Yellow. That's the first thing visitors notice about Richmond Hill Inn. It's yellow. Yellow can be a risky color for high-class inns, but with Richmond Hill, such a hot hue works because of this luxurious lodge's glowing past and bright future.

In 1889, the newly completed house called Richmond Hill was the place to be in town. This grand Victorian mansion was built as the private residence of former ambassador and congressman Richmond Pearson and his wife, Gabrielle. Designed by James G. Hill, then the supervising architect for the U.S. Treasury buildings, the house was ahead of its time for modern conveniences, with running water, a pulley-operated elevator for moving baggage from floor to floor and a communications system.

My father once offered a waitress $200 if she would reveal the recipe for the pate he'd just eaten. She tucked her hair behind her ears and laughed."You're kidding, right?"

My father unfolded two $100 bills from his money clip and laid them on the table. He never jokes about food.

"There's a taste I can't identify," he said. "Is it Cognac?"

When croquet took our country by storm during the Victorian era, one enthusiast described it as combining the delights of outdoor exercise, fresh air, and friendship. The game still offers these pleasures today, making it the ideal diversion to share with friends on a summer afternoon. As the heat of the day begins to wane, the Collins and Groh families, both from Asheville, North Carolina, meet at the Richmond Hill Inn to shoot wickets on the croquet lawn and relax over a four-course dinner.

A cool, gray mist shrouds the gardens at Richmond Hill Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. You sip your coffee, savoring the window seat view from the breakfast room for a while, then decide to slip outside to the Parterre Garden.

It's irresistible: You have to give in to the childlike urge to get lost in this sumptuous buffet of blooms. Breakfast can wait. It's your soul and spirit that need feeding first.

Richmond Hill Inn has again received the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide 4 star award for 2010.

www.forbestravelguide.com

This is a great honor and privilege. We would like to thank the staff for all their hard work and willingness to serve our guest's every need.

Join us soon and let us pamper you with 4 Star service and amenities.

We wish to inform you of an unbelievable loss to all of us at Richmond Hill Inn. We are fortunate that no one was hurt but, our beloved 120 year old Richmond Pearson Mansion has burned and is a total loss.  As you know our 4 star restaurant Gabrielle’s was a feature of the mansion and is now temporarily closed as well.