Review: Sourwood Inn in Asheville, North Carolina

Sourwood Inn is a relaxing Bed & Breakfast tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina. While getting there can be a bit of an adventure, the Inn offers class and comfort amid a peaceful forest setting with beautiful views and great food. Although not appropriate for smokers, pets or young children - the Inn welcomes children over 12 - Sourwood Inn is otherwise an excellent choice if business or personal travel takes you to Asheville.

Finding Your Way

One of Sourwood Inn's attractions is its secluded site on a wooded mountainside. Even though it's right outside the rapidly growing city of Asheville, with a University of North Carolina campus and major tourist attractions like the Biltmore Estate, the Inn feels like it's in another world. The price of that seclusion is that finding the Inn can be a challenge.

The Inn is two miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is the easiest way to approach the area. Once off the Parkway, you'll follow tiny gravel roads through the woods and make a couple of turns before coming upon the Inn's sign. Then you've still got almost half a mile of the Inn's own driveway. You can also come from Asheville itself but, again, this is a maze-like climb up the mountainside on small gravel access roads with multiple turns to catch. On either route, there's little to no lighting at night.

This might sound intimidating, but it's not that bad. The Inn's staff are good at giving directions - they'd have to be! - and we journeyed back and forth several times and never got lost. Though admittedly, more than once we started to think we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

The Facilities

Once you arrive, though, the trip is well worth it. The driveway arcs around the front of a gorgeous, low slung building made of cedar and trimmed with stone. The wide roof lines and rustic trim fit beautifully into the wooded setting, almost as if the Inn just grew there.

Inside, you'll find clean and comfortable common areas with wood floors, and a huge stone fireplace. There are twelve guest rooms with an assortment of king, queen or twin double beds. Each room has its own wood burning fireplace, its own balcony, and its own luxurious bathroom - with large windows that let you enjoy the view while relaxing in your tub.

And, whether enjoyed from the tub or your balcony, the views really are magnificent. Because of the way the building arcs around the slope, you don't notice the other rooms beside you. There's a feeling of being quite alone on a platform looking out over the forested valley. There are birds singing nearby and really no sense at all that you're just outside a booming city. It's a very peaceful, relaxing experience.

If you want even more seclusion, there's also the Sassafras Cabin, tucked off in the woods about 150 yards from the main building. The cabin offers a screened front porch, two full bathrooms, a kitchen area and a loft bedroom.

The Food

As a Bed & Breakfast, Sourwood Inn offers breakfast as part of your room rate. The breakfast offerings are plentiful and good, served either in the main dining area or, weather permitting, on a terrace outside in the woods. Afternoon refreshments are also served.

Dinner is also available some evenings, though not included in your room rate. Chef Kacia Duncan offers a three-course fixed price menu Thursday through Sunday evenings. Reservations are required. Also, as the Inn does not have a liquor license, guests must provide their own beer or wine. Chef Duncan is quite an asset to the Inn, with a background as an executive chef at Oregon's famous Steamboat Inn, and as a gourmet tour guide in France.

Rates and Reservations

Sourwood Inn's twelve rooms vary in price from $160 to $190 a night. There is a two night minimum stay on weekends, but you can stay for one night during the week. Rates are single or double occupancy and there is a $20 charge for additional people in a room. For larger parties, the Sassafras cabin can easily accommodate four, at $195 a night.

Sourwood Inn is a non-smoking environment and, as noted above, the Inn doesn't accommodate children under 12 or pets. Although, the owners note that they do have pets of their own running about which "would love your attention."

Overall

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Sourwood Inn. While well off the beaten path, once you get there you'll appreciate the seclusion and the beautiful views that seem to shut out the outside world completely. The rooms are comfortable, the staff is friendly, and the food is great. If we find our way back to Asheville, we'll definitely stay there again.