Places to lay your spring-feverish head

Spring makes people do crazy things—cut off all their hair, buy a convertible, spend a week’s pay on perennials. It’s spring fever: Our primal urge to get out of the house after four months of King of Queens reruns and (excuse the New Age-ism) reconnect with the larger world. And the best way to do that without signing the lease for a shiny new Harley is to take a weekend trip.

But say springtime in Paris is a little beyond what the bank account allows. No problem. There are plenty of accommodation adventures waiting in Western North Carolina. And the best part about these unique lodgings? They’re sure to make you feel like you’ve really been somewhere.

Best of Inn-tentions

The view inside the Saluda Inn

Looking to move at a slower pace? While that idea is inherent to vacationing, the truth is that jam-packed itineraries and adventurous offerings make it hard to take it easy. (Think hiking, followed by kayaking, and if you’re staying at the hoity-toity Inn on Biltmore, mud bogging.) But Mayberry-ish Saluda may have the answer. Pretty much confined to one street (that would be Main Street), the town still boasts everything a visitor needs: Cafes, an art gallery, a club, great mountain scenery and an atmospheric inn.

Set on a wooded hill just above town, the original part of the 7,000-plus square foot Saluda Inn was built as a family home in the late 1800s by the first practicing doctor to come to the quaint village. It’s changed hands several times since, and has been used as a boarding house, the editorial offices for the town’s first newspaper and a home for physicians working at the Children’s Sanatorium.

Joni and Rich Rauschenbach purchased the property in 2004 and have been refurbishing it extensively for the past two years. The Inn is still a work in progress, but it has a cozy, homey feel. Unlike most B&Bs, the Saluda Inn isn’t so fancy you’re afraid to touch anything or put your feet up. Instead, everything is accessible, from the large, professional kitchen to the wine cellar.

Another view inside the Saluda Inn

There are 18 guest rooms, each a little different (the prize rooms are those with antique claw-foot tubs). Some have twin or queen beds, a few have king-sized beds, one has a sleeping loft perfect for adventurous kids, and a couple of rooms boast fireplaces.

Another departure from the B&B scene: The Saluda Inn is available as a rental property—not by the room. Rates (by the day, the weekend or the week) include all 18 rooms (think wedding party, family reunion or a getaway with friends) and public areas. And, instead of having the innkeeper lurking in the background proffering coffee and shooting worried looks when your kids pull out the magic markers, the Rauschenbachs keep a low profile. “We’ll meet you on Friday, give you a tour, and then you won’t see us again until Sunday when you drop off the keys,” Rich says.

For more info, call 749-9698 or e-mail info@saludainn.com.

Mountain Light Sanctuary

North of Asheville, tucked into a corner of the national forest, the Mountain Light Sanctuary is one of the area’s best-kept secrets on the retreat front. But don’t let the word “retreat” put you off—at least not if it evokes images of spandex-clad yoginis imbibing wheat-grass tonics. While Mountain Light does offer peaceful seclusion, a Garden of the Divine Feminine and rumors of elves inhabiting the property, the atmosphere is less New Age and more eccentric youth hostel.

The sanctuary, owned and maintained by Michael Lightweaver, backs up to hiking trails and acres of forest. Though it’s just a short drive from Barnardsville, the grounds feel completely removed from civilization—an Eden of burbling streams, elegant gardens and intriguing structures.

Guests have a wide range of sleeping arrangements from which to choose. Most structures are open-air on at least one side, including sleeping porches at Elf Lodge (the original home on the property), the Balihouse—with bamboo curtains in lieu of walls—and the Hobbithut, described as a double bed with a roof.

While the Sanctuary maintains a certain level of rustic elegance, it’s not a bed and breakfast. Visitors can make use of the full kitchen at the lodge, but they need to bring their own food (as well as their own linens for beds outside of the lodge). There is indoor plumbing available, but the more adventurous at heart can use the outdoor shower and composting outhouse.

“Everything is designed to provide you with a setting of serenity and simplicity that supports your need for ‘time out’ from your busy schedule and a place to reconnect with nature and your own deepest self,” explains the sanctuary’s Web site, www.mtnlightsanctuary.com. Reservations can be made online.

Follow the yellow brick road

Follow the yellow lines of I-40 to Dorothy’s House in Beech Mountain.

Even though there’s no Johnny Depp-led, action-packed remake of The Wizard of Oz on the horizon, that story remains one of the cornerstones of childhood. And, apparently, Oz is closer than anyone knew. In 1970, the Land of Oz amusement park opened for business on Beech Mountain (a resort area in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina). Along with an actual yellow brick road, singing and dancing characters, and various buildings from the Emerald City, the Beech Mountain ski lift was turned into a balloon ride around the Wizard’s premises.

The park operated for a decade before closing its doors, but in 1990 the idea of the land of Oz was resurrected by developers with an eye toward unique homesites. As a result, Emerald City-themed domiciles have returned to Beech Mountain, along with an annual “Autumn at Oz” party, where new generations of children are introduced to the world at the end of the yellow brick road.

But—even though the autumn party is a major event—fans of Dorothy and her friends don’t have to wait for leaf season to visit Beech Mountain. Properties, including Dorothy’s house, are available to rent year-round. The private farm houses up to four people and Dorothy’s room has kid-friendly bunk beds. There’s an antique kitchen and parlor with all the accouterments necessary for that “there’s no place like home” feeling.

To make a reservation, visit emeraldmtn.com or call (828) 387-2000.

Yurts

Take yurt pick: a splintery cabin floor or a sumptuous Oriental rug?

KOA campgrounds are great. There’s something quintessentially American about wheeling past the mini-golf and setting up a home-away-from home mere inches from some stranger whose barbecue is spewing thick black smoke into your tent.

OK, maybe not. These experiences have their place, but sometimes it’s nice to get back to nature in style. That’s where yurts come in. The round, canvas-covered shelters are Mongolian herders’ answer to the dome tent. Made for quick construction and frequent travel, the moveable homes have been adopted in this country both as temporary housing and as alternatives to cutesy tourist-attracting cabins.

Falling Waters Resort in Bryson City includes a Yurt Village among its lodging options—but don’t expect these recreational structures to be rustic. The yurts boast Douglas fir lattice walls, tongue-and-groove pine flooring, Oriental carpeting, iron-framed queen-sized beds, wrap-around decks, fridges and coffee makers. Daytime activities include white-water rafting excursions, horseback riding and hiking the Appalachian Trail. Learn more at fallingwatersresort.com, or call (800) 451-9972 for reservations.

Closer to Asheville, Campfire Lodgings includes yurts among its shelter options. The yurts feature microwaves, hardwood floors, sliding panels, oversized decks with grills, cable TV and memory foam beds—a far cry from roughing it in a sleeping bag. Campground manager Ande Rappaport calls the yurt experience “the best of both worlds. You’re very much out in the elements because it’s so open, and yet you’re completely protected from the elements at the same time.

“It’s very romantic and soothing,” she adds. Learn more at campfirelodgings.com or 658-8012.