The Inn on Mill Creek

Discover a wonderful day (or several) in the mountains and woods of Western North Carolina during your stay at the Inn on Mill Creek, an Asheville/Black Mountain area bed and breakfast literally surrounded by North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest.

Geographically, we're centrally located between Biltmore Estate, Mount Mitchell (the highest peak in the eastern United States) along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Lake Lure/Chimney Rock State Park area.

The eclectic small city of Asheville, also known as Foodtopia and one of the best small cities for art, is 20-25 minutes west. The small town of Black Mountain, with its walkable downtown, charming shops and local farm-friendly restaurants, is just 10 minutes to the west, while the historic railroad town of Old Fort is 15 minutes to the east.

Our area attracts the nature lover, the romantic, the history buff, and those who like to take the scenic route to a relaxing and rejuvenating destination.

With over seven private, wooded acres, seven casual and comfortable guest rooms, and two rhododendron-filled miles of protected forest land between our B&B and the rat race, you have the easy task of taking your vacation at your own pace.

The Inn on Mill Creek's Main House has four guest rooms and is where the two-and-a-half story Great Room common area is located. Our Lake House has three guest rooms and a shared deck along the water. The buildings are separated by the Pool Garden, a lovely perennial and herb garden that was formerly a swimming pool.

• Every guest room at our Bed & Breakfast has its own private bathroom.
• Free wi-fi is available in guest rooms and throughout the Inn. In addition, a desktop computer is available in the Main House Great Room with internet access.
• Main House guest rooms are on central A/C and heat; Lake House guest rooms have individual climate control.
• The Main House has a full-size refrigerator for guest use; the Lake House has a full kitchen for Lake House guests.
• Our water is naturally fresh, mountain spring water that does not travel through any municipal areas to reach us. It's chemical-free, double filtered and softened in the house. It's perfect for our jetted tubs {and it tastes great!}.
• Full breakfast is included in the room rate. Breakfast is served in the Main House dining solarium {warm weather months} or dining area near the kitchen {cool weather months}.

BREAKFAST IS SERVED

We treat our guests to a full sit-down breakfast. In warm weather months, you can enjoy that all-important first meal of the day in our glassed-in dining solarium, looking out on awakening Pisgah National Forest that surrounds our bed and breakfast near Black Mountain and Asheville. In cool weather, guests dine inside the Main House in our cozy dining area by the kitchen.

Typically, we offer an early {8:15am} and a late {9:00am} breakfast option, to meet the needs and schedules of our guests. Coffee is on at 7:30 a.m. {Dave is selective about his brew}, and we fresh-squeeze and blend juices every morning, with fruit from our orchard when in season. Our waffles were featured in Our State magazine's February 2012 issue!

Need a snack during the day (or at midnight)? You'll find baked goodies, such as snickerdoodles, flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin bars with white chocolate chips, brownies, scones, etc., under glass on the counter in our open kitchen area. Goodies do vary throughout the week.

Our philosophy on breakfast is that 'hearty' trumps 'fancy' and 'savory' beats 'sweet', though we do try to make and present breakfasts that are memorable and not just plain everyday breakfast fare.

With a few rare exceptions, individualized portions of the main entrée are prepared by Dave, rounded out with muffins or breads, a side meat, fresh fruit dish, and fresh-squeezed juice blends. Individualizing our portions means we can modify a dish or serve to your specific taste {e.g., leave out or substitute for a specific ingredient}, so do let us know if you have any special dietary requests or allergies when you reserve your room. We can prepare diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan dishes, as well as vegetarian alternatives for all our main dishes. And if any of our daily specialties aren't quite to your individual taste {it's OK, you are not as picky an eater as Innkeeper Brigette, trust us}, we always have standard breakfast fare available by advance request, such as cereal, oatmeal, toast, bagels, and fruit.

We like to share - several of our recipes are posted on our Bed & Breakfast Blog.

MAIN ENTRÉES

• Our Frittata-style Eggs with ham or sausage, sweet peppers and Vidalia onions, topped lightly with cheese, and ringed in crisp and flaky crescent dough
• Pumpkin Belgian Waffles, served with 100% pure maple syrup from Vermont, with fresh seasonal fruit, eggs and sausage/font>
• Rosemary Shirred Eggs
• Stuffed Puffed French Toast with layers of strawberry preserves, brown sugar and cinnamon
• Orange Soufflé served in our large Garrou pottery bowl commissioned specifically for soufflé
• Potato-crusted Ham, Vegetable and Cheese Quiche

FRESH FRUIT SIDES

• Honey Lime Fresh Fruit Cocktail served with our local sourwood honey
• Baked Bananas with brown sugar, topped with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon
• Citrus Apple Compote with orange blossom honey
• Individual Apple Crisps
• Fresh seasonal fruit

BREADS/MUFFINS {always made from scratch}

• Popovers
• Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Irish Soda Bread Muffins
• Pumpkin Bread
• Cinnamon Peach Bread
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

MEAT SIDES

• Homemade Sweet Onion Sausage Balls
• Thick-Sliced Pepper Rubbed Bacon, cooked 'low and slow' to crispy perfection
• Sliced Ham, pan-fried with just a touch of brown sugar
• Sausage Links

FRUIT JUICE BLENDS {otherwise known as our 'daily house blends'}

• Orange Apple with a splash of Lime
• Orange Ginger Peach
• Apple Pineapple
• Pineapple Orange Banana
• Orange Strawberry Banana

ABOUT THE INN ON MILL CREEK

Escape the hustle and bustle and find serenity two miles inside Pisgah National Forest at our Black Mountain area Bed & Breakfast in the North Carolina mountains. We're not your typical B&B. Ten minutes off of Interstate 40 is a scenic drive curving through western North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest that brings you to the Inn on Mill Creek, where you're completely surrounded by the calmingly beautiful scenery of the rhododendron-filled forest {our rhododendron blooms white in the summertime, by the way}. Our neighbors have names like Indigo Bunting, Carolina Chickadee, Swainson's Warbler, and Whip-Poor-Will, and so we're also a site -- one of the few private properties, in fact -- on the North Carolina Birding Trail, Mountain Region.

Inn on Mill Creek Aerial ViewTwo laurel-covered mountainsides inside Pisgah National Forest, Bernard Mountain and Horse Ridge, flank our seven private acres to the east and west, respectively. On the Horse Ridge side of the property is our fruit orchard, with its view of Green Knob {site of a fabulous trail and cool fire tower} on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the north.

A quarter-mile from the south end of the grounds are two Forest Service access roads, which are vehicle-free, unpaved pathways into the National Forest. Additionally, the Inn is a short drive from miles of walking, biking and hiking trails, as well as Chimney Rock State Park, Biltmore Estate and Asheville, shopping and dining in Black Mountain, Montreat College and Warren Wilson College, the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, 12 local microbreweries {with Sierra Nevada coming soon!}, and more. Use the Inn as your base of operations for your vacation and see more things to do on our Area Activities page.

Looking for a getaway where you can do "a whole lot of nothing"? We can help with that, too. After breakfast, if you want to stick around and relax on the property, you can enjoy:

• A comfortable, private room where you can take it easy during the day and rest your head at night {pick your room}
• A two-story Great Room with floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of cushy couches {and a 5'x9' projection HD-TV}
• Free wi-fi
• A DVD and VHS movie library and board games
• A library loft with books that you can borrow during your stay
• Outdoor decks with plenty of seating, and a grill available for guest use
• A large firepit
• Seven acres of grounds, including a fruit orchard and garden spaces, great for casual strolls

At the Inn on Mill Creek, we strive for a relaxed, casual atmosphere. The Inn is situated at 2,300 feet above sea level, so you'll experience fresh and clean mountain air, months of flowering plants in spring and summer, a six-week fall season that will knock your socks off, and winters that typically arrive around Christmas and depart with the arrival of daffodils in March.

The Inn on Mill Creek hosts elopements and intimate wedding ceremonies throughout the year, with outdoor weddings of 20 or fewer guests through the first weekend in October and elopements year-round. Our Bed & Breakfast near Black Mountain and Asheville is nestled on more than seven private wooded acres, two miles into Pisgah National Forest. With seven rooms, the Inn is perfect for weddings and gatherings with close family and friends, or an elopement for just the two of you.

Please contact us via e-mail or at 828.668.1115 to share your plans and visit www.innonmillcreek.com/weddings.htm for more information.

Two of our guest rooms at the Inn on Mill Creek are pet friendly. See www.innonmillcreek.com for information and policies regarding pets. And don't forget to check out our guest pet photos on Facebook!

Take your vacation at your own pace while you're staying at the Inn on Mill Creek and explore hiking, sightseeing, art, birding (the Inn is a site on the North Carolina Birding Trail), the Blue Ridge Parkway, area attractions such as Biltmore Estate, state parks like Mt. Mitchell and Chimney Rock, and wonderful dining experiences in an area where local ingredients are the norm. Much more information can be found at our website: www.innonmillcreek.com/activities.htm.

The Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast is located three miles (10 minutes) northeast of downtown Black Mountain in western North Carolina, and seven miles (15 minutes) west of the town of Old Fort. The Google Map below is an excellent and convenient way to map us -- simply enter directions, print a map if you like, and you're on your way!

WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU'LL FIND THE INN USING A GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEM. If 3895 Mill Creek Road, Old Fort, NC, 28762 doesn’t come up on your GPS, or it says something like “next closest address”, your GPS is NOT going to get you to the Inn. You can try the coordinates [N35°38'34" W82°15'21"] or [Latitude 35.643, Longitude -82.256], or please use the Google Map on this page.

Below the Google Map, we've also provided step-by-step driving directions to the Inn on Mill Creek from I-40. A helpful note: Look for the Blue and White "Bed & Breakfast" signs at each of the turns off the interstate to Mill Creek Road. You will easily find us approximately 10 minutes from I-40 Exit 66 (Ridgecrest) and more than a mile from our nearest neighbor.

Driving Directions

From Louisville, Charleston (W.Va), Roanoke, Richmond, D.C., and other points NORTH

• Traveling US-29, I-77, or I-85 South: Proceed to I-40 West and follow our directions from the east.
• Traveling I-75 South: Proceed east on 640 to I-40 East in Knoxville, Tenn., and then follow our directions from the west.
• Traveling I-81 South: Proceed to I-26 East to I-40 East in Asheville, then follow our directions from the west.

From Atlanta, Greenville (SC), Columbia, Charleston (SC), and other points SOUTH

• Traveling I-77 North: Proceed to I-40 West, then follow our directions from the east.
• Traveling I-85 South out of Charlotte: Proceed to 321 North to I-40 West and follow our directions from the east.
• Traveling I-85 North out of Atlanta: Proceed to I-26 West, then take exit 31A (I-40 East) and follow our directions from the west.
• Traveling I-95 North: Proceed to I-26 West, then take exit 31A (I-40 East) and follow our directions from the west.

From Hickory, Greensboro, Raleigh/Durham, and other points EAST

• Take I-40 West to Exit 66 (Ridgecrest), which is the next exit after Exit 73 (Old Fort).
• Turn RIGHT at the end of the exit ramp. It will take about 10 minutes to get to us from this point.
• Turn RIGHT at the first stop sign, onto Old Hwy 70 / State Street.
• Travel about 3/4 mile (just after passing Ridgecrest Conference Center on your left), then turn LEFT at the stop sign (Yates Avenue / Old Hwy 70). This road will begin to take you into Pisgah National Forest.
• After about 1 mile, the paved road will be barricaded as it becomes the Point Lookout Trail Greenway. At the barricade, veer LEFT onto the gravel road that winds its way through the forest for another 1.5 miles to the Inn. You'll see what appear to be steep driveways along the road. Please go past those; our driveway is not steep and you can see the Inn from the road. A split-rail fence marks our property (as well as a tall security light if you are traveling at night).

From Asheville, Knoxville, and other points WEST

• Travel I-40 East to Exit 66 (Ridgecrest), which is the next exit after Exit 64 (Black Mountain).
• Turn LEFT at the end of the exit ramp. It will take about 10 minutes to get to us from this point. Turn  RIGHT at the first stop sign, onto Old Hwy 70 / State Street.
• Travel about 3/4 mile (just after passing Ridgecrest Conference Center on your left), then turn LEFT at the stop sign (Yates Avenue / Old Hwy 70). This road will begin to take you into Pisgah National Forest.
• After about 1 mile, the paved road will be barricaded as it becomes the Point Lookout Trail Greenway. At the barricade, veer LEFT onto the gravel road that winds its way through the forest for another 1.5 miles to the Inn. You'll see what appear to be steep driveways along the road. Please go past those; our driveway is not steep and you can see the Inn from the road. A split-rail fence marks our property (as well as a tall security light if you are traveling at night).

DISTANCES

A helpful tip: In the mountains of North Carolina, people often use time rather than mileage when talking about distance. There is rarely a straight line between two beautiful points on a scenic drive in the mountains.

Black Mountain, NC: 3 miles, 10-15 minutes
Old Fort, NC: 7 miles, 15 minutes
Biltmore Estate: 19 miles, 20 minutes
Blue Ridge Parkway via Asheville: 20 miles, 20 minutes
Downtown Asheville: 22 miles, 25 minutes
Chimney Rock/Lake Lure: 25 miles, 35 minutes
Hickory Nut Gorge: 25 miles, 40 minutes
Lake James State Park: 35 miles, 45 minutes
Mount Pisgah: 50 miles, 1 hour
Mount Mitchell: 55 miles, 1 hour
Hickory, NC: 62 miles, 1 hour
Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park: 72 miles, 1.5 hours
Greenville, SC: 78 miles, 1.5 hours
Knoxville, TN: 130 miles, 2 hours
Charlotte, NC: 115 miles, 2 hours
Winston-Salem, NC: 132 miles, 2.5 hours
Columbia, SC: 172 miles, 2.75 hours
Raleigh, NC/Durham, NC: 210-230 miles, 3.5-3.75 hours
Atlanta, GA: 223 miles, 3.75 hours
Roanoke, VA: 242 miles, 3.75 hours
Charleston, SC: 283 miles, 4.5 hours