Greystone’s Generosity

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2020/05 - May

For over 100 years, Lake Toxaway has been offering comfort and relief  to its guests and the community. 

For its  guests – people like Stephen King, and Nicole Kidman, and Steve Martin, driven people looking to escape from the rigors of 21st century life  – Greystone Inn offers an undeniable level of comfort and tranquility. 

For the community, it’s offered a steady source of employment. This writer’s grandfather, who was the teacher at Toxaway School in the 1920s, recalled that owner Lucy Camp Armstrong continued to build her lakefront home over the course of 40 years, providing much-needed income for the men of the community when the Chestnut Blight destroyed the local timber industry.

Miss Lucy took it upon herself to teach local high school girls how to can and make preserves so that they’d have marketable skills. She paid the college tuition of at least two dozen young people.

Perhaps that generous community spirit is embedded within the walls of this Western North Carolina landmark, because the Greystone Inn is once more offering comfort for those in need. 

With the hardships imposed by the coronavirus, the inn has established its Buy a Meal and We’ll Donate a Meal Program. 

This innovative program allows people to purchase a meal from the Lakeside Dining Room, and, at the same time, the inn will donate a meal to a needy person in the community.

“We have had people donate 100 meals at a time and we’ve had people donate one meal at a time to specific people and families,” says Shannon Ellis, who owns the inn with her husband Geoffrey. “We are working to identify those in our community who are in need, including our non-working team members who are struggling.”

If you know an individual or family who could use a meal, [email protected].

Of course, those meals being offered are predicated upon daily grocery deliveries. As a result, the inn is offering its resources for a one-stop no-contact shop.

“People can save themselves a trip to the grocery store,” says Shannon. “Our grocery list is updated daily as deliveries arrive. We also have a selection of prepared meals, including our Buy a Meal and We’ll Donate a Meal menu, as well as wine and beer for curbside pick up and complimentary delivery. People can order online at greystoneinn.com or call (828) 966-4700.”

Though the Greystone Inn has severely limited its services, it’s still offering accommodations to medical personnel and those who must self-isolate for 15 days or more. Staff have been fully trained in steps to ensure the safety of guests and themselves.

And finally, the Greystone Inn is offering comfort and creativity for those whose wedding plans may have turned upside down by the current health crisis. 

“We know a lot of people are having trouble re-booking their canceled wedding plans,” says Shannon. “If you’re one of those couples, please know that you do have options…from virtual celebrations and elopements to intimate and last-minute weddings this summer and beyond.” 

If all of these innovations seem extraordinary, they’re just the latest iterations of a Toxaway tradition.