Update on Maggie Valley Inn and surrounding areas.

[Todd]

Wanted to give you all a little more information that I have been able to gather.

First on the host Hotel. I have had a few folks contact me wondering about the hotel since it has gotten some questionable reviews on a couple of travel sites. I had seen the outside and common areas but made arrangements to travel to that part of the State and meet with the hotel manager and look at the rooms. Not sure what some of the folks that wrote these reviews were expecting from a hotel in a small tourist area that has a total population of around 700 and motorcycle riders are their main summer tourism crowd...but........................... :-/

This is an older hotel built in the early 70s and is the only hotel of any size in Maggie Valley. It was first a Holiday Inn, then a Quality Inn, and then purchased by an individual family that currently owns it. It is a 70s style hotel with large rooms. It does not have the newest fixures in the bathroom, newest carpet, newest wallpaper, etc. but I went into 3 separate rooms and they were all clean..very clean. The check in area has been updated most recently and the restaurant and bar areas are right off of that and are in great shape. There were a few locals there last night enjoying a beer and dinner. The outside area has the tikibar and area with high bar seating to hangout near the pool (knda like Hooters Tables) . It is going to be a very popular place in the evenings I think. There is a large parking lot in the back and a lot of parking in the front also.

Some pics I took yesterday

Here is the front entrance:




The parking lot:

Front


Back


The front desk


The sleeping rooms are in a separate building connected to the offices/resataurant by a breezeway. The hallways show a little wear on the carpet and walls but all was clean. The rooms were similar showing some age, but everything was very clean. Keep in mind that this is probably one of the newest hotels in Maggie Valley...most are 50's roadside type hotels. The few chains there (Ramada, MicroTel, Best Western, Comfort Inn) are very small and appear to be built around the same time as the MV Inn. For those that were at Custer, this is very similar to the Bavarian Inn as far as quality of hotel goes. I am even more convinced that it will suit us great after taking the extended tour. If you are expecting/requiring the Ritz or a Crowne Plaza, you are going to have to stay about an hour away in either Cherokee or Asheville.

Front the building with the sleeping rooms


Interior Hallway


Standard Room and Bathroom






A few of the rooms have been recently updated and renovated








Shopping - Several have asked about shopping and other attractions. There are many small shops in Maggie Valley along the main road. Most are built for tourist to pick up souvenirs, etc. The manager of the host hotel is also the President of the Chamber of Commerce so she is going to have lots of brochures for all activities available when you check in for the Rally. In the meantime you can check out the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce Site http://www.maggievalley.org/, Haywood County Tourism Development http://www.smokeymountains.net/, or Haywood County Chamber of Commerce http://www.haywood-nc.com/.

About 7 miles from The Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center is the Town of Waynesville NC. Waynesville is just an average small mountain town whereas Maggie is really centered around tourism. Waynesville has the normal Pharmacies, Auto Parts stores, Fast Food, A Small Movie Theater, Walmart...you get the picture. Waynesville has a nice little downtown area that kind of reminds you of Mayberry http://www.downtownwaynesville.com/ with specialty shops, antique shops, and really cool general store called Mast General Store that kind of takes you back in time http://www.mastgeneralstore.com/

Attractions (other than motorcycle roads). Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum is right in Maggie Valley http://wheelsthroughtime.com/

Ghost Town in the Sky still seemed deserted..It does not appear that it will open this summer unless some things change.

About an hour to the west is the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Cherokee is a tourist town and an Indian Reservation with a big casino. Harrah's is the big one. You can check out other info on Cherokee here http://www.cherokee-nc.com/ and here http://www.harrahscherokee.com/casin...rty-home.shtml

About an hour east of Maggie Valley is Asheville. Asheville is a small city with a nice downtown, very artsy, center. They have the Biltmore Estate and Winery http://www.biltmore.com/ which is probably the main major attraction. You can find some other Asheville attractions here http://www.exploreasheville.com/what-to-do/index.aspx

If anyone has any other questions, fire away and I or some of the other members familiar with the area will find you an answer.

[cactusjack]

It looks fine, Todd. Thanks for your diligence.

[glwilson]

What???????????????????

We're not staying at the Ritz or Four Seasons?!!!!!!!!!



I was at Custer. The Bavarian was just fine and more than adequate for me. This is should be just fine also.

Todd... thanks for all the hard work you are putting into this rally. I, personally, know how much effort goes into putting these things together.

From me and my wife... we truly appreciate your efforts. ;)

[Bull Durham]

Todd,

You really did a nice job scouting out the area and gathering all the information for the rally. Thanks for all your work!

[usranger74]

Looks good to me. I was not expecting a 5 star room anyway.

And, no reported bedbugs

http://bedbugregistry.com/

[waterman]

Hey Todd,

Where are the chairs outside?? You need them for B.S.ing after the days riding. Nevermind, BD won't be there.

Looks like a nice facility.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Looks plenty clean to me. After all most people will only be sleeping there. Most won't spend that much time at the motel anyway.

Todd you did a great job. The location is in a beautiful area.

Ghost Town was supposed to reopen but for one reason or another it hasn't and doesn't look like it will this summer.

[ringadingh]

As long as the A/C works and it s clean I'll be happy. It looks like a pretty good spot.
I hope we can bring our own beer & stuff to the tiki bar in the evenings.

[joe3407nomad]

A bed, a toilet its a freakin palace
Thanks Bud!

[Top Cat]

Great job Todd.
Good questions by waterman and ring, one of the most enjoyable things other than the rides is sitting around and bsing in the evening.

[Todd]

Plenty of tables even if BD decides to show up :).

I doubt you can bring beer up to the tikibar, but imagine you can bring it to the surrounding areas since it is outside.

[cnc]

I think it will do just nicely. I don't mind supporting their Tiki bar part of the time, but as mentioned an area were we can sit around with our own beer would be nice. Thanks for the hard work Todd.

[GIBBY]

Great job Todd. I was wondering if there is an on site laundry or something very close by. Some will be traveling for 10-14 days or more on this trip and it would be convenient to have a place close by to do laundry.

[ringadingh]

Most motels that size that Ive been to usually have a washing machine, if not Im sure theres one nearby.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Gibby

Great job Todd. I was wondering if there is an on site laundry or something very close by. Some will be traveling for 10-14 days or more on this trip and it would be convenient to have a place close by to do laundry.

Good point. I am going to need to do some laundry while there.

Edit: I contacted the Maggie Valley Inn and was told they have a guest coin laundry on the 4th floor of the hotel.