Century-Old Bed and Breakfast with Views of Mountaintops
The Yellow House Bed & Breakfast sits on a hilltop overlooking the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains; as Our State magazine contributor Kathy Grant Westbrook wrote, the stately Victorian inn makes "an unforgettable first impression." It's easy to see why: the pale-yellow estate is situated on 5 acres of rolling gardens with two ponds.
Originally built as a private summer home in the 1880s, the inn became a bed and breakfast in 1995. The inn's focus is now squarely on entertaining: you can join a complimentary hors d'oeuvres hour each evening and enjoy coffee, tea, soft drinks, and snacks throughout the day. Staffers also serve daily breakfast, which they'll bring to you in your room, in the dining room, or on the veranda. When you're not eating, stroll the grounds' walking paths and check out the two ponds, stream, and waterfall.
When you want to relax, slip into terry-lined robes and light candles in your room. Each guest room and suite has a gas-log fireplace and a refrigerator as well as herbal bath salts, thick towels, and piped-in music you can turn off at any time. Many of the suites are decorated to look like cottages in fancy vacation spots from across the globe. The St. Paul de Vence suite resembles a cottage in the southern French Alps, with a sun-baked-tile floor, a two-sided fireplace, and a jetted tub. A private terrace overlooks the peaceful lily pond, where you can listen to frogs croon Barry White's voicemail message every night.
Highlights of Waynesville, North Carolina
- Take in the view: Located 30 miles west of Asheville, Waynesville is nestled between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.
- Scenic drive: The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway loops around Waynesville. It branches out to more than 100 hiking trails.
- America’s most popular national park: Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers waterfalls, more than 1,500 types of wildflowers, and dozens of historical mills and barns.
- Outdoorsy activities: Visitors can kayak, whitewater raft, fish, or pan for gems. Keep an eye out for elk and eastern box turtles.
- Old-fashioned town: Waynesville has a general store, a candy store, and antique shops housed in old buildings.
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