This unique inn was recently selected by AAA as one of the 10 Top Places to Enjoy Fall Colors. It is one of only two lodgings in the Southeast to make the exclusive list.
Just off the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway in the picture-postcard township of Gowensville, The Red Horse Inn offers breathtaking views of the mountains from Table Rock to Tryon Peak in North Carolina.
"You can see miles and miles of mountain ranges," said Mary Wolters, who owns and runs the inn with her husband Roger. "It's a huge, sweeping vista."
AAA inspectors who chose The Red Horse Inn also were impressed with the quality of accommodations and the "top-notch innkeepers."
The Wolters purchased the 200-acre property in 1995 and immediately went to work creating a romantic retreat where guests could escape the daily grind and relax in a peaceful, picturesque setting.
"We did all the work ourselves," Wolters said. "I was literally the bulldozer operator. We put in the roads and fencing and built everything including the cottages and the inn."
The main inn features six beautifully decorated rooms, each with its own cozy fireplace sitting area and view of the rolling hills surrounding the property. There also are six private cottages complete with kitchen, living room, bedroom, fireplace, whirlpool, deck and/or patio.
Unlike most B & Bs that serve breakfast in a communal dining area at a predetermined time, The Red Horse Inn provides guests with breakfast in their own rooms. Equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker, each room is stocked daily with muffins, fresh fruit parfaits, quiche or egg casseroles, oatmeal, grits juice, coffee and tea.
"We found that people are not interested in having breakfast with a bunch of strangers," Wolters said. "They want private time to reconnect with each other."
If you plan on making it out to the inn for the fall leaf season - from the second week of October to the first week of November - you'll need to book your reservations soon.
"We're always at capacity during foliage months," Wolters said.
Located 28 miles from downtown Greenville, The Red Horse Inn offers easy access to some of South Carolina's best hiking trails, dozens of waterfalls, historic bridges, golf courses and antique shops.
For more information or to make reservations, click here or call (864) 895-4968.
