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The holidays are just around the corner, and as we anticipate all of the wonderful new memories that we’ll be making with our friends and families, we want to take a minute to stop and share some of our generosity with our community.

Mark your calendars and save the date: we will be hosting our Annual Angel Tree Lighting celebration at The Greystone Inn on Thursday, December 5th, from 6:00-8:00 in the evening.

Christmas was a little brighter last year because of the overwhelming generosity of the Lake Toxaway community. In partnership with Lake Toxaway Charities, we have once again identified local families who need our help who will be anonymously represented as an angel on our Angel Tree this year. Choose an angel from our tree and give back to the community that we all love so much.

It will be an evening filled with festive fun! You can grab a handcrafted cocktail, pint of beer, of glass of wine from our Mansion Bar and gather around the tree as we light it for the first time this season. Mingle with your Lake Toxaway neighbors and enjoy live music throughout the evening.

If you’re unable to attend but still wish to help, please write a check for $250 to Lake Toxaway Charities. They will ensure that your monetary donation goes towards making someone’s Christmas more special than they could have ever imagined.

We’re looking forward to celebrating the start of the holiday season with you! It’s a magical time around The Greystone and Lake Toxaway—it’s like a Christmas card come to life. You can experience the magic yourself by reserving a stay with us. We’d love to host you and your family this season!

Energetic Bavarian music, large biergartens filled with thousands of happy people dressed in traditional dirndls and lederhosen enjoying pints of freshly brewed beer, tents filled with German artisans and vendors… the scene around Germany in early autumn is one of celebration as the annual Oktoberfest festival arrives to town.

What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is a German festival that celebrates the Bavarian culture and is held each year in Germany from mid-September through early October, typically lasting 16-18 days. It began more than 200 years ago as a wedding celebration between Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen—the celebration lasted multiple days and included drinking, feasting, and horse races.

Have you always wanted to travel to Germany during autumn for Oktoberfest? You don’t have to hop on a plane to get a taste of this festival—we’re bringing a sample of Oktoberfest to our guests here along the shores of Lake Toxaway.

Celebrate With Us!
In honor of the largest Volkfest in the world, we are offering a range of locally brewed Oktoberfest beers this fall season. We invite you to sit back in one of our Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Toxaway and enjoy a cold Oktoberfest brew from:

Catawba Brewing — Asheville, NC
Foothills Brewing — Winston Salem, NC
Hi-Wire Brewing — Asheville, NC
Lazy Hiker Brewing Co. — Franklin, NC
Sierra Nevada Brewing — Asheville, NC

Each one of these beers is brewed locally from the foothills of North Carolina to the Southside slope of Asheville. Western North Carolina boasts a robust craft brewing community and we’re excited to bring our guests some of the best locally brewed beer in the Southeast to enjoy from our Mansion Bar.

Come enjoy a pint of Oktoberfest beer with us this fall. We’ll save a seat for you by our fire pit!

There’s nothing quite like a fall getaway to the mountains. The air is crisp and cool, and it’s a refreshing break from the hot, humid days of summer that you’ve been living through the last few months. If you plan your trip right, you’ll even get to experience the beautiful fall colors as the leaves during peak season!

We have five great things that you can experience—outside of the changing of the leaves—this fall when you visit The Greystone Inn. Haven’t booked your trip yet? Call us today to reserve your room!

Hike to a Waterfall.
The biggest dilemma that you’ll face when it comes to exploring waterfalls in the area is narrowing down which one you want to go to—there are 250 of them to choose from! Transylvania County, where our inn is located, is also known as the Land of Waterfalls due to the abundance of waterfalls that are located within just a few miles of one another. Take your pick—you can start with the most impressive (Whitewater Falls, the highest falls east of the Rocky Mountains) to the most iconic (Looking Glass Falls) and the most fun (Sliding Rock). Fall is a perfect time of year to check out the falls—the summer crowds have died down, the temperatures are a little cooler, and you have the added bonus of the beautiful fall leaves as a backdrop to the already stunning falls.

Take a Drive.
If you’re going to plan a trip to Western North Carolina in the fall, one thing that must be on your bucket list: a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway stretches from Cherokee, North Carolina along the Great Smokey Mountains and winds north through Asheville, Blowing Rock, Fancy Gap, and Roanoke before ending in Afton, Virginia, just outside of the Shenandoah National Park. Along the Parkway, you’ll find Mount Mitchell (the highest mountain peak in the eastern United States), the New River (the oldest river in North America), Linville Gorge (the deepest gorge east of the Grand Canyon), Whitewater Falls, and so much more. The views here are even more amazing in the fall with all of the deep oranges, reds, and yellows that grace the canopy of the mountains.

“Bee” a Keeper.
Looking for something completely different to do this fall? Try your hand at beekeeping! With our Beekeeper For a Day experience, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a honey apiary tour where you’ll wear a traditional bee suit, participate in a personal meet and greet with bees, and inspect a hive with a beekeeper. Afterwards, you’ll be able to taste the delicious honey that they produce in a honey tasting & food pairing guided by one of only 4 Americans registered with the Italian Registry of Honey Sensory Experts. This experience is only available through the month of September, so be sure to book your day early!

Explore a Mountain Town.
Half an hour down the road from our inn, you’ll find the charming mountain town of Brevard, North Carolina. Start your morning out with breakfast in our Mansion before hitting the road to Brevard where you can spend the remainder of your morning walking through their charming downtown district. Stop for a bite to eat and grab lunch at The Square Root on Broad Street. Love craft breweries? Oskar Blues Brewery is located in Brevard, and is a great place to stop for a pint and a tour of their production facility.

Fish the River.
There are countless miles of trout water in Western North Carolina, and Lake Toxaway is at the epicenter of incredible trout fishing. For the beginners, we offer a Fly Fishing Clinic down by the lake and in the grass at The Greystone with the Fly Fishing Guides of Headwaters outfitters. You’ll learn the basics of fly fishing from casting to knot tying and rigging. We also offer half day and full day fishing adventures for everyone from the beginning fly fisher to the expert angler.

How do you plan to explore the mountains this fall? We’d love to see your photos! Be sure to post them to social media and tag @thegreystoneinn and #thegreystoneinn—we’ll share our favorite ones throughout the season.

One of the best parts about taking a vacation to Western North Carolina to visit The Greystone and Lake Toxaway is that you’re just steps away from some wonderful places in nature.

It’s easy to fill up your days here with all kinds of mountain activities, especially during the summer months of the year when the sun rises early and sets late, and the temperatures are mild enough to enjoy the outdoors even during the hottest part of the day. Our guests love to get out and explore!

There’s one activity that you may not know about—forest bathing.

What exactly is forest bathing? Per TIME Magazine, forest bathing is “bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses.” It isn’t a type of exercise like mountain biking, hiking, or kayaking and it isn’t even an afternoon fishing along your favorite river in the Appalachian mountains. It is simply being in nature. Sure, you might need to take a short walk to your favorite spot but once you’re there… it’s sitting down, relaxing, and breathing in everything that nature has to offer your senses.

You don’t even have to be in a forest to appreciate forest bathing. You can sit down along the shores of Lake Toxaway, close your eyes, and allow your senses to take in all that is Lake Toxaway. You can feel the soft, damp earth beneath you and listen to the gentle lapping of the lake waters as you hear the birds chirping in the trees. You might hear a fish jumping out of the water and coming back down with a soft splash. Your nose will detect the fresh, mountain air and maybe, if it’s close to dinnertime, your nose might even pick up the delicious smells coming from our Lakeside Dining Room.

We’d love to know—where’s your favorite place to go in nature when you visit with us? Do you like to hike to a waterfall to sit at the edge of the water and take in its beauty? Or do you prefer to find a quieter place off the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can take in the view over the Blue Ridge Mountains? If you don’t have a favorite place yet, stop by our front desk. We’ll be happy to point you in the direction of a place we know you’ll love. This summer, share your photos of ‘forest bathing’ with us on social media by tagging @thegreystoneinn!

Read more about forest bathing in Time Magazine’s article here: https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/

We are excited to share with you that The Greystone Inn has been nominated in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards!

Condé Nast Traveler is one of our favorite travel resources. They’re dedicated team of writers and editors have pulled together all of the information you could ever want to know when it comes to planning the agenda for your next adventure. They provide you with an abundance of inspiration, new destinations to discover, information on places to stay on your trip, and a peek into the style, culture, food, and drink of the location you’re headed to. It’s an incredible resource that you should check out before you plan your next vacation!

As a valued guest of The Greystone, we would sincerely appreciate your vote in the Condé Nast Traveler 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting is open until June 30th and it’s a simple process to share what you loved about your visit with us. You’ll even be entered to win a dream trip when you vote! How awesome is that?

We are truly grateful for your support over the last year as we have renovated and reopened this majestic retreat on the shores of Lake Toxaway. Our entire team is looking forward to welcoming you back to The Greystone again soon!

Happy April!

It’s an exciting time around Lake Toxaway as our community begins to thaw out from a chilly winter and as nature around us begins to come back to life again with bright green leaves and fresh blooms. The waterfalls are even beginning to melt and move again. It’s a beautiful time of year to see Lake Toxaway and the Blue Ridge Mountains!

It’s the beginning of a busy season at The Greystone and we invite you to join in on all of the festivities with us.


On Easter weekend (April 21st), we are opening up our Lakeside Dining Room again for you and your family to enjoy. The view from the dining room is amazing—you’ll be able to take in all of the spring beauty from your table as you enjoy a delicious meal. You can dine with us:
Breakfast: Monday – Friday, 8am – 11am
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 8am – 2pm
Dinner: Everyday 5pm – 10pm

You can also still enjoy dining in our Mansion from 12pm-10pm Monday through Friday and 2pm – 10pm Saturday and Sunday.


We’re also excited to share the the Lake Toxaway Country Club will be reopening for the season on April 19th! It’s time to reserve your stay with us and start booking your tee times on their award winning golf course, court times, and dining reservations. If you haven’t experienced this luxurious club, it’s time that you did. We promise that it will not disappoint you!

Finally, we invite you to join us on April 23rd to celebrate Miss Lucy’s birthday! We’ll have cupcakes and champagne on the North Terrace to celebrate Lucy Armstrong Moltz. She’s the woman who in 1951 built this magnificent mansion on the hill and who’s heartfelt generosity and good deeds encouraged great things in people.

We are excited to see you again soon at The Greystone!

This Earth Day, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the ways that we are committed to minimizing our overall impact on the environment.

Our team makes every effort to conserve water and energy at The Greystone Inn, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and minimizing waste. One way that we work to minimize waste is through our partnership with Clean the World, an organization that provides recycled soap products and educational materials to impoverished families around the globe.

Fast Facts:
According to the World Health Organization, millions of young lives could be saved with access to bar soap and basic hygiene education. Pneumonia and diarrheal disease are two of the leading causes of death among children under 5 years old.

Hotels throw away over 2 million bars of partially used soap every day in the United States

Source: https://cleantheworld.org/#

At The Greystone Inn, our team donates all of our used solid and liquid soap amenities to Clean the World. The bars of soap are sanitized, grinder, and cut into new bars that are then boxed for distribution to impoverished communities around the globe. How cool is that? Instead of ending up in a landfill, our used soaps gain a second life through Clean the World and go to someone who truly needs it.

Clean the World does more than just recycle soap products and distribute them around the globe. They also educate children and their families on proper hygiene, starting with how to effectively wash hands. In Las Vegas, Clean the World has started a new program aimed to provide the basic comfort and dignity of cleanliness to their homeless population. Their Fresh Start Mobile Showers do more than just provide a shower—they connect the homeless with organizations that can help put them on the path to self-sufficiency.

We are proud to partner with Clean the World! What Green Practices are you participating in to help our world this Earth Day?

It’s known as the best ride in North America.

It’s a destination for motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts alike.

It’s a road with a long history that goes back to the “road” just being an animal track created by large herds of buffalo.

It’s The Tail of the Dragon.

Winding through The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, just across the North Carolina border, this road got it’s name from the number of twists and turns that you find on it. In this 11-mile stretch of road, there are 318 curves! The road is mainly flat with banked asphalt curves, making it an easy road to travel along from the novice motorcyclist to the thrill-seeking rider. With a speed limit of 30, no intersecting roads, and a strict no eighteen wheeler policy, it’s also an exceptionally safe drive. All eleven miles of this road run through The Great Smoky Mountains and the road offers views that you just can’t find anywhere else.

The best time of year to ride or drive The Tail of the Dragon is from March to November after the last snowfall and before winter rolls back in over the mountains. Catch it in early spring time as the mountains are beginning to come back to life with a blanket of green leaves stretching across all of the trees. In the summer, you’ll have pleasant, warm days to cruise with your windows down. And in the autumn, you’ll be able to see the beauty of the fall foliage with colors from deep, golden yellows to vibrant oranges and reds.

The Tail of the Dragon is approximately 2.5 hours up the road from our inn, and makes for a great day trip during your stay with us! Not only will you get to experience the breathtaking views that The Tail of the Dragon offers, but you’ll also get to take in all of the scenery as you travel through the Blue Ridge Mountains to get there. Plan a long weekend with us—travel in on a Thursday evening, drive up to the Tail of the Dragon on Friday when it’s less crowded, and then come back and relax on Lake Toxaway with us for the remainder of your weekend adventure.

However you choose to experience The Tail of the Dragon—by motorcycle or by car—it’s guaranteed to be the very best ride of your life!

For more information on how to plan your trip to The Tail of the Dragon, click here.

Happy New Year!

Start your new year off right by checking off one of the goals or resolutions on your list—we can help you out. We have two incredible retreats coming to The Greystone this winter. One focuses on a developing a new skill while other focuses on you and your wellbeing.


Our first retreat this winter is the Inspired Writing Workshop (March 1-3) featuring Dacre Stoker (international best-selling author of Dracula the Un-Dead and Dracul) and Leverett Butts (award-winning author of the Guns of the Waste Land series). This writer’s workshop has been created to appeal to the novice or aspiring writer who is interested in learning to write in a wide variety of genres. Let the stories of best-selling authors motivate you with this opportunity to improve your writing and develop your ideas in the comfortable reprieve of our inn.

It’s a three day writing workshop that includes inspiring storytellers, writing workshops with constructive critique, publishing information, and discussion. Open to both the community and to guests, this retreat will sell out quickly so be sure to call us to book your retreat today!

Our second retreat is a Yoga Renewal Retreat where you can enrich and nourish your mind, body, and soul—all levels are welcome! This 3-day experience is filled with mindfulness, movement, and nourishment and will rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. Disconnect and reflect in the beauty of the mountains and lake on the peaceful shores of Lake Toxaway as you dedicate two nights and three days to just you.

The retreat features an opening practice and intention setting ceremony, evening restoration and meditation, daily yoga practices, evening meditation and foot soaks, and wellness wisdom and transformation. This retreat is also open to the community and to our guests—you can reserve your spot by giving us a call today.

We can’t wait for everyone to join us for these two amazing workshops and retreats! It’s going to be an incredible experience.

What a year it has been for The Greystone Inn and The Willcox in 2018!

It was with great excitement we welcomed The Greystone into our family this year. After being closed for four years, our team worked morning, noon and night to completely renovate and breathe new life into this beautiful mountain retreat on the shores of Lake Toxaway. On May 9th, The Greystone Inn once again opened her doors and what an incredible 7 months it has been!

The inn has welcomed both those who have been longtime guests of The Greystone and those who ventured to Lake Toxaway for the very first time. We’re honored to have had so many guests in our first year of being open! It has been a joy to watch new visitors fall in love with the grace and beauty found here, and we have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the old stories from guests who have vacationed at The Greystone for years. We were honored to receive the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator 2018 and to have been nominated for Travel + Leisures World’s Best awards in our first year of business!

It’s been a pleasure to meet so many people from our community and the surrounding area. We’ve enjoyed watching The Greystone become a place for locals to gather, break bread and celebrate. We were grateful for the opportunity to donate to over 25 local charitable events including sponsoring Transylvania County’s Sesame Street in Communities initiative and partnering with Lake Toxaway charities to insure less fortunate families in our community were well taken care of this holiday season. We have hosted 8 brides, 10 corporate retreats, cooking classes with Southern Livings Rebecca Lang, a Halloween party with Dracul author Dacre Stoker, trivia nights, musicians and so much more. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for how kindly we’ve been welcomed into the area.

In Aiken, The Willcox had a wonderful year as well. Our lobby has been established as Aiken’s Living Room – a place where our community comes to unwind, to catch up with friends, and to enjoy live music. In the beginning of January, we will complete a beautiful refurbishment of our grand lobby. Our lobby will be as inviting as ever, and we’re excited to share it with you. We continue to update and refresh our guestrooms and are thrilled at the excitement our guests express when they notice new tile, new carpet, wall paper and furnishings.

We’re honored to have received the Award of Excellence – Wine Spectator 2018, voted No. 2 Best Hotel in the South – Southern Living Magazine’s South Best Awards 2018, voted No. 5 Top Hotels in The South Reader’s Choice awards Conde Nast 2018 and No. 10 in the Top 10 Resort Hotels in the American South Travel + Leisure! And, how grateful we are to the City of Aiken for their effort in stabilizing the embankment behind The Willcox, securing her future for generations to come.

From our restaurant to our spa, guests have enjoyed world class dining and spa treatments throughout the year. Our team has provided exceptional service to every guest, including the 32 different companies that hosted their meetings and retreats with us and the 28 couples that chose to celebrate their special day at our historic hotel.

This incredible year would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of our Willcox and Greystone families, nor without the hard work and dedication our team brings to the hotel each and every day. We are so grateful for everyone that has supported both The Greystone and The Willcox this year!

From our family and team to yours, we wish you all the best this holiday season and we look forward to hosting you in the new year!