Red Leaf River Inn

06/19/2026

What a view!

The mountains look even prettier dressed in pink 🌸

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06/16/2026

We are still in awe of all the work we've done in just 10 years! Thank you for all of your support.

We just HAD to share this amazing review of the Inn again!

"My husband and I were here to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We thought it was a Bed & Breakfast but really it's more like we stayed with a family member who was also our private chef. Victor is the owner and the hardest working person I've ever met. He loves and lives to serve others and derives incredibly pleasure by spoiling his guests. What made this trip so special is how all we had to do is ask him to cook whatever we wanted for dinner and he made it! Victor has been a chef for 52 years and it shows in the quality of his cooking. He serves a different, fresh baked pastry every morning which follows fresh fruit and then a hot breakfast to order. You won't find better home fries - period. The breakfast isn't what sets this place apart though. It's the dinners! We ate dinner here 5 nights in a row because it was THAT good! Victor prepares everything from scratch: stock for soup, salad dressing, bread (a different kind every night), sauce and even the past - all homemade. All amazing. His Italian wedding soup was so good we asked for it 3 times. Who knew chicken parm with thighs was a thing and it made for the best chicken parm I've ever eaten. From the french onion soup to the homemade breads to the homemade 4-layer cake, it was a culinary dream.

The food is enough for us to return but the location is perfect too! It's high enough that you feel you're in the mountains but only about 8 minutes to Wal-mart and a few more minutes to downtown Waynesville. The entrance for the Blue Ridge Parkway is less than 15 minutes away.

The inn is quiet, cozy and decorated with wood furniture made by Victor. You can sit on the porch, walk the property, play games by the fireplace or snuggle in the comfortable bed and watch TV. There are 5 rooms in the main house or rent the whole upstairs of the house right next to it.

For what you get, you can't beat this value anywhere. The price for dinner is so low that I honestly don't know how Victor makes a profit. We tried encouraging him to raise his rates but he refuses. It's obvious that he absolutely loves what he does and cares about every person who stays with him. He was visibly sad as guests left.

If you want the perfect B&B, look no further because you've found it. There's a reason every couple there with us celebrated anniversaries. It's affordable enough to go anytime though. Victor pours his heart and soul into the inn and it shows!"

06/14/2026

Looking for the ultimate Independence Day experience? Look no further than Haywood County! Join us for three astounding firework displays over five full days of celebrations, spread across three of our mountain towns. Starting on July 1st through 3rd, the celebrations kick off at Lake Junaluska, fol...

06/10/2026

What we've done to this Inn in 10 short years has been incredible. We are so excited for the next 10 with our amazing guests!

"A Perfect October Escape at Red Leaf River Inn
My wife and I returned to the Red Leaf River Inn this October, and once again, it was everything we hoped for—and more. This time we brought friends, and they were just as enchanted by this hidden gem near Waynesville, NC. Only 2½ hours from home, it’s the ideal getaway for anyone seeking peace, charm, and incredible hospitality.
Victor, the owner, is a standout host—welcoming, attentive, and a phenomenal chef. Nearly everything is made from scratch: fresh pastries, homemade bread and pasta, and hands-down the best cannoli we’ve ever tasted. Breakfasts were three-course masterpieces that made waking up a joy.

Waynesville, just three miles away, is a delightful town with great shopping, art galleries, and a cozy brewery perfect for a midday cocktail and snack. After exploring, we returned to the inn for a relaxing rest before dinner.

Victor’s Italian dinner was unforgettable—salad, beef, chicken, shrimp, pasta, and of course, those amazing cannoli. Every dish was crafted with care and flavor.

Though our stay was short, it ended beautifully with another incredible breakfast and Victor’s suggestion to take the scenic route home via the Blue Ridge Parkway. The fall colors were breathtaking—a perfect finale to a perfect trip.
Thank you, Victor. We’ll be back soon!"

https://www.redleafriverinn.com/

06/05/2026

During the month of our 10-year anniversary, we want to share special moments from our guests. Without you, this wouldn't be possible. We cannot wait for the next 10 years with you all!

"Red Leaf River Inn is a quaint and perfect getaway to the mountains! The InnKeeper, Victor, made us breakfast every morning and a dinner of our choice! It was delightful. We highly recommend this place and are very thankful we found it!"

https://www.redleafriverinn.com/

06/05/2026

06/01/2026

Thirteen years ago we moved to Waynesville, NC to take on what seemed like an insurmountable goal of converting a property that had basically been abandoned and left for dead for the sole purpose of opening and starting a Bed & Breakfast from nothing.

The first time pulling in was like pulling up to the Adams family house and grounds. Ivy covered houses, overgrown, dilapidated exterior and even worse interior. The house was still stuck in the 50's and 60's and had never been updated. The initial inspection report was 30 pages. Literally everything that could be wrong with a house needed to be redone and renovated. All the initial work was done by us and mostly me. A list of things too long to include but you name it and it probably needed replacing. So the day we got here I pulled in and put work clothes on and went to work at the casino in Cherokee. Practically every day for the next 2 1/2 years I went out to the casino and came home and worked on the house every day until I dropped.

Finally in June of 2016 we had gotten to a point where we could open with 3 rooms. It was a very difficult first year getting our footing and trying to build a following and reputation. At the time there were 13 B & B's here in town. If you googled us you couldn't find us for over a year. Gradually we got our footing and continued to renovate and remodel the house adding another room and starting working on the exterior of the house to include the road in, gardens, deck, stone work, second house and so on. I remained out at the casino for another 2 1/2 years working every day and coming home and continuing the work on the house and property.

At this time we also started renovating what became Rhododendron house and expanding our own living quarters. This has basically continued to be the case to this day. Along the way we started to welcome returning guests and their friends and families and also expanded into catering and weddings on and off the property. Almost from the beginning we started doing dinners and it has turned into one of the cornerstones of what has made the business and Inn so popular. To be able to arrive at a beautiful property in the mountains and relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy a chef-prepared meal in our treehouse dining room as our guests like to refer to it has been monumental. We watched families grow and their kids grow, some of whom are now getting married on the property. We've seen and hosted folks from all over the world.

This month we will be celebrating 10 years here in business. It hasn't always been easy as we have faced numerous difficult days and challenges from Covid to a suffering economy to Hurricane Helene which came close to wiping out the property. It would have been easy at that point to say enough but my guests stepped in and reached out and helped us in so many ways. Since then I have continued to rebuild and bring the property back from the devastation as has our small town. Today there are only 10 B & B's left and I am the last remaining owner from that day 13 years ago when we arrived.

It has been a blessing to be a part of so many folks' lives that we now consider a part of The Red Leaf River Inn family. We continue working hard and improving and welcoming new guests to the inn and our Inn family. I have no idea how much longer I will continue to do this but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us and come through our doors. I always tell people that we have 2 simple philosophies. Treat everyone with respect and like family and everything else will take care of itself. In the face of difficult times and days of exhaustion we have always put our guests first and went out of our way to create the best experience from a hospitality and culinary standpoint.

Once again thank you to our guests and may God bless you all. Be safe and stay healthy.

Alexander, Nikolas and Victor
The Johnston Family

05/27/2026

It's near impossible for photos to do our food justice...wouldn't you agree with Zach below?

"We had an absolutely amazing time at the Red Leaf River Inn! Victor - the owner, operator and chef - was an incredible host! He greeted us upon arrival, helped carry bags, gave us a tour, and cooked all of our breakfasts and dinners! I could not have asked for a better experience at a beautiful property that is about ten minutes from the quaint Waynesville downtown area."

We can't believe in just a few days we will be celebrating 10 years of ownership! Thank you for your past and present support!

https://www.redleafriverinn.com/

05/22/2026

When you stay at Red Leaf River Inn, each morning, wake up to complimentary fresh hot coffee (a custom blend of fresh roasted coffee beans from Smoky Mountain Coffee Roasters in Hazelwood) or tea available in the dining room.

Select one of our scratch baked pastries such as pain au chocolate, morning glory muffins, or cinnamon chip scones before enjoying a full hot breakfast prepared fresh each morning by Chef Victor. You will start with a fresh fruit course, then enjoy a new entrée each morning, such as cornmeal pancakes with pecan butter, banana bread French toast, or a hearty country scramble with home fries, bacon, scrambled eggs, and country gravy.

Victor loves cooking up a fresh meal for his guests!

https://www.redleafriverinn.com/dining/

05/21/2026

Staying with us this weekend and looking for some fun?