The mountains of Western North Carolina are known for waterfalls, hiking trails, and cabins in the woods. Most people probably don’t think of the Smoky Mountains as a luxury destination. But this lush and laid-back landscape has a luxe side that dates back to the days when titans of industry spent their summers there. And new hotels, re-imagined historic resorts, and world-class restaurants are bringing a reputation for luxury back to this idyllic part of Appalachia. I spent a few months visiting the best of North Carolina mountain luxury: from the rare off-the-beaten-path splendor of The Swag and the tranquil and historic lakefront Greystone Inn to the vintage luxury heritage of High Hampton and beyond. I shot sporting clays, swam at the foot of a waterfall, landed massive rainbows on the fly, went trail riding on horseback, watched a spring snowstorm from a mountaintop hot tub, and dined like royalty. Here are the best places I’ve found to enjoy a luxury mountain trip in North Carolina.
High Hampton
The town of Cashiers (and nearby Highlands) are established enclaves of luxury. High Hampton is a circa 1922 resort that has been meticulously updated without losing any of its historic charm. Situated on a private lake with sweeping views of its own private mountain, it also has a golf course, tennis courts, and a pool that combine to create the feeling of a luxury summer camp. Accommodations are a mix of lodge rooms and cottages. The main lodge has porches with rows of rocking chairs and Adirondack chairs on the lawn for afternoons with a book. Inside the lodge, large common rooms with couches and chessboards will coddle you on rainy days and cozy evenings by the fire.
Breakfast and a multi-course dinner are included, and they are fantastic. Breakfast includes fresh-baked pastries, made-to-order dishes changing daily, and bottomless cappuccinos and fresh juices. Dinner is a three-course menu that also changes daily, and both meals take place in the main dining room overlooking the lake and the granite-covered mountain beyond. Because of the ever-changing menus, it would take several nights here to try everything. The optional custom wine pairing at dinner is a worthwhile addition.
High Hampton a property you won’t want to leave, and you can have a complete mountain experience without ever leaving. After a day of canoeing and hiking while I was visiting with my family, the weather turned rainy and I was more than content on a rocking chair on the porch of our cabin with a glass of wine, watching raindrops on the lake against a backdrop of rhododendron green.
Lake Toxaway has a peculiar origin story, complete with tragedy and redemption. It’s the largest private lake in North Carolina and the largest man-made lake in Appalachia. Originally called “America’s Switzerland” by its creators in 1900, the lake had a grand hotel that opened in 1903 called the Toxaway Inn, and early visitors include Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Henry Ford. The lake’s dam failed during a storm in 1916, which flooded the farmland below and turned the lake into a mud pit until the 1960s. While the original inn is long gone, the lake is now restored to its original beauty and the lakefront Greystone Inn serves the Grande Dame role that the Toxaway Inn once did.
The Greystone Inn
The Greystone Inn is a place I have missed since I first visited it. It’s a property that I would visit even if I weren’t getting to go there as a travel writer. In a wooden boat tour, we learned the lore of the lake, passing the sight of the original Toxaway Inn that once had its own private railway line. There’s still a tiny island nearby that once hosted grand dinners with live orchestras.
Greystone’s fine restaurant is perched over the lake, with massive windows that take full advantage of its view. Inside the 1915 main building is a quaint bar, common rooms with leather club chairs and fireplaces, and guest rooms upstairs. After making smores on an open fire, we retired to our room with a balcony onto the lake. Whenever I daydream about going off somewhere to write for a few days, Greystone is usually the place that comes to mind.
Also on Lake Toxaway, Grand Olde Station is one of the coolest and most eclectic whistle-stop era restaurants I’ve ever visited. There’s a train car and an old vintage fire engine outside this former train station, and inside is filled with old outboard motors, taxidermied wildcats and old logging saws. Walking into a kitsch-filled and train-themed restaurant, you might expect little more than a good burger, but what you get here is a serious wine list and sophisticated food.
It’s hard to describe the magic of the Greystone Inn’s Southern Highlands Reserve, a high-altitude arboretum with English gardens, frog-filled ponds and a maze of trails with jaw-dropping views in every direction. Guests can visit by appointment or on dedicated visitor days. Getting up there is somewhat harrowing, with countless hairpin turns, but it’s worth it. Executive director Kelly Holdbrooks gave us a tour of this secret garden at the top of the world, and her passion for the place runs deep. For anyone looking for a one-off brush with the best natural beauty these mountains have to offer, this is a mandatory destination.
The Swag
As a travel writer, I often get asked where my favorite places are that I’ve ever stayed. It’s a short list, but The Swag made it onto that list after spending only one night there. There is just something about The Swag that puts it in a rare category. From the moment you arrive, it sets itself apart and makes you surrender to it. First, you give up your wheels and trust that your luggage will be waiting for you in your room. After checking in at an outpost with a glass of bubbly, a luxury SUV whisks you up the hill to the main building. Across the road from the cabins and the lodge is the border to a National Park, so endless trails are right outside your door. If it’s your first visit, everyone in your party is gifted a handmade walking stick with your name on it. There’s a cooler with homemade ice cream just because, and another room where there’s always something to snack on or to drink.
Many guests who come here have been visiting for decades, and many of the staff have a similar tenure. Even if you’re just dropping in for your first stay, you can feel a sense of continuity. All meals are included with the room, though wine and cocktails are a la carte and settled upon check-out. Breakfast is made to order and excellent. Gourmet picnic lunches are bagged with guests’ names and put out after breakfast to be enjoyed while exploring the surrounding areas. Dinner is served in one collective seating, and it’s just communal enough to feel the shared spirit of place but still intimate enough for a romantic meal if that’s your mood.
Not far from The Swag, I spent a day on the river with the head fly fishing guide and owner of the Maggie Valley Fly Shop. He rigged several different Hardy rods for streaming, dry flies, and something I’d never tried called “euro nymphing.” And no, it’s not a sub-category of adult films, but the most efficient way to catch fish that I have ever experienced (I hauled in over 30). We spent the day on the West Fork of the Pigeon River, and as the sun set a bald eagle flew overhead, I was sad that the failing light meant it was time to go home. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had fly-fishing, and if you’re an angler this is a great place to stop in if you’re in the area. After Hurricane Helene clobbered North Carolina, the shop’s owner helped lead local volunteer efforts, and it’s a shop that has a finger on the pulse of the local community.
Cataloochee Ranch
This newly reopened and expanded luxury ranch is a sister property of The Swag. It’s also a Relais and Chateaux property, and it has a wide open ranch feel that is almost Western. All accommodations are cabins spread around the property. While The Swag is a place to go and stay put, it’s easier at Cataloochee to hop off the property for a day of fly-fishing. Horseback riding is available through the ranch’s stables for on-property adventure. The restaurant has a modern lodge aesthetic, an exquisite bar, and lots of space to find a couch or club chair to relax in. I found the breakfasts and dinners to be top notch, and it’s open to the public if you just want to drop in for a meal. This is a particularly good spot for kids, as there is plenty of space to roam while still being within eyesight. It snowed while we were there, and we found sleds to enjoy the hills around the lodge.
Chetola Resort At Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock is the only significant town on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s a quaint main street and downtown area surrounded by beautiful homes, and a stone’s throw away, impossibly close to downtown, is the Chetola Resort—a sprawling lakefront property at 3,600 feet with a lively restaurant and bar, a spa and indoor pool, a nearby Sporting Club, and a robust fly-fishing program.
An Orvis-endorsed fishing lodge, Chetola is a great base for fly-fishing in the nearby rivers, and there’s a Fly Shop right off the lobby. Chetola’s head fishing guide Dustin Coffey was the 2024 Orvis Guide of the Year, and he gave me a casting clinic on the lawn in front of the resort’s main building that was game changing. The next day, his lessons helped me land a massive trout that I likely would likely have broken off otherwise. I brought along Orvis’s newest Helios rod and got to break it in on the Wautauga River with veteran guide Pat Stone, who helped me catch some the biggest trout of my life.
The Chetola Sporting Reserve is a few miles from the resort and is not to be missed. Brett Martin, Chetola’s field and stream director, led me through the sporting clay course, and he even loaned me his personal shotgun for a little extra help hitting the clays. If I were planning a guys’ trip, a bachelor party, or a small corporate retreat, a trip to Chetola for fly fishing and sporting clays at the Reserve would be hard to beat. The college town of Boone is just 20 minutes away from Blowing Rock and has a very cool and walkable downtown. I recommend dinner and drinks at The Cardinal after exploring the shops downtown.
The Blind Tiger Asheville
The Blind Tiger offers a luxury amenity that I have come to appreciate more and more: anonymity. It’s a no-contact experience if you want it to be. You check in (quickly) online, you interact with hotel staff via text (unless you want more assistance) without ever needing to engage with a front desk or bell staff—again, unless you want to, in which case they’re available to help. You show up to an unlocked room with the keys inside waiting for you.
There’s a common area that serves the role of a traditional lobby and the role of concierge-floor lounge, with various concessions like mixers for cocktails, snacks, travel essentials, and grab-and-go breakfast goodies. I really enjoy an incognito hospitality experience, so this concept was perfect for me. It has the amenities and polish of a luxury hotel with the autonomy of a short-term rental—minus all the rules and check-out to-do list. Bling Tiger is bookable at hyatt.com and earning eligible through World of Hyatt.
If you’re in the Asheville area, I recommend a stop in the nearby town of Canton, also known as Papertown because of its former paper mill. The Grateful Table is a fantastic lunch spot, bakery, and store. Next door is Papertown Coffee with a hip vibe you might expect in Brooklyn—both are an easy jaunt from Asheville.
