A Peaceful Weekend in Western North Carolina

Balsam, NC. A little map dot, and according to the 2010 data, it has a population of 44 people. However, one thing about this area in Western North Carolina in Jackson County, it has a culture rich in history. It's home to several buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places including the Balsam Mountain Inn, where I had the pleasure of staying for the second time this past weekend.

Being an antique and history lover, the Balsam Mountain Inn is simply nostalgic. According to the Inn's website, www.balsammountaininn.net, construction of the Inn began in 1905. It had 100 rooms, with only a community shower, and it served as a bed and breakfast to those who traveled on the railroad that currently still runs through Balsam. In the early 1990's the Inn was purchased by the current innkeeper, Merrily Teasely, who has restored the Inn to it's original grandeur, but not without a few changes...including combining the 100 small rooms into 50 larger rooms and by adding a shower or claw foot tub.

What makes the Balsam Mountain Inn so appealing, besides it's age and history, is that every room at the Inn is decorated completely different. All of the rooms throughout the three story Inn are different sizes, have different furniture, are painted differently and offer something unique. There are no TV's at the Inn, and very limited wireless access. What they do offer are open windows, two 100 foot porches with rocking chairs, a library, and antiques throughout the hallways that tell of the Inn's previous years. There's also a complimentary breakfast served each morning in the breakfast nook, and the Inn is also open for a delicious, romantic dinner.

Room 234

Thanks to a Groupon deal, this was our second time staying at the Balsam Mountain Inn. The first time we stayed in room 234, located on the second floor with a gorgeous mountain view and overlooking the courtyard.

Decorated in a whimsical turquoise blue, the room has open windows, white furniture and a gorgeous fireplace. The best part about this room is it's location, and the views from all the windows.

Room 313

Our second stay we choose a different room, room 313. It was on the third floor and much larger, but only featured dormer windows to look out of. The decorations were rustic, including the bed frame made out of tree branches that read "Balsam Inn," a very unique touch!

Dinner this weekend was delicious, I had the chicken marsala and Nate had the rib-eye steak. Both meals were amazing and we both cleaned our plates.

Downtown Sylva, NC

Saturday we spent out entire day in downtown historic Sylva, NC, an it was such a fun and pleasant experience. Who knew little towns could be full of such history, inviting community members and fun little shops. We first stopped at the Nichols House, which was built in 1900's by the same architect of the Balsam Mountain Inn. The current owner has turned the old town doctor's house into an antique shop and in every nook and cranny of the house you found more and more interesting antiques. We found two curtain rod studs that we plan to hang above our sliding door window. Our second stop was the old Jackson County Courthouse, which is now turned into a library and museum with all the National Register of Historic Places in the area, which of course featured the Balsam. We made our third stop at Finders Keepers, which had the most interesting antiques from all over. Of course, what would a weekend get-a-way be without trying out a few local breweries? 

Getting our "Gnome on" at Heinzelmannchen Brewery

Our first stop was a funky smelling German Brewery, that was very rustic, the Heinzelmannchen Brewery. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but the German brews were delicious and we ended up staying a while and even talking with the owner about his life in Germany. While the brewery itself was tiny, there was steady stream of local customers stopping in to get their beer and say hello. We ended our visit with of course purchasing one of the pint glasses with a cute German gnome on it. For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Innovation Brewery

According to Innovation Brewery's Facebook page, they just opened for business in October. Innovation Brewery was beautiful inside, everything was made out of wood, even the bar stools. They had a complete list of handcrafted IPAs, stouts and pale ales, including one brew that boasts a 13% alcohol content- needless to say, I only took a few sips of that one.

For more information on this brewery, check out their website: Innovation Brewery.

Our weekend trip was not only relaxing, but inspiring as well. It's great to get away from the stress of work and hustle and bustle of Charlotte, and escape to a place that just takes things a little bit slower. We are already planning out next trip to Balsam Mountain Inn and Jackson County...and this time I hope to stay in one of their tower suites and bring my parents along.

Until next time, Balsam Mountain Inn...