Rhode's Motor Lodge
1377 Blowing Rock Road
Boone, NC
The Blue Ridge from a balcony, Boone at the door. Fifty-four mountain rooms in a 1958 motor hotel.
About Rhode's Motor Lodge
In 1958, Thomas Grant Greene and his wife Ruth built Greene's Court on Blowing Rock Road in Boone, North Carolina, a two-story motor hotel with views of the southern Blue Ridge from every room. Ruth and their son Harris expanded the property in the 1970s. The building sat for years in various states before Raleigh-based Loden Hospitality completed a full renovation and reopened it as Rhode's Motor Lodge. The name comes from the rhododendrons that blanket the Blue Ridge in pink and purple each May and June. All rooms face south toward the mountains. Boone sits at 3,300 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains, anchoring the Appalachian High Country. USA Today included Rhode's Motor Lodge on its Best Roadside Motel list in 2026.
What Rhode's Motor Lodge Is Known For
Rhode's Motor Lodge made USA Today's Best Roadside Motel list in 2026 in its first full years of operation: a 1958 building renovated with the restraint to keep the motor hotel form intact while updating everything a contemporary guest needs. The ground-floor drive-up rooms and the upper-floor balconies are not retrograde choices, they are the original structure working as intended: every room facing south, the mountain visible from every door, the covered parking between you and the road. That geometry is exactly what made Blowing Rock Road the right site for a motor hotel in 1958, and it is still right now.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- All rooms face south toward the Blue Ridge Mountains
- Upper-floor rooms with individual balconies
- Ground-floor drive-up rooms with direct exterior parking access
- Expansive front porch with fire pit and rocking chairs
- On-site restaurant and cafe (breakfast and brunch, locally sourced)
- 24-hour front desk
- Free on-site parking
- Free WiFi
What Guests Love
- All rooms face south toward the Blue Ridge: the mountain view is built into the original 1958 orientation of the property, not a premium add-on
- More than rooms have private balconies overlooking the mountains, at a motor hotel room rate rather than a resort rate
- On-site restaurant and cafe uses Hatchet Coffee Roasters and Stick Boy Bread Co.: real Boone goods, not generic hotel breakfast
- Ground-floor rooms are classic drive-up style: pull in, walk to the door, done
- Dog-friendly and centrally located between downtown Boone and the Blue Ridge Parkway access points
Worth Knowing
- Breakfast is not included in the room rate. The on-site restaurant serves it but at an additional charge
- Operated by Loden Hospitality, a Raleigh-based management company: the property has independent character but is not family-run
- The Blue Ridge Parkway is 12 miles from the property: a car is needed to access it and the surrounding hiking
- Boone is a college town: expect more activity and noise on Appalachian State home-game weekends and during peak fall foliage season
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Rooms across two floors, all oriented south toward the Blue Ridge. Ground-floor rooms are classic drive-up style with direct exterior access from the parking lot: pull in and walk directly to the door. Upper-floor rooms have individual balconies with mountain views. More than 38 of the rooms have balconies. Rooms combine mid-century character with modern amenities, including free WiFi. The on-site restaurant and cafe serves breakfast and brunch with Boone-sourced ingredients: Hatchet Coffee Roasters coffee and Stick Boy Bread Co. baked goods.
The Grounds
The expansive front porch has a fire pit, rocking chairs, and communal tables: the classic Blue Ridge mountain porch experience at a motor hotel scale. Free on-site parking for all guests. The property runs 24-hour front desk service and express check-in and check-out. Housekeeping is provided. The lodge sits on NC 321, with the parking lot facing south toward the mountain panorama that all rooms address.
The Experience
Boone runs on the rhythm of the mountains and the university. In fall, the Blue Ridge turns: leaf color in this stretch of the Appalachians is among the most intense in the eastern US, and the Parkway through Moses Cone and Julian Price parks offers the best version of it accessible by car. In spring, the rhododendrons and mountain laurel bloom across the ridges, giving the property its name. The hiking in this region, from the Appalachian Trail to Grandfather Mountain to Rough Ridge, is some of the best in North Carolina. Downtown Boone has the dining, bookshops, and bar culture of a small university town set against a mountain backdrop.
Details
Boone, NC 28607
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rhode's Motor Lodge have EV charging?
No, Rhode's Motor Lodge does not have on-site EV charging. The Road Trip Planner map shows public chargers near the property.
What is there to do near Rhode's Motor Lodge?
Moses Cone Memorial Park and Blue Ridge Parkway: 12 miles, about a 25 minute drive. Grandfather Mountain: 18 miles, about a 35 minute drive. Downtown Boone: 0.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Rhode's Motor Lodge from Moses Cone Memorial Park and Blue Ridge Parkway?
Moses Cone Memorial Park and Blue Ridge Parkway is about 12 miles from Rhode's Motor Lodge, roughly a 25 minute drive.
How far is Rhode's Motor Lodge from Grandfather Mountain?
Grandfather Mountain is about 18 miles from Rhode's Motor Lodge, roughly a 35 minute drive.
How far is Rhode's Motor Lodge from Downtown Boone?
Downtown Boone is about 0.8 miles from Rhode's Motor Lodge, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
Is Rhode's Motor Lodge pet friendly?
Yes. Rhode's Motor Lodge welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
What does the name Rhode's Motor Lodge refer to?
The name combines two references: the rhododendrons that bloom across the Blue Ridge Mountains each spring and early summer, and the property's location near the crossroads of NC Highways 321 and 221 in Boone.
Is breakfast included at Rhode's Motor Lodge?
No. The property has an on-site restaurant and cafe serving breakfast and brunch, including locally sourced food from Boone-based suppliers like Hatchet Coffee Roasters and Stick Boy Bread Co. but breakfast is not included in the room rate.
What is the room access style at Rhode's Motor Lodge?
Ground-floor rooms are classic drive-up style with direct exterior access from the parking lot. Upper-floor rooms have individual balconies overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains to the south.
How close is Rhode's Motor Lodge to the Blue Ridge Parkway?
The nearest Blue Ridge Parkway access point is approximately 12 miles from the property. The Parkway runs south and east of Boone through the Appalachian High Country, with views from Moses Cone Memorial Park and Julian Price Memorial Park among the closest access points.
How far is Rhode's Motor Lodge from Boone's outdoor attractions?
Beech Mountain ski area is 23 miles east. Grandfather Mountain, with its mile-high swinging bridge and nature museum, is 16 miles southeast. The Blue Ridge Parkway is 12 miles south with access to Moses Cone Memorial Park and Julian Price Memorial Park. App State's campus and downtown Boone are within a mile of the lodge.
Does Rhode's Motor Lodge have a pool?
Rhode's Motor Lodge does not have a pool. The property has a communal fire pit area.
Is parking available at Rhode's Motor Lodge?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Rhode's Motor Lodge.
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Things to Do Near The Blue Ridge Mountains
Tweetsie Railroad
2.4 miles away
A real steam train plus a friendly staged train robbery makes this a hit with younger kids. Tweetsie Railroad, open since 1957 between Boone and Blowing Rock, is built around Engine No.
Blue Ridge Parkway
3.2 miles away
America's Favorite Drive, a 469-mile mountain parkway with no trucks or billboards, running the crest of the southern Appalachians from Shenandoah to the Great Smokies.
Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
4.0 miles away
Plenty of Parkway drivers pass Bass Lake without knowing a Gilded Age estate sits above it.
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
5.0 miles away
The Denim King Moses Cone's Gilded Age mountain estate, now a public park right on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock.
Original Mast General Store
5.2 miles away
This is the real one, the 1883 store that every other Mast General Store descends from.
The Blowing Rock
5.3 miles away
The trick here delights kids: at this cliff the wind blows up the rock wall so steadily that a light scarf or handful of leaves thrown out over the edge can drift right back to you.
Grandfather Mountain
12 miles away
Grandfather Mountain is one of the wildest peaks in the southern Appalachians, its rocky, wind-battered ridgeline holding sixteen distinct habitats and rare plants found almost nowhere else, which earned it recognition a...
Downtown Boone
0.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Downtown Boone runs along King Street, with independent bookshops, coffee, restaurants, and the character of a small Appalachian university town that has been shaped by Appalachian State's outdoor culture. New Public House and Kitchen, Stick Boy Bread Co. and the Mast General Store on Howard Street are among the anchor destinations. The farmers market runs Saturday mornings year-round.