Welcome Book found in each room.

If you’re coming to the mountains,

Come ALL THE WAY UP!

www.BalsamInn.com

 

Welcome to Balsam!

We’re glad you made it up the mountain and hope to make your stay a memorable one.

We’ve been innkeepers here since summer 2004, and ever since our arrival have been constantly amazed at all the details that make this place special. From the 100-foot porches to the wide, open hallways to the green grandeur that surrounds us, we’ve found Balsam a great place to be, and we

hope you do, too.

There are a few particulars to discover about this “Grand Old Lady of Balsam” (as the inn has been called), and you’ll find many of them in this book. Others you’ll uncover as you traipse around the trails, explore the 2,000-volume library, or settle into a bubble-filled tub.

Sit a spell in a rocking chair and see if you can’t find the image that graces this book’s front cover: When the full moon peeks out just right from behind our big tree, it’s a spectacular sight to see.

Enjoy your visit!

Sharon and Kim Shailer

Innkeepers

Table of Contents

A bit of history …4

Finding your way around the inn …5

About your room …7

A bite (or more!) to eat …9

Special events year-round …10

What to do besides rock on the front porch …11

Odds and ends …12

NC State Hotel Code 15

Pet policy 14

Room Emergency plan 18

Trail Map 19

A bit of history

For more than a century now, folks have known that Balsam can cure what ails ‘em.

Nestled at 3500 feet in the Plott Balsam mountain range, Balsam was for many years home to the highest railroad station east of the Rockies. The Asheville-to-Murphy branch of the Southern Railway was built in the mid-1880s, allowing vacationing city folk an easy journey up to take in the rejuvenating mountain air. (The average summer high is 76 degrees, and evening temperatures during the summer are in the 60’s.)

Joseph Kenney and Walter Christy, brothers-in-law from Athens, Georgia, began construction of the 107-room Balsam Mountain Springs Hotel in 1905 and saw its opening in 1908. Modeled after the Saratoga Inn in New York State, the inn’s corridors were built extra-wide to accommodate the steamer trunks of guests who came exclusively by train and checked in for extended summertime stays. With its upstairs and downstairs 100-foot-long porches and spectacular mountain views, the place soon became known as “The Grand Old Lady of Balsam.”

Like many of the region’s grand old resorts, the hotel had fallen into disrepair by the 1980s. It was abandoned and likely to succumb to the wrecking ball until veteran innkeeper Merrily Teasley found it one night while on a moonlight hike. She purchased the building in 1990 and began a loving restoration fueled by a desire to revitalize one of the few remaining wooden structures of this grandeur left in North Carolina, closely following the guidelines for the restoration of historic buildings set by U.S. Department of the Interior. The inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. The renovation of the first two floors was completed in 1991, and the inn operated with 34 rooms and suites until 1996, when the third floor was completed, adding an extra 16 rooms and suites.

The third floor began as something of an afterthought. Kenney and Christy’s builders, having framed in the first two floors, hurried to the bottom of the hill to view their work from the train depot. It was then they found that the structure from that vantage point appeared to have no roof and was certainly not impressive. So, up went the third floor, mansard rooflines, dormers and all, and thus we have the inn as she stands today.

Before the restoration, the inn’s water supply came from a gravity-fed system built on the mountain opposite the front of the inn. The pressure was never quite up to par, though, and the third floor seldom had water. For this reason, that floor went unused after the Great Depression and was in much worse shape than the first two floors when time for restoration came.

We’re glad to hear the stories of old that drift through the door now and then, and recognize that the history of the inn is important to its future. If you’ve got a tale to tell about Balsam or an old photo or drawing to share, we’d relish the opportunity to let you speak your piece.

Innecdote: The Inn has 225 windows, most original to the inn, and made of the leaded glass typical of the era.

Finding your way around the inn

The inn is shaped like a big, squared-off question mark. There are three floors that contain 50 guest rooms and suites, three dining rooms, a library, a gift shop and a vending room, plus various “employees only” areas, including the second-floor wing over the dining room, which houses some of our staff members.

The north hallway and lobby

There are two hallways on the first floor. The north hallway (to the right as you enter the front door) branches for the most part off into guest rooms, plus a 2,000-volume library in the inn’s front corner.

Warmed with a fireplace, the library is where you’ll find complimentary hot beverages such as coffee, tea, cider and hot chocolate. If we’re out of any of these items, or if you need something else, please ask at the front desk. The sunrise and early-morning hours at Balsam can be spectacular: If you’re an early riser, you can find your first cup of coffee or tea in the library (not in the dining room).

You’re welcome to peruse any of the library’s books at your leisure. If you find yourself in mid-read at departure, it’s possible to arrange for a short-term loan. Just ask at the front desk.

In the north corner of the main lobby, you’ll find games, cards, and often, a puzzle in mid-solve. It’s also a great place to meet guests from across the South, the rest of the country and around the world.

Innecdote: Original number of guest rooms with private baths: Zero.

The south hallway, Grand Old Room, sunporch dining room, gift shop, vending room and elevator

The south hallway (to the left as you enter the front door) is where you’ll find the Grand Old Room, or what some folks call the dining room, plus the sunporch dining room and the Maitre D' station where you may order ABC drinks or Glasses of some of our bottled wines. (More about these spots later on.)

About two paces down the hallway on the left is a vending room with a soft-drink machine, an ice machine, and a refrigerator and microwave for your use. If you need change, see the front desk. (You’ll find an ice bucket in your room.) If you’d like to leave something in the fridge, make sure to label it with your name and the date so that late-night snackers don’t pillage your poke! You’ll also notice our recycling bins: After going to the trouble to recycle an old inn, it seems only appropriate that we recycle our glass, cans, bottles, paper and plastic. Thanks for your help.

Across the hallway from the vending room is the elevator, and about midway down the hall on the left are public restrooms.

Also on this hall, just around from the front desk, is the gift shop, the spot where you’ll find everything you need to placate your baby-, dog- or house-sitter. You might even find a thing or two for yourself. There are plenty of Balsam Mountain Inn knickknacks, plus guidebooks and picnic baskets just waiting to be taken on a day’s journey. You can pay for items at the front desk, or have them charged to your room.

Our front-desk staff will also be happy to help you take home most any of the crafts and paintings that grace our hallways. They’re all by local artists, and many are for sale. Just bring whatever suits your fancy up front, and it can be yours!

Upstairs

The second floor of the inn is mostly guest rooms, except for a private shower room on the south wing that’s intended for guests who prefer to bathe upright rather than sitting down. (Many of our rooms have clawfoot tubs.) The shower room is large enough to change in, has a door that locks tightly, and is attended to regularly by our housekeeping staff. If you don’t find everything you need, ask one of the housekeepers or inquire at the front desk.

The broad expanse of the upper porch is accessible from the second-floor hallways. If you have a first-floor room, please don’t feel confined to the first floor porch, and vice versa. All of our guests are welcome to enjoy either of the porches. Both are sprinkled with North Carolina-made Troutman rockers for your rocking pleasure and are graced with views worthy of whiling away the day.

Since four guest rooms adjoin the second-floor porch, it closes at dark or 9 p.m. (whichever comes first) and re-opens at 10 AM.

The inn’s third floor is also mostly guest rooms, although there is a small sitting area—a quiet place and a favorite reading spot—in the big dormer located front-and-center. We don’t close it at dark, but do ask folks who visit the spot to be thoughtful of guests in rooms nearby. Innecdote: Square footage of the inn: 47,670.

About your room

Each room in the inn is quite different from the others, and we hope you enjoy the details that make yours special. We’ve found it’s common for guests to get attached to certain rooms over the years, and we’ll be happy to take requests for your favorite when you visit with us next.

As you know by now, this place has a character all its own. A few tips for staying at a spot that’s definitely not run-of-the-mill:

Fans and radiators

If you’re coming from the South, the first thing to know is that it’s always cooler in Balsam than where you came from. Generally, Balsam is six to eight degrees cooler than Sylva or Waynesville, our neighboring towns. Mornings, even in the summer, often call for a sweater; other times of year a sweater is a must.

With an elevation like ours (3,500 feet), you get fairly cool daytime temps and nightly drops into the fifties and sixties, even during the dog days of summer. Because of that, we don’t have a single air-conditioning unit on the property. Buildings like this—with deep porches, big windows and chimney-like stairways—were built to cool themselves (a dwindling art in these days of energy reliance), so don’t be surprised by indoor breezes with no apparent source. Each room has a box fan to draw the cool outside air in. We aid cooling with a number of large attic fans that help suck air up and out; guests, particularly on the third floor, will hear fans in operation.

If you’ve arrived in the winter, it will be to your advantage to know how to operate the radiator in your room—and to know the history behind it. Prior to restoration, the inn was primarily a summer place, with the only heat provided by fireplaces, quilts and rubbing hands together. Balsam is beautiful in the winter (particularly when blanketed by snow on bright, sunny days), and the previous innkeeper wanted to share that season with guests. As luck would have it, nearby Western Carolina University was remodeling an 80-year-old dormitory and needed someplace to put its old radiator system. The Balsam Mountain Inn volunteered to recycle it, and WCU was happy to let us haul it away. Coupled with a new furnace, the old radiators not only keep us warm in the winter but provide a warmth authentic to the era when the inn was built.

The furnace is propane, and the heat to guest rooms is provided by a hot-water radiator (or two) in each room. They are easy to control: If the handle at the base of the radiator is parallel to the water pipe, the heat is on. If the handle is at a right angle to the pipe, the heat is off. You can regulate the amount of water entering your radiator (and therefore the amount of heat) by adjusting the handle in between the two settings.

A word to the wise: The furnace doesn’t pump water through the inn constantly—only when triggered by central thermostats. If you leave your room during the day and leave your radiators completely off, your room could be quite crisp when you return, and the furnace might not pump again for a while. It’s a good idea to always leave your radiator on at least partway when you leave during the day.

There are electric heaters in some bathrooms for occasional use. Please turn them off when you’re finished in the tub or shower.

One final note: That material you may see in your windows is winter calking. We add it to the windows during the winter to help keep the cold out.

Innecdote: Number of sprinkler heads in the inn prior to 1991: Zero.

Fireplaces

There are no functional fireplaces in any of the guest rooms (in fact, the

chimneys no longer even extend through the roof). If it’s chilly enough, we’ll be happy to build a wood fire downstairs, and we have gas logs in the lobby and library for you to enjoy.

Locks

Believe it or not, locks on the doors (and the keys that go in them) are a recent addition—for years, this place operated solely on the honor system. The key you’ve been issued works on the newer-looking lock on your door. Don’t worry with the antique box locks—don’t lock them, and please don’t force doors shut.

Technology, or lack thereof

Seldom in this hustle-and-bustle world will you find the serenity we’ve got here in the mountains of western North Carolina, and we’ve made every effort to maintain our pocket of tranquility.

Likewise, there’s not a television on the property, unless you left yours in the car. The Balsam Mountain Inn provides an opportunity for people to do something that they seldom have the chance to do: nothing. Or go hiking, biking, kayaking, rafting, shopping, sightseeing, birdwatching, reading, relaxing, rocking or whatever else you take a notion to. If the withdrawal symptoms are too much, we can suggest some gathering spots in the area that do have TVs. Otherwise, take it easy on yourself, strike up a conversation with somebody on the porch, and give your head a much-deserved rest.

In addition, unless you linger too long near the front desk, you will not be disturbed, alarmed, annoyed or otherwise jangled by a telephone. Our desk phone is available for your use should you need to make a short out-going call. Incoming calls will have a message taken and held in your room’s key-box at the front desk.

Cell-phone reception in Balsam is spotty and seems to change with the wind. Some of our guests have found they can get a signal if they stand on one foot on the far side of the parking lot next to the tree line. Good luck.

There is one bit of modern-day buzzing and beeping we’ve allowed on the property: We have alarm clocks at the front desk for you to borrow if you’d like.

Innecdote: Number of sprinkler heads in the inn today: Hundreds.

A bite (or more!) to eat

We live high on the hog here at Balsam. Chef Daniel constantly prepares amazing creations from our kitchen at the back of the Grand Old Room. Daniel and his team enjoy bringing interestingly good tastes to the meal table.

We’re lucky to live in a spot with such great food; we hope that you will join us!

The restaurant

Our restaurant serves breakfast and dinner every day of the year and Lunch Saturday and Sunday. Hours are:

Fridays and Saturdays

Breakfast 8 to 10 a.m.

Dinner First seating at 6 p.m.

Sundays through Thursdays

Dinner first seating 6 p.m.. ,

Lunch - Sunday Noon to 2 p.m.

Menus change often, with specials every day. Check the menu postings at the front desk to see what Chef Sandra has planned for tonight.

Dress is casual, but we prefer collars over T-shirts.

The Cocktails and Wines

Full ABC permitted choices are available and may be ordered at any time when the restaurant is operating and at other times when staff is available.

Our wine list has earned the Wine Spectator Magazine's Award of Excellence for 2007 and 2008. The list features more than 125 wines, plus select draft beer from the Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva anad bottled beers from Asheville's Highland Brewery.

Wine and beer are available at the front desk at any time prior to 10 p.m.

Breakfast

A full complimentary chef prepared breakfast is available for all guests from 8 to 10 each morning. It may be buffet style or from our daily rotating menu, depending on occupancy. It’s quite a spread, including biscuits, eggs, bacon or sausage, grits or oatmeal, fruit and breakfast breads. Sleeping in can be fun, but we don’t think you’ll want to miss out.

Meals to go

If you plan to spend the day on the go, consider ordering a bag lunch from the kitchen. If you let the front desk know by the night before, we’ll pack you a sandwich, snack and dessert, plus fruit and water. Plus a bottle of wine for a special Parkway scenic picnic lunch. Ask about the to go pricing.

Other restaurants

Though our restaurant very good, we’ll be happy to share recommendations for other places to dine in the area. Just ask at the front desk and take a referral coin with you.

Innecdote: Depth of snowfall at the inn during the blizzard of 1993, in feet: Four.

Special events year-round

We’ve got goings-on at the inn throughout the year—everything from our popular Songwriters-in-the-Round music series, to New Year’s Eve parties, to Thanksgiving dinner. Most of our frequent guests have their favorites. We maintain an e-mail list at the front desk and will be glad to keep you up to date with what’s on our calendar.

Fourth of July

For 15 years or more, it’s been an Independence Day tradition for the summer inhabitants of Balsam to deck their cars out for a mid-afternoon parade around the community. The route brings hundreds of revelers up and around our driveway, so we make a point to invite them in for hot dogs. Folks really dress up: Cars aren’t the only ones wearing red, white and blue. Inn guests are welcome to join in, too. You’ll know the event’s gotten under way when you hear the honking car horns.

Christmas lights

We also invite area residents and inn guests to pitch in on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to help us get decorated for the holiday season. Sure, we could hang the lights and ornaments all by ourselves, but sharing punch and cookies, plus a few carols, is a great way to kick off the Christmas season with neighbors and friends.

 

Innecdote: Depth of snowdrifts at the inn during the ’93 blizzard, in feet:

Six and a half.

What to do besides rock on the front porch

Balsam may just be a dot on most maps, and not even that on others, but

there are still plenty of things to do. In fact, we were featured in the April 2005 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Nearby walks and hikes

We have 24 acres here on the property, a few portions of which can be circumnavigated by some trails around the property. See the map in the back of this book, or ask for a trail map at the front desk.

Just a hop, skip and a jump down the railroad tracks, you’ll find a trail-marker for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which will one day span 720 miles from Nags Head on the Outer Banks to Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail follows Blue Ridge Parkway property—arrange a ride up the Parkway, then hike back to the inn at your leisure, or simply hike out and back on the trail. You’ll find the trailhead near the turn-off for Balsam at the four-lane U.S. 23/74.

A little further afield

As the inn’s just a half-mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway’s entrance, we’re only a short drive from the Parkway’s highest point and some of its most remote stretches. Waterrock Knob is a favorite stopping place for guests on their way to Cherokee, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Oconoluftee Indian Village.

For the adventurous sort, rafting on the Nantahala and Pigeon rivers will provide whitewater thrills, while a float trip on the Tuckaseegee or French Broad river provides a scenic way to spend a day.

If shopping is your thing, there’s plenty of it in Dillsboro, Sylva and Waynesville—enough to make you wonder how you’re going to get everything you bought home! Don’t miss the antique shops, as well as the community of Saunook, located between Waynesville and Balsam.

Horseback riding is available at many stables in the area, and winter brings skiing to Cataloochee ski area near Maggie Valley.

We’ve got plenty of brochures and maps at the front desk to help you plan your adventure.

Innecdote: Top wind speeds in Balsam gap during the same storm, as measured at the Balsam ranger station: 90 mph.

Odds and ends

Coming and going

Check-in is at 3 p.m. Check-out is at 11 a.m.

Parking

Please limit “top-of-the-hill” parking to one car per room. There’s overflow parking at the bottom of the hill, located just to the left as you enter the driveway.

Smoking

The porch at the back of the south wing (outside the dining room) is a designated smoking area, and, of course, the grounds are fair game. Everywhere else, this inn’s non-smoking. (The structure’s all wood, you know!)

Pets

We welcome dogs and cats in rooms on the first-floor north hallway. If your dog is large or is of a breed generally perceived to be aggressive, we ask that your four-legged friend earn the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Award before staying with us. There’s a link to the test from our web site. SEE THE COMPLETE PET.

Late nights

Balsam Mountain Inn dates to an era when folks accepted being around one another in relatively close quarters. Travelers at the turn of the century generally shared bathrooms and common rooms and, after a short stay in the room next door, knew their neighbors fairly well. Modern hotels offer rooms that are virtual soundproof bunkers, but Balsam, made entirely of wood, makes its own sounds and transmits the sounds of its guests.

It’s for this reason that we ask our guests to help us “keep the peace” after 10 p.m. As mentioned before, we’ll close the upstairs porch at dark or 9 p.m. (whichever comes earlier). We’ll also dim the lights in the common areas at 10 p.m., the same time the front desk closes up for the night.

If you want to hold a group get-together after quiet hours, ask at the front desk and we’ll try to find you a spot.

To help you celebrate

We’ve got our own florist here at the inn, so if you want fresh flowers in your room, let us know. We’ll also be glad to put together gift baskets of goodies such as bath supplies, coffee beans and cups, fruit, chocolate, or whatever else you dream up. We can have it waiting for you in your room when you arrive.

Short train(s) running

Yes, the rail line through Balsam is still operative—it’s a Norfolk Southern freight line that connects with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad down in Dillsboro. Most guests will see two trains a day during their visit (one train, actually, heading west and then coming back). The grade descending westward is the second-steepest standard gauge grade in the country, and the train sometimes stops in Balsam to adjust its brakes.

Innecdote: Rank of Balsam grade in steepness among all North American standard-gauge rail lines: Two.

Before you pack up

Some folks want to take a copy of this book home with them. If you’re among them, we’re flattered—all we ask is that you ask at the front desk before you pack. We’d hate for the next guest in your room to be left flying blind.

Innecdote: Number of deadly train crashes that have taken place on the grade and have resulted in bluegrass songs: One.