Tranquil Luxury at The Fearrington House Inn

This upscale resort set in the rolling hills of North Carolina offers pampering in an idyllic spot for a daylong visit or life’s special occasions. 

Serenity marks the verdant gardens and meandering brick pathways at Fearrington House, located just outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Once a working farm, classic structures dot the landscape reminiscent of the English countryside favored by founding couple Jenny and R.B. Fitch. “It was their dream and their brainchild,” says Kerstin Lindgren, marketing manager at the 32-room lodging.

The Fitches began their venture 50 years ago, before Jenny succumbed to breast cancer. The property, which includes a village with shops and a residential area, continues to bear Jenny’s imprint in both design and ambience. “She was an avid gardener and a cook,” says Kerstin. Both native North Carolinians, the couple wanted to pay homage to their home state’s rural heritage as well as the towns of pastoral England they loved to visit.  

The land where Fearrington is situated was first purchased in 1786 by William Cole for $80 and was passed down through generations of his family. It was named after William’s great-granddaughter and her husband, Edwin M. Fearrington. Their son, John Bunyan, built the homestead where the current Fearrington House Restaurant is located, and the name honors their stewardship. As a real estate developer, R.B., now an octogenarian who still lives at Fearrington, was intent on keeping the farm’s existing buildings. Today, the granary is home to The Belted Goat coffee shop, and the milking barn houses Dovecote Style, a clothing boutique. 

Jenny’s remarkable gardens have been meticulously maintained, including the colorful springtime burst of daffodils, crocuses, and other bulbs she put into the design. She also was one of the restaurant’s first chefs and paid great attention to menu details. Her kitchen plot provides fresh herbs and vegetables to Fearrington’s eateries, and the establishment’s cookbook is available for purchase at McIntyre’s Books, opened in the shop-lined Village three decades ago by Keebe Fitch, Jenny and R.B.’s daughter. 

Although off the beaten path, Fearrington’s charm attracts guests who want a quiet getaway with amenities like afternoon tea or The Spa at Fearrington. Business meetings, ladies’ weekend escapes, and special events like weddings and anniversaries are among the long list of reasons to stay, says Kerstin. But mostly, she says, people want to “just relax and be in the pretty.” 

Photography by Krystal Kast