The house is beautifully decorated, extremely nice furnishings and appliances. Everything we needed was there. I wish the master bedroom had been on the first floor, as my husband and I (who rented it) are elderly and stairs are difficult, so we didn't get to use it. A warning about the difficulty of the approach in the listing would be helpful as well.
13 of us stayed at Ribble's Retreat in late April 2025. We treated it as our "home base" as we took turns running the Smoky Mountain Relay as a 12 person/2 van team. The cabin is wonderful, very cozy and well-appointed with kitchen necessities, comfy bedrooms, a gigantic wrap-around porch, awesome cabin decor, and a fun basement/hot tub area. All 13 of us had plenty of space to spread out and bedrooms to sleep in. We cooked meals together in the kitchen and drank lots of coffee from the Keurig. The view across the valley is absolutely incredible and we felt very private and tucked away in the woods. The parking area in the driveway is also large with plenty of space to park and turn around (we were able to fit 2 cargo vans and 3 cars comfortably). The location is also super convenient, and we were able to get to Brevard, Franklin, Bryson City, and all the checkpoints in between for the race.The driveway to get up to the cabin is a bit precarious, but that might have been due to the fact we were getting big, bumbling vans up a very steep and narrow roadway. In a regular car this would probably have been much more manageable but be aware that it is a bit (understandably) rough. We figured out how to use the "exit only" driveway when we were leaving and that helped considerably. Overall, we had a fantastic time in this gem of a cabin and would love to come back and enjoy it a bit more (and in a less sleep-deprived state) one day. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
House was wonderful. Very cabiney. Saw one other house up the road very close to us. Mountains surrounding the house. Very pretty. A couple of things was disappointing; having to take the trash to the dump and charging for firewood to do sâmores. Otherwise we had a great time horseback riding and the kids loved mining. Shout out to Dilliards stable and Cowee mining.
Everything was lovely, comfortable and in great working order. This home had plenty of everything- space, kitchen supplies and scenery. Highly recommend! Perfect for our family group aged 6 months to 72 years and every age in between.
Our family vacation included 16 people from 2 to retirement age! We all fit comfortably and had a great time with the house games, TVs, and that VIEW! Only one car fits up the narrow road to the house so sometimes you have to back up if you meet another car but it wasnt inconvenient. The host was absolutely perfect!
We rented Ribble's Retreat for a multi-generational family vacation and were not disappointed. The cabin is charming with themed and tastefully decorated rooms, lots of activities available when we weren't out exploring the area, and a simply gorgeous view from the deck.
There was plenty of room for our 15-person group, and the youngsters particularly enjoyed having the bottom floor to themselves.
The one nearby house was vacant nearly all week and didn't detract from our enjoyment.
This cabin has everything and more that you'll need or want to make your stay a memorable one. It did not disappoint. Starting with excellent communication before our arrival with the owner, Tom, and his willingness to adjust accommodations to meet our needs. Our family greatly appreciated your help. We spent our days exploring the surrounding area and taking in the local breweries and restaurants, hiking , biking, golfing, pickle ball, gem mining ( a short walk from the cabin) and even the girls getting matching tatoos!! Our nights included homemade dinners in the spacious kitchen, playing board games that were provided, sitting around the campfire (firewood provided for a small fee) and just relaxing on the deck, taking in the beautiful view. The game room (pool table, ping pong and video games) was enjoyed by all. Note, the driveway off the main road is quite challenging but to be expected as the property is on a mountain!
All in all, this property is exactly as described and we definitely would recommend it for large gatherings.
This is a great home for large family gatherings. There were 14 of us, 3 generations with ages ranging from 72 to 6. The kitchen was well stocked with everything you needed. The kids were entertained in the game room while adults had their space as well. The hot tub was a big hit. The drive up to the house was a bit curvy if you're not used to mountain driving. I would highly recommend this home and host.
We had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed the mountain home. The kids loved the basement floor with all of the games, and would only come up to eat. I enjoyed hiking around the property, doing yoga each morning in the large outdoor porch, and taking in nature. The home was spacious and comfortable for my family of 16 to stay for a week. We had a very memorable Thanksgiving.
We loved this home! The game room has so much for kids to do and the hot tub is right outside. Kept our teens happy.
The kitchen is stocked with Air Fryer, Instapot, every thing you could conceivably need.
Every area outside has lots of seating and tables to put your coffee mug down.
Beautiful view!
We highly recommend.
Travel quite a lot. Cleanest and best quality workmanship we have ever seen in a home. All nine cousins agreed this was our best reunion ever - in no small part because of the excellent facility. Other big factor was communications with the owner - outstanding.
Property was nice and secluded which is what we were looking for. Plenty to do within driving range. We brought plenty of games and cooking items that werenât necessary. The house was fully stocked with any game or anything we needed to come/bake with.
The driveway up to it was a little sketchy for someone not prepared for it. But we managed it just fine. It was perfect for our group of 16
Excellent views, love the decor and cabin. The game room in the basement is awesome!!! Very peaceful and feels like youâre in the wilderness. Highly recommend if youâre in the Franklin, NC area.
This is an annual vacation for us to NC. This cabin has been the best so far for accommodations. The upstairs was perfect for our son & his family, 12, 3, & 2 year old boys. The master & itâs bathroom was perfect for bathing the little ones & the rest of us didnât have to deal with the mess that makes lol. One other adult stayed up their & he shared the other bathroom upstairs with the 12 year old. Two large king bedrooms on the main floor is perfect (common bathroom on the main floor) & a bedroom with 2 queens down stairs with a bathroom. We had 9 adults & 3 kids which left 2 beds unused, 1 queen downstairs & 1 bed in the 12 year olds room upstairs so there is plenty of room.
We love having fires & the fire pit was great. Lots of roasting marshmallows & beautiful scenery all around. The basement was a great escape if you needed some quiet time away from everyone or want to play pool, ping pong or foosball. Plus there is another full size fridge in the basement, huge amenity when you have so many people. I would recommend this cabin to anyone looking for a great family getaway.
Our family celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary with a stay at Ribbleâs Retreat for a week. We loved the cabin, had plenty of room for our family of 9. The game room was great, the hot tub was wonderful and enjoyed by all. Evenings making sâmores by the fire pit were terrific. Beds were very comfortable. Our host provided every comfort. We were able to do so many activities within driving distance. We ziplined, rode horses, rode the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, went white water rafting and went tubing on the Oconoluftee River. We had a wonderful dinner out at the Caffe Rel. The kitchen at the cabin was large and complete with all we needed for our meals at home. We loved our stay and would recommend it to others. Thank you, Tom.
We were a multi-generational group wanting to take a relaxing vacation and this was exactly what we got. The owners have thought of everything. So much to do but the best was to sit around the fire pit at night and on the deck in the mornings with coffee planning our day. The area is beautiful with so many things to do if you are outdoorsy. Everyone in our group loved the cabin. We will definitely use this one again.