15 Best Hotels in The North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina

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. 

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. 

What was once a dilapidated roadside motel is now one of the most popular bars and restaurants in town—and arguably Boone's new best place to stay. A courtyard between the two primary buildings features firepits and comfy seating, while rooms show off with custom-built beds and built-in desks that continue the furniture-grade plywood aesthetic of communal areas. Canteen, the lobby restaurant, has a pool table, arcade games, and an inspired menu of sandwiches and Appalachian fry bread tacos. 

Recent renovations have brought this celebrated resort back into focus, including overhauls of the spacious lodge rooms that now sport attractive wood paneling and new furniture. Choose between Chetola Lodge, the eight-room Bob Timberlake Inn, or from the collection of rental condos on the tranquil property. There's an on-site restaurant and pub, a stocked lake (with free fishing rods to rent), a kids' room with toys and crafts, and a spa, a sauna, and a gorgeous indoor pool. An Orvis outpost within the lodge has the gear—and the guides—needed to target trout in the nearby private-access streams. There's also a sporting reserve that includes archery and a clay-shooting course. 

Fontana Village bustles during summertime with vacationing families here for activities like hiking, mountain biking, mini golf, disc golf, a small water park, and, of course, Fontana Dam. The resort's lodge is comfortable but shows its age. Some rental cabins around the resort are a bit newer, and all are an excellent value as a base camp to explore the nearby access points into the national park. 

At this century-old stone house turned boutique inn, 2 miles from downtown Blowing Rock, you can take in breathtaking views of the mountains from the gardens and stone terraces or relax with a book by the fire in the library. Most of the 10 guest rooms and suites have gas fireplaces, and all are nicely furnished in a country-home style with updates like flat-screen TVs and modern showers. A full breakfast is included, as is afternoon tea. Guests are guaranteed a reservation at the restaurant, which is reason enough to stay here. 

The 10 off-the-wall accommodations at this "glampground" range from a renovated double-decker English bus to a super hero–themed tiny house. Each space has a different theme, and several are large enough to accommodate families. The grounds are beautiful and include a small pond and creek. 

The 2023 renovation of this former Super 8 is so impressive—a stone fireplace in the lobby, shiplap walls in bathrooms, attractive mountain scenery on the walls—that it feels like new construction. Breakfast is equally stellar: locally roasted coffee, bagels and scones from Boone's Stick Boy Bread Company, and a full buffet of fresh biscuits, scrambled eggs, and country ham. There's free parking, and you'll need a car—it's a few miles from downtown. 

The Horton's sophisticated accommodations right downtown—including a light-filled lobby lounge and a rooftop bar—have a surprisingly cosmopolitan feel. There are still small-mountain-town comforts and charm, like custom wood furniture, comfy bedding, and exposed brick and other nods to the 1920s building. Panoramic views of the mountains at the rooftop bar can't be beat.

With a stone staircase in the entry hall, colorful gardens, Arts and Crafts furnishings, and chestnut paneling and bark siding, it's no wonder that this 1900 manor-style house in the heart of Blowing Rock gets many return guests. All rooms have fireplaces, and some have private balconies. The Best Cellar restaurant, inside the main lodge, serves a seafood-focused menu that includes their signature tuna and a pan-seared mountain trout. Two adjacent cabins allow pets. 

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. 

This midcentury-modern lodge was designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright devotee, abandoned for decades, and is now restored to glory. Forty rooms all feature porches or patios, and an exemplary restaurant, Oak Steakhouse, offers views across the valley below. Perks of the modernization include heated bathroom floors and the gorgeous Butler's Bar speakeasy, featuring a small library, a fireplace, and a wall of windows to soak in the mountain vista. 

Like an oasis after miles of driving remote roads, Tapoco Lodge offers large stylish rooms in a lodge that's on the National Register of Historic Places. Exposed brick, hardwood floors, and king-size beds make for comfortable digs in the original lodge (built to house workers during the construction of the nearby Cheoah Dam in the 1930s) and cabins scattered throughout the property. 

This welcoming B&B occupies an 1878 home whose age is an advantage rather than a deterrent. Rooms have comfortable modern amenities, and owners/hosts Gladys and Larry Pilarski are a joyful presence. Sitting on the porch in the afternoon feels like a slice of small-town life from a bygone era. 

Just outside town, this lovely two-story Victorian, painted a cheerful sunflower yellow, sits on 5 acres with gorgeous gardens, a fish pond, and shady trees. Indulgent breakfasts range from sweet potato pancakes to savory cheese soufflé. Most of the rooms and suites have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. Rooms in the adjoining Pond House allow children and have a touch more privacy.