Earthshine Lodge — Local services in Brevard

Stayed at Earthshine this July and absolutely loved our time! As we parked our car, we were greeted by stunning views of the surrounding forest and mountains. The main lodge is something truly special. We could only marvel at its beautiful wooden architecture and design. It felt like something out of a movie or postcard.

Walking into the lodge, we were warmly greeted by the lodge manager (Megan). She showed us around the expansive seating area and explained the available activities before showing us to our room.

The room was rustic, clean and beautifully decorated. Our room like many in the Main Lodge featured large windows offering great views of the mountains and forest. The bed was very comfortable and was nicely decorated with warm blankets.

After getting settled in and unpacked, we made our way to the front porch to enjoy the views. To our pleasant surprise, there were several feeders set-up that were attracting loads of adorable little hummingbirds. We enjoyed some refreshments and relaxation while dinner was being prepared.

For dinner, Earthshine’s staff prepared some very yummy black bean burgers, sweet potato fries, brussel sprouts and salad. We follow a vegetarian diet, and it was really great to see this accommodated by the lodge. For dessert, the staff served us a gooey chocolate banana cake that really hit the spot.

We spent some more time on the porch watching the sunset, before heading into the main lodge area to play some card games they keep on hand.

We retired to our room for the evening and fell asleep to the sound of thunder in the distance. I slept very well and woke up feeling rested and refreshed.

The next day, we enjoyed breakfast in the main lodge area.They had an excellent selection of teas and coffees, which are a must have for my mornings.

After breakfast, we took a hike up the hill behind the lodge and were greeted by even more views of the most rains and forests. The property they have is truly something special. I know we just barely scratched the surface of things to do at Earthshine, so we will definitely be back to experience more of what they offer and to explore the beautiful area around Lake Toxaway.

Our stay was overall very relaxing and rejuvenating. I would absolutely return to the Earthshine Lodge in the future to escape the busyness of the world. A true sanctuary that offers a unique, rustic and...

So hard to say goodbye! Thank you to the Earthshine staff and guides for an incredible family camp weekend! Although, Blaise says the bathrooms are way too nice to call it camp!

Katherine put together a fun filled schedule of Earthshine Olympics activities for us and Co and Nicole kept us well fed with delicious food at the lodge all week ❤️

Monday, Jenny taught us about Cherokee life as well as archery and tomahawk throwing 🏹. She took us on a challenging adventure quest hike in the woods with a surprise at the end 💎.

Tuesday, Katherine led us through wilderness survival skills with fire starting with bow drills and flint & steel and survival shelter building 🔥. In the afternoon, we cooled off with a creek hike and gem mining with Lisa. This was a fan favorite with not just 1 but 2 rock slides! 🪨 The real highlight after dinner was blacksmithing with the famous Mo! The kids now have a “winter project” of creating their own smithy in the backyard 👀.

Wednesday, we had the most gorgeous fake fall weather 🍁 and went on a llama hike with guides Mark and Ari - the boys got to pick their favorite llamas - Iceman, Fritz, and Lightning. In the afternoon we hit up the Headwaters Outfitters Outdoor Adventures for a dip in the river and 🍻for mom and dad. We finished off the evening with s’mores and rice krispy treats by the campfire.

However, I think the boys would agree their favorite memories were playing with Noli (Magnolia) 🐕 and making new friends 💗.

Until next time Earthshine Lodge!

#earthshinelodge #earthshinememories...

I heard they had a knife making class and I was skeptical but decided to give it a shot as a first timer. I left super impressed and really invigorated about blacksmithing. Amazing place to start, really walk you through each step. Due to the timing and liabilities, there are some thing knife nerds might want to know. They do not do a true quench to harden the knife, and the blacksmith holds the knife with tongs and you take turns hammering the knife and refining the steel. This makes it a great place to start for beginners of all ages, but it left me wanting to do the full process working out the re-bar base. Another small thing is they did not allow us to use power tools such as belt grinders, which means the edge making was going to be slower as you did it by hand. It wasn't that bad at all, but if you are on a time crunch, you are going to have a decorative knife that you can add a full handle and sharpen at home. All of that aside, the guide was super friendly and very helpful. The property was beautiful and if you bring your family, make sure you get them to walk with the Alpacas, they are super fun as well. Great place to learn about blacksmithing for first timers and a lot of fun for people who have tried it before, but don't want to spend the 12+ hrs for the...