Bar independent inns

Set in a converted 1920s church on a quiet stretch of Church Street in Wells, Haven By the Sea keeps the bones of its former life while trading hymnals for hot breakfasts. Mornings bring a cooked breakfast; evenings, there's a bar to settle into. Parking is on site, and the coastal village setting is a short drive from Maine's southern beaches.

Set on the island of North Haven, a short walk from the harbor, Nebo Lodge occupies a 19th-century building whose rooms and suites are kept elegant but unfussy. The real draw may be downstairs: a fine-dining restaurant and bar that make the lodge as much a gathering place as a place to sleep. It operates seasonally, which lends a stay here the particular charm of a place that keeps island time.

Set in a colonial house on Deer Isle's Main Street, The Ark pairs warm, refined guest rooms with a scattering of cottages just off the village center. Meals and drinks happen in the converted barn, where the restaurant and bar draw locals as readily as overnight guests. With 138 reviewers averaging 4.8, it's the rare small inn that people seem to leave genuinely charmed.

Set on a hillside above Arlington, this antiques-filled farmhouse leans into its Vermont roots — creaky-floored rooms, extensive gardens to wander, and a full breakfast each morning. Dinner is served on site, with a bar for the hours in between, and the grounds double as a favorite setting for weddings and gatherings. With a 4.9 rating across 225 reviews, it's the kind of place guests return to rather than merely pass through.

Tucked onto a sliver of West Asheville just off the river, Wrong Way is less hotel than hangout — a cluster of snug wood cabins, each with a kitchenette and its own deck for slow mornings and longer evenings. The lodge at its center holds a cafe and bar plus space for gatherings, so the social life of the place spills easily between porch and pint. Reviewers are near-unanimous in their affection: 415 of them, averaging a flat five stars.

Set along Simonsville Road in the green folds of Andover, Vermont, The INN Between pairs guest rooms with the Which Way Tavern — a bar and restaurant where the kitchen turns out vegan and vegetarian plates alongside the usual roadhouse pours. It's the kind of place where dinner and a nightcap happen a staircase away from your bed, and where 83 guests have left it a 4.8-star reputation. A small, dual-purpose stop for travelers crossing southern Vermont's back roads.

On Main Street in the harbor village of Castine, this long-standing Maine inn keeps a pub and restaurant downstairs, so dinner and a nightcap are a staircase away from your room. It's the kind of small-town lodging where the dining room doubles as the local gathering spot, and the village itself — walkable, coastal, quiet — is the main attraction. With 56 reviews and a 4.1 rating, it remains a modest, locally known address rather than a polished resort.

A 19th-century holdout on West Spain Street in the heart of Sonoma, The Swiss Hotel keeps its rooms small and plain in the old way \u2014 quaint quarters above a restaurant and bar that draw as many locals as guests. Meals spill onto outdoor seating, and the ground floor stays lively well past dinner. Nearly 500 reviewers have settled on a 4.5, which says something about a place that has never needed to reinvent itself.

Set on Quechee Main Street in Vermont's Upper Valley, this 18th-century farmhouse inn keeps its period furnishings and easy country warmth intact — rooms feel more heirloom than hotel. Mornings begin with a complimentary hot breakfast; evenings can stretch out over dinner and a drink in the inn's own restaurant and bar. A banquet hall and event space make it a longtime choice for Vermont weddings and gatherings.

Set on a rise above the rolling fields of Woodstock, this country bed & breakfast pairs quiet New England elegance with a dining room that draws people from well beyond the village. Fireplaces warm the common rooms, and the kitchen turns out upscale American plates alongside a proper bar — the kind of place where dinner stretches long and nobody minds the drive home being short. With a wedding and event license too, it doubles as a backdrop for the region's celebrations, though its 4.7 rating across nearly 300 reviews suggests the everyday stays hold up just as well.

Set along the Ottauquechee just west of Woodstock village, this vintage-chic inn leans into its riverside setting with rooms that look out over the water. Mornings bring complimentary breakfast; later, a bistro and bar keep guests from having to venture far. Google listings also tie it to skiing, making it a practical base for Vermont's cold-weather pursuits.

Set along the Atlantic Highway in Lincolnville, this genteel roadside retreat keeps things pleasantly old-fashioned: classic, unfussy rooms, a heated pool for post-drive afternoons, and a restaurant and bar on site so you needn't get back in the car. It's the kind of midcoast Maine stay that trades polish for ease, with longer-stay options for travelers settling in for a while.

Tucked down Turbats Creek Road on the quieter edge of Kennebunkport, the Rhumb Line keeps things unfussy: easygoing rooms and suites, two pools for working through a Maine summer afternoon, and a gym for those who insist. A seasonal eatery and bar handle the in-between hours, with snacks and takeaway when you'd rather eat poolside than sit down. It's low-key lodging in a town that often isn't.

Tucked up Summit Road in Killington, this homey mountain lodge leans into the unfussy rhythms of a Vermont ski week — breakfast included before first chair, a shuttle to spare you the drive, and a bar and restaurant waiting when boots come off. Two pools and tennis courts keep the property busy well past snowmelt, and the ballroom-sized side of things handles weddings and events. It's the kind of place guests return to for the ease of it, reflected in a 4.4 rating across nearly 300 reviews.

Set on Ocean Avenue where Kennebunkport's harbor meets the sea, The Boathouse is an intimate waterfront property where a handful of rooms open onto private balconies above the water. Downstairs, an elegant restaurant and bar draw guests and locals alike. With 472 reviews averaging 4.3 stars, it's a small-scale coastal Maine stay that trades sprawl for a front-row seat on the water.

Set on Wentworth Street in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, The Restoration is a suite-style hotel where rooms come with full kitchens and breakfast delivered to your door. The ground floor doubles as a neighborhood hub — a coffee bar, cafe and restaurant, plus a small shop stocked with clothing and provisions — while a rooftop terrace opens up over the rooftops of the old city. Guests rate it 4.5 across more than 650 reviews, and it also hosts events.

Set on Meeting Street in the heart of downtown Charleston, The Dewberry trades Lowcountry frills for a more polished kind of sophistication — stylish rooms and suites, a spa, and an upscale brasserie. The chic bar is as much a destination as the lodging itself, and the 4.6 rating across well over a thousand reviews suggests the attention to detail holds up. It reads less like a traditional Southern guesthouse and more like a design-minded urban retreat.

Set on Patton Avenue in the thick of downtown Asheville, The Restoration folds a good deal of the city into one address — a coffee counter and café by morning, a bar with live music after dark, and a restaurant and event space that doubles as a wedding venue. Guests rate it 4.5 across more than 350 reviews, a sign that the property's many moving parts hold together. It's a hotel for people who'd rather walk downstairs than across town.

Perched dockside on Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport, The Boathouse Restaurant trades on its water views — a chic hotel dining room where upscale seafood and American plates arrive against a backdrop of moored boats and tidal light. It's the in-house table of The Boathouse property rather than a guest room in its own right, and locals and visitors alike have kept it busy enough to earn a 4.4 rating across nearly 900 reviews.

Set along the water at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, The Beach Club is the more polished half of Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina — a harborfront address with its own private stretch of sand and boats bobbing just beyond. Days drift between the spa, the relaxed on-site restaurant, and a choice of four bars. It's a resort rather than a hideaway, and it leans into that: 520 guests have landed it a 4.4.

Set along the Napa River on Soscol Avenue, River Terrace Inn trades on its waterfront address — an upscale property with stylish rooms, a bar and an on-site restaurant. Spa treatments are available for guests who want to slow the pace between tasting-room appointments. With 770 reviews averaging 4.3, it reads as a dependable, polished base at the edge of downtown Napa.

A contemporary hotel on Meeting Street in Charleston's upper peninsula, the Moxy trades period charm for bold, colorful rooms and a social-minded ground floor. There's a cozy bar for evening drinks, a 24-hour gym, and a rooftop terrace overlooking the downtown skyline.