The Blue Waters Mountain Lodge

In July, I wrote a short post about our trip to the mountains of western North Carolina, but I wanted to share some more details and pictures of the trip with you.  Our destination was the small town of Robbinsville, NC -- more specifically the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge on Lake Santeetlah.  I wrote about the Blue Waters last year, and you can read that post Here.  I took lots of pictures of the interior of the lodge last year; I'll try not to repeat those this year, because I have some new things to show you.

The Blue Waters Lodge is aptly named because this is the view directly across the street from the lodge.

Pretty awesome, huh?  In the early morning, the mist from which the Great Smoky Mountains get their name, hangs over the lake and the mountains until the sun burns it away by mid-morning.  I love waking up to that sight every morning while we're there; and the sunsets over the lake in the evening are just spectacular.

The lodge has nine guest rooms, each decorated with a different theme.  In fact, the whole lodge is decorated in a perfect combination of eclectic, with a touch of French country and North Carolina mountains.  It exudes a classic style and warmth that, in my opinion, is magazine worthy.  The first year we stayed there, I just wandered around and looked at all the decor.  It's a chick thing, as my husband says.  :)

I love the various hand-made baskets that are scattered throughout the lodge.

 

 Have I mentioned how good the food is?  Well it is -- really good!  Breakfast is included in the price of your room, and dinner is usually served Thursday through Saturday evenings.  Friday evenings in summer, dinner is a cookout at the lake.  Everything is freshly prepared by the owners, Mike and Maury Stewart.

Breakfast is served buffet style, and there's simply no excuse for leaving the table hungry.  Every morning, they offer an egg dish, such as quiche or strata; bacon or sausage; pancakes or waffles; and scones.  Also offered are fruit, yogurt, cereal, milk, orange juice, and coffee.  An example of our breakfast one morning was Quiche Loraine, sausage links, French toast stuffed with cream cheese and wild blackberries, cinnamon pecan scones, and fresh local fruit.  Yum!!

Mike and Maury printed a cookbook...

 ...featuring some of their most popular dishes, such as Shrimp and Corn Bisque, Cream of Mushroom with Brie Soup, Tomato Bisque with Basil Creme Fraiche, House Honey Mustard Salad Dressing, Fourth of July Trifle, Apple Cheddar Quiche, and Raspberry White Chocolate Scones (to name a few).  In addition, the setting for the meals is so pretty and relaxing, with a view of the lake right outside the windows.

This year we did something different; on the Friday night, we were treated to a sunset ride on the lake on Mike and Maury's pontoon boat, which was driven by one of the local residents.  She pointed out all the big homes around the lake that we had never seen from the road.

Below is the Blue Waters Lodge and the dock, seen from the boat.

You can see the wake from the boat in the lower left corner of the next few pictures.

The reflected colors of the sky in the water are amazing.

Now the moon is up...

It was really hot the week we were in Robbinsville, and it was so cool and peaceful on the lake that evening.

There are so many pretty wildflowers growing along the roadside in that area, and this year, for the first time, we were able to find a spot where we could safely pull off the road to photograph some of the flowers.  These beauties were blooming along the Cherohala Skyway, which runs from western North Carolina into Tennessee.  You can access the Cherohala Skyway just a few miles from the Blue Waters Lodge.

 
Turk's Cap Lilies...

Miniature daisies...

Wild raspberries

Queen Anne's Lace

Wild Phlox

If you live in or near North Carolina, I hope you get to visit this area sometime soon; and if you stay at the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge, Mike and Maury will go out of their way to make your visit enjoyable.  I wasn't paid to say that, by the way -- just like to share beautiful places with my readers.  I'll leave you to look at the rest of the pictures.

A watercolor of the lodge.

I'll be joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, and Elaine for Sunny Simple Sundays -- thanks so much for visiting!

Denise