I had the opportunity to interview Dave and Brigette, the owners of the Inn on Mill Creek! This is such a great place to visit or have a small wedding ceremony at!
(image source)
Can you tell the readers a little about weddings at the Inn on Mill Creek?
The Inn has seven guests rooms, an organic orchard, walking labyrinth, and pond. It’s truly a peaceful and lovely spot for intimate wedding ceremonies, with beautiful laurel and rhododendron covered ridges and mature trees as a backdrop. We host weddings of up to 30 guests. All of our wedding information can be found on our website at www.innonmillcreek.com/weddings.htm.
What lead you to be owners of a Bed and Breakfast?
We moved to North Carolina from Ohio, where I (Brigette) had worked in Human Resources at a large law firm for 10 years, and Dave had worked for Ford Motor Company, first in Materials Planning & Logistics, then as a network engineer. Seeking a change of pace to our busy lives and a change in climate, we searched for more than a year around Asheville, where we had gotten married and fell in love with the beauty of the area. Our search ended when we found the Inn on Mill Creek — a property that fits our laid-back style, our love of the outdoors and desire for a little elbow room. We bought the Inn on Mill Creek in 2007.
Can you tell us a little history about the Inn on Mill Creek?
The Southern Railway Company purchased the land from the government in the late 1800s (prior to the establishment of the National Forest) to create a water reservoir for Andrews Geyser, a manmade fountain constructed in 1885 as part of a luxury resort called the Round Knob Hotel. A caretaker’s cabin was the only building on the Inn’s property at that time.
Unfortunately, the Round Knob Hotel burned to the ground in 1903, but the Andrews Geyser still runs to this day, shooting water 80-100 feet in the air, controlled by the valve at the Inn.
The current buildings that house the Inn on Mill Creek were built in 1980 as a private residence by a gentleman who retired to the area from Florida. He and several thoughtful citizens of Old Fort were instrumental in refurbishing the Andrews Geyser in the mid-1970s, as it had fallen into disrepair when passenger rail service was halted several years earlier. Coincidentally, the date that the Andrews Geyser was rededicated was the day I (Brigette) was born.
The Carillon family purchased the property in 1999, and established it as the Inn on Mill Creek, converting the large private residence into a four room Bed & Breakfast. They expanded in 2001, adding three more guest rooms with a kitchen in a second building they called the Lake House.
Anything else you would like to share?
We love sharing our little piece of heaven with our guests. We hope if you’re in our neck of the woods, you’ll stop by to say hello!
To find more details about the Inn on Mill Creek, you can visit their webpage at http://www.innonmillcreek.com
