Throughout the years the “motor inn” has been a staple of American travel. Blowing Rock is home to several of these iconic properties and three of them are still directly operated by the local families that own them.
Savara Hospitality and Piedmont Capital are pleased to announce the acquisition of Blowing Rock Inn located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The property was purchased by a joint venture between Fairfax, Virginia based Savara Hospitality Inc. and Charlotte, North Carolina based Piedmont Capital RE, LLC. Blowing Rock Inn, situated in the heart of Downtown Blowing Rock, features twenty charmingly appointed guest rooms, four spacious villa-style suites, and an exclusive two-bedroom suite. Conveniently situated on Main Street, the inn is within walking distance to the town’s vibrant shopping, dining, and outdoor adventure offerings, as well as driving distance to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the High Country’s most popular attractions. “We are proud to welcome Blowing Rock Inn to Savara Hospitality’s portfolio of boutique hotels. In the spirit of timeless hospitality, we look forward to curating moments for our guests that weave into the fabric of this property’s rustic charm. The High Country offers a wealth of experiences for visitors, and we are ecstatic about partnering with Piedmont Capital to complete this acquisition in one of North Carolina’s premier destinations,” stated Vishal Savani, Managing Director of Savara Hospitality. William Hodges, Founding Partner of Piedmont Capital, added “The Blowing Rock Inn is a landmark property in downtown Blowing Rock and a perfect complement to Piedmont Capital’s growing hospitality portfolio. We are excited to grow our presence in the market as well as expand our partnership with Savara Hospitality.” Savara Hospitality operates a portfolio of unique upscale hotels in Virginia and North Carolina, including Blowing Rock’s Meadowbrook Inn, Mountainaire Inn & Log Cabins and Azalea Garden Inn, which are all located just steps away from Blowing Rock Inn. Savara Hospitality will be operating Blowing Rock Inn following the acquisition. About Savara HospitalitySavara Hospitality owns, operates, and provides hospitality management and consulting services to historic and boutique hotels and inns in urban and vacation destinations throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Featuring a portfolio of independent hotels that boldly express their individuality, Savara Hospitality utilizes a customized, hand-on approach to ensuring that each property in its portfolio finds its way to thrive. Savara Hospitality’s hotels and inns have received countless accolades for their attention to design and unwavering commitment to service. For more information, visit www.savarahospitality.com. About Piedmont CapitalFounded in 2021, Piedmont Capital is a Charlotte-based real estate investment firm focused on core plus and value-add retail, office, and hospitality assets throughout the Carolinas. Blowing Rock, NC (January 18, 2024)
Savara Hospitality and Piedmont Capital are pleased to announce the acquisition of Azalea Garden Inn located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The property was purchased by a joint venture between Fairfax, Virginia based Savara Hospitality Inc. and Charlotte, North Carolina based Piedmont Capital RE, LLC. Nestled in the heart of Downtown Blowing Rock, Azalea Garden Inn features 16 guest rooms as well as a cozy log cabin. Well known for its beautiful landscaped grounds, Azalea Garden Inn is located on Main Street within walking distance to shopping, fine restaurants, arts & crafts exhibits and outdoor activities, as well as driving distance to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the High Country’s most popular attractions. “We are thrilled to complete another acquisition with Piedmont Capital, and are elated about the addition of Azalea Garden Inn to Savara Hospitality’s growing portfolio of boutique hotels. We look forward to continuing this landmark property’s longstanding tradition of offering guests superb service and a cozy mountain experience.” stated Vishal Savani, Managing Director of Savara Hospitality. William Hodges, Founding Principal of Piedmont Capital, added “The Azalea Garden Inn is a staple in downtown Blowing Rock. We are excited to partner again with Savara Hospitality in another acquisition and are very grateful to have worked with such great sellers in the Knoll family.” Savara Hospitality operates a portfolio of unique upscale hotels in Virginia and North Carolina, including Blowing Rock’s Meadowbrook Inn and Mountainaire Inn & Log Cabins, both located steps away from Azalea Garden Inn. Savara Hospitality will be operating Azalea Garden Inn following the acquisition. About Savara Hospitality Savara Hospitality owns, operates, and provides hospitality management and consulting services to historic and boutique hotels and inns in urban and vacation destinations throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Featuring a portfolio of independent hotels that boldly express their individuality, Savara Hospitality utilizes a customized, hand-on approach to ensuring that each property in its portfolio finds its way to thrive. Savara Hospitality’s hotels and inns have received countless accolades for their attention to design and unwavering commitment to service. For more information, visit www.savarahospitality.com. About Piedmont Capital Founded in 2021, Piedmont Capital is a Charlotte-based real estate investment firm focused on core plus and value-add retail, office, and hospitality assets throughout the Carolinas.
Your pet is another member of the family, so why not bring them along the next time you vacation in Blowing Rock? Blowing Rock has many lodging services that are pet friendly. Just make sure to give them a call when you are planning your visit so you know exactly what to expect. Load your pooch in your car and hit the road to one of these phenomenal places to stay. Hotels / Motels Village Inn of Blowing Rock– This pet-friendly inn offers cozy places to unwind with you and your pup. With two acres of lovely green space, a beautiful landscaped pond, and equipped with barbecue areas and park benches, it’s a perfect place for you to explore and stay with your dog. Take your pet out to enjoy a scenic walk in the great outdoors of North Carolina. Gourmet dog treats are available when you check-in. Please notify the hotel in your reservation if you will be bringing a pet and whether you intend to crate or not. Gideon Ridge Inn– At Gideon Ridge, both their private Cedar Cottage Suite and Sunrise View Suite are pet friendly. Each private suite has lots of room to make it feel like your pet is at home. You can also take your four legged friend on a stroll through their intimate walking paths of elegant gardens located on their property. Make sure to call Gideon Ridge Inn to make arrangements for you and your pup. Cliff Dwellers Inn– Cliff Dwellers Inn promises astonishing views that you can share with your dog. Located above 321 on Lakeview Drive, you can catch breathtaking views of mountains right from your window. There is a maximum of 3 pets, depending on the room. Please note that a crate must be brought with the pet if the pet will be left alone in the room while you’re out and about. Historic Green Park Inn– The Green Park Inn have wonderful rooms that will accommodate you and your pup! You and your pooch will enjoy the historic and charming hotel the next time you visit town. The Green Park Inn loves hosting four-legged friends and is also home to a sweet Golden Retriever named Polly. She comes in nearly every day to help out around the hotel and greet guests. Pet-friendly rooms are allowed by advance reservation only. Chetola Resort– Newly pet-friendly, Chetola Resort welcomes pups on the first floor of the lodge and on the grounds! Enjoy the walking trail around the lake, and outdoor dining at Timberlake’s Restaurant. Close to downtown If you want to be close to the shops, restaurants, and bars in town, there are plenty of places you and your pup can stay within easy walking distance. Here are some pet-friendly options close to Main Street: Alpine Village Inn- Located right on Sunset Drive, Alpine Village Inn allows two pets of any size. All fifteen motel units are all ground level, so those having older dogs won’t have to worry about stairs. As a guest of the Alpine Village Inn, you and your pup will be welcomed by Innkeepers, Charles and Katherine Smid, who make you feel right at home. You will also have the convenience of being in the heart of town, with just a short walk to shops, restaurants, and parks. Hillwinds Inn- The Hillwinds Inn offers a unique place to stay while you enjoy the surrounding area of Blowing Rock with your dog. Step on out with your dog leash in hand and head out to the heart of town, where there are parks and shops to explore with your pup. The quaintness and the character of the location makes it a little more special. When you check in, make sure to ask for the gourmet dog treats they have at check-in Homestead Inn- Homestead Inn is made up of 15 newly remodeled standard and deluxe cottage-style rooms. What is great about this place is that they’re super pet friendly, even having cats and dogs of their own at the Inn. It’s a great place for you and your canine to relax and snooze. It’s a short walk to Main Street and they even offer pet sitting while you’re out and about! Inn at Ragged Gardens- This early 1900’s manor offers an enchanting hideaway in the heart of the historic village of Blowing Rock. The Inn is surrounded by an acre of gardens that you can explore with you and your four-legged friend. Its close location also allows for easy walking with you and your pup to all of the shoppes, boutiques, parks, and art galleries within downtown Blowing Rock. Hellbender Bed & Beverage– This 1921 building, the former Sunshine Inn and Crippens Country Inn, has been renovated and modernized and hosts seven beautiful, light and airy guest rooms. Their cottage that is separate from the main building is pet friendly and one that you and your dog will love. If you are wanting a place that feels more like home away from home for your pup, check out some rental properties in the area! Rental homes will definitely give your pup lots of room to run around and relax. Here is a list of pet-friendly rental groups that can accommodate you and your pup! Rentals Bull N’ Bear(919) 606-4547http://blowingrockrentals.com/ Sticks N’ Stones(919) 606-4547http://blowingrockrentals.com/ White Fence Farm Vacation Rentals(828) 266-5607http://whitefencefarmrentals.com/ Blowing Rock Properties(828) 295-9200https://blowingrockproperties.com/ Blowing Rock Resort Rentals and Sales(828) 295-9899http://www.blowingrockresortrentals.com/ Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals, INC.(800) 237-7975https://www.blueridgerentals.com/ Jenkins Rentals(828) 295-9888http://www.jenkinsrentals.com/ Camping If you want to get more outdoors, why not take your pup camping? Take your four legged friend to one of our fantastic campgrounds we have in the area! Julian Price Campground, Flintlock Campground, Grandfather Campground, and Blue Bear Mountain Campground are all pet friendly! To find more pet friendly lodging options around the surrounding area, check out bringfido.com To make reservations or to view other lodging options, visit our lodging page. Want to see more dog friendly ideas in Blowing Rock? visit https://blowingrock.com/dogs/
Welcome to Chetola Resort & Spa. Chetola means “haven of rest” and it’s a fitting name for the lakeside resort. Once a sprawling private estate, the mountain property has seen many changes over the years and even had a small bowling alley when Luther Snyder, the “Coca-cola King of the Carolinas” lived there. These days, it’s open to the public for events & dining, spa activities, and overnight stays. It’s still family-owned, and you might catch one of the Tarbutton family at the Resort or the Sporting Reserve on any given day. The history of the place is treasured by the family, and all over the resort you’ll find interesting touches that recall the earlier days of the estate. Guests who stay at the resort can choose from lodge rooms, condominium rentals, or the luxurious Bob Timberlake Inn for accommodations. They can enjoy a wide variety of recreation on site, as well as shooting and archery at the 67-acre Chetola Sporting Reserve nearby. Chetola is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Lodge and anglers can even reserve trips to private fishing waters. Events at the resort range from private weddings to public holiday dinners. You may have attended a major public event like the WinterFest Polar Bear Plunge or the Symphony by the Lake at Chetola. Stop in and check out Bonfire Night on Fridays and Saturdays at the lakeside firepit and mark your calendars for the upcoming Festival of Lights!
Welcome to Blowing Rock Brewing Co., our downtown artisan brewery! The local brewing facility on Sunset Drive was completed in 2013, along with the renovation and opening of the Blowing Rock Ale House & Inn. The Inn has 5 beautiful guest rooms, and the Ale House has become known for delicious, seasonally-focused dishes. Twelve taps offer plenty of brews to go with lunch or dinner. Owners Jeff and Todd believe that clean mountain water, unique ingredients, and the local community together create craft beers like no others. The small-batch facility in Blowing Rock creates some truly special seasonal brews with ingredients like huckleberries, juniper berries, and peaches. One of the most recent beers was made as a fundraiser for the Middle Fork Greenway project, an IPA for “Improving People’s Access.” Some of these seasonal creations can only be found at the Blowing Rock Ale House, and are served alongside their Legacy and Elevation Series. Blowing Rock Brewing has expanded into Hickory as well, and now produces 26 styles of locally made craft beer.
Welcome to the Green Park Inn! This grand hotel was opened in 1891 as a premier destination, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built on the Eastern Continental Divide, utilizing the refreshing mountain spring at the headwaters of the Yadkin River, and offered a ballroom, billiard room, bowling alleys, telegraph, and a post office. It was by far the most luxurious lodging experience in the area at the time. Over the years, the hotel hosted many famous and memorable people and gained popularity as a place to be and be seen. After falling into disrepair, the Green Park Inn was saved by brothers Steve and Eugene Irace in 2010. They understood the local significance of the hotel and began their ongoing goal of bringing the Green Park Inn back to her former glory. Today, guests are pleasantly surprised at how authentic the restored hotel feels- like taking a step back in time. Much of the hotel’s public areas still contain original details, like some construction made from American Chestnut, which is now virtually extinct. The name of the hotel’s restaurant, The Chestnut Grille, pays homage to the tree. The dining room has been meticulously restored, and now offers an elegant setting in which to enjoy approachable comfort foods like cast iron cornbread and Garden Vegetable Pasta- with herbs & veggies from the on-site garden! The Green Park Inn is the centerpiece of the Green Park Historic District, and we’re so proud to have such a beautiful and historically significant property in our town!
In 1846, Lot Estes purchased 100 acres with a horse stable and a way station for freight, passengers, and mail for only 5 cents per acre. Mr. Estes built a family home which was eventually used as a boarding house and became known as Silverlake, a summer resort. In 1892, Alabama native William Stringfellow purchased the resort, convinced by his wife that the cooler weather would improve her husband’s tuberculosis. It was the Stringfellows who actually named the estate Chetola, which in Cherokee means “Haven of Rest” and turned it into one of the most beautiful private dwellings in Blowing Rock. Mr. Stringfellow enlarged the estate by building a spring house, a smokehouse, a servant’s house, a caretaker’s home, and a large horse stable. William Stringfellow’s health improved greatly while at Chetola. In 1919 he sold the property. In 1926, J. Luther Snyder, a Coca-Cola bottling mogul, purchased Chetola Estate. He paid $36,000 for 36 acres. Known as the “Coca-Cola Kind of the Carolinas,” Luther started his career by traveling the streets of Charlotte in a one-horse wagon selling Coca-Cola to merchants and eventually operated 10 Coca-Cola bottling plants in the Charlotte area. Luther expanded the estate, building a regulation bowling alley for his children, and horseback riding trails joining those at the bordering Moses Cone Estate, which today is located off the Blue. Ridge Parkway. With six children, the Snyders entertained frequently and often invited the entire community, a glorious time which ended with Luther’s death in 1957 at the age of 83. The estate remained in the family until 1972. In 1982 Chetola Resort was purchased by a group of businessmen who constructed the lodge, condominiums, and meeting facilities. Current owners, Rachael Renar and her son Kent Tarbutton purchased Chetola in 1997. In Fall 2004, the Manor House Estate House became the Bob Timberlake Inn at Chetola Resort, a bed and breakfast featuring the designs, furnishings, and accessories of North Carolina artist, Bob Timberlake. Rooms in the Bob Timberlake Inn are named for past and present owners of Chetola, as well as other regional and local historic figures such as Hugh Morton, Moses Cone, and Ben Church. In subsequent years the resort also added a spa, and remodeled the restaurant, after a kitchen fire. While the new restaurant, reintroduced as Timberlake’s was being built, construction crews unearthed a fireplace, estimated to have been built between the 1890s and early 1900s, with an original locust log in the hearth. The fireplace remains in the restaurant’s main dining room, Timbers. In early August 2011, the Manor House Restaurant, which occupied the main level of the original 1846 Estate House, suffered a kitchen fire and closed for a year while the restaurant underwent a redesign to offer additional lakefront dining. In July 2012 the restaurant reopened as Timberlake’s Restaurant, featuring a menu inspired by artist Bob Timberlake’s culinary favorites and outfitted with Timberlake’s paintings, designs, and historic angling and hunting equipment. While Timberlake’s was being built, construction crews unearthed a fireplace, estimated to have been built between the 1890s and early 1900s, with an original locust log in the hearth. The fireplace remains in the restaurant’s main dining room, Timbers. For more information, visit chetola.com.
The 73,000 square foot Green Park Inn opened its doors in summer 1891, the vision of three Lenoir, NC businessmen, led by Civil War veteran Major George Washington Findlay Harper. The posh new hotel featured sixty guest rooms furnished with fireplaces, running water, and electric bell alarms, and was comprised of three levels containing the restaurant and bar, hot and cold bath amenities, a ballroom, billiard room, bowling alley, shooting gallery, tennis court, and a telegraph and post office for public use. The Green Park Inn continued to house the only United States Post Office in the area for many years and guests can glimpse the first sorting system in the History Room of the hotel. Known as the “Grand Dame of the High Country,” Green Park Inn was a popular vacation spot for luminaries and celebrities including Annie Oakley, J.D. Rockefeller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Margaret Mitchell (who penned part of “Gone With the Wind” while a guest at the inn). In May 2010, the Green Park Inn was purchased and refurbished by New York hoteliers and brothers Eugene and Steven Irace. Today, the hotel features eighty-eight guest rooms; multiple common areas, including a lobby, library, and tea room; two event spaces, the Carolina Room and the Blue Ridge Room; the bar, now known as the Divide Tavern; and the updated restaurant now named the Chestnut Grille.The inn recently launched a fitness center available to guests – the very first in its history. In 1982 The Green Park Inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places with distinctions about the hotel’s physical location straddling the Eastern Continental Divide and its significance throughout the rich history of North Carolina and the High Country. Green Park Inn is the last of the grand manor hotels in western North Carolina, and is the state’s second oldest operating resort hotel. For more information, visit greenparkinn.com.
© 2024, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
