Wish to Go to America’s Most In style Nationwide Park With out the Crowds? This Lodge Has a Non-public Entrance

As a meals and journey author who lives within the coronary heart of eternally buzzing Manhattan, it’s secure to say that I don’t “flip off” fairly often. And New York Metropolis, with its abundance of stimulation, is just not precisely the perfect spot to chase a second of zen. As I’ve realized over a few years of touring, to unplug, it’s good to head to a spot that encourages you to take action. That is how I discovered myself a number of months in the past, slowly winding up a quiet, leafy highway in the course of the Nice Smoky Mountains, nostril pressed to the automotive’s window and on my method to discover The Swag.

The tranquil unfold is a far cry from skyscrapers and sirens, simply what this frazzled New Yorker wanted. Perched 5,000 ft above sea stage (it’s the best boutique lodge on the East Coast) and simply 25 ft from a non-public entrance to the Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park, there are few properties I’ve visited with a extra unspoiled, magical view than this one. Evergreens body the lodge’s assortment of rustic, wood-clad cabins whereas views of the North Carolina backcountry and mountaintops tumble out in entrance of you seemingly endlessly (on a transparent day, it’s 50 miles).

It’s this mixture of quiet splendor and charming, pampering rooms that has lured visitors to this pocket of the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1982, when Dan and Deener Matthews based the property. And actually, I met many visitors through the nightly communal cocktail hour who had been visiting The Swag for many years. Since these early days, the lodge has blossomed to incorporate standalone cabins, an ample outside eating porch, and a spa. However it rose to nationwide prominence when present homeowners Annie and David Colquitt took over in 2018, and much more so once they acquired a coveted Relais & Châteaux designation in 2020.

Immediately, a go to right here could be as lively as an all-day hike by the Smokies or as chill as a protracted soak within the picturesque scorching tub adopted by a detoxifying mud wrap on the spa (I conquered each, for what it’s value). However no matter the way you select to spend your days right here, what permeates each inch of the property, out of your Polaroid photograph at check-in to bonding with visitors over tough Stave puzzles, is a way of group.

“It’s totally different from different inns in that we have now one dinner seating; there’s a communal hors-d’oeuvres hour,” says proprietor Annie Colquitt. “It feels extra such as you’re being hosted in any person’s residence, to a sure extent, than a conventional lodge.” Colquitt instructed me it’s not unusual for visitors to satisfy throughout a hike and bond so totally that each events come again collectively the next 12 months. Certainly, by the top of my keep, I’d chatted with practically everybody on the property, whether or not throughout a cocktail-making class or a pleasant spherical of trivia.

Just a little extra on that Polaroid, too: They really take two pictures, one so that you can hold and one which goes right into a ebook of lodge visitors. All volumes, dated again to 1982, are on show on the Swag Home so that you can look over so you’ll be able to see the way you, too, match into the shared historical past of The Swag.

Learn on for my full evaluation of The Swag in Waynesville, North Carolina.

The Rooms

The Swag has 18 uniquely designed rooms within the historic Swag Home and Chestnut Lodge, together with seven cabins and suites. An entry-level providing like Danny’s Room begins at $875 an evening and is outfitted with a beamed, vaulted ceiling and steam bathe. On the high finish, Trinity Cottage, with charges from $2,100 an evening, boasts a 22-foot stone fire, three main suites, and a non-public soaking tub on the upstairs balcony. All rooms additionally function a small fridge stocked with tender drinks, path combine, and climbing bars which can be free to take.

Meals and Drink

One of many main attracts of the lodge is its culinary program, and, as an all-inclusive, your whole meals are included within the day by day price. Menus right here change day by day, relying on the season, however a typical breakfast may include made-to-order omelets or conventional, stone-ground Southern-style grits.

Lunch is a extra informal — but no much less scrumptious — affair: Through the week, you place an order the evening earlier than in your brown bag lunch, whereas on weekends, carry the chef’s picnic served on high of scenic Gooseberry Knob. And are available hungry for dinner, which begins with a social hour to mingle with different visitors earlier than the dinner bell rings for a four-course meal of elevated Southern delicacies.

Actions and Experiences

Whereas the (literal) largest draw right here is the lodge’s proximity to the Nationwide Park, The Swag additionally affords a lot to do on the property.

Certainly one of its most original options is its Professional-in-Residence program, which brings anybody from retired park rangers to artists on-site to host casual chats with visitors. Different programming veers, naturally, towards the outside, with choices like horseback driving, badminton and croquet, yoga, and climbing, however there are additionally organized wine tastings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Indoor perks embrace a small fitness center, library, and a big number of infamously tough Stave puzzles.

The Spa

On-site spa The Nonetheless affords a small however mighty menu of companies. Visitors can select from custom-made massages ranging in size from 30 to 90 minutes, detoxifying mud wraps, a wide range of facials, together with one particularly for males, and even an hour-long foot therapeutic massage that features a salt scrub and scorching towel wraps. Within the hotter months, you may also join The Nonetheless within the Woods, a therapy that consists of an natural foot soak and a customized therapeutic massage.

Household-friendly Choices

The Swag helpfully designates which rooms are applicable for youths below six and that are higher left to older visitors. The seven cabins and suites are the most suitable choice in case you’re touring with young children. The Mountain Laurel Room, for instance, is a two-bed, two-bath cabin that even has its family recreation room.

And whereas there is no such thing as a particular youngsters’ program right here, the entire household can take part in loads of actions, like hikes by the Nationwide Park, horseback driving (for ages 8 and up), and a pond full with a rope swing. Don’t miss the on-site treehouse both, good for a day coloring session. Meal-wise, the kitchen workers is used to tiny diners’ requests, but when all else fails, there’s additionally an outdoor cooler all the time stocked with snacks and ice cream.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Deener’s Room, the Swag’s handicap-accessible room has a king mattress, personal balcony, and handicap-accessible rest room options. It’s additionally a straightforward stroll or roll to the lodge’s important eating room. Many different rooms could also be accommodating based mostly on wants: A name to visitor companies can information you on the perfect house.

Sustainability can also be a vital pillar of The Swag’s ethos. The kitchen prioritizes rising as a lot produce on-site as potential, aided by a newly expanded culinary-use backyard. The cooks additionally forage on the lodge’s grounds whereas practising sustainable strategies to encourage continued progress. Different objects, like espresso and the East Fork Pottery dishware, are deliberately sourced within the Western North Carolina space to maintain the carbon footprint low.

Location

Whereas The Swag feels distant, it’s inside driving distance of many Southern cities, together with Knoxville, Charlotte, and Atlanta. In case you’re flying in, the closest airport is Asheville (a few 45-minute drive), which American, Delta, United, and Allegiant Airways service. The lodge can suggest transport choices from there to the property, or renting a automotive on-site is straightforward sufficient.

How one can Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

The Swag’s present companions are Andrew Harper and Relais & Châteaux. Each members will obtain a welcome cheese and charcuterie board upon arrival and might schedule a non-public wine tasting.