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Located
adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 331, the
historic Skyline Inn was built by John M Greer in the side
of the mountain at the entrance to a cavern, where a
moonshine still was located. Construction began in 1942 and
was completed in 1948 financed by the moonshine money. Mr.
Greer was a master carpenter and stonemason. His handy work
is present in the wood paneling, marble floors and wood
inlay tables throughout the building.
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A RESERVATION
Tales abound about the secret tunnels and caverns used by
the moonshining crews and their activities during the 1940’s
and 50’s. We have uncovered one of the caverns in the boiler
room. This cavern goes about 20 feet under the back parking
lot.
The facility today consists of a 12,000 square foot Inn with
16 guest rooms all with hand made wood paneling. Also we
have a restaurant with great food: BBQ Ribs, mouth watering
Ribeye Steaks with some delicious
vegetarian selections as well. This summer we have added to
the ambience of dining at the Skyline by building a deck
which over looks the Catawba Valley. The deck is located on
the second floor and has its own bar facility and we serve
our full menu weather permitting.
In August 2005 we noticed a
hollow wall in our boiler room. This aroused our curiosity
knowing the history of moonshining etc, so we knocked a hole
in the wall with a sledge hammer and uncovered a cave going
underneath our parking lot. Following is a link to an
article which appeared in many Southeast newspapers in
November of 2005.:
www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/southeast/nc_stories/1205/14getawaymarion.html
We are open year round. So come
up and stay here if you like to ski. We are about 40-50
minutes from Banner Elk and about half the price or less.
While here go hiking on the Parkway if conditions are right.
There is no snow removal on the Parkway and we had almost 2
feet of snow Dec 18 2009. So the snow is still here and
walking on the parkway or enjoying snowshoeing is great
exercise and a wonderful way to spend the day. We have
snowshoes and crampons that our hotel customers can use: At
no additional charge!
 
It is truly beautiful this time
of year Following are pics we took the day after it stopped
snowing Dec 19:


We invite the active public: Motorcyclists, bicyclists and
campers seeking refuge and a shower for a night. We feature
live local musical talent whenever we can. We have a 56”
digital HD TV to view sports events. We are one of the very
few establishments on the Parkway to offer bike rentals.
* Pet Friendly
*Motorcycle Friendly
*Murder Mystery Weekends
*Meetings, Dinners & Parties
*Mountain Bike Rentals
*Corporate Rates
*Gem Mining
*Area's Best Rock Shop
*Area's Best selection of Beer & Wine
The varied activities with a setting that affords a
drop-dead view, entertainment and a unique history led us to
change the name from the Skyline Inn & Café to the Skyline
Village Inn & Cavern Tavern.
The
Skyline is open year round and is centrally located to many
of the areas biggest attractions including: The Blue Ridge
Parkway, Mineral Museum and Visitor’s Center, the Skyline
Overlook Gem Mine, Emerald
Village, Gem Mountain, Rio Dolce Mining, Spruce Pine Gems,
Anita’s Gems, Mt Mitchell State Park, Linville
Falls, Grandfather Mountain, Roan Mountain, The Appalachian
Trail, the Mountains to Sea Trail, Linville Gorge Wilderness
Area, the major North Carolina ski resorts and much more.
We are midway between Boone and Asheville areas making
this an ideal spot from which to visit and roam the
mountains.
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