about the surrounding area and will be happy to share information with you. The website has her email and phone information.

Here's what she said about restaurants:

As far as restaurants in Townsend, our favorites are the Back Porch Restaurant, Mountain View Diner (great pizza) and Smoking Joe's Barbeque.

Good luck as the hunt continues!

jbmonts

idauria
Hi, while in Chimney Rock/Lake Lure stop at Kristie's. They have the most fab yeast roll hot dogs and cinnamon rolls/bread, etc you can imagine! Looks like a little whole in the wall, smells like a slice of heaven. You'll want to take some to go. They are closed on Wed and close at 4 daily, but open early in the mornings!

jbmonts

Sorry, meant to tell you, J. Aurthurs in Maggie Valley for their Prime Rib, you can cut it with a fork! My hubby and I are serious about our taste buddies! When you get up there in those mountains you can truly run into some tacky, icky places to eat. True everywhere, I know, but.......

idauria

Thanks Jayne for that link and for the restaurant info. Thank you jbmonts for your 2 cents! I am keeping notes on a legal pad and writing down everything!

Does anyone know anything about Hideaway Cottages or Top of Townsend Cabins? They seem to have nice cabins with views. I will check ou your friend's site next Jayne. Thanks.

iceeu2

idauria.......if you are so unsure of this......and beware, there are tons of cabins up in the area......why not just wait until you get there? Since you are going during the week..and school will be back in session, you should not have a problem and people will be more than willing for you to look at the places prior to occupying. I have taken keys to places numerous times.

iceeu2

Duh...didn't mean to say I had "taken" keys to places, but meant to say I have been given keys to look at rooms and cabins in the area prior to renting.

idauria

Thanks iceeu2, but I don't want to leave anything to chance. I rather know where I am staying once I am there so I don't have to spend time looking around for lodging. I wouldn't know where to go anyway. Besides, a few of the places I contacted already have cabins booked for those dates so I want to do it soon.

lipsticktraveler

Idauria, I love The Richmond Hill Inn. I went there on my honeymoon and it is wonderful. The main house is so beautiful and the cottages are very, very nice(we stayed in a cottage). We had breakfast in the main house everyday and it was perfection. We loved the afternoon tea. I really want to visit again soon. Lipstick.

bonniebroad

Anybody remember the name of that wonderful little Italian restaurant in a Maggie Valley strip mall? We just happened on to it when we were there, and loved it, went three times in all!

iceeu2

idauria....check out this one last place before you make a reservation. It is in Townsend and has always intrigued me.
mapleleaflodge.com
they have lodge rooms and cottages and cabins if I am remembering correctly.

Good luck.........There must be a bazillion cabins and hotel rooms up there.........!!

idauria

Thanks for the link. I am right on it! I just found out something that I hope doesn't compromise my plans...I am pregnant! I will be barely out of my first trimester when we go so I hope everything will be ok. I still want to go ahead with my planning because this might be the last trip we take in a long time!

Jayne11159

Congratualtion! How exciting! and what a coincidence--my husband and I were that area of NC/TN visiting college friends 18 years ago when I figured out I was pregant for the first time!

iceeu2

What great news idauria! Congratulations! You might just kick back a bit more on this vacation than you intended.
But, the places you are going are absolutely beautiful and you will have no trouble just taking in the views!
Again, congratulations and good luck.

wyoming_gal

We have stayed at the Wright Inn and Carriage House in Asheville. It was wonderful and close to everything. Check out their website - wrightinn.com You won't be disappointed.

idauria

Thank you everyone!! My husband and I are going to discuss our vacation plans this weekend and see if we want to modify them or change them at all. This trip is going to invole a lot of walking and I don't know if I will feel up to it. He was really looking forward to hiking the smokies, as was I, but maybe we should plan something a little lower key. Granted it will still be early on, but I don't know how I'll feel. I don't want to make all the reservations and have to cancel or not be able to enjoy it fully. Any suggestions? Thanks again!
I did look at the Wright Inn, but it's beyond my price range. It does look beautiful though.

Paul

Not a bed and breakfast, but I managed to get a room last Saturday night at the Renasance Hotel (smack-dab downtown Asheville) for only $129/night. It is located right next door to the Thomas Wolfe house. This was a 3-day advance reservation that I made over the phone, and not any sort of special. You might even fair better in September. It is a full-service hotel, with standard rooms which were clean and nice.

Also, by all means, don't pass up a visit to the Grove Park Inn. It really is something to see. Yes, it is VERY expensive to stay overnight in their facility (they quoted me $880 for that same evening), but perhaps hit the hotel for a relaxing breakfast. Also, the artisan shops that sit directly behind the hotel are some of the best in Asheville.

I just returned from 12 days in the area - including/mostly Gatlinburg. I stay out in the Greenbriar/Cosby/Pittman Center area and find it to be a great place to stay. You are removed from the downtown by about 15 minutes, yet still in Gatlinburg. I stayed in a villa/condo (timeshare) that you could probably rent by the night, if they have availability. I will write a trip report soon on another posting to give you some highlights of what I consider an absolutely beautiful area of the country.

BTW - I stayed at Sunterra's Bent Creek. Website addy:
http://secure.sunterra.com/US/rs-l3.aspx?resort=BCG
Local Phone to the resort (for reservation info):
1-800-251-9336

I also like the cabins that Cobbly Nob has available in the same wonderful area.
Website:
http://www.cobbly.com/

Best wishes for a fun trip. IMHO, I prefer the area I just described even better than the city of Townsend.

coach4448

A great B&B in Asheville is the 1889 WhiteGate Inn and Cottage. It's up the street from the Renaissance hotel, so it is within walking distance from downtown Asheville. We have stayed there twice and loved it. It's not a bad walk into the downtown area, and the inn is wonderful. Fantastic breakfasts, and the rooms were very comfortable.
Just wanted to give you one more option for Asheville.
I have also stayed at the Haywood Park Hotel in downtown Asheville. While location is great for exploring the downtown area, I wasn't all that impressed with the hotel.

gracieb

I've gotten the Renaissance on Priceline for $50 and the Grove Park for $149 by scouting their website. LOVED the deal at the Renaissance and I always love the Grove Park. I prefer the rooms in the historic section to the new wings.
Make sure you visit the Grove Park for a meal or a drink in the lobby or the porch. The shops in the glade behind the hotel are neat too.
The Richmond Hill Inn is very nice and their high tea is wonderful.
I've stayed at other B&B's with varied experiences. If I had my choice - the Grove Park Inn.
Oops - just remembered - the Inn at the Biltmore Estates is VERY NICE.
I just got back from Asheville but stayed at the Hampton Inn...gotta collect those Hilton points!

Litespeed_Chick

Gracieb : would you please give me some more details on when and how you nabbed that $50 Renaissance on Priceline? That's a great rate.