Maggie Valley Ski Chalet: Cozy Winter Retreat- 5 minutes to the Slopes!

We got very lucky finding this little neighborhood. It's small, with just a handful of A frames sprinkled on the side of a hill, where no one is impeding on anyone else's view. There are panoramic views of mountains whichever way you look, and it's 5 minutes away from Cataloochee Ski Resort and 20 minutes from Harrah's Cherokee Resort & Casino. The blue ridge parkway access is actually just like 3 minutes down the road too! There are TONS of great restaurants nearby, and lots of shops too! When you're back at the Chalet, you can hear the babbling of the mountain brook nearby and it's wonderfully peaceful and serene.

During the most recent family trip there: I was enjoying my coffee on the custom locally hand-made wood rocking chair on the front porch gazing at the beautiful sky over the Blue Ridge Mountains when a giant Elk casually strolled by me, walking right down the lane. He saw me and didn't even break his stride, I kept sipping my coffee, and when he passed, I got my family from inside to come out and take a peak! Later that morning, we headed 5 minutes down the road to ski Cataloochee. We had a blast! After a half day on the slopes, we went to J. Arthurs and had a 5 course steak dinner- it was INCREDIBLE! A bit later, the guys went to the Casino! The next morning, on our way to breakfast, we stopped in at SOCO Falls, right around the corner, just 7 minutes away. It's a lovely scenic waterfall that doesn't really require any hiking and we wanted a nice backdrop for some photos together. We went to breakfast at this place called the Beach Mountain Diner, I heard about it from a local friend, and wow was it good! It's in Waynesville, the next town over, and I'm going to add it to my recommendations. After breakfast, the ladies wanted to hit the shops of downtown Waynesville, it's a very vibrant and fun experience there with some great shopping, and my wife wanted her sister to experience it while they were visiting! We had a great time, and on our way back to the house we did the Rose Walk, a scenic and very flat walk that goes part of Lake Junaluska. It was very beautiful. Where else can you share a morning view with an Elk, hit the slopes, try your luck at a world class Casino, have incredible and unique local culinary experiences, enjoy Waterfalls and Lakes- all while literally surrounded by the most beautiful mountains in the world? It's a special place, in more ways than one, a breath of fresh mountain air.