On the Windfall is a true escape. We are located in the beautiful, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. These brand new, charming mountain cottages are centrally located to many attractions, and festivals within the tri-state area including North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Breathtaking Ashe County has long been known as the “Lost Province”. This is where Appalachian traditions remain frozen in time. The natural beauty of this area includes abundant wildlife, wildflowers, awesome long range views, picturesque farms and magnificent starry nights. Big Horse Creek and Helton Creek offer some of the best fly fishing in the state. The historic and beautiful New River is just a short drive away.
  
Great Outdoor Spaces Blue Ridge Views Porch Fireplace
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On the Windfall, offers 2 new cottages and a renovated barn loft apartment. Great for family gatherings or a romantic escape for two, these are homes of great character and detail, with all the amenities for a memorable vacation. We are located in Northwest Ashe County, just 10 minutes north of Lansing, North Carolina.
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August is ....... 
a perfect time to explore our North Carolina mountains.
Take a hike, bike the Creeper Trail, canoe the New, swim with the trout or just take a nap or two.
Festivals and music are alive across the Blue Ridge.
Cool off with tunes at the New River Blues Festival.
This is the third year for this event, drawing on regional and
national blues musicians.
On the banks of the New River at Jefferson Landing,
Sunday August 31st.
At 3700 feet it is usually 15-20 degrees cooler than the Southern Piedmont.
September
is a transition time. Nights are cool. Curl up in front of a fire, or relax under a blanket of stars
in your outdoor hot tub. The wildflowers paint purple and golden tones in these first days of autumn.
Join us Saturday nights in the meadow for a campfire and star gazing.
Mark your calendars for a great concert by Wayne Henderson, Jeff, Little and Steve Lewis on
Friday, Sept. 5. They will be appearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Ashe Civic Center.
The 32nd Annual Fall Festival at Grayson Highlands will be held Saturday and Sunday,
September 27 and 28, at Grayson Highlands State Park. This year's festival will feature live bluegrass and old-time music, barbecued chicken dinners, molasses-making and other demonstrations of pioneer living in addition to a crafts fair. An auction of "wild" ponies, will take place on Saturday.
NEW THIS SEASON - HIKE THE HAMMOCK TRAIL
We have placed 7 Hammocks in great spots for your relaxing pleasure.
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On the Windfall is a gated mountain top that includes 215 acres of wilderness to explore and discover. Big Horse Creek is a short hike through Fern Gully. Two Rock Top is a ridge at almost 4,000 ft in elevation. Relax, breathe, look up to the night sky. When was the last time you saw the Milky Way? It is a place where the air smells fresh; the water is always cold and as clear as the night sky that twinkles with an infinite display of colorful stars. Listen closely to the cluck of wild turkeys. See the swift darting of White-tailed deer, the occasional distant hoot of a Barred Owl in the night, a song of a Bullfrog, and the symphony of the wind. There is the trickling and gurgling of streams and then of course, the silence. Wildflowers, including the rare Gray’s Lily are abundant. Marked hiking trails were created that include high ridges with large rock formations, fern laden paths along streams, and wetland trails through 5 foot tall Cinnamon Ferns to a beautiful spring fed pond.
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Rainbow Trout fishing at the Windfall Pond.
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Gray's Lily
Blooming in mid June
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On the Windfall is part of the Eldreth Homestead circa 1800. The Eldreths farmed the property until the mid 1900s. Some of the Eldreth descendants live in Ashe County today. The family cemetery is on the property. The cottages were named after Arthur, Granpy Aut and Amanda Eldreth, Granny Mandy.
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The Windfall is the vision of G.A. Ford Builders, Inc., Davidson, NC. For his getaway, he envisioned cottages where every modern convenience can be found, but in a fun rustic, camp sort of way. Crafted with whimsical features and mountain charm, the cottages were designed and built by George Ford. It took a hard working crew along with the Ford family 15 months to build the structures. The houses were crafted with materials right from the property. During the winter of 2006, hundreds of tons of stone were gathered from the mountain side. Beautiful rocks stacked by the Eldreth family during the mid 1800's were harvested from abandoned pastures where cattle once grazed. Locust logs are commonly used as everlasting fence posts. These almost petrified timbers were dragged up the mountainside and placed as trusses supporting the porches. The hardwood floors are also locust as is much of the trim work. Our homes use Energy Star products and were built Green using resource-efficient materials and construction practices.
We hope you will come stay with us. Take a break from cell phones, email, IM's, and pagers. Renew your spirit in the presence of a more natural pace.
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Resident dogs, Lacey and Hena
are at home On the Windfall.
Windfall Weather
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| View from Ridge at Windfall
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| Check out some notes from our very satisfied guests: |
"Folks,
Maryann and I want to encourage you to take advantage of On the Windfall - owned and operated by George & Carole Ford. They are just opening, after a 2-year labor of love. Please consider this destination as you consider taking off to the mountains! We can't tell you enough about how much we enjoyed their graciousness, this location, the vista's & George's craftsmanship. We did not want to leave and just had to extend our stay! Please check out the pictures on the website. You can reserve your stay online - like we have, again, for the fall!
Our (long) list of favorite attributes: Mandy cabin, tile & stone deck, George, Carole, local stories, vistas, solitude, sunrises, hikes - easy & strenuous, fishing - stocked rainbow pond & native brook trout, grilling trout, hot tub @ sunrise, horses on the property, wild black & red raspberry picking, deer, turkey, shopping in West Jefferson, canoeing & fishing the scenic New River, etc.etc. (ask - the list continues!)"
John McCann
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Pond in Fall |
Winter at On the Windfall |
Bright Summer Day |
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