Red House Inn

Upcoming bike events

2009-03-03T21:00:00.002-05:00

There are two great bike events coming up on the 28th of March and the Red House Inn is a great place to stay for either of them.

The Assault on the Carolinas

The event has three featured rides that are fully supported with well-stocked rest stops and bathroom facilities. All rides start and finish at Brevard High School. Riders can choose between the 100K ( 65.8 miles), 60K (37 miles), and 40K (25 miles) options.
Each of the rides offers wonderful scenery, traffic support at major intersections, and well marked courses. All rides begin at 9:00am and follow the same course for approximately 9 miles.

2nd Annual Save the Trails @ Dupont State Forest

Location:
Start/finish area will be located at the Guion farmhouse in DuPont State Forest off of Sky Valley Road.
Brief Description:
A fun and challenging mountain bike RIDE through the scenic trails of DuPont State Forest. Funds raised go to Pisgah Area SORBA to help build and maintain the area trails for use by mountain bikers.
Three courses available:
Epic 44+ mile route- single track & access roads route covering all sections of the forest.
Expert 25+ mile ride - primarily single track & some access roads with lots ups and downs.
Intermediate 15 miles - a shorter, route but still a few challenging sections.
Additional Information
Registration will be held from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. at Guion Farm, off of Sky Valley Rd. The ride is rain or shine and concludes by 5:00 p.m. (at which time the gates will be locked). Food and drinks will be provided for all riders at rest stops along the routes. There will be a raffle so bring a few buck for raffle tickets and chance to win some cool prizes!
Prices:
SORBA MEMBER - $25.00NON MEMBER - $35.00
Registration:
Save money and register early! Early registration closes March 21st at midnight. On-site registration will be held from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. at Guion Farm, off of Sky Valley Rd.

Online Registration (ACTIVE.com) Ends: March 21, 2009 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Entertainment in Brevard

2009-02-20T09:40:00.002-05:00

We’re excited about music and film events in Brevard coming up soon. The Eroica Trio performs at the Porter Center for Performing Arts at Brevard College February 27 and Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour makes a stop here March 20-21 as well. For tickets and more information about events at the Porter Center go to their website http://www.theportercenter.org/.

Ongoing music events include Mountain Music Tuesdays at Celestial Mountain Music and on Thursday evenings at Silvermont. It’s a great chance to listen to traditional music and experience some local flavor. Both are free and within walking distance from the Red House Inn in downtown Brevard.

For other events, check out the new http://www.brevardnclive.com/ website which includes entertainment and outdoors events listings.

Hike to John's Rock

2008-10-29T10:01:00.004-04:00

The fall is a perfect time for hiking around Brevard. On a mid-October hike to John's Rock in Pisgah National Forest, we enjoyed the foliage along the trail and the cool, crisp air. Even nearing the end of October we're still seeing some of the best color we've ever seen in autumn. Views are terrific from a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway this time of year as well. We'll enjoy peak color into the second week in November so there's still time to come to the mountains to enjoy fall.

Great leaf season and we even have gasoline

2008-10-10T20:35:00.008-04:00

The last few weeks have been challenging here in Brevard as the shortage of gasoline meant lines at the pumps and sometimes there was no gas to be had in town. All that inconvenience is over now and the price of fuel is falling quickly which is a great help to people coming to Brevard to see the fall colour.

The leaves are starting to turn in the higher elevations and with all the dry weather we have had this summer we are expecting some brilliant colour. We recommend a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway for our guests to experience the early colour and the wonderful waterfalls at Graveyard Fields and in Pisgah National Forest. As the season progresses, we expect spectacular scenery at Dupont State Forest towards the end of the month, with fall colour providing a stunning backdrop for the magnificent waterfalls and the quiet beauty of Lake Julia.

As always, we have trail maps and waterfall guide books for guest use and we're more than happy to share directions our favorite spots. Lately, we've enjoyed hiking along the Parkway near Mount Pisgah with Copper and mountain biking in Dupont State Forest.

Chris from Chimney Rock State Park stopped by for a visit today and said that the park area usually has peak colour early in November and that he is expecting a great year. If you have never been to Chimney Rock we highly recommend it. There are some great trails to walk and the views over the gorge are wonderful. Some people especially like the elevator that runs inside the rock to take you to the top. The nearby town of Lake Lure provides shopping and dining for after the hike and all this is only about 35 minute drive from the Red House.

As you can tell Brevard is ideally placed for experiencing the best fall colour, and we have an extended season because of our central location. At the present time we still have availability for the first two weekends in November, which was when we saw our best colour last year although fewer people were here to see it.

Tour of Waterfalls

2008-05-05T17:07:00.001-04:00

Friends of DuPont Forest is sponsoring the Tour de Falls again this Mother’s Day Weekend. The 12 mile tour by shuttle bus visits four of DuPont Forest’s most spectacular sites including Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Lake Julia. Tours will be offered Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11. Easy-to-enter shuttles will leave from the Buck Forest parking area on Staton Road from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day. This tour is a great opportunity for families and those who cannot hike to experience the beauty of the forest, spring in bloom and breath-taking waterfalls. Bring a picnic lunch and your camera. Refreshments will be served in the rustic lodge overlooking Lake Julia before the tour returns to the parking lot.
A $10 per person donation is requested. Allow 2 hours for your tour.

Waterfalls and Wildflowers

2008-04-10T15:30:00.002-04:00

We have had some lovely sunny days and much needed rain making the waterfalls even more spectacular than usual. Daniel, Emily and I braved the threat of rain Saturday to hike up to Moore Cove Falls in Pisgah National Forest. The hike to the falls is relatively short beginning with a rustic set of steps flanked by rhododendron and laurel. We were pleased to find wildflowers just about to bloom. We avoided any downpours but Emily managed to get wet head to toe under the waterfall.

We drove on up to Sliding Rock which seemed deserted compared to summer crowds. Even though the water was running well, we decided to wait for warmer weather to slide that 40 feet and plunge into the 8 foot pool of icy river water.

Despite the weather this weekend, people were still out enjoying the forest, fishing, hiking and biking. While hatchery supported fishing waters opened Saturday April 5, a few seasonal trails will close to mountain bikers April 15.

Back at the Red House Inn, the daffodils and tulips are popping up everywhere. With the help of a good friend, we've done a bit of spring cleaning in the yard, edging and mulching and have some planting yet to do. Even thought spring is officially here, we are still enjoying the warmth of the wood fire in the living room.

Valentine's Day

2008-01-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great holiday season at the Red House with lots of guests here to visit family in Brevard. Happy New Year! We are looking forward to celebrating our one year anniversary at the end of the month. Thanks to all our 2007 guests for making our first year as innkeepers a success. We hope to see many of you again this year.

Enjoy our Valentine's Day package offered in February which includes a bottle of sparkling wine or cider, ripe strawberries and cherries hand-dipped in chocolate complimentary with a two-night stay at regular winter rates. Please mention package when booking.

The weather was warm last week, nearly 70 a couple of afternoons. It's colder today with highs around 50 but sunny. We have been keeping warm splitting wood for the new cast iron wood stove Daniel installed in the living room. The warm glow of the fire makes the hot chocolate taste even better. We have had some much needed rain as well and keep hoping for one good snow so Emily can use her snow tube. Even with chilly temperatures, it's a great time of year to bundle up and hike, bike, shop or just relax around Brevard without the summer crowds.

One of kind shopping experience

2007-11-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

At the Red House Inn our thoughts are turning to the holidays. We’re planning a big family Thanksgiving and then we’ll need to put some serious thought into Christmas shopping. We’ll be avoiding the crowds and so should you. Why not come to Brevard for a holiday shopping spree. You'll enjoy lower rates in December and several local galleries, shops and restaurants offer exclusive discounts to Red House Inn guests.

Brevard will kick off the holiday season December 1 with Twilight Tour, a downtown street festival and parade. Enjoy an old fashioned horse drawn carriage ride around the luminary-lit downtown area and warm up with cup of cider back at the Red House Inn. Find something for everyone on your list at a local gallery or shop, from fine art photography at the Bluewood Gallery to handmade truffles at Downtown Chocolates. Give each person on your list a one-of-a-kind gift made by a local crafter. Mud Dabbers hosts it annual open house December 8 where you can watch a NC artisan hand craft a pottery platter or bowl instead of sitting in traffic at the mall. Mud Dabbers also offers several class opportunities this winter.

If you don’t want to shop all day, bring your fleece and head out for a hike to enjoy the winter vistas after your fabulous breakfast at the Red House Inn. For the more adventurous, book a Wonders of Winter canoe cruise down the French Broad River with Headwater Outfitters.

Of course you could always just sit by the fire at the Inn.

November 23-25 Glass Feather Studio and Gardens Open House
November 23 4th Friday Gallery Walk downtown Brevard
November 29 Festival of Trees Silvermont Mansion begins
December 1 Twilight Tour
December 7-9 Mud Dabbers Holiday Open House

Colour is coming

2007-10-25T21:10:00.000-04:00

We have finally had three days of rain in Brevard and it is good to see the rivers and waterfalls running again. The fishermen seem to be happy with the rain and the Davidson River was a popular place this evening; I saw one man carrying a trout that must have been at least twenty inches long.

The fall colour is late this year, but despite prediction of a poor showing due to the drought, I think we are going to be pleasantly surprised. I was mountain biking today on Bennett Gap trail and the views of the ridge up towards the parkway were spectacular in the evening sun. There was a good mix of reds and yellows, and in another ten days or so I think we will have a better display down here in town.

At the Red House we are busy preparing for the winter season and are planning to add a wood stove in the living room so that guests can enjoy a fire and hot chocolate after a day outdoors. We are also hoping to add gas log fires in one or two of the rooms this year to make them more cozy in the winter months.

Our off season rates start at the beginning of December just in time for those Christmas shopping trips to Brevard and will offer great value for money especially as they will include the hot chocolate and I will have split the wood for the fire.

Hope to see you soon.

Daniel, Tracie and Emily

Fall

2007-09-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

Today was our first true day of cool weather- high in the 70s and too chilly to sit on the porch tonight without a light jacket. Gorgeous. The cool nights should trigger some color changing especially in the higher elevations. We need to head down to Queen's Farm in Pisgah Forest and pick some more raspberries before the first frost. A drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway should offer some haze free views now that the humidity has dropped. Our river swimming days are numbered!

Bluegrass in Brevard

2007-09-11T20:39:00.000-04:00

Mountain Song Festival is this weekend at Brevard Music Center. Brevard's very own Steep Canyon Rangers play as well as other great bluegrass artists. It's not too late to plan a trip!

The weather has started to turn cooler though not much. Less humidity and cooler night temperatures hint that fall is not far in the future.