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We've compiled the best of the best in The North Carolina Mountains - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
The mountain hollow that's home to these seven cabins perfectly captures both sunrise and sunset over the creek. Accommodations range from a luxurious treehouse to creekside lodges suitable for an extended family vacation. You may question whether you've taken a wrong turn as you wind up the dirt road to this bucolic enclave, before realizing you're in exactly the place you want to be.
Black Mountain College closed in 1957, but its impact is still felt today through the legacies of alumni and faculty like Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, Buckminster Fuller, Kenneth Noland, and other maverick spirits who helped to shape American art, music, and literature. The campus is now split between Camp Rockmont, a private summer camp, and Lake Eden Retreat, which includes eight cottages and studios, several of which were built by the college. The grounds surround the aptly named Lake Eden, and are still a peaceful place of respite for creatives and lovers of the arts. Each May and October, Lake Eden Retreat hosts LEAF Festival, drawing several thousand revelers for a weekend of workshops, contra dancing, and world and Appalachian music.
Spacious decks and wall-to-wall windows maximize the view at these mountainside luxury cabins. Live-edge tables and nods to the local mountain biking culture add creative flair to the spacious digs. Access to Pisgah National Forest and the Hub, a bike shop and bar, are directly outside the entrance.
Banner Elk lacks a boutique hotel or upscale B&B, so most visitors rent a condo at the ski mountains or a cabin—this local outfit offers six homes fully stocked with amenities, ranging from upscale multi-bedroom lodges with hot tubs and stone fireplaces to smaller historic cottages walkable to Main Street.
These six treehouses, with the Cheoah River running below, are the best place to stay in Robbinsville proper. They're technically raised tiny homes, but they do put you closer to the treetops, and each includes everything needed for a cozy overnight.
