North Carolina

Historic Hotels & Inns in North Carolina

From Asheville and the mountain towns to Pinehurst’s resort village, the Piedmont cities of Winston-Salem, Durham and Chapel Hill, and the coast from the Outer Banks to Wilmington: every historic inn in the state we could verify.

43 historic places to stay in 20 towns · verified October 2026 · by Historic Inns editors

The short answer

Asheville has the most: The Omni Grove Park Inn, E. W. Grove’s 1913 resort on Sunset Mountain, plus B&Bs in the Montford and Chestnut Hill historic districts. Pinehurst has four inside its National Historic Landmark district, led by The Carolina Hotel, opened on January 1, 1901. In Winston-Salem, Graylyn Estate is Bowman and Nathalie Gray’s 1932 Norman Revival house; in Charlotte, book the Duke Mansion, which James B. Duke enlarged from 1919 to 1922. In the mountains, stay at the Fryemont Inn above Bryson City (1923) or the NuWray in Burnsville, which dates itself to 1833. On the coast, pick a B&B in Wilmington, New Bern, Beaufort or Manteo, or the 1932 First Colony Inn in Nags Head.

Our top picks

Best overall

Duke Mansion

Built 1914 · Charlotte

Zeb Taylor's 1914 Myers Park house, enlarged by James B. Duke from 1919 to 1922, now a 20-room inn in 4.5 acres…

Best small inn

White Doe Inn

Built 1910–12 · Manteo

Theodore S. Meekins's 1910–12 house in downtown Manteo, the largest private residence on Roanoke Island when it was built.

Oldest

The NuWray Hotel

Built c. 1833 · Burnsville

Grown from an antebellum tavern on Burnsville's square; the hotel dates it to 1833 and calls itself the state's oldest continuously operating…

Best resort

The Carolina Hotel

Built 1899–1900 · Pinehurst

James Walker Tufts's hotel, opened January 1, 1901, with 250 rooms and once called the state's largest; its cupola is Pinehurst's best-known…

Grand hotel

Graylyn Estate

Built 1932 · Winston-Salem

Bowman and Nathalie Gray's 46,000-square-foot Norman Revival house, finished in 1932 and given to Wake Forest University in 1946.

Where they are

Where to go

Every historic inn in North Carolina

InnTownBuiltRoomsTypePriceHaunted
The NuWray HotelBurnsvillec. 1833–Inn–Rates
The Historic Brookstown InnWinston-Salem183671Inn–Rates
Meadows InnNew Bernc. 18477B&B–Rates
Rosehill InnWilmington1848–B&B–Rates
Benjamin Ellis HouseNew Bern1852–538B&B–Rates
The Reynolds MansionAshevillec. 1855–B&B–Rates
Pecan Tree InnBeaufort1866–67–B&B–Rates
Old Edwards InnHighlandsc. 1880–Resort–Rates
Highlands InnHighlands1880–Inn–Rates
The Jarrett HouseDillsboro1884–Inn–Rates
The Mast Farm InnValle Crucis1885–Inn–Rates
Engadine InnCandler1885–Inn–Rates
Cedar Crest InnAsheville1891–B&B–Rates
Biltmore Village InnAsheville18928B&B–Rates
C.W. Worth HouseWilmingtonc. 18937B&B–Rates
Beaufort House InnAsheville1895–B&B–Rates
The Holly InnPinehurst1895–Inn–Rates
1898 Waverly InnHendersonvillec. 1898–B&B–Rates
1899 Wright Inn & Carriage HouseAsheville189910B&B–Rates
1900 Inn on MontfordAsheville1900–B&B–Rates
The Carolina HotelPinehurst1899–1900–Grand hotel–Rates
The Magnolia InnPinehurstc. 19048Inn–Rates
Pinecrest Bed & BreakfastAsheville1905–B&B–Rates
Bunn HouseAshevillec. 1905–Inn–Rates
The Lion and the RoseAsheville1907–08–B&B–Rates
Albemarle InnAsheville1909–B&B–Rates
Abbington GreenAsheville19098B&B–Rates
White Doe InnManteo1910–12–B&B–Rates
The Omni Grove Park InnAsheville1913–Resort–YesRates
Duke MansionCharlotte191420Inn–Rates
The Foundry HotelAshevillec. 1920–Boutique hotel–Rates
Haywood Park HotelAsheville1923–Boutique hotel–Rates
The ManorPinehurst1923–Inn–Rates
Fryemont InnBryson City192337Lodge–Rates
The Carolina InnChapel Hill1923–24185Inn–Rates
Front Street InnWilmington1924–Boutique hotel–Rates
Kimpton Cardinal HotelWinston-Salem1929–Boutique hotel–Rates
The Dunhill HotelCharlotte192960Boutique hotel–Rates
Graylyn EstateWinston-Salem1932–Grand hotel–Rates
First Colony InnNags Head1932–Inn–Rates
High Hampton ResortCashiers1932–33–Resort–Rates
21c Museum Hotel DurhamDurham1935–37–Boutique hotel–Rates
Snowbird Mountain LodgeRobbinsville1940–41–Lodge–Rates

Price is a typical nightly rate: $ under $200, $$ $200–349, $$$ $350–549, $$$$ $550+. Rates vary by season; check the inn for exact prices.

Elsewhere in North Carolina

c. 1847Meadows Inn

Built c. 1847 · Second Empire · New Bern · B&B

Meadows Inn

Why stay A Second Empire house of about 1847 on Pollock Street that opened in 1980 as what it calls New Bern's first B&B; seven suites.

1848Rosehill Inn

Built 1848 · Italianate · Wilmington · B&B

Rosehill Inn

Why stay Henry Russell Savage's Italianate house, built in 1848 per the inn, where the family of Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon Jr. lived 1881–91.

1885Engadine Inn

Built 1885 · Shingle style · Candler · Inn

Engadine Inn

Why stay Capt. John K. Hoyt's 1885 shingle-style house in Candler, west of Asheville, a B&B since 1994; book the inn rooms, as the cabins are newer.

c. 1893C.W. Worth House

Built c. 1893 · Queen Anne (turreted) · Wilmington · B&B

C.W. Worth House

Why stay A turreted Queen Anne house of about 1893 in Wilmington's historic district, a B&B since 1985; seven rooms, all up stairs, guests 16 and up.

Good to know Breakfast: included · No elevator · No pets

c. 1904The Magnolia Inn

Built c. 1904 · Colonial Revival (1914 remodeling of a Queen Anne house) · Pinehurst · Inn

The Magnolia Inn

Why stay A c. 1904 Queen Anne boarding house given its Colonial Revival porch and dormers in 1914, with eight rooms renovated in 2022.

Good to know No pets

1923The Manor

Built 1923 · Four-story L-plan hotel finished in Kellastone · Pinehurst · Inn

The Manor

Why stay Mrs. E. C. Bliss's 1923 four-story hotel, finished in a concrete called Kellastone on the site of the Lexington hotel; renovated in 2019.

Good to know No pets

Built 1923–24 · Colonial Revival with Georgian and Neoclassical elements · Chapel Hill · Inn

The Carolina Inn

Why stay Arthur C. Nash's red-brick inn, opened in 1924 opposite the University of North Carolina's west gate; later wings took it to 185 rooms.

Good to know Elevator

1924Front Street Inn

Built 1924 · Two-story brick with arched, stone-hooded windows · Wilmington · Boutique hotel

Front Street Inn

Why stay The 1924 Salvation Army Building on South Front Street, now a small, largely automated inn with an espresso bar; check-in age is 21.

Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site free · No pets

1932Graylyn Estate

Built 1932 · Norman Revival (blend of Norman, Gothic, Renaissance and Classical) · Winston-Salem · Grand hotel

Graylyn Estate

Why stay Bowman and Nathalie Gray's 46,000-square-foot Norman Revival house, finished in 1932 and given to Wake Forest University in 1946.

Ways in

Themes in North Carolina

Asheville and the Blue Ridge

Asheville has the largest cluster: The Omni Grove Park Inn, which Fred Seely built of local boulders for E. W. Grove in 1913, and B&Bs in the Montford and Chestnut Hill historic districts and above Biltmore Village. Nearby are the Engadine Inn in Candler, an 1885 shingle-style house, and the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville.

In the mountain towns, Highlands Inn opened in 1880 as Highlands’ first hotel, and Old Edwards Inn grew from a boarding house of about 1880 with a 1935 Alpine-style wing; High Hampton, near Cashiers, was rebuilt in 1932–33 after a fire. The Jarrett House in Dillsboro dates from 1884, the Fryemont Inn above Bryson City from 1923 and Snowbird Mountain Lodge near Robbinsville from 1941. The Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis is an 1885 farmhouse, and the NuWray on Burnsville’s square grew from an antebellum tavern.

Pinehurst’s resort village

James Walker Tufts founded Pinehurst as a resort village in 1895, and its historic district has been a National Historic Landmark since 1996. Pinehurst Resort runs four historic inns inside it: The Holly Inn, the village’s first hotel, opened on New Year’s Eve 1895; The Carolina Hotel, opened January 1, 1901, with 250 rooms; The Magnolia Inn, a c. 1904 boarding house with eight rooms; and The Manor, built in 1923 by Mrs. E. C. Bliss. The resort does not take pets.

The coast: Outer Banks, Wilmington, New Bern and Beaufort

On the Outer Banks, the First Colony Inn in Nags Head was built in 1932 and moved a short way south in 1988 when its oceanfront site was threatened, and the White Doe Inn in Manteo was the largest private residence on Roanoke Island when Theodore S. Meekins built it in 1910–12. Wilmington’s historic district has three: Rosehill Inn, where the family of Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon Jr. lived; the turreted C.W. Worth House; and the Front Street Inn, in the 1924 Salvation Army Building. New Bern has two B&Bs on Pollock Street, the Meadows Inn and the Benjamin Ellis House, and Beaufort’s Pecan Tree Inn was built in 1866–67 as a Masonic lodge.

Tobacco, mill and university towns

In Winston-Salem, the Kimpton Cardinal fills the 1929 Reynolds Building, built as R. J. Reynolds Tobacco’s headquarters; Graylyn Estate is the Norman Revival house Bowman and Nathalie Gray finished in 1932; and The Historic Brookstown Inn occupies an 1836 cotton mill near Old Salem. Durham’s 21c Museum Hotel is in the 1937 Hill Building, an Art Deco bank tower, and The Carolina Inn has stood opposite the University of North Carolina’s west gate in Chapel Hill since 1924. In Charlotte, the Duke Mansion is the Myers Park house James B. Duke enlarged from 1919 to 1922, and The Dunhill opened in 1929 as the Mayfair Manor.

Road trip

Valle Crucis to Bryson City, inn to inn

Valle Crucis

Start at the Mast Farm Inn, an 1885 farmhouse on a National Register farmstead; its log Loom House, built about 1812, is now a rental.

Burnsville

Stay on the town square at the NuWray, which the hotel dates to 1833 and its National Register nomination calls one of the most celebrated inns in the state, famous for its meals.

Asheville

Give Asheville two nights, at The Omni Grove Park Inn on Sunset Mountain or a B&B in Montford. Pick one from our Asheville guide.

Bryson City

End at the Fryemont Inn, Amos and Lillian Frye’s 1923 board-and-batten lodge on the hillside above town.

Context

History and architecture

North Carolina’s historic inns started as working buildings and town houses. Salem’s Moravian congregation built the cotton mill that is now The Historic Brookstown Inn in 1836, the NuWray in Burnsville grew from an antebellum tavern, and several coastal B&Bs fill houses built between about 1847 and 1853, among them Rosehill in Wilmington and the Meadows Inn and Benjamin Ellis House in New Bern. In the mountains, Highlands House opened in 1880 as Highlands’ first hotel, and the Mount Beulah Hotel, now the Jarrett House, went up near the railway in Dillsboro in 1884. James Walker Tufts founded Pinehurst as a resort village in 1895, and pharmaceutical maker E. W. Grove opened the Grove Park Inn in Asheville in 1913. In 1929 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco finished its Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, then the tallest building in the state, and in 1932 the First Colony Inn went up in Nags Head as beach tourism grew along the Outer Banks.

Questions travelers ask

What is the oldest hotel in North Carolina?

The NuWray in Burnsville says it was first built in 1833 and calls itself the state’s oldest continuously operating hotel; its National Register nomination confirms it grew from an antebellum tavern but says the date of the first building is uncertain. The oldest dated buildings we list are the Mast Farm Inn’s log Loom House in Valle Crucis, built about 1812 and now a rental, and The Historic Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem, an 1836 cotton mill that became an inn in 1984. Highlands Inn, built in 1880 as the town’s first hotel, has the earliest firm date as a hotel.

What is the most haunted hotel in North Carolina?

There is no official ranking. The best-known story is the Omni Grove Park Inn’s ‘Pink Lady’ in Asheville, said to be a young woman who fell from the fifth floor of the Palm Court atrium in the 1920s and blamed for lights switching on and off around Room 545.These are stories guests and staff tell, not documented fact.

Where are the historic inns in the North Carolina mountains?

Beyond Asheville, we list the Engadine Inn in Candler (1885), the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, Highlands Inn (1880) and Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, High Hampton near Cashiers (1932–33), the Jarrett House in Dillsboro (1884), the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City (1923), Snowbird Mountain Lodge near Robbinsville (1940–41), the NuWray in Burnsville and the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis (1885). All had live websites and booking engines when we checked in October 2026, after Hurricane Helene.

Where are the historic inns on the North Carolina coast?

Wilmington has three in its historic district: Rosehill Inn (1848, by the inn’s date), the C.W. Worth House (about 1893) and the Front Street Inn, in the 1924 Salvation Army Building. New Bern has the Meadows Inn (about 1847) and the Benjamin Ellis House (1852–53), Beaufort has the Pecan Tree Inn (1866–67), and the Outer Banks have the First Colony Inn in Nags Head (1932) and the White Doe Inn in Manteo (1910–12).

Which Pinehurst hotels are historic?

Four Pinehurst Resort inns are contributing buildings in the Pinehurst Historic District, a National Historic Landmark since 1996: The Holly Inn (1895), The Carolina Hotel (opened 1901), The Magnolia Inn (about 1904) and The Manor (1923). Pinehurst Resort is a Historic Hotels of America member, and it does not take pets. The village’s Pine Crest Inn (1913) is also historic, but it takes reservations by phone only.

How we chose these inns

Every place on this page is at least 50 years old, holds a credential we can check (National Register listing, a listed historic district, landmark status, or Historic Hotels of America membership), and takes bookings today. We verify each one against primary sources before it goes on the list, and last checked this list in October 2026. Read our criteria.

Sources (80)

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