River & Twine -- A Tiny House Hotel — Attraction in Rocky Mount

A wonderful alternative to banal stays off I-95. Just off the banal stretch of road between Virginia and South Carolina, pals recommended we break our journey at Rocky Mount, NC. Having never heard anything -- good, bad or indifferent -- about Rocky Mount, I was curious about the Rocky Mount Mills. Still don't know too much about this refurbishment of an historic mill series of structures, but wow, it's fantastic. Even better: You can stay here, at the River and Twine,a series of tiny houses (hello, HGTV), that is a community within walking distance to the mill. ||We were a bit nervous about staying at one of the tiny houses; the steps to the sleeping loft look pretty steep, and a regular motel or hotel room has a ton more square footage. And yet, we have loved this experience. It's cozy, and has all the sorts of lovely touches you won't find at a roadside Marriott. It's definitely compact (if you have ever traveled on a cruise ship you will be more than comfortable here), with a ground floor shower and toilet, a kitchen bar with a mini-fridge and microwave, and a living room sofa that can be folded out into a second bedroom (or a first bedroom if you aren't comfortable with sleeping in the loft, which, admittedly, has a low ceiling and steep stairs). ||It's kind of like an upgraded camping experience, in that the mobile cottages are all tucked around a forest, and yet it's much, much more comfortable than an RV in my humble opinion. ||On the downside, and there's little of that but still, there's room to equip the kitchen with glassware and plates and such, and yet the space that's used up is dedicated to banal placards. That's an easy fix. ||We'll...

Update:

Back again! Still a great experience. We did 2 homes this year for the 4 of us which was way better. Same easy experience with getting the codes to the homes.

*They were clean. *As I noted below, still stuffy up in the loft so bring a small camp fan or such. That would make a huge difference. *Charging stations worked well as last year.

Definitely recommend in 2024!

Last year:

This was an experiment for us with 2 adults and 2 teenagers. It was a tight fit but we made it work!

The area was super clean and cute. The tiny home we stayed in was very clean and with a digital lock, easy to arrive and get right in. No check-in required. Huge plus in my book!

A couple of observations: *While there was air con, the main bed is in the loft and was a bit stuffy once up there. A fan to use would have been great. In this unit, placed on top of the closet would have been prefect. *This house had a futon couch so while the kids fit, it was tight. I'm not sure we would do that again. Maybe take a small blow-up mattress. *You cannot park at the houses themselves except for drop ff. Not a biggie, just know you will park your car across the way in a lot (closer to the restaurants) *HUGE plus: They had charging stations that are available to use over near the restaurants.

The area was a great location with an easy walk over to restaurants and even an ice cream truck and live music while we were...

In a recent business trip to Rocky Mount, this hotel was suggested by our business partner. "If you want to stay somewhere different" was all I was told. Different is right. Normally I would have checked into the local Hilton value hotel and called it a night. Instead, I found myself in a charming tiny house, nestled into a wooded area next to Rocky Mount Mills.

Adirondack chairs and chiminea are scattered around the property and my colleagues and I enjoyed the evening sipping beer from the local bottle shop. Much better than a hotel lobby.

The units themselves are spacious -- compared to hotel rooms -- and charming. While the floor plans are similar, the decor is distinct and everyone has a very different but shared experience. A messaging app gives easy access to the management who has proven to be very responsive. One of my colleagues realized that there were no hangars in the unit, sent a message, and a few minutes later the hangars were delivered.

River & Twine does a good business on the weekends and have recently started marketing to business travelers. Smart move. It is likely that I'll be back in Rocky Mount on business in the future and if I am, I will be right back here at...