This past weekend, we were lucky enough to stay at the beautiful and historic Tapoco Lodge, which is located right in a little town called Robbinsville, NC. So I figured I would share everything that we did while we were at the lodge. As well as all the other fun things to do in Robbinsville, North Carolina too.
It really is such a beautiful area and I cannot believe we haven’t stayed here before. It’s honestly not too far from our house either so it’s definitely worth us coming out here more.
Robbinsville is nestled in the heart of the Nantahala National Forest in Graham County so there are plenty of beautiful areas to check out while you’re down here. If you’re an outdoor lover, you definitely need to check this place out.
There is so much to do! We were only here for about a day and a half, so we didn’t have time to do all the things. But, we definitely knocked out some good ones and tried to squeeze as much as we could all in!
This post also contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off anything you purchase through here, at no additional cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.
Hiking
Obviously, there are a ton of hiking options nearby. We did a quick little hike called Yellow Creek Falls. Which was only a short 7 minute drive from the lodge too.
This is a nice hike you can do within just 30 minutes. But, it was well worth it because the waterfall was beautiful. And it was a great way to cool off after a very hot day.
The water misting you from the falls was perfect! I will say, be sure to research where you are driving to hike at beforehand. Because there is hardly any service and it was hard to pull up GPS after we left the lodge.
So just have a game plan before you go and know where you are going! Another quick and easy hike is Bear Creek Falls. This hike was actually located right off from Tapoco Lodge, where we stayed. It’s a less than two miles roundtrip around to the falls.
So again, it’s nice to have that cool water misting you once you get to the area. And Tapoco Lodge actually has several other hiking trails on the property too so be sure to check out the trail map if you’re staying there!
You don’t want to miss all the miles of trails leading to all the pristine rivers and waterfalls!
Lake Santeetlah
Lake Santeetlah is also close by and very well worth going to. It’s one of North Carolina’s most unspoiled lake. Absolutely gorgeous and peaceful!
There is also a swimming area that you can go to and spend your day swimming in this cool lake. You can also rent pontoon boats, canoes, and kayaks for the day or by the hour as well.
It’s such a beautiful lake and definitely worth checking out if you have the chance! There are also several camping spots in the area too if you want to stay overnight.
Fontana Lake
Another cool thing to do in Robbinsville is visit Fontana Lake. We saw it driving in to stay at Tapoco. The lake is technically located in Bryson City, but it is super close to Robbinsville, so it’s a short drive.
There is also a spot where you can pull in and see the Fontana Dam too which was super cool to see. And again at this lake, you can rent boats, kayaks, and even tube as well! There’s also a lot of non-water activities you can do there too.
Such as horseback riding, gem mining, zip lining, and golf to name a few! So be sure to research this area too if you have time to check it out!
Tail Of The Dragon
Tail Of The Dragon at Deals Gap is a motorcycle enthusiasts dream! It’s America’s number one sports car and motorcycle road. So it is definitely one of the more popular attractions in Robbinsville, NC.
A lot of people staying at the Lodge with us were doing that all day long. So they would stay at the lodge by night and drive the Tail of the Dragon by day! It’s a super curvy road so obviously our big SUV wouldn’t take the curves well.
Needless to say, we didn’t explore that area too much. It has 318 curves in just 11 miles!! Definitely a challenging drive!! However, just driving into Tapoco Lodge from Franklin, NC, was curvy enough for me!
It’s beautiful driving through all the national forests here, but if you get carsick easily, you should definitely take precautions before making the drive!
The Cherohala Skyway is also super close to the Trail of the Dragon too. It also has 60 scenic miles of the beautiful blue ridge mountains!
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
Some other fun things to do in Robbinsville, North Carolina is to visit the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. This is one of the best old-growth forests in Western North Carolina.
It’s also very unique too because it was spared from all the timber companies back in the past. A rail line was built along the little Tennessee River to extract all the timber from the forests nearby.
But thankfully, this area was spared and remains a scenic spot to visit to this day! So this is a great place to visit if you’re into history like that!
Stay At Tapoco Lodge
One of the best things about Robbinsville to me is the historic Tapoco Lodge. This place was amazing to stay at! The rooms were all antique and original and I loved all the decor. We stayed in the Laurel Suite and I loved how it was decorated!
If you know me, then you know this is right up my alley for sure! The room was so quaint and cute and the lodge is nestled right beside the Cheoah River too. It’s a 120 acre campus with several amenities.
There’s tennis courts, nightly bonfires, 24 hour guest services, hammocks, and more! They also offer lodge rooms, lodge suites, and cabin rooms. Some rooms even come with a hot tub!
Ours that we stayed in didn’t have an outdoor hot tub, but it had an incredible jetted tub in the bathroom! I definitely spent a lot of time soaking and relaxing in it!
So you can take a look and see which accommodation would be best for you. And keep in mind, most rooms don’t have a TV. Their goal at Tapoco is to get you to unwind and relax and enjoy the nature around you, not look at your screens all the time.
And each room comes with some binoculars so you can enjoy all the bird watching in the area too. The lodge also has a cute gift shop too filled with not only their own merch, but cute home decor items and souvenirs too!
Dine At Tapoco Lodge
Tapoco Lodge has some of the most amazing food! They have two dining options too. The Cheoah Dining Room and Tapoco Tavern. We tried both of them, and let me tell you, they were so good!
I was honestly shocked at how delicious everything was. Y’all know I am a huge foodie and one of the best parts about vacations is eating out. So I was very happy that Tapoco set the bar high!
Our first night there, we tried the Cheoah Dining Room. We had the fried calamari as an appetizer and then the Carolina Crusted Filet as our main entree. Both were so, so good! It was plenty of food and we were completely stuffed.
We wanted to try the dessert out too so we ended up ordering a tiramisu to go as well. Which again, was a perfect way to end the evening.
The Cheoah Dining Room also serves an incredible breakfast in the mornings too. Which was a great way to start our day out. Especially if you’re spending the day hiking around, you need all the fuel to keep you going!
We also ate at the Tapoco Tavern our last night there and again, we loved it! The tavern is also located right beside the creek so you can enjoy all the water rushing by as you dine.
We got the wings as an appetizer and the burgers as our main dish and of course both were so delicious! But, the star of the show was definitely the hot cookie skillet we got as our dessert! Literally the best cookie skillet I’ve ever had!
Enjoy Robbinsville, North Carolina
Well, I hope this post inspires you to take a trip to the town of Robbinsville soon. There are so many things to do in Robbinsville, North Carolina so it is definitely worth checking out.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the area or about our stay at Tapoco Lodge. I cannot recommend that place enough!
We definitely want to come back in the fall sometime or even at Christmastime too. I think it would be so cozy and fun to stay here when it’s cold out!
And be sure to check out all our other travel adventures here too!
Being in places like this, so close to nature and somewhere peaceful is exactly what I love! This area of North Carolina looks and sounds like it has so much to offer. Wonderful!
I know right?! It was so peaceful and relaxing for sure!