When I first arrived at The Horse Shoe Farm, located on the Asheville side of Hendersonville in western North Carolina, reality met my expectations: tidy white ranch-rail fencing surrounded green meadows; a long, meandering drive led past freshly painted farm buildings, and the Blue Ridge Mountains beckoned from every angle. But what I didn’t anticipate was the mix of cool art, good bourbon, clean lines, and even a little woo-woo New Agey-ness that gave the resort its intriguing enigmatic edge.
The farm had the softest of openings. In 2017, after vacationing in this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains for decades, Johnny Turchin and his family purchased an 85-acre horse and cattle farm. After renovating barns and other farm buildings, they began renting rooms, mostly to equestrians competing in nearby Tryon. It was an anomaly: luxury lodging with an onsite boarding stable.
The riders — and their horses — loved it. Johnny, though, who had spent the early part of his career creating some of Miami’s most glamorous nightclubs, soon tired of mucking stalls. But instead of hiring additional staff, he closed down the boarding barn and transformed it into a spa. He also constructed new accommodations, carved walking trails into the woods, added a pool and sauna, renovated the restaurant, and turned the old tractor barn into a family room filled with games, crafts, and mementos from generations of family members. He added art, too, including towering glass sculptures and light fixtures designed by Ryan Blythe, who trained under Dale Chihuly; a few chandeliers gifted from childhood friend Stuart Weitzman; and vivid works painted by his mother, Lillian Athey Turchin. Before long, he’d created a luxury farm resort unlike anything in the region.
The Stay
We stayed in the Pond Cottages, a trio of freestanding white-clapboard structures with wide porches and gas fireplaces. In our bedroom, light streamed in from six floor-to-ceiling windows that could be darkened with remote-controlled shades. The bathroom was dominated by a massive marble shower chamber complete with a deep soaking tub.
Breakfast at the Silo Cookhouse is included and if you sleep in, brunch is available until 2 pm. Dinner is served at long communal tables in the main dining room or on the porch. You can also eat at the bar, as we did, or, if the weather is nice, outside on the stone patio, where a wood-fueled fire blazes in a pit each evening.
There was a lot of energy in the room when we arrived: the dining room had turned into an impromptu dinner party. Couples laughed at bar tables and the bar itself was almost full. But as busy as it was, the bartender still found time to explain that the bread, pasta, and burrata cheese had been made in-house and the beef, chicken, and trout were all local. Most of the vegetables are grown in the farm’s garden; Ian, the resort’s resident farmer, holds classes several times a week on everything from herb preservation to small-space gardening. Guests are also welcome to help with chicken feeding and other farm chores.
The Stable Spa
Though massages, facials, scrubs, and wraps are available at the Stable Spa, therapists trained in holistic healing utilize crystals, vibrational therapy, cranial sacral therapy, LaHoChi energy work, astrology coaching, and more to help clients find balance and alignment. Although there’s a small waiting area (where you can browse through vintage clothing for sale), I chose to relax both before and after my treatment on one of the comfy couches that fill the stable’s original aisle, a wide breezeway covered in golden-hued shiplap-planked wooden walls that arch gracefully to a tall ceiling. It’s a calming space, with a transparent garage-style door at one end that can be raised to allow fresh air to flow through.
The sauna is located near the pool; during the winter, guests can cold plunge in the nearly freezing salt water; during the summer months, a separate cold plunge is set up. Paths lead to a sweat lodge in the forest where Johnny’s son Jordan hosts Cherokee Tsalagi purification rituals within its quiet darkness. There are also yoga classes each Saturday along with monthly breathwork sessions and sound baths.
The Area
The Horse Shoe Farm is surrounded by atmospheric mountain towns, swimming holes, waterfalls, and deep forests laced with hiking trails.
Downtown Hendersonville: It’s an easy 10-minute drive to Hendersonville, where you can pick up wine and cheese to enjoy on your porch, do a little shopping, or stop into restaurants like Shine which has a pretty rooftop terrace, or Mike’s on Main for a milkshake at an old-fashioned soda counter. Bustling Asheville, with its galleries, restaurants, and breweries, is just 30 minutes away. Be sure to check out the River Arts District, where glassblowers, ceramicists, painters, fiber artists, and apparel designers welcome visitors into their studios; afterward, stroll to the James Beard Award-winning Cúrate for tapas and Spanish wine.
Biltmore House: In 1895 philanthropist George Vanderbilt finished construction on Biltmore House, his 250-room French chateaux, on 8,000 rolling acres in Asheville. The home is filled with the family’s collection of art and antiques and surrounded by gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Breweries and Cideries: This part of North Carolina is also home to 100 breweries and cideries, nearly a dozen distilleries, and more than 20 wineries. Located in Henderson County, the Crest of the Blue Ridge wine region was recently named an American Viticultural Area (AVA) , the first in Western North Carolina.
The Blue Ridge Parkway: Most of the Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened since Hurricane Helene’s devastation in 2024; it winds through North Carolina and Virginia for 469 miles without a single billboard, traffic light, or utility pole to mar the views. At Mile Post 382 you’ll find the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s Folk Art Center, where the work of 800 juried artists is available for sale.
Hiking and Waterfalls: Miles of hiking trails loop through Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Forest, and Chimney Rock State Park. Hop onto Pisgah’s Triple Falls Tour trail and you’ll take in three stunning waterfalls with its moderate three-mile loop; within DuPont, it’s an easy mile or so to reach Wintergreen Falls, which empties into a shallow swimming hole. For a full day waterfall option, the seven-mile hike to High Falls begins at DuPont’s High Falls parking area. Chimney Rock is a 315-foot tall monolith that towers over Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. Once you’ve seen the view, you can hike to the bottom of Hickory Nut Falls or take the Skyline Trail along the ridge and view it from the top.
Getting There
The Horse Shoe Farm is located 30 minutes from Asheville, and is an hour drive from Raleigh and Greensboro.
Feature image, courtesy of The Horse Shoe Farm
