SUWS & SEASONS

The Inn on Mill Creek has a long and special relationship with SUWS of the Carolinas.   We are the closest accommodations to both the SUWS Base Camp and the Wolf Creek facility (5 to 10 minutes each), directly between SUWS and the town of Black Mountain. We are also just 10 minutes from Black Mountain's shops and excellent dining.

Dave and Brigette are very familiar with the SUWS process, having hosted more than 220 SUWS families in their first year after purchasing the Inn in April 2007.

As our guest, you will enjoy:

• Discounted room rates for two-day graduation stays and parent workshops

• Flexible check-in times for parents who have late flights or other travel demands, and relaxed reservation policies

• Relaxing, contemporary accommodations on seven peaceful and beautiful acres inside the Pisgah National Forest

For parents with children who are graduating:

• The opportunity to meet and talk with other parents whose children are graduating at the same time

• Full breakfasts at 8:15am to ensure that you're on time (and well fed) for the Monday parent seminar and the Tuesday woods experience

• Complimentary showers after graduation -- your graduate will thank you

• Complimentary hot coffee, tea and baked goods in our kitchen for you and your children 

MORE DETAILS

The typical graduation stay is Sunday and Monday nights. (SEASONS parents please see below.)  As mentioned above, we welcome you back to the Inn after graduation, typically back to your same room where all of you can shower or bathe, shave, brush, dress, relax... and begin spending time together again.

We usually host multiple SUWS parents each week during graduations, and evenings in our Great Room and breakfasts in our Solarium become friendly gathering places for conversation on a shared experience. We make it a point to provide as much information as we can to help make your stay as easy and stress-free as possible, including driving directions, maps, restaurant recommendations and weather forecasts.

As mentioned above, we're very flexible with check-in times; we're sympathetic to the demands of a long day of travel that often including a flight, subsequent car rental, and drive from an airport... or just a full day of driving itself. We can recommend and, if desired, make reservations for nearby dinner locations before or after check-in here, and we can make arrangements with you for a self check-in if you anticipate arriving after 10:00 pm. 

Likewise, we do not penalize you if your graduation week changes at the last minute.  Just let us know as soon as possible if/when this occurs, and we will adjust your reservation accordingly.

You can make your reservation with us over the phone or online (be sure to select SUWS/Seasons as your reference, so we know to include the discounted room rate in your reservation).

We do our utmost to make your stay and graduation go as smoothly as possible. Feel free to call or e-mail us with any questions.

ROOMS AND RATES

Below are our current rates for a Sunday-Monday graduation stay, which include our largest discounts.

Since we do not charge for Tuesday night during graduations, we do reserve the option to book a room if a reservation request comes in. If that happens with your room, we'll simply move your belongings to an open room for you to use for showers as our availability permits. If you're on a tight schedule, and/or wish to guarantee use of your same room for showers and your luggage, see below for info on our Tuesday Hold option.

Note that six of our seven rooms are quite spacious. Reflections is the smallest room at the Inn. If you are bringing extra luggage (e.g., for children heading on to other destinations), you may be more comfortable in one of the larger rooms.

 North Carolina state and county sales taxes (6.75%), and McDowell County room tax (5.0%) currently total 11.75%.

TUESDAY HOLD OPTION
 
During our high season (May through Labor Day plus the North Carolina "leaf season" of October through the first week of November), and during any busy week (e.g., holidays), we offer the option* of holding your room for the outdoor overnight at a 50% discount on the regular room rate.  By doing so, we will not book your room for the night that you are in the woods.  This guarantees that you will be able to leave your belongings in your room, and have immediate use of the same room for showers after graduation. This may have most importance for those trying to catch early flights or meet other fixed schedules. 

*During our slower seasons this is generally not necessary; typically you will be able to leave your luggage and return to the same room for showers after graduation. 

Regardless of whether you opt to hold your room for your outdoor overnight, we will still allow all of our guest parents and their graduating children back for showers, preferably in the same room when it is still available. 

SEASONS

SEASONS graduations for the younger children follow a shorter process than the standard SUWS graduations.  Typically your stay at the Inn on Mill Creek will be for one night (Sunday) and includes a Monday morning breakfast with the regular SUWS parents.  SEASONS parents then spend Monday night at SUWS, and return for showers after graduation on Tuesday morning.  

To accommodate this different process, we waive our 2-night minimum stay to allow a Sunday night only reservation, including complimentary showers after graduation, but we do this on our standard rate schedule. 

Beyond the shorter stay, the information for SEASONS parents follows our regular SUWS graduation procedures (back above).

PARENT WORKSHOPS

Parents are welcome to stay with us for their two-day parent workshops.  We will waive our two-day reservation requirement for parents wishing to stay just one night (subject to our other bookings, and/or keeping rooms available as best as possible for parents of graduates), and we offer our SUWS discounted rates Sunday-Thursday with a two or more night stay.  We'll provide early breakfasts and directions for your workshop meetings, and help as best we can to make your SUWS experience go as smoothly as possible.