Restored independent inns

A restored farmhouse set along River Road just outside Guerneville, Mine + Farm trades the anonymity of wine-country hotels for something closer to a friend's country house — cookies and drinks set out for guests, a hot tub for unwinding after a day on the Russian River. Mornings bring a gourmet breakfast, and the near-perfect 4.9 rating across hundreds of reviews suggests the hosts have the details down.

Set on Pembroke Road just outside the center of Windsor, Vermont, this restored mansion has been turned into an elegant bed & breakfast where no two rooms are decorated quite the same. Guests have use of a communal kitchen — a quietly practical touch for longer stays or late-night tea — and parking is free, which is rarely a given in a house of this vintage. With a 4.6 rating across more than 300 reviews, it's a well-loved fixture of the upper Connecticut River valley.

Set in a restored circa-1900s building on Broadway Street in Asheville, The Windsor trades hotel convention for something closer to a working art space gallery downstairs, stylish suites above. The artistic bent runs through the property, and guests seem to feel it: 214 reviewers have left it with a 4.8 rating. It's a small, singular address rather than a lobby-and-elevator kind of stay.