Montford independent inns

Set on Montford Avenue in Asheville, The Lion and the Rose occupies an 1898 home where the rooms lean refined rather than fussy — the kind of place where polished woodwork and considered furnishings do the talking. A guest pantry keeps you stocked between outings, and free parking spares you the usual Asheville street-space hunt. With a 4.9 rating across more than 360 reviews, its guests tend to leave as evangelists.

Set on Montford Avenue in one of Asheville's leafiest historic streets, this 1899 home has been kept in fine form, with eight individually appointed rooms rather than a corridor of identical ones. Mornings bring a gourmet breakfast; afternoons bring tea, poured at no extra charge. Guests reliably rate it among the city's best, with a 4.8 average across 120 reviews.