Visiting the Graystone Lodge in Boone NC

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Boone NC is one of our favorite mountain towns. And since my wife Emma and I live about an hour north (right off the Blue Ridge Parkway), we usually visit Boone every month or so.

Downtown Boone has a great vibe, with good restaurants, cool shops, and fantastic walking routes.

We also love the fact that it provides quick access to all sorts of NC High Country attractions, from Tweetsie Railroad and The Blowing Rock to some of the best places for snow skiing in North Carolina.

Naturally, the hip college town (home to Appalachian State) has fantastic places to stay, including the Graystone Lodge, a 101-room boutique hotel that offers a welcoming ambiance, modern design,  and upscale amenities. 

Located a few miles south of State Street and built in 1987, the property won Watauga County’s 2023 Best of the Best Hotel, as well as the 2023 Dashing Debut Award from Choice Hotels for best upscale renovation.

This beloved hotel features products from local companies like Hatchet Coffee, Stick Boy Bread Company, Dan’l Boone Country Ham, Venture Chocolate & Wine Company, and Let’s Be Artsy (which offers art classes right across the street from the hotel). 

Check out our deep dive into visiting the Graystone Lodge in Boone NC, including an overview of rooms, amenities, and some of the many awesome things to do nearby.

READ MORE: The 15 Best Blue Ridge Parkway Hotels & Cabin Rentals in NC & VA

Graystone Lodge Info

ADDRESS: 2419 NC-105, Boone NC

PHONE: (828) 264-4133

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS: King Rooms, Two Queens Rooms, King Executive Rooms, King Family Bunkbed Suites

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

CHECK RATES

Directions from Boone NC

From Downtown Boone (King Street), head southeast along the edge of the App State campus to Hardin Street. Turn right onto Hardin, which becomes Blowing Rock Rd in o.3 miles.

Go another 0.6 miles on Blowing Rock Rd, then take a right onto NC-105 S. Stick to NC-105 for 1.4 miles, then exit onto Snaggy Mountain Boulevard on the left and take a quick right to reach Graystone Lodge.

Directions from Blowing Rock NC

From Downtown Blowing Rock, head northeast on Main Street to get to US-321, then turn left. Stay on US-321 N/Valley Blvd for 6.4 miles, then use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto NC-105 S.

Make a left onto Snaggy Mountain Boulevard in 1.4 miles, then take a quick right to reach Graystone Lodge.

READ MORE: The 20 Best Romantic Getaways in NC (Hotels, Inns & Resorts)

Graystone Lodge Rooms & Suites

The rooms at Graystone Lodge are bright and well-appointed, with local photography, art and other colorful accents. All rooms come with a complimentary full breakfast and a desk with an ergonomic chair.

Every room has high-speed fiber WiFi and a large flat-screen cable/satellite TV. K-cup coffee makers, mini-fridges, and microwaves are all standard, as are hair dryers, ironing boards, and sound machines.

The bathroom is stocked with Beekman 1802 skin & bodycare products, and there’s a complimentary bottle of locally/sustainably sourced Simple Wtr (water) straight from the Appalachian Mountains.

Graystone Lodge room options include King Rooms, 2-Queen Rooms, Luxury King Suites with Peloton, and King Family Bunkbed Suites, each of which has a walk-in shower.

Graystone Lodge in Boone NC-Lumina Spa

King Rooms are great for single travelers or vacationing couples. The 2-Queen Rooms have two queen beds, making them ideal for families or friends.

Their Luxury King Suites are a step up in both price and amenities, offering more spacious accommodations, a Peloton, and an in-room dry bar.

Lastly, the King Family Bunkbed Suites have a king-sized bed and two single beds (bunkbed-style), with plenty of floor space to spread out.

Rates vary by day of the week and time of year, but they generally fall between $140/night and $300/night for whichever type of room you choose.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Things to Do in Boone NC

Graystone Lodge Amenities

Aside from comfortable rooms with lots of extras, the Graystone Lodge offers an array of quality amenities for guests to enjoy.

Their complimentary “High Country Breakfast” includes eggs, a variety of meats (including country ham from Dan’l Boone Inn), and a yogurt parfait bar.

There are also freshly baked bagels and breads from the Stick Boy Bread Company, and locally roasted Hatchet Coffee as well. 

They have an indoor pool, an outdoor fire pit, and plenty of outdoor seating to take in the clean mountain air.

Practical amenities include a well-equipped fitness room, EV chargers for those traveling electrically, and a grassy pet-friendly area for your four-legged friends.

Need some serious R&R? They can arrange in-house massages for guests, with Lumina Spa masseuses coming to your room so guests can relax and unwind without leaving their personal space. 

Another cool feature we love is that Graystone has partnered with lots of local shops and eateries so that guests get a discount when frequenting them.

This list is far too long to include everything here, but highlights range from Coyote Kitchen & Lost Province Taproom and The Speckled Trout Outfitters to Grandfather Mountain and Tweetsie Railroad theme park.

READ MORE: The 12 Best Boone NC Christmas Tree Farms

Downtown Boone, NC
Downtown Boone NC, photo by Dawson Tozier

Fun Things to Do Nearby

For all the niceties on offer at the Graystone Lodge, the main reason for visiting Boone (and the NC High Country as a whole) is all the wonderful things to do and see in this gorgeous pocket of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

King Street in Downtown Boone

Boone is a pleasant Blue Ridge Mountain town that offers a unique mix of rural charm and the progressiveness that comes with having a major university.

Appalachian State University is located right on King Street, which operates as the pedestrian hub of Boone.

There’s a fabulous collection of Boone restaurants (Vidalia, Dan’l Boone Inn, F.A.R.M., and more) and local breweries (Lost Province).

You’ll also find an eclectic assortment of shops, including Off the Rack Vintage, Common Good Co, Shoppes at Farmers, the Mast General Store, and many more.

Every time we visit Boone, we always have to take a quick stroll along King Street. It’s just one of our favorite places to explore!

READ MORE: The 20 Best North Carolina Mountain Towns to Visit

Tweetsie Railroad
The train at Tweetsie Railroad, photo by Dawson Tozier

Tweetsie Railroad

Located about 5 miles from the Graystone Lodge, Tweetsie Railroad is a family-friendly Wild West theme park that has been entertaining visitors and locals for decades now. 

Aside from the two narrow-gauge locomotives that operate on-site, there are live shows, carnival-style rides, and activities, including gem mining.

Tweetsie’s hours of operation vary by season, but it is open all year-round. The park also makes the most of holidays like Christmas, with special events, decorations, and extras.

Graystone Lodge offer discounted tickets for daytime admission, but they do not include special events such as the  Ghost Train and Tweetsie Christmas.

READ MORE: The 15 Best Places to See Christmas Lights in North Carolina

Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain NC
Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett

Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain is the tallest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it has acted as an iconic landscape feature for countless centuries.

There are a couple of different ways to visit the mountain, and Grandfather Mountain State Park is definitely the more rustic of the two.

It involves some serious (and seriously beautiful) hikes, my favorite of which is hiking to Callaway Peak via the Profile Trail. It’s nearly 8 miles round-trip, with quite a change in elevation, but it’s a Top 10 NC hike.

The Grandfather Mountain Nature Park & Swinging Bridge is a private, ticketed part of the mountain. It has a mile-high swinging bridge, museum, animal exhibit, and hiking trails perfect for families with children.

READ MORE: 7 Covered Bridges in North Carolina You Can Visit in 1 Day

Appalachian Ski Mountain
Photo courtesy of Appalachian Ski Mountain

Appalachian Ski Mountain

The High Country has some of the best ski resorts in the Southeastern US, and one of them is 6 miles from Graystone Lodge. Opened in 1968, Appalachian Ski Mountain is the second oldest area for snow skiing in NC.

This mountain has 13 different ski slopes with ratings ranging from “easy” and “more difficult” to “most difficult”, as well as 4 freestyle terrains.

They are all serviced by 6 lifts, with slopes are kept in fresh powder with snow-making machines when necessary.

Ski, snowboard, and clothing rental are all available onsite, and there are several choices for lessons or quick refresher courses for those who need them.  –by Jonathon Engels; photos provided by Graystone Lodge unless otherwise noted

Leave No Trace logo

We encourage anyone who loves the Blue Ridge region to learn about the Leave No Trace principles of responsible environmental stewardship. 

Stay on marked trails, take only pictures, pack out your trash, and be considerate of others who share the trails and parks you explore. 

Remember that waterfalls and rocky summits can be dangerous. Never try to climb waterfalls or get close to a ledge to get a selfie.

When you're exploring the wilderness, it's better to be safe than to be a statistic!

After visiting North Carolina for the first time, Senior Writer Jonathon Engels and wife Emma spent 2 years exploring Western NC in search of a homestead property. They first lived in Brevard, where Jonathon taught writing at Blue Ridge Community College and extensively explored the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest. For the last several years they have lived just off the BRP near Elkin, Southwest Virginia, and the NC High Country. The couple also volunteers with the Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention, the Elkin Valley Trail Association, and Reeves Downtown School of Music.