The mountains of east Tennessee and western North Carolina are exceptionally beautiful during the fall season and it's a sight we'd like to share with everyone. There are numerous cabins and mountainside motels where you can find lodging, but for those who want some end of the year adventure there are also campgrounds!
Here I will list some of the lodging/camping options and their rates, as well as what you might expect to experience there.
There will be a future post outlining wild animal precautions for campers unfamiliar with the mountain bears and wild boar.
**For GROUP LODGING please see #4. Call or facebook us if you're interested in this option.**
**Get your reservation in ASAP because many locations fill up quickly for leaf season!**
1.
The Switzerland Inn and Chalet
Main Lodge Rate: $119/night
Chanticleer: $159/night
Heidi & Alpine: $169/night
Diamondback: $69/night
Individual Cottages: $159-$199/night
What to expect: This chalet is located in Little Switzerland, NC and is about 15 minutes from Spruce Pine, NC off the Blueridge Parkway. It is honestly probably the nicest lodging you can get in this area for the money if you're wanting to experience the mountain views. Note: the restaurant there (while amazing) is medium to high pricing, ie. $30/person seafood buffet. The owners names are Gary and Jackie Jenson.
Another passing note: The Diamondback rates do not have the same view as the other cottages and the bikers who travel the Blueridge during the season typically stay there. If you don't mind the bikers, this could be a great option!
2.
The Richmond Inn Bed and Breakfast
Rates: $95-$140
What to expect: Jimmy would describe this Bed and Breakfast as "quaint" and is located directly in the town of Spruce Pine, NC.
3.
Springmaid Mountain Cabins & Camping
Tent Camping: $25/night
RV Camping: $35/night
Primitive Camping: $40/night --for what it's worth, I think charging MORE for a "rustic hike in the woods" is ridiculous and opportunistic.
Cabins: Call for rates.
What to expect: Horseback Riding, Hayrides, Hiking and Fishing. They're going for a family experience there.
Note: The last time Jimmy and I were there was about 4 years ago. Jimmy tried to hop a fence in super classy bedazzled jeans to go fishing and got his thigh staked by the fence. It was hilarious. He was hollering, "Help! I'm hurt!" Keep that image close to your heart if you choose to stay here.
4.
Bear Den Camping and Cabins
Rates: There are way too many options to list here. For camping and individual room rates, go to their website.
What's really cool about Bear Den is that you can get rates for rooms that house up to 10 people so if anyone would like to group reserve rooms with us that could really save everyone a lot of money and be fun.
Cabins that house 6-10 people are about $180/night so each person can expect to pay around $18-$20/night if we pool our funds. I'll post later about this to see if we can get 10-20 people in on this and get two adjacent cabins if there is enough interest.
5.
Big Lynn Lodge
Rates: $105-$160/night
What to expect: Located in Little Switzerland, NC in the same vicinity as the Little Switzerland Inn, this is another mountain view lodging option for those that would like to experience the parkway.
6.
Pine Valley Motel
Rates for 2 people: $80.11
Rates for 3 people: $85.60
What to expect: Located in Downtown Spruce Pine, NC this is exactly what you would expect from a motel as you can see from their website. It has a sprawling, motivational view of a pizza hut and coin laundry and the receptionist in the motel is predictably very unhappy and mean to you. As it happens, the owners are great people though you're unlikely to meet them during your stay.
