There’s a subgroup of travelers that self-identifies as wanderers, nomads, or vagabonds. I’m guilty, too, and we’re in good company. In fact, the original Four Vagabonds — Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs, who often road-tripped the countryside and camped together — used to meet up at The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, every summer. What started as a grand mountain escape became one of America’s original vacation destinations, a pilgrimage of sorts for intrepid adventurers.
Photo: Lauren Durie Monitz
This Esteemed Hotel in Asheville, NC, Is a Premier Playground for ‘Vagabonds’
The hotel’s stone walls echo with tales of early Americana, humming with innovation and reverberating with quests for wellness long before it was a travel trend. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, The Omni Grove Park Inn is more than just a hotel — it’s a living museum with killer views and a who’s who of a guest list. We’re talking 10 presidents, celebrities young and old, and politicos. To add your name to that list feels downright sacred.
Mountain majesty and historic halls: Inside The Omni Grove Park Inn
Photos: Lauren Monitz Durie
The Omni is built into a cliffside, with the lobby perched at the top and all rooms below. New wings have been added to the property since it opened in 1913. Coming together like a jigsaw puzzle, these expansions have ensured that every window has a view of the mountains so guests can savor the slow mornings as the fog rolls in.
It’s not just the view that invites guests to slow down, however. Rocking chairs line every window, porch, and fireplace, beckoning guests to sit and unplug. Until the staff rings the daily gong at sunset, that is, summoning everyone to the terrace to look out at nature’s canvas.
Decorated like a large ski lodge atop a winding hill, The Omni is adorned with oversized leather chairs, dark-toned couches, wood paneling, and the biggest granite fireplace I’ve ever seen — complete with motivational quotes engraved in the stone. The elevators — among the oldest in the country — are built right into the fireplaces, designed to be quiet and manned by an operator who transports you to another decade entirely.
Photos: Lauren Monitz Durie
The Omni is the only hotel I’ve ever stayed at where I’ve been asked to sign a “Good Night’s Rest Policy” pledging to respect quiet hours. After 10:30 PM, only registered hotel guests are allowed to use the elevators and enter the rooms. The hotel has 513 guest rooms, ranging from approximately 300-square-foot mountain view rooms to 2,000-plus-square-foot penthouse suites and a range of ADA-compliant rooms.
In between, history lines the hallways in the form of black-and-white photographs and memorabilia: vintage cars, old clocks, antique medicines, and original china. History buffs can request to stay in the main wing — which still has original features like communal bathrooms and atriums designated to promote airflow before A/C was invented — or take a self-guided audio tour to hear more stories and learn about the hotel’s legacy.
Amenities on a grand scale: Things to do at The Omni Grove Park Inn
Photo: Lauren Monitz Durie
The Omni has several standout amenities: an 18-hole championship golf course that showcases views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, two pools (one indoor and one outdoor, complete with cabanas), multiple tennis courts (both indoor and outdoor), a suite of health and wellness programs including yoga and aerobics, and a huge cave-like spa.
The award-winning spa at The Omni ranks among the country’s best. Inspired by the natural elements — fire, rock, water, and light — the spa features indoor and outdoor mineral pools, massaging waterfalls, contrasting cold plunges and hot pools to shock the senses, a eucalyptus steam room, and dry heat saunas. Two of the pools play underwater music, so you can do laps to a relaxing soundtrack or keep your ears submerged as you float on your back beneath the skylight. Non-guests can purchase a day pass or book a treatment, which includes all-day access to the amenities. Guest or not, know that the spa takes its no-cell-phone policy seriously.
Depending on the time of year you visit, The Omni also hosts seasonal events like the annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Weekend around the author’s birthday in September when Asheville’s fall colors are a spectacle in their own right. With the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby this year, a killer Roaring ’20s party is in the works, complete with special packages for guests.
Winter in Asheville is also magical, with the mountains cloaked in a blanket of snow. The Omni’s highly anticipated National Gingerbread House Competition is back this year after a pivot during Hurricane Helene, when the hotel graciously asked competitors to display their houses around town to bring cheer to the whole city as they rebuilt together. A sweet tradition for over three decades, hundreds of gingerbread houses are on display for 12 days during the holiday season.
Superb dining with a side of views: Restaurants at The Omni Grove Park Inn
Photos: Lauren Monitz Durie
If you never left The Omni, no one would blame you. The hotel has a variety of culinary options to ensure you’re sufficiently wined and dined, and it donates all excess food from its restaurants to the Asheville-based nonprofit Food Connection, so nothing goes to waste. You can also participate in the hotel’s “Say Goodnight to Hunger” program: for each night you opt out of housekeeping, the hotel donates one meal to Feeding America, which has contributed millions of meals to local food banks across the country.
EDISON is one of the hotel’s dining venues. An homage to Thomas Edison, one of the Four Vagabonds, the restaurant and bar that specializes in approachable farm-to-table fare and craft drinks including cocktails and local beers. Come for bites like the hot pimiento dip with candied jalapeños (a unique take on the Southern staple), the spicy Brussels, the melt-in-your-mouth burnt ends (a brisket-based Kansas City-style barbecue staple), and the jalapeño cornbread. Stay for the wraparound patio with mile-wide views.
Equally great are the views from Sunset Terrace, the perfect lunch or happy hour spot. The chef-driven menu features American favorites like Black Angus steaks, smashburgers, and beef short rib melts, but it’s not all heavy and meat-centric. The lobster Cobb and Sunburst trout are both light, bright, and pair beautifully with the spot’s signature sangrias.
For fine dining, Vue 1913 serves an experimental menu that changes seasonally and acts as a love letter to the local agriculture. The scallops stole the show when I dined there, spotlighting delicate and earthy morel mushrooms, while the burrata with pistachio brought a creamy-crunchy contrast that felt both refined and creative. Save room for the tableside soufflé — part dessert, part performance art. To make your meal here extra special, book a guided foraging tour on the property’s Sunset Trail and return with a bounty for the chef to whip up a custom dish.
Later, end any day at The Omni at Elaine’s. If your ideal nightcap involves sipping cocktails and belting out Bohemian Rhapsody with 50 strangers-turned-besties, this no-cover dueling piano bar is your jam — literally. More cabaret than dive, the setup feels like a cozy concert hall, with elevated seating encircling the keys, so you’ve got a front-row view no matter where you are.
Guided tours and self-guided exploration: Things to do in Asheville
Photo: Lauren Monitz Durie
Asheville has a lot of character (and characters). The best way to see it all is a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour that lets you explore the city at your own pace. The Gray Line Trolley Tour takes you through various neighborhoods to admire Asheville’s Art Deco, Gothic, and Victorian architecture; landmarks like the Thomas Wolfe Visitor Center and the author’s boyhood home; and the River Arts District, which is filled with boutique stops like the Grove Arcade, breweries, and colorful murals. The Omni is the second stop on the tour, making it particularly easy for guests of the hotel to join. For those who prefer the dark arts, Gray Line also organizes a Haunted History & Murder Mystery Tour.
If you’re out exploring the city on a Friday, stick around until evening and follow the rhythm — literally. Locals, tourists, and musicians all gather in Pritchard Park for the Downtown Drum Circle, a spontaneous percussion party that’s as free-spirited as the city itself.
If, on the other hand, you can only tear yourself away from The Omni long enough to see just one thing in Asheville, make it the Biltmore Estate. The largest privately owned and most visited house in the country, the Biltmore has so much more to offer than a historic home tour. There’s everything from falconry experiences to carriage rides, botanic gardens, and wineries. You can bike and hike along scenic trails, meet friendly farm animals, and catch turn-of-the-century woodworking and blacksmithing demos — or simply get lost meandering through the stunning conservatory. However you choose to explore, definitely give yourself more than a few hours — it’s a full-day adventure if you allow it.
Getting to The Omni Grove Park Inn and around Asheville
Photo: Lauren Monitz Durie
Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) has several direct connections from hubs across the US through airline carriers like Allegiant, American, Delta, and JetBlue. Despite some hills, the downtown area is fairly walkable, and to get anywhere farther afield, Ubers are easy and plentiful. You can also rent a car and enjoy a scenic road trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the country’s newest national parks and a bucket list-worthy drive in its own right. 