It had to be done. Within days of coming back from the cottage two months ago, I contacted Angela, a friend, Nesting Place board member {did you know there was a board?} and sponsor, to see when we could go back with my parents. I wanted them to enjoy the stillness and beauty that is the cottage. I wanted my mom to experience tubing. My boys wanted to sleep in the bunks. My husband wanted to smoke a cigar under the stars with my dad. And I needed more inspiration.
We went on the edge of the beginning of the cusp of the fall colors. Ok so it’s still weeks away but can you imagine these hills filled with fall beauty? The nice thing about the North Carolina mountains are that even on a midsummer’s night, the hot tub is wonderful. It will be even better on the crisp fall evenings.
I tried to pinpoint exactly why I like going to the cottage. It’s got beds made from material that Angela must have imported straight from kittens in heaven, and stone fireplaces and exposed beams and stunning views. The night sky holds stars of Biblical proportions.
I like the inside as much as the outside. And while I looked around I tried to take mental notes of what exactly it is that creates the atmosphere of relaxation and peace both inside and outside. I want my home to have that kind of feeling.
The cottage is perfectly positioned so you don’t see any other homes or hear highways or interruptions. While you are there it is still. And slow. And quiet. But if you need to run to Wal-Mart you can totally be there in 15 minutes.
The inside captures the same essence. It is still. It is quiet. Each item in the cottage has a voice. I thought about my own home. Every item still has a voice, but because there are so many of them, they often are vying for my attention and shouting. They are loud with their “look at me”. Note to self, one way to achieve a visually peaceful home is to quiet the house. Let the things I love speak and remove the clutter. Maybe that can help me feel like I am on vacation even in my own home.
dad
My parents stayed in the main level bedroom and my man and I stayed downstairs in my favorite bed. The boys were thrilled to get to stay in the bunk room again. My 9 year old likes the bunks so much he went to bed early just to enjoy them. Seriously, he missed the season finale of Whale Wars just to get to lay in a top bunk. And just like always, I have no photographic record that either me or my mom were even on this trip. Somehow, the women never get photographed.
Oh wait, that’s my foot. I was trying to estimate the size of this bowl of succulents so I took a photo of it next to my foot because clearly, that is the normal way to measure things. Never mind, I DID get photographed after all. I think I’ll have this photo framed to remember the trip.
The cottage still has some prime fall availability. It’s located in the mountains of Waynesville, NC just 40 minutes from Asheville, convenient to the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. Here are a few ideas of things to do during your stay. If a group of girls want to go and invite me, I’m dying to go shop at the Tobacco Barn.
We went tubing in Deep Creek. I think my husband secretly wished we had a few more people with us. He finds great pleausre in tying things on top of the car. It must be a man thing.
Click Here to see more photos of the cottage
Click Here to find out specific information on availability and rates
{two families can stay for about the same price as they’d each pay at a hotel!}
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Last time we went, I was so inspired by the cottage I wrote a little series about all that I learned::
Visit Angela’s Blog:: The Painted House
I learn something from everyplace I’ve visited. I bet you do as well.
I do learn from places we visit. Our master bath is painted the terra cotta rose color of the bathrooms in our favorite NC mountain B&B – a color I never would have considered before that first trip. But most recently, I learned that when you name your mountain cottage “Moose Lodge” you are apparently obliged to decorate every room with moose things (light switch plates, stuffed animals, blankets, cookie cutters, “art” work, throw rugs, and MORE!). Maybe I should just name our house “Lego Lodge” and stop worrying about picking up all those pieces….
Oh my! I love it. I’m already wondering which family members I want to invite & flipping through my calendar in my mind to pick the dates! I looked through all of it. They really have thought of everything. I love it. If you have any other vrbo finds, I’d love to know b/c we are big rental fans for getaways.
oooh Tina, we are big VRBO fans! We found the greatest villa on Seabrook Island through VRBO. Have stayed there for several years, many times. (Near Charleston) Love it!
(the other) Tina
clearly wishing i were there with you. maybe we could plan a rendezvous there sometime in the winter or something? p.s.–i like your way of measuring…wish i’d thought of it. xo.
It’s just beautiful and inspiring. I like the way you said to let things in your home speak to you and to remove the clutter. With 2 young darlings in my house, we have just too much stuff. I’m aiming for simpler. I’m looking forward to your 31 days posts! BTW, how do you put up that really cool mosaic above? I’d love to do something like that on my green real estate blog! Thanks Nester!
I’m JEALOUS! Looks like so much fun. Love Angela’s cottage…
What a wonderful cottage! We’ve been looking for a quaint cottage to rent in NC. We may check into it. Thanks!
I think you hit the nail on the head – PEACEFUL. To me, the best kind of vacation. I feel the same way at the lake, etc.
We live just over the mountains on the TN side and have frequented the area. The peacefulness of the mountains is very soothing to me. My husbands favorite place on earth is Cades Cove. We also enjoy camping in the mountain area.
I love Asheville, Hendersonville and the Black Mt. areas. And yes, the Tobacco Barn is wonderful!
tina
Heavenly kittens … hee hee
I love how quiet these rooms look – no clutter. I think I’ll down a cup of coffee and start cleaning off my tables … and counters … and bookcases.
We are going to the Smokies in Tennessee in a few weeks…can’t wait!! This makes me want to go NOW!
We LOVE Deep Creek!!!
I think that it is also that you have no cares at the cottage, Nester. No cars oil needs changing or tires inflated; no grass needs cutting; no dusting of furniture; there is nothing that must be done right now this minute before some other demanding chore comes along. We rented a house for a week in Maine one year, with another family, on a lake, and I have to say it was probably one of the best family vacations we ever had! For $800.00 for the week, it was also reasonable for the two of us to split at $400.00 a piece and we had the use of the owner’s sailboat and canoe.
What a beautiful cottage, i would love to visit North Carolina next year with my family.
Sounds like heaven on earth. What a great place and so much fun to share it with loved ones. Great pics. Hugs, Marty
Gorgeous!
What a relaxing way to enjoy the family! And the photos alone were inspiring–I can only imagine how it must be to be there!
That is beautiful! My aunt and uncle live in Canton, right beside Waynesville, so I will definitely have to check it out. Love it! I want to go to the mountains soooo bad, but haven’t been there in like three years! We always end up going to the beach because my in-laws live there. I def want to take my little guy to the mountains soon. In the fall, there is nothing like the NC mountains!
I think you said a mouthful when you said remove what you don’t love. Sometimes we just get our homes so full of stuff we can’t hear or feel the silence. There is much to be said about silence and peace (and no clutter). Show us what you learn, we will be indebted.
I have been telling my girlfriends about this place! Ever since reading about it here!!!! I so want to go, it looks so incredible. And would be reasonable.You’d just need to rent a car and pay for flight on top of it.
Cindy
I just got back from shopping in Asheville this afternoon. If you go to the Tobacco Barn, you may also want to check out the Screen Door which is very close by. http://www.screendoorasheville.com
I love the sunburst mirror. That photo of the road and fall foliage is so perfect is doesn’t even look real. You go God!
Oh I am definitely going to the Tobacco Barn next time I’m in Asheville!
Oh, gosh, Nester, I want to go! In fact, I’d like to go and invite you and Emily to come along. Your husband and boys could come here and stay with my husband and boys. Chad and Jack could smoke cigars on our screened porch while the boys play video games or Legos or shoot guns or some such. And I would take our camera and take lots and lots of pictures of you–maybe your hand, or your elbow, or your ear, or some other body part to go along with your foot.
Angela is just brilliant. I can see why you would have her on the Nesting Place board. No, I didn’t know there was a board, but it makes sense.
I hope you’re doing well!
sounds glorious!
and Jack is our dogs name too, for a slit second I envisioned my dog smoking a cigar, ahhh, but you mean your HUSBAND, Jack!
Oh my goodness! That is nothing short of heaven on earth!!!! The sites, the decor, the environment!!!!!!!!!
Gorgeous!!!!
I really really really really want to visit there! So gorgeous. I will be sharing this with the husband. ;)
That was such a lovely post… it relaxed me after a hectic day!
Now I need to read the rest of the series.
Keep doing what you do !
What a wonderful cozy cottage! I live 10 minutes from Waynesville. It’s such a wonderful place to live; beautiful year round. We love living here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And I LOVE the Antique Tobacco Barn too! Check out Sweeten Creek Antiques on your next visit; they have lots of great stuff too.
Thank you, Nester! So happy you all had another wonderful stay. Deep Creek is the best! And, yes, listen to your commenters and go to the Screened Door (but don’t even try to bargain there–the prices are fixed, sadly) and Sweeten Creek (that is where I bought the yellow lamp in “your” bedroom, the white tobacco basket, a bird needlepoint, the wooden tray, and the magnolia painting.).
Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! :)
When are you coming back?
Seriously, did you take that picture of the Blue Ridge Mountain road?? It is stunning! I looked twice to see if you had a photo credit underneath it, but none. (Not that I don’t think you could have photographed it that well. It just looks so unusually clear and crisp… and the colors…and the composition…looks like a magazine photo.Wow!! It really looks unreal. You should enter it in a contest.
nope, I found it on a blog where they clearly didn’t take the photo and they had no credit so I didn’t know who took it. Halp? anyone?
I’m so home sick for those mountains! I remember seeing this cabin before…maybe the pictures were yours. I would love to hang out there…maybe next year. thanks for ht mini- metal vacation!
Happy Fall!
Linda
OMG you would LOVE the Tobacco Barn!!! My in-laws live in Hendersonville (about 20 min from Asheville) and my MIL and I went there a few weekends ago just to kick around a little. Ummmmm if I had had a moving van with me it would have been filled to the brim with stuff!!!!! It’s wonderful. BUT, if you didn’t go in there looking for specific items you could totally get carried away. :) But you would love it. :)
The cottage is my dream home. I’ve been telling my husband I want/need to live in a home that feels secluded but is a short drive to town/civilization. I can’t wait to vacation there. I want to take one trip with my best friend’s family & another with my parents. And another trip with our close friends.
Looks perfect. We would move to that nook of the country in a minute if we could! But the tobacco barn? Just makes me smile to think of it. Perhaps you could plan a shopping trip there for your readers? Who wouldn’t enjoy a weekend in Asheville?
LOL – we watch Whale Wars too!
The cottage is so beautiful!
Mary Ellen
Seeing your posts for this cabin makes me miss my mountain life in the next city over from Waynesville soooo bad. I went to school at Western Carolina University (WCU), met my husband there, got married, had babies, and eventually had to move away last year to live in Elon, North Carolina. Those 10 years of my life were the most peaceful and happy I have ever been. Seeing my beloved mountain community on these posts brings me the peace that I miss so much. I hope you felt the peace and blessings that this area holds. Thanks for this post Nester!
I need to go there. Must make that happen next year, this years vacation took us to Chicago.
OMGoodness! :) How fun! I am so glad you took the folks…Memories are so important! I wanted to let you know, I am writing an Ebook! I am so super excited about this! I will fill you in later about it! Have you stopped by and stalked, I mean, looked at my client’s home> It is a gorgeous home…and the colors are so serene! Hugs, Meme
ugh. love. who decorated the cabin? because i want to copycat hardcore! and ps. tubing is probably one of my favorite things to do EVER. i always pray that we have it in heaven. for real.
I know you don’t know me, but I want in on the girls’ weekend too! The Cottage is simply beautiful, and our family loves the Smokies (we live on the TN side in Knoxville). I can’t think of anything more relaxing after a day of antiquing than sitting in that hot tub with a mountain view. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad I found your blog via Red Letter Words. Your cottage looks amazing and we’ve talked about visiting that area so many times. Now I know where I’ll want to stay when the time comes! Do you recommend a certain time of the yr. that’s best? Great interior decor…..
have a great day…..
oops….maybe i goofed?….yall stayed there, but it’s owned by someone else? I’ll ck the main website…..it looks sooo cute though…thx for sharing…..
OMG! It’s so exciting to see people that are around my stomping grounds. I grew up going camping to Deep Creek and have tons of memories I’ll never forget. That cottage looks like a memory I would love to ADD. Thanks for the post!!
I just went tubing for the first time in my life, and we were on Deep Creek, too. That must be the place to do it. So fun to tie the huge tubes on top of the van. We ate our lunch in the parking lot, sitting in the tubes and watching the butterflies. Delightful!
How beautiful.
I love western NC! Like, love it. To my bones. And I know I’m Texan and you’re not supposed to mention loving other states, but I can’t help it! My friends call NC my mistress. Anyway, that wasn’t the point of this comment. Have you been to Brevard? Holy smokes! You HAVE to go! Your boys would love sliding down sliding rock.
This cottage you found is unbelievable! Thanks for the link!
Loving you posted this! I’m going in two weeks to Bryson City and Deep Creek runs right beside our camp ground, looking forward to spending some time there. I would love to go back in Oct. to see the leaves change, this house looks perfect!
We spent our family vacation this summer in Asheville, NC. I thought of you while we were there… being from Texas and all it was a BIG deal to be that far away and experience “new”. Can’t believe the cottage was SO close to where we were. Love the pictures!
My boys are into Whale Wars too. I’ll admit, I don’t get it.
What a beautiful place! Love the tubes on the top of the car!
wow, i want to go there RIGHT NOW.
we just got back from a trip up to Lake Lure and while there went to the Blue Ridge Pkwy and to the Mount Mitchell and ate at the “highest” restaurant in the east coast. It was soo fun and the views were magnificent!