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14 romantic and relaxing asheville bed and breakfast inns

 Experience Asheville, NC in a new way with a romantic, relaxing stay at an Asheville Bed and Breakfast. Each of the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association’s 14 member inns offers a unique and memorable experience in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Looking for things to do or places to eat and drink in Asheville, NC? Check out Off the Eaten Path’s Asheville Travel Guide!

Looking for travel recommendations across the Tarheel State? Check out Off the Eaten Path’s North Carolina travel page!

Thank you to the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association for providing photos and resources for this story.  This story originally ran in Charlotte Agenda in September 2017 and has been updated. 

All starting rates were based on member inns’ websites and a search for availability in the Spring of 2019 for two nights and two guests. Actual rates and availability may vary depending on the season, number of nights, and number of guests, and some inns have minimum stay requirements.

a dining table with a blue table cloth and blue napkins with four chairs in a room full of windows and a plant cart at an asheville b&b

When my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Asheville, we stayed at a hotel.

It cost us about $200 a night, and gave us a place to rest our heads, easy access to downtown and the Blue Ridge Parkway (and the beautiful mountains in Asheville), and a small mini fridge to store our leftover wedding cake (that we didn’t eat and promptly forgot until we were halfway home to Charlotte).

Our sad, forgotten wedding cake illustrated something about our hotel stay: it was nothing special.

white rocking chairs on the front porch at an asheville bed and breakfast

Don’t get me wrong, our hotel stay was clean, comfortable and convenient, but lacked a little something.  (Something we didn’t realize this at the time.)

In fact, I didn’t realize it until nine months later, until I had my first experience at a bed and breakfast in Asheville, NC Asheville at an inn in Asheville’s historic Montford neighborhood as a guest for two nights on a Western North Carolina Farm Tour

(Side note: Asheville’s Montford is wayyy different than Charlotte’s.)

I had never stayed in a bed and breakfast before and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Was it going to be too fancy for me?

What about the antique furniture and extreme floral wallpaper?

Would there be a house cat to befriend?

(Okay, so I got a lot of my ideas about bed and breakfasts from Gilmore Girls).

sitting room with pink chairs and a pink couch with purple rug and pink wallpaper and a green fireplace at a bed and breakfast near asheville

The beautiful, comfortable room; the delicious two course breakfast; the surprising sense of community you get from sitting around a breakfast table with a group of strangers; little details like a soft robe, daily fresh baked cookies, and in room growler for guests to bring back beer from Asheville’s breweries; and the fact that a room in a bed and breakfast was the same price as (if not cheaper than) a hotel all made me an immediate bed and breakfast convert.

I liked it so much, I dragged AJ and Bodie along with me later that fall for a weekend in Asheville and another bed and breakfast stay at an Asheville B&B.

A stay at an Asheville bed and breakfast is more than just a room to score some shuteye; it’s an experience.

wooden bed with white linens and a wood and green tiled fireplace at an asheville bed and breakfast

At an Ashville B&B, you get all the things you would at a hotel, a comfortable room and access to all the cool things to see, do, eat and drink in Asheville, but then you get some more.

Instead of a mini fridge for wedding cake, at a bed and breakfast in Asheville, NC, you get a two to three course, sit down breakfast with your stay.

Baked eggs with homemade challah bread and bacon? Yup.

Homemade granola with fresh seasonal fruit and yogurt? Yes.

Homemade crepes made to order with your choice of filling? Sign me up.

vegetable quiche in a glass pie plate with fresh herbs and a serving utensil served as breakfast at a b&b asheville nc

If a three course, gourmet breakfast is not enough, a stay at an Asheville bed and breakfast gives you a built in concierge service, which is exponentially better than the area map we were given at check in at our hotel.

Looking for a hike, a restaurant, a brewery, a cocktail bar, a stunning view, a romantic evening, a zip line, or the best place to see the fall foliage?

Your innkeeper is like having a personal Asheville guide.

dining room with wood table and chairs with fresh flowers and chandelier at an asheville bed and breakfast

So as you’re planning your next trip, and you’re thinking about where to stay in Asheville, NC, book a room at an Asheville bed and breakfast.

(And also, you need to check out my complete Asheville Travel Guide.)

If I hadn’t already sold you with the gourmet breakfast that’s included in the price of a room, I’ve included fun facts and local Asheville recommendations from the innkeepers.

blue painted bedroom at an asheville bed and breakfast with wooden 4 post bed and wooden dresser

Bed and Breakfast Near Asheville, NC: 1889 WhiteGate Inn and Cottage

front of the whitegate inn a bed and breakfast near asheville, nc at dusk with the inside illuminated

Rate: Starting at $225/night

Fun fact: The Inn is home to award-winning, romantic Asheville gardens that have an extensive collection of unusual plants including 14 varieties of Japanese maples and over 200 different varieties of perennials, hostas, roses, and herbs. The greenhouse houses a collection of over 350 orchids and tropicals.

Local recommendation: Enjoy sipping on wine, local beer or craft cocktails at Santé Wine Bar and Tap Room and The Montford Rooftop Bar (which also has Asheville mountain views and epic sunsets).

Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC: A Bed of Roses Bed & Breakfast

the front of a bed of roses bed and breakfast in asheville nc is painted green with rose bushes

Rate: Starting at $130/night

Fun fact: The Victorian inn has a fireplace in every room.

Local recommendation: Explore the countless art galleries throughout Asheville; you can find them along Bilmore Avenue, in Grovewood Village near the Grove Park Inn and in the River Arts District (where artists converted industrial buildings along the French Broad River into lofts and galleries housing over 220 artists).

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: At Cumberland Falls Bed and Breakfast

the painted green front of at cumberland an asheville bed and breakfast

Rate: Starting at $155/night

Fun fact: The home sits on an acre of lush gardens (the backdrop for many beautiful outdoor weddings.) At Cumberland Falls property also has two koi ponds with fish that are over 30 years old. 

Local Asheville recommendation: Go for a hike at Catawba Falls, a beautiful hike to two waterfalls just a half hour drive outside of the city. 

Asheville B&B: Beaufort House Inn

lush lawn and bushes line the driveway to the pink house at Beaufort Inn and Asheville NC B&B

Rate: Starting at $159/night

Fun fact: The inn was once the home to actor Charlton Heston (he played Moses in the “Ten Commandments”). Heston would walk to work at The Asheville Community Theatre, which is still active today.

Local recommendation: The Blue Ridge Parkway is the longest and most visited national park in the country. Stop by the Visitor Center is a great place to get trail maps and learn where to hike, eat, and treat yourself along the magnificent stretch of road and vistas. 

(PS: if you’re looking for Asheville hiking suggestions, check out some of our favorite Asheville hikes!)

Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC: Carolina Bed & Breakfast

Carolina Inn Asheville Bed and Breakfast view of the front yard and porch

Rate: Starting at $175/night

Fun Fact: The Carolina Bed and Breakfast’s building was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, who was also the managing architect of the Biltmore. 

Local Asheville recommendation: Visit Katie Button’s restaurants, they are amazing. While sadly Nightbell has closed, enjoy lunch at Button and Co. Bagels and try your best to get into and have a meal at Curate, it’s truly an experience.

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: Chestnut Street Inn

box hedges surrounding the front yard of the chestnut street inn an asheville bed and breakfast

Rate: Starting at $209/night.

Fun fact: The innkeepers Emilie and Arturo met working as sommeliers at The Ten Bells on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They’ve developed their own self-guided Asheville beer tour that comes with walking instructions and their favorite eats along the way.

Local recommendation: Try the tasting menu at Cucina 24 and order the Iberico steak with sherry mushrooms, Spanish tortilla and pan con tomate at Cúrate.

Bed and Breakfast near Asheville, NC: Crooked Oak Mountain Inn

the front porch with rocking chairs and covered by trees at the crooked oak mountain in a bed and breakfast near asheville, nc

Rate: Starting at $110/night

Fun fact: You’ll wind up a mountain road to find this secluded bed and breakfast. Evoking feelings of a tree house, you can sit under 200-year-old oaks, relax on the porch or in a hammock, and enjoy gatherings at the fire pit.

Local recommendation: Visit the Western North Carolina Arboretum, which has 65 acres of cultivated gardens and 10 miles of hiking and biking trails. If you’re a food and beer lover, Crooked Oak Mountain Inn has a curated list of Asheville restaurants and they recommend that you go on a tour with Asheville Brewery Tours or Eating Asheville Walking Food Tours.

B&B Near Asheville, NC: Engadine Inn & Cabins

engadine inn and cabins white wrap around front porch with the united states flag and north carolina state flag

Rate: Starting at $169/night for inn room, $179/night for cabin

Fun fact: When Engadine was built in 1885, Captain and Mrs. Hoyt created one of the area’s leading wineries at the property.  They grew the grapes and made the wine until 1909 when the North Carolina General Assembly passed a prohibition law.  One last remaining grape vine continues to grow on the property today.

Local recommendation: Visit one of Asheville’s local restaurants; the innkeepers’ favorite is The Market Place. Besides eating, Asheville is full of a variety of fun, all day experiences like hiking, zip lining, rafting, and enjoying local, seasonal festivals.

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: Princess Anne Hotel

asheville bed and breakast princess anne hotel

Rate: Starting at $230/night

Fun fact: The Princess Anne Hotel was built by registered nurse Anne O’Connell to provide a respite for the families of tuberculosis patients being treated in Asheville (Asheville was known nationally for having the best in tuberculosis treatment due to the cooler climate and fresh mountain air). Nurse O’Connell was dubbed “princess” by her patients due to her flowing red hair and charismatic nature, so the hotel was named “Princess Anne.” 

Local Asheville Recommendation: Asheville boasts one the most active and vibrant live music scenes in the country; Some of our favorite venues include the Orange Peel and Asheville Music Hall. Get to know Asheville’s vibrant craft brewing scene better with Princess Anne’s Beer Tour Special which comes with a 6-pack of local brews, a 22 oz local craft beer, a Princess Anne growler, 2 Princess Anne pint glasses, 2 tickets to the Brew-ed walking tour and two tickets to the New Belgium Brewery tour. 

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast

black table set with pink placemats for breakfast with fresh pink flowers at the pinecrest, an asheville bed and breakfast

Rate: Starting at $220/night

Fun fact: Winifred Cowley, original owner of Pinecrest, also owned most of the land on Cumberland Circle. Today, the inn still sits on 1.3 acres, making the backyard gardens an oasis in the city.

Local recommendation: Craggy Gardens Hiking Trails is one of the innkeepers’ favorite hikes. Head to Montford Rooftop bar for a cocktail and to take in unobstructed, sunset views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Bed and Breakfast Near Asheville, NC: Reynolds Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn

asheville bed and breakfast reynolds mansion

Rate: Starting at $230/night

Fun fact: Fewer than ten brick houses still survive in western North Carolina from before the Civil War and The Reynolds Mansion is one of them. Innkeeper Billy Sanders is also a beekeeper and tends hives that supply the inn with its honey.

Local recommendation: Play pinball and classic video games at the Asheville Pinball Museum (admission is $15 for all you can play).

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: Sweet Biscuit Inn

the brick exterior and front porch of the sweet biscuit in an asheville bed and breakfast

Rate: Starting at $160/night

Fun Fact: Savor the flavor of French hospitality at this inn owned and operated by world travelers who chose to settle in Asheville. Innkeeper Claudia was a fashion designer and her eye for detail is evident throughout the inn.

Local recommendation: Order the oxtail at Calypso, a casual downtown eatery featuring authentic St. Lucian Caribbean cuisine. Shop at local store Royal Peasantry, where you can find women’s wear and jewelry made by local designers. The ride from Asheville via rte. 74-A (Alt. 74) to Bat Cave and Lake Lure is innkeeper Christian’s favorite escape; a drive along that twisty, scenic and very little frequented route is also a feast for all senses.

Asheville Bed and Breakfast: The Inn Around the Corner

plants hanging from the front porch at the inn around the corner

Rate: Starting at $160/night

Fun Fact: The inn is just blocks away from downtown Black Mountain, where you can easily spend an afternoon shopping at the local businesses.

Local recommendation: Black Mountain is home to two live music venues, The Town Pump and White Horse Black Mountain. Historic Montreat is just two miles up the road with the Chapel of the Prodigal, Montreat College, and hiking trails.

Bed and Breakfast Near Asheville, NC: Wildberry Lodge

asheville bed and breakfast wildberry lodge

Rate: Starting at $209/night

Fun Fact: The innkeepers say this lodge is where Yellowstone meets the Smokies with gorgeous scenic views through a lodge made of handcrafted logs, a beautiful, massive stone fireplace.

Local recommendation: Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and visit the Folk Art Center. Visit Noble Cider for a pint and a bite to eat from a local food truck.

OTHER POSTS YOU’RE SURE TO LOVE ABOUT ASHEVILLE, NC ON OFF THE EATEN PATH:

Cabins in Asheville, NC

Our Honeymoon in Asheville, Part 1

Our Honeymoon in Asheville, Part 2

Our Honeymoon in Asheville, Part 3

A Weekend in Asheville

Western North Carolina Farm Tour

Five Foodie Day Trips from Charlotte

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