Highlands, North Carolina
Outpost Inn Highlands
Summer-camp roadside motel
Summer-camp roadside motel
The inn runs like a communal mountain camp, bringing guests together around open courtyard firepits and covered porches.
“The Outpost Inn channels summer-camp nostalgia with hidden courtyards and a planned barrel sauna for adventurous retreats.”
What it’s good at
Notable
Vintage Appalachian patchwork quilts and Crosley turntables furnish the fourteen rooms.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Also in Condé Nast Traveler.
Equal parts summer camp, roadside motel, and low-key artist retreat, Outpost Inn brings a playful, free-spirited energy to the Blue Ridge.
Somewhere quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Along North 4th Street, a calm stroll or bike ride from downtown Highlands shops.
The rooms
Nine rooms keep their own gas fireplaces, and desks come stocked with working vintage typewriters.
The Outpost Bar
A live-edge counter pours Methodical coffee each morning, switching to natural wine and house trout dip by dusk.
How it began
The inn's three board-and-batten buildings were originally relocated to the site from an early-twentieth-century sanatorium.
Highlands
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Trailborn Highlands
“Woodland mountain lodge”
The app
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.