A trip to Lake Toxaway, North Carolina's Greystone Inn is like a trip back in time, to the era when Rockefellers and Vanderbilts used the Toxaway Inn as their lakeside retreat.
George Armstrong and his wife LucyOf all the places she'd seen on her travels throughout the world, Lake Toxaway was the place she loved most.
The Greystone has been closed for the past few years, but was recently purchased by hoteliers Shannon and Geoffrey Ellis, who also own The Willcox, another historic property in Aiken, South Carolina. The Greystone was remodeled and reopened this spring, once again offering a luxurious option for a weekend retreat in the mountains - like an adult version of the Brevard area's many popular summer camps.
About an hour and a half from Asheville and an hour from Highlands, the Greystone is in an area known as the "land of the waterfalls." Nearby options include Whitewater Falls, the highest falls east of the Rockies, with a 400-foot drop; and Sliding Rock, where the falls form a natural slide.
Lake ToxawayAnother perk of a stay at the Greystone is the access it offers to lovely Lake Toxaway (Toxaway is a Cherokee word meaning "red bird"), North Carolina's largest private lake, which guests can explore by canoe, paddleboard or kayak, available through the hotel. Or guests can grab a drink from the lobby bar and take the complimentary sunset cruise offered daily (weather permitting) on "Miss Lucy," the inn's 26-passenger mahogany electric boat, handmade by the century-old Hacker-Craft Company.
The Fisher SuitePets are welcome in rooms, where they're provided with a plush dog bed and can savor gourmet treats from their own in-room dining menu. Guests with pets are given a list of dog-friendly parks nearby, and the hotel's dog concierge can coordinate walks while you're out.
There are plenty of nearby options for active adventures, like mountain climbing, on- and off-road cycling, horseback riding, tubing, waterskiing and whitewater rafting, as well as for recreational pursuits such as tennis, golf, croquet and falconry. Guests have access to Lake Toxaway Country Club's 18-hole championship golf course and the Tom Fazio-designed Golf Learning Center, a 22-acre facility offering private lessons and clinics, plus the club's tennis courts and swimming pool. Winter travelers can learn to ski or snowboard, or speed through the snow on an inner-tube at Sapphire Valley Ski Resort. The Greystone is also an ideal place to unwind, whether by settling in with a good book on an Adirondack chair above the sparkling lake, or by taking time out at the spa with a massage, facial and herbal body wrap.
Unique activities offered at the inn include the "Beekeeper for a Day" experience (offered May-October), in which you'll don a full bee suit for a meet-and-greet with bees, inspect the hives with a beekeeper and visit the honey processing center to fill your own souvenir bottle. You'll also be treated to an indoor honey tasting, where you'll learn which flavors are associated with different honeys and how to pair them with a variety of foods.
Guests can also take a day trip to the Sierra Nevada brewery in Mills River, about an hour's drive from the inn; or go stargazing at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, a former satellite tracking station operated by NASA. At Southern Highlands Reserve, a 120-acre native plant arboretum and nature center, you'll learn about the natural ecosystems of the Blue Ridge Mountains; or visit DuPont State Forest - where "The Hunger Games" movies were filmed - and play a game of archery tag. Kids will also love gem mining in the Blue Ridge Mountains or a visit to the famous O.P. Taylor's toy store in Brevard.