This Old River Cabin

This Old River Cabin A 2 bedroom 2 bath 1,200 sq foot 1800s log cabin located in a private and idillyc setting overlooking the Elk river.

Just 2 miles to downtown Banner Elk and 1 mile to Sugar Mountain.

Two of these come from our guests. The third is ours. for coffee and  for breakfast get named in our reviews constantly....
08/31/2026

Two of these come from our guests. The third is ours.

for coffee and for breakfast get named in our reviews constantly. Bella's, up in the Food Lion center on Tynecastle, is the one we're personally obsessed with. New York style pizza, and we are not objective about it.

One guest drove all the way to Roan Mountain for dinner and told us it was worth the trip. We're still taking notes.

Rain on the river, from the back porch.Guests keep telling us the water drowns out everything. The road, the week they j...
08/28/2026

Rain on the river, from the back porch.

Guests keep telling us the water drowns out everything. The road, the week they just had, whatever they came here to stop thinking about.

Natural cleaning products. Essential oils instead of air freshener. Linens washed in something that doesn't announce its...
08/24/2026

Natural cleaning products. Essential oils instead of air freshener. Linens washed in something that doesn't announce itself when you get into bed.

One guest wrote that she loved it because "I use them myself." We didn't advertise any of it. She just noticed.

The week of October 14th is still open, and at 3,700 feet that's usually about when the color turns up here. Leaves on 1...
08/21/2026

The week of October 14th is still open, and at 3,700 feet that's usually about when the color turns up here. Leaves on 140-year-old logs, the river running high after fall rain, and a fire already laid when you walk in. This is the week people drive four hours for.

The stone basin in the bathroom was pulled from the river running past the house and hand-carved to fit.It's the kind of...
08/17/2026

The stone basin in the bathroom was pulled from the river running past the house and hand-carved to fit.

It's the kind of detail you'd never notice from the listing photos and never forget once you've washed your hands in it.

A guest once watched otters play in the river while she sat in the hot tub. Another saw a beaver cut across the yard. We...
08/14/2026

A guest once watched otters play in the river while she sat in the hot tub. Another saw a beaver cut across the yard. We've had deer walk past people mid-conversation, entirely unbothered.

You're not visiting nature here. You're briefly living inside it.

The water is still warm enough for the kids and cool enough that nobody's complaining about the heat. Late summer at 3,7...
08/10/2026

The water is still warm enough for the kids and cool enough that nobody's complaining about the heat. Late summer at 3,700 feet is the part of the season most people forget to book.
Two honest notes on availability. We have two nights left in August, the 23rd and 24th, and then the cabin closes for a few days while the roof is replaced. Labor Day weekend is open as well, the 5th through the 9th of September, which is five nights and the quietest stretch before leaf season starts.
Book direct: https://thisoldrivercabin.hospitable.rentals/

A Christmas tree from Avery County has stood in the White House more times than we can casually mention without sounding...
08/07/2026

A Christmas tree from Avery County has stood in the White House more times than we can casually mention without sounding like we're bragging about our neighbors. The 2024 tree came from Cartner's, just up the road.

Avery calls itself the Fraser Fir Capital of the World, and the growers here started the state association back in 1959. In about four months a tree that began its life ten minutes from this cabin will be standing in someone's living room in Florida.

These logs were hand-hewn in 1884 and they're still holding up the house.Not reproduction. Not "rustic-inspired." Someon...
08/03/2026

These logs were hand-hewn in 1884 and they're still holding up the house.

Not reproduction. Not "rustic-inspired." Someone shaped these with an axe before the light bulb was commercially available, and we've spent years keeping them exactly as they are.

That's the Elk River, about thirty feet from the back porch.Guests tell us it's the reason they slept better here than t...
07/31/2026

That's the Elk River, about thirty feet from the back porch.

Guests tell us it's the reason they slept better here than they have in months. One called it "healing to the soul." We just call it Tuesday.

Address

Banner Elk, NC

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when This Old River Cabin posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to This Old River Cabin:

Shortcuts

Share