Briar Rose Farm offers rustic living, tubs full of relaxation

Following the bends of I-40 through the Cherokee National Forest and then Pisgah National Forest on your way to North Carolina’s Briar Rose Farm, worries of the plugged-in world begin to fall away. That’s reason enough to visit the working farm, where guests bed down in rustic wood cabins, none of which have cellphone or Internet service. What they do have is peace, privacy and hot tubs on the decks in an environment populated by goats, chickens and cows.

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Briar Rose Farm

Briar Rose Farm is a working farm, with goats, chickens and cows. Its three cabins offer a break from cellphones and the Internet.

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Bought 15 years ago by Chicago transplants Tom Hare and Judie Hansen, the farm is located 30 miles northwest of Asheville, N.C., near the town of Hot Springs. The area is home to a mix of mountain people, whose roots go back to the Scotch-Irish and English settlers who came here seeking a new life, and the recent wave of artists and early retirees seeking much the same.

Visitors have a choice of three accommodations. Hare and Hansen renovated the farm’s original 1880s house to create the Farm Cabin, the property’s premier unit. It boasts white-pine interiors, a loft bedroom, a wood-burning fireplace and satellite TV, and it sleeps up to nine. Like all three cabins, it’s equipped with a full kitchen and hot tub. Guests of the cabin receive a fresh-baked loaf of bread and eggs fresh off the farm on the first day of their stay. Out back are organic gardens providing seasonal produce year-round to guests.

The two other units are newly constructed log cabins in more secluded spots. Knob Log Cabin has a gas fireplace, and both it and Log Cabin for Two have TVs and DVD players, but no television reception. Complete privacy means that if you leave your curtains open, you can wake at dawn to a stunning view of the Carolina mountains. Morning coffee can be sipped while sitting on the porch swing — or even better, in the hot tub under the apple tree.

There’s not much to do at Briar Rose Farm besides relax, but if you get antsy, you can take a steep 2-mile hike alongside a creek up to the Duckett Top Fire Tower. In season, you can pick wild blackberries along the way. Once at the top, a breathtaking view is revealed, including, on a clear day, Asheville and eastern Tennessee.

Don’t Miss

• Pisgah National Forest.

A pleasant, 30-minute drive will take you through Pisgah National Forest, where, if you choose, you can stop and picnic or take advantage of its many hiking, rock climbing, bird-watching and other recreation opportunities. Called “The Land of Waterfalls,” Pisgah is one of the nation’s most beautiful forests. Check out www.pisgahforest.com/public-lands/pisgahnationalforest.

• Outdoor recreation. Be advised: Hot Springs is not Asheville. The small, friendly town has only a few stores and restaurants. However, it’s the only North Carolina stop on the Appalachian Trail — in fact, as the town’s Web site points out, its main street is the Appalachian Trail. If you’d like to say you’ve hiked part of the trail, this is your chance.

The area is a mecca for other outdoor activities, including horseback riding, llama trekking and, especially, water fun — rafting, kayaking, canoeing and fishing — on the French Broad River.

Drought conditions are limiting some activities this year, so check ahead.

IF YOU GO

• Where to Eat

Martha’s at Mountain Magnolia Inn. Fine dining in a casual atmosphere serving creative American cuisine made primarily from organic, locally purchased ingredients. There’s a great wine list, too. Entrees $12.50-$28. Located in the historic Mountain Magnolia Inn, Hot Springs, N.C. 828-622-3543, www.mountainmagnoliainn.com .

• Where to Stay

Briar Rose Farm. Farm Cabin sleeps up to nine, $150-$160; the Log Cabin for Two and Knob Log Cabin sleep up to three, $135 per night. 91 Duckett Top Tower Road, Hot Springs, N.C. 828-622-3230, www.briarrosefarm.com.

• Outdoor Recreation

Blue Ridge Rafting: www.blueridgerafting.com

Huck Finn River Adventures: www.huckfinnrafting.com

Nantahala Outdoor Center: www.noc.com

USA Raft: www.mtnadventureguides.com

Appalachian Trail: www.appalachiantrail.org/northcarolina.