Favorite Places to Stay in North Carolina

We visited resorts, rustic inns and affordable cottages to find great places to stay on any budget, all within “weekend only” driving distance from Atlanta.

Grove Park Inn

290 Macon Ave., Asheville, N.C.
800-438-5800, groveparkinn.com
From Atlanta: Approximately a 3½-hour drive.

Parents can relax and enjoy treatments at one of the nation’s top five spa resorts while the children are enjoying a half- or full-day camp on site with swimming, games, sports, and arts and crafts. The resort also has supervised childcare, playground and pools, and a video/game library.

Nearby: Take a tour with Adventure America Zipline Canopy Tours or visit the Colburn Earth Science Museum.

Costs: Prices for a family of four range from $232-$357/night. Kids’ camp prices: Full day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.), $65; half day (9 a.m.-1 p.m.), $45. Kids Night Out option available Friday and Saturday nights (6 -10 p.m.), $45

Great Wolf Lodge

10175 Weddington Rd., Concord, N.C.
704-549-8206, greatwolf.com/concord
From Atlanta: Approximately a 4-hour drive.

At 80,000 square feet, the Great Wolf Lodge has the Southeast’s largest indoor water park. The lodge offers everything from a zero-depth entry pool and spray area for toddlers to wild slides for older children and parents. The resort includes an arcade, a teens’ tech center, mini golf, children’s spa, children’s bowling alley and the Cub Club – a dry activity center for young children. The resort has fun camp- and cave-themed suites and bunk beds.

Nearby: Visit Charlotte for family fun at the Discovery Place Science Center and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Costs: $209-$299/night. Summer rates include water park passes for all registered guests (valid for entire stay), nightly storytime and daily activities in the kids’ club. Children under 10 eat free until Sept. 2.

High Hampton Inn and Country Club

1525 Highway 107 South, Cashiers, N.C.
800-334-2551, highhamptoninn.com
From Atlanta: Approximately a 2½-hour drive.

High Hampton Inn has been named one of the “100 Best Family Resorts in North America.” Situated on 1,400 acres, the resort has a private lake for swimming and non-motor boating, climbing tower, hiking trails, golf, tennis and a spa. High Hampton sends your family back in time –there are no phones or TVs in the rooms. There’s also no air-conditioning and none needed – it’s an average 17 degrees cooler on average than in Atlanta. Some cottages are pet-friendly and kennels are available.

The Kids’ Club program (six days a week for ages 3-9) costs $7 per hour. Activities include hiking, swimming, nature walks, arts and crafts, and even donkey cart rides. Most evenings from 6-9 p.m. there are events such as hayrides, pajama parties, games and cookouts. For older kids, free activities Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays include geocaching, Frisbee golf, volleyball and nature hikes, plus a supervised teen room for pizza parties and other fun. Ask about the annual Teddy Bear Picnic in July.

Costs: Adults from $150/per person per night (double occupancy); third person in room, $73/night; kids 4-8 are $42/night; children 3 and younger stay free. Three meals daily, buffet style, are included for all, and there is a dress code (coat and tie at dinner for men and boys over 12).