Located only 6 hours (give or take) from Louisville, LEO’s sister publication visited the Historic Tapoco Lodge in Western North Carolina for a vacation review. Read below for all the details, and make sure to put this travel destination on your places to visit this summer!
My first trip to Western North Carolina was in 2022 when I went on a solo trip to Asheville. I immediately fell in love: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the waterfalls and the mild temperatures in the middle of February. Not to mention the people. Traveling alone as a woman can be intimidating, but I felt nothing but safe and welcomed in this region, plus a special connection to the state: my first Barrier ancestors to arrive in the United States first settled in Salisbury, North Carolina, just two hours east of Asheville, in the 1700s.
So when the Historic Tapoco Lodge — also located about two hours from Asheville, just west in Robbinsville — offered me the opportunity to stay with them for a weekend, I was all in. I’ve been back to Asheville since I first visited in 2022, but had seen little else of WNC. I was ready to explore more and unwind for a couple of days, plus looking at photos of the lodge online sealed the deal.
The Tapoco Lodge is a romantic mountain retreat, featuring a historic brick building that’s been lovingly restored, plus a two-tier deck/patio overlooking a rushing tributary of the Cheoah River. When you turn onto the driveway, just before you pass under the archway, you can see the Tapoco Lodge in its full glory, and I felt like I was being pulled into the pages of a novel where the protagonist finds love and peace in the mountains.
Tapoco gets its name from the first two letters in each word of the Tallassee Power Company, which built the lodge as housing for its workers near the Cheoah dams and other hydroelectric power projects in the region in 1930. The main lodge was initially the only building built, and it remains nearly unchanged, with cozy charm and historical features like old metal P.O. boxes and former Texaco gas pumps out front. Over the years, the property has expanded across about 120 acres and now includes cabins, 11 hiking trails and tennis and pickleball courts, plus an old theater that can be rented for events. The main lodge now also features two restaurants — the Cheoah Dining Room, which is open for breakfast, and the riverside Tapoco Tavern.
In the lodge, you’ll find nine rooms/suites, all charmingly decorated in an elegant rustic style with locally sourced wood walls, floors and furniture. I stayed with one of my best friends, Becky, in the Evergreen Suite, located on the main floor of the lodge. We each got our own room, plus our own small patio outside with a fire table. The two rooms were spacious, with plenty of room for a seating area in the front room and a fridge/microwave/coffee bar combo in the other. The beds and furniture were comfortable and the rooms spotless.
The first thing Becky and I did once we dropped our bags off in the room was explore the gift shop in the main lobby. Like the rest of the lodge, the shop is charming and rustic in style, packed with gifts, home decor, t-shirts and more. We were drawn to drip-glaze ceramic coffee mugs in various colors and sporting the lodge’s logo, plus lots of the locally sourced gifts, like honey from the nearby;Wehrloom Honeyfarm and shop (which Becky and I had to explore firsthand the next day; we bought tons of honey and enjoyed a flight of their craft mead on the patio).
After a little shopping, we stepped outside and made a beeline for the river. We visited in mid-March when the leaves and blooms were first popping out, and the renewing colors of spring, plus the rushing water, were an amazing introduction to this slice of North Carolina. The lodge also puts out Adirondack-style chairs on their greenspace overlooking the river, so it’s a great spot to just sit and relax or bring out a book while enjoying the view.
Tapoco Lodge is located in the Nantahala National Forest, which offers plenty of hiking trails to explore the mountains and waterfalls of this region, and the lodge offers an amazing preview of it all right on their property. The property has nearly a dozen private hiking trails, including one that runs along the river, so Becky and I took off into the woods, following the dirt path through the forest that was already thick and green, even for March. We came across a few small waterfalls on our journey and scrambled down to the riverbank to sit on flat rocks and scout out some prime outdoor reading spots.
When it was time for dinner, we made our way back to the lodge and got a seat at Tapoco Tavern, right on the river for some more amazing views while we dined. The menu offers a mix of elevated pub food, like burgers, sandwiches, tacos and appetizers like wings and nachos, plus some Southern-style comfort fare, like beer-braised pork, hamburger steak and smothered chicken. And if you like trout, there are plenty of dishes on the menu that feature it, including trout nuggets as an appetizer; a blackened trout sandwich served with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce on Texas toast; and it’s also the chosen fish for their Fish & Chips.
Tapoco Tavern also has an extensive list of beers — many of them local craft brews, which gets a big thumbs-up from this Cincinnati native who loves a good locally sourced beverage. However, after a long drive and conquering the Tail of the Dragon — a winding mountain road featuring over 300 (sometimes a little too sharp for me) curves located right before you get to Tapoco — I needed something a bit stronger. I went with a mojito off their cocktail menu. Strong and minty-sweet, the drink paired perfectly with the Tavern Street Tacos I ordered. The tacos came out piled with a delicious balance of steak, Cotija cheese and pico de gallo and was served with crispy, salty tortilla chips and salsa.
Not ready to call it a night just yet, Becky and I ordered a beer and took it up onto the upper tier of the restaurant’s deck to drink while still soaking in the view and decompressing. The lodge also offers some fire tables on their patio, which were perfect for the slight night chill that set in. After finishing our beers, we headed back to the room to hang out before bed.
As far as sleeping, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better night’s rest on the first night of a trip. I love traveling and staying in new places, but I will say that the first night, if not more, I have trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar place and in a different bed, even if I’m dead tired. But not at Tapoco. The bed was comfortable, I fell asleep immediately and I didn’t wake up until my alarm went off.
The next morning, we were treated to breakfast in the Cheoah Dining Room, which offers Southern-style breakfast dishes in an adorable, country-style dining room with a free coffee bar, which Becky and I really appreciated. The menu also has a load of hearty dishes that are great for fueling yourself up for a day of exploring. Deciding I needed to eat at least a few vegetables, I opted for the Breakfast Scrambled, a casserole of eggs, peppers, potatoes, onions, sausage and cheese — and absolutely delightful. Becky got the Smothered Biscuit, topped with sausage gravy, eggs, cheddar and your choice of breakfast meat, and I had to try it the next morning before we left the lodge. I can highly recommend either dish, but I will say the Smothered Biscuit is a bit heartier and more filling.
It’s also very important for me to point out how lovely all the staff we met were. The manager who checked us in at the front desk was very welcoming and was excited to tell us about the fun things to do in the area. The server we had at Tapoco Tavern the first night remembered us and gave us a friendly, “Hey, girls!” when she saw us the next day, as did the server we had in the Cheoah Dining Room both mornings.
I felt very at home, very welcomed and very comfortable throughout our stay at the Tapoco Lodge, and I want to return sometime soon to spend even more time in this slice of heaven. It’s the perfect spot to unplug. Literally. There is WiFi, but I did have trouble connecting to it to finish up some work I had (I know, I know), so if you do stay here, plan on being present and not connected to your devices. I need to work on that, personally, so the Tapoco Lodge was a great place to start. There’s also no television, at least in the Evergreen Suite where we stayed, but the common area in the lodge is filled with shelves of books and board games to keep you present, unplugged and entertained. Because who really needs Netflix when you’re surrounded by the beauty of mountains and waterfalls ready to be explored, delicious food and drink and good company? And the Historic Tapoco Lodge has all of that.
Historic Tapoco Lodge, 14981 Tapoco Road, Robbinsville. More info:tapoco.com.
Disclaimer: My stay at the Historic Tapoco Lodge, as well as two of my meals here, was complimentary; however, my review reflects my honest opinions of my personal experience.
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This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2025.