North Carolina’s oldest hotel — the NuWray — has undergone a stunning renovation. Now, a new generation is discovering why Jimmy Carter, Mark Twain and Elvis all stayed here.
by Page Leggett
When you pull into downtown Burnsville — a little mountain town (pop: 1,612) in Yancey County — you might think you’ve stumbled onto a movie set. Surely, some studio honcho ordered up the charming square complete with a historic inn and its rocking chair-filled front porches on two levels.
That’s the NuWray, North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel.
The first time I saw it, while visiting the area for the twice-yearly Toe River Arts Studio Tour, it was closed for an overhaul. But I was captivated and knew I had to return.
The NuWray opened in 1833 as an eight-room log structure called Ray’s Hotel. Owner Garrett Deweese Ray’s daughter, Julia, married William Brian Wray, and the couple inherited the hotel after Ray’s death in 1932. Locals began referring to the inn as the NuWray to distinguish it from its predecessor, the “Old Ray.”
The Wrays added the now iconic stone fireplace in the lobby in the 1930s, although you’d swear it must’ve been there all along. The inn remained in the family for four generations before being sold in the 1990s, changing hands frequently and falling into disrepair.
That is, until an enterprising Greensboro couple intervened.
The hotel’s stone fireplace, top, was added in the 1930s.
The ultimate DIY-ers
Amanda and James Keith discovered a penchant for historic preservation while renovating a home in Greensboro. Their second renovation became the Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast, which they ran from 2016 to 2024.
James is an electrician, among other things, who does much of the work himself.
Both the Keiths had full-time jobs while running their B&B: James was a music minister at First Presbyterian in Greensboro, and Amanda ran the Wake Forest University press. But they both loved hospitality and went looking for a project that would allow them to be full-time innkeepers.
When they discovered the NuWray, it appeared down and out. But the Keiths were undaunted. The inn had “good bones,” as real-estate agents say of ramshackle properties.
And it had a pedigree. “People from all over knew the NuWray in its heyday,” Amanda says. Jimmy Carter and Elvis Presley stayed here. Christopher Reeve is rumored to have been a guest. And the NuWray has hosted so many writers — Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, O. Henry, F. Scott Fitzgerald — that Amanda was inspired to name one of the rooms “The Writer.”
But the inn’s biggest fans may be the people
of Burnsville.
“If you ask just about any local, they’ll have a story,” Amanda says. “They worked here, their mother worked here, they had their wedding here. I don’t think there are many locals the NuWray hasn’t touched in some way. It’s always been a point of pride for the town.”
Staying true to the original
The Keiths bought the inn in October 2021, moved to Burnsville that December and started renovating in January 2022. They also bought the property adjacent to the inn and converted it into Carriage House Sundries, an art-filled coffee shop by day/wine bar by night with a humidor for cigar aficionados.
They wanted a big project, and they found it. “With historic properties, nothing is straightforward,” Amanda says. “You have to do a lot of it on the fly; you never know what you’ll find when you open up a wall.”
Amanda, who designed the interiors, found five layers of wallpaper in some places. “The wallpaper tells the story of the inn,” she says. Visitors can see preserved samples in several places.
Historic photos of the NuWray which opened in 1833 as Ray’s Hotel.
The NuWray never had central air until the Keiths added it. They kept what furniture was usable, and Amanda scoured antique shops and Facebook Marketplace to source other pieces almost exclusively from the area.
The community was central to the restoration. Local crews worked on it, and throughout the inn, you’ll see paintings by local artist Melissa Flattery and quirky lighting made from books, antique typewriters and other found objects by craftsman Ed Doyle.
When Amanda learned that a member of the Wray family, Joy Bennett, was a potter in town, she commissioned her to make ceramic nameplates for each guest room.
A taste of history
In 1915, the Wrays started a restaurant, which really put the NuWray on the map, Amanda says. The Southern “country cooking” recipes had been passed down through generations. Meals were served family-style.
“That’s difficult to pull off nowadays,” Amanda says. “The health department doesn’t particularly like it, and it’s wasteful. It’s just not financially feasible to do regularly.”
But the revamped restaurant, open for breakfast, supper and Sunday brunch, honors the NuWray’s history with updated recipes from the hotel’s historic cookbooks, like “Will’s Sunday Cake” (custard-filled chocolate sponge cake with chocolate meringue frosting) and a “Smothered Salad” (mixed greens with warm bacon vinaigrette). Duck and dumplings, chicken-fried steak and a tomato tart with goat cheese mousse are other standouts.
While James Keith was the chef at their Greensboro B&B — what can’t he do? — the Keiths wanted someone with experience running a bigger kitchen for the 26-room hotel.
They lured Chef Peter Crockett to Burnsville from Asheville. “We really appreciate the environment he creates in the kitchen,” Amanda says. “He’s a strong leader and mentor. That was important to us because it helps attract and keep staff.”
The original smokehouse — now called Roland’s in honor of Will Roland, the hotel chef for over 40 years — serves al fresco drinks and snacks on Fridays and Saturdays from 4-10 p.m. The former laundry facilities in the basement are being converted into a bar with a speakeasy vibe.
Carriage House Sundries
Burnsville’s post-Helene hub
The hotel reopened to much fanfare in August 2024. Just a few weeks later, on Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina. In its aftermath, the NuWray became a lifeline.
“Immediately after the storm passed, people began pouring into the square,” Amanda says. “No one had phone service, so this was the logical place to find out what was happening.
“Everyone was either looking for information or trying to pass information along. We started paper lists of what roads were passable, who’s missing, who’s looking for whom, what supplies are needed and where.” Those paper lists soon morphed into whiteboards.
The flooded restaurant was cleaned and the kitchen pressed into service. Townsfolk needed to be fed, and the NuWray needed to use food on hand before it went bad.
The staff of the inn-adjacent Carriage House Sundries, which had been open for almost a year, “showed up ready to help,” Amanda says. “Everybody jumped in and prepared what we could without electricity: sandwiches. We smoked all the meat we had in our fridges and freezers on our outdoor smoker, the Smok-O-Motive. Then, people started bringing their meat for us to cook.”
A “60 Minutes” crew, including correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, documented Helene’s devastation and the recovery efforts in October 2024. Of course, they stayed at the NuWray.
The hotel reopened for a second time in May with a “Restoration Shindig,” a celebration of the hotel’s and town’s resilience.
“This wasn’t the opening season we pictured,” Amanda says, “but I’m grateful we got as far as we did before the storm hit. If we hadn’t, there’s no way we could’ve contributed what we did. And I think it’s so poignant that this is now part of the NuWray’s history. It’s been a beacon for a long time.” SP
Make your way to The NuWray. Learn more about Burnsville’s pride and joy and book a room at nuwray.com. The inn has 26 unique guest rooms with en-suite baths. Four are dog-friendly. There’s no elevator, but the inn has two first-floor guest rooms.
Burnsville’s best
There’s plenty to see and do in and around town.
Star sightings. Amanda Keith recommends the Glenn and Carol Arthur Planetarium at Mayland Earth to Sky Park. As a designated dark-sky area, “it’s a great place to observe the night sky,” Keith says. The roll-off-roof observatory has a 34” telescope.
Aim high. Yancey County is home to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell State Park, which reopened last month, is worth a visit.
Art is everywhere. “This county has more artists per capita than anywhere in the country,” Amanda says. “The Penland School of Craft is a big reason why.” The area is well-known for pottery — I consider In Tandem Gallery in Bakersville a must — but glassblowing is also huge, according to Amanda. She recommends visiting Hearth Glass and Gallery, just a short walk from the inn, where you can watch live demos and try your hand at blowing glass.
Main (Street) attraction. Downtown Burnsville’s Main Street is packed with charming shops and craft galleries. “All the shop owners are very personable,” says Amanda. “That’s what attracted us here to begin with.” Of note are Burnsville Candle Company, Monkey Business Toy Shop, Plott Hound Books and Toe River Arts Gallery.
High-end pub grub. Helene destroyed the beloved Live Oak Gastropub in nearby Spruce Pine. But the restaurant has been given new life on Burnsville’s main drag.
Not just crafts – craft beer! Homeplace Beer Co. is a short walk from the NuWray. In addition to brews, this lively spot offers wood-fired pizza and live music on an outdoor stage.
