Sleep Under Starlit Skies: Transylvania Lodging from Rustic to Refined

While Brevard and Transylvania County are a hiking and mountain biking paradise, not everyone wants to pitch a tent at night, despite all the jaw-dropping places to do that. For a small mountain town, Brevard NC has a surprising wide range of lodging options, whether you prefer your creature comforts in the city, the country, or to commune more directly with nature.

Wherever you choose to lay your head, you’re not far from challenging trails, stunning vistas and mesmerizing natural beauty. Browse the list t find lodging near Dupont State Forest and Hooker Falls, or close to Pisgah National Forest. Before you close your eyes, do yourself a favor. Be sure to suck in a deep breath of our clean mountain air and spend a few minutes marveling at the star-encrusted sky overhead.

City Comforts: Historic to Vintage to Modern

If your idea of the ideal getaway is a comfortable bed and hot shower with fresh croissants a short walk away, Brevard offers a mix of historic, unique, retro and dependable lodgings.

The Inn at Brevard

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The Inn at Brevard, a bed and breakfast a few short blocks from downtown, is a 1885 mansion-turned-inn with a storied history. Lovingly filled with art and antiques, it sits on 100 acres with its own private waterfall. Crave a soak in a clawfoot tub? Book a room in the main house.

The Campbell House

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On the other end of Main Street, the recently renovated Campbell House offers guests a quiet escape close to downtown. Long-time Brevard residents Elaine and Ken have created a “genteel” B&B in the English Country Style with five refined rooms with private baths.

Red House Inn

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The Red House Inn is the quintessential B&B discovery — fresh breakfasts from locally sourced farms at a historic and modernized B&B in a pleasant tree-lined neighborhood adjacent to a charming downtown in the mountains. Choose from four unique rooms, a cozy cabin and several vacation homes in town.

The Sunset Motel

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The Sunset Motel is a “retrovated” old motor court where everything is the ’50s again for a nostalgic getaway vacation. Kitschy treats like old 45-records, flamingos and croquet sets are the real deal. The Sunset Hotel prides itself on bringing back the old-time, simple comforts like chairs outside your door to chat with the neighbors, along with the expected modern amenities.

Brevard NC hotels include two national chains, the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express, both of which are familiar with hikers and mountain bikers.

Hampton Inn

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Hampton Inn

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brevard

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More interested in the challenge of the trails than the charm of your room? Brevard’s Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express offer dependable lodging with the expected amenities from national hotel chains, including pools, fitness centers and conference rooms.

Comfort in the Country: Innovative to Traditional

Once upon a time the only way to enjoy the outdoors was to rough it in a campground or tent, or maybe a cramped RV with thin mattresses. No longer.

There’s a new breed of comfort in the country — with mountain bike and hiking trails right outside your door — with innovative “glamping” and newly constructing forest lodgings. Or opt for well-appointed B&Bs in bucolic rolling farmland next to gurgling creeks.

The Bike Farm

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The Bike Farm offers Transylvania County’s first “glamping” — glamorous camping with four-season tents, beds, electricity and a porch to sip your morning coffee with mountain bike trails a stone’s thow away. Situated on 430 acres next to Pisgah National Forest, the Bike Farm hugs the side of a mountain with an 800-foot vertical drop in Turkey Pen Gap.

Pilot Cove Forest Lodging

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Hidden near the entrance to Pisgah National Forest, Pilot Cove combines luxury cabins with direct access to Pisgah National Forest and its own trail system. Opened in fall 2016, Pilot Cove offers full amenities with striking contemporary architecture for the ultimate vacation experience whether your transportation is two- or four-wheeled.

The Pisgah Inn

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Up on the Blue Ridge Parkway atop the Pisgah Ridge, with a view that stretches forever, perches the Pisgah Inn at 5,000 feet. Welcoming guests since 1910, the Inn is open only from May to October when weather isn’t likely to make the drive on the Parkway treacherous. Many guests make an annual pilgrimage to the Inn and Mt. Pisgah, so make your reservations well in advance. Peaceful and natural, the Inn invites you to “come for the views, stay for the food.”

The Pedal Inn Bike Ranch

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One of Transylvania County’s newest B&Bs, The Pedal Inn is a converted horse barn now with three guest rooms – each with private bath – and a Western horse theme throughout. But of course — the three horses the rooms are named for still roam the ranch. Designed with the outdoor adventurer in mind, The Pedal Inn is in the heart of the beautiful Little River Valley and only 12 minutes from Dupont Recreational Forest and 6 minutes from Pisgah National Forest.

Key Falls Inn

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Key Falls Inn is “a place where the world is quiet.” The beautifully maintained and appointed 1860s Victorian presides over 26 serene acres with a 70-foot waterfall and creek. Sit a spell on the front porch and gaze at the Blue Ridge Mountains across rolling farmland. There’s a hiking trail, tennis and horseshoes on site, and a seasonal tapas restaurant in the pavilion.

Transylvania River House

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The Transylvania River House sets above the French Broad River, one of the oldest rivers in the world (true!) The quiet and cozy Transylvania River House is five minutes from downtown Brevard and 20 minutes from Dupont State Forest. Recently renovated with two guest rooms, the River House was the original home of the White Squirrel Radio station, WSQL, Brevard’s hometown radio station that now broadcasts from downtown Brevard.

Mountain Experiences: High Elevations to Deep River Valleys

Transylvania County boasts the highest elevation change east of the Mississippi, which gives you the full range of mountain experiences — from atop the breezy Pisgah Ridge to waterside in tranquil river valleys with nothing but beautiful points in-between.

Adventure Village and Lodgings

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Adventure Village & Lodgings, a resort with cabins and camping, offers everything anyone might want in the mountains — 90 forested acres in the Nantahala National Forest and adjacent to Pisgah National Forest with upscale mountain cabins for romantic getaways, cozy camping cabins and tent and RV camping sites.
Resort amenities include an outdoor swimming and wading pool, kids playground, stocked fish pond and rustic village store. Village staff will help you plan special outdoor adventures with local outfitters and guide services.

Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping

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If you seek a quiet, peaceful getaway in the mountains, look no further than Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping. Owners Mark and Steven believe nature revives the spirit and have created Ash Grove to bring guests close to nature while keeping them comfortable and honoring the sanctity of the forest and mountains. They make no bones about the fact this is not a party campground.

The Lazy J Campground

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The Lazy J Campground sits on 25 unspoiled acres on the French Broad River in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you’re more concerned with access to nature than a developed campground, this is your place. Large, wooded campsites, some with full hook-ups, some with electric and water and some primitive. Tent sites first-come, first-served and usually booked.

Black Forest Family Camping

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Black Forest Family Camping is a mountain campground on 65 wooded acres at an elevation of 3,000 feet with 100 shaded, level sites. Electricity at all tent sites with 30/50 amp RV sites. A family campground with the expected amenities — clean, modern restrooms with hot showers, dump station and mountain bike wash station — and extras to keep mom and the kids happy.

Mt. Pisgah Campground

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The Pisgah Campground, down the road from the Pisgah Inn and near the base of Mt. Pisgah (shown here), is the highest elevation campground in Pisgah National Forest at 4,980 feet. Many hikers and mountain bikers make this campground their base camp while exploring the area. Wake up in the clouds, bathe in the sunsets and drink in the intense beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the numerous nearby trails, including a moderately strenuous 1.5 mile hike to the top of Mt. Pisgah. Because of the distance from Brevard and Asheville and limited amenities, campsites are almost always available. Roughing it is a relative term here. The excellent fare at the Pisgah Inn is a short walk (not hike) across the street.

Davidson River Campground

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The Davidson River Campground, a large family campground, is a major draw for campers wanting to enjoy Pisgah National Forest and nearby Brevard. It’s organized in eight shady forest loops next to the beautiful Davidson River, one of the premiere trout fishing rivers in the United States. Several hiking trails are accessible from the campground, including the flat and easy Exercise Trail that runs next to the river and the 12.3 mile challenging Art Loeb Trail. Check out the natural swimming hole near the middle loop. A stone’s throw from Sliding Rock, Looking Glass Falls and a beautiful drive up through Pisgah National Forest to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Plus, it’s a short three mile drive to downtown Brevard.

Kuykendall Group Campground

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Kuykendall Group Campground has one cozy site for up to 60 campers adjacent to Kuykendall Creek at an elevation of 2,600 feet. There is a little-known 35- ft. high waterfall a couple miles down the road that requires a five-mile hike one way and short bushwhack down a steep bank to see. Campsite has the usual group camping amenities – fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilet and water pump.

Cove Creek Group Campground

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A short drive from US 276 in Pisgah National Forest, Cove Creek Group Campground has two large grassy and shady sites available that allow up to 60 people each for $95 per night. Between the two sites is Cove Creek Waterfall, a lovely waterfall that is a smaller version of the popular Sliding Rock Waterfall on US 276 that kids of all ages love sliding down with several easy trails leading to it.

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