The Swag

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Table Set by the Mountains

At The Swag, dining is woven into the fabric of the stay itself. Perched above Waynesville, North Carolina, this mountain retreat includes all meals for lodging guests — no separate reservations required — and the kitchen earns its place on Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence list through a genuine commitment to quality rather than ceremony.

What Guides the Kitchen

The menus change daily, and that's by design. Produce deliveries from local farms shape what the chefs cook, supplemented by garden-fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables grown in the mountains. The result is American cuisine that feels rooted in place — seasonal, honest, and quietly ambitious.

Morning Through Evening

Breakfast runs six mornings a week in the Main House: steel-cut oatmeal cooked with apple cider, stone-ground southern grits with bacon, made-to-order omelettes, and fresh-squeezed juice. Sunday shifts into a full á la carte Swag Brunch, where cast iron cinnamon rolls have become something of a signature alongside shrimp and grits and applewood-smoked bacon.

Midday, guests can collect a packed lunch — brown bag, picnic basket, or hiking backpack — and head into the trails. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Gooseberry Knob picnic elevates the format: cast-iron fried chicken, bison burgers, grilled coastal fish, and seasonal desserts served at elevation with views to match.

Evenings begin with hors d'oeuvres at 5:30, followed by a dinner bell at 6:30 that calls guests into the Swag House for drink service and a four-course meal. The atmosphere is casual yet gracious — the kind of American cuisine that doesn't need to announce itself. Thursdays shift the register entirely: a Chef's BBQ with live bluegrass music and a homestyle buffet of Appalachian classics honors the Southern roots of the region in the most direct way possible.

Why It Matters

The Wine Spectator recognition reflects a program that takes its wine list as seriously as its sourcing. For a retreat that could easily rest on its scenery, The Swag instead builds a dining experience worth traveling to Waynesville for on its own terms.