All Are Welcome Here! We are a Christian institution that strives to demonstrate intentional hospitality to all. We will not tolerate discrimination on our campus against any child of God, including discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, ability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.
Guest Health and Safety
Montreat Conference Center continues to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and guidance set forth by our state and county. We ask staff and guests to stay home if you are ill or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Masks are not required for staff or guests, but are welcome if individuals choose to wear one.
Weather & Landscape | Accommodations | Dining | Travel and Parking | Other Considerations | Wilderness
Our Mountain Home
Weather: Montreat is located in a 4,000 acre cove of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with relatively mild, but varying weather. Casual, informal clothing for a range of weather conditions is suggested. Don’t forget an umbrella, sweater, or your comfortable walking shoes!
Environment: Our campus is hilly with plenty of stairs. If you have limited mobility be sure to let us know so we can make arrangements to assist you. Contact the front desk of Assembly Inn at 828.419.9844 or your group's event registrar.
We share these mountains with all of God's creation, from black bears to critters in the creek. In order to be as respectful of our environment as possible we ask visitors to not leave any food, including trash, out to attract bears - please dispose of your trash and recycling in a green bear bin.
A Place Set Apart
Our facilities seek to incorporate the natural, simplistic beauty of Montreat into their experience, and for that reason they are simple with an emphasis on comfort rather than modern amenities.
Assembly Inn: Assembly Inn is equipped with WiFi, air conditioning, and an ample lobby area for group gatherings. The lobby is equipped with arm chairs, tables, and a communal television. Most guest rooms do not have televisions and none have mini-fridges, microwaves, coffee makers, hair dryers, or shampoo and conditioner.
Lodges: Most lodges do not have wifi and only some have air conditioning. But all lodges have ample, updated common and kitchen areas.
Montreat offers a number of accommodations, varying in their size, amenities, and accessibility. For specifics on a certain property please visit our accommodations page.
Dining Options
Galax Dining Room
The Galax Dining Room is located in Assembly Inn and is primarily for hotel guests and conference participants. We strive to accommodate special requests/dietary restrictions but are limited in our offerings. All meals are served buffet-style, using fresh, quality ingredients with many options locally sourced. More information on the dining room including cost and handling practices can be found on our dining page.
The Huckleberry
The Huckleberry, a cafe, is located on the third floor of the Moore Center on Lake Susan. The Huck serves made to order coffee and drinks, light lunch fare, and ice cream.
More information on the dining room, including cost and handling practices, and on the Huckleberry can be found on our dining page.
Other Dining Options
If you're planning on cooking for yourself or your group, the closest grocery store is the Ingles in Black Mountain, about 10 minutes away by car.
If prepared food is more your style, Black Mountain has a host of sit-down restaurants, brunch places, and quick service food to choose from. Asheville, located about 25 minutes away, also has a great selection of dining options. But be sure to take travel time and wait times into consideration so as not to be late to planned activities in the valley!
Quick snacks and beverages can be purchased in the Montreat Store if you're looking to stave off mid-morning hunger. But crackers, protein bars, and candy doesn't make a meal, so plan ahead if you think you might need something more substantial than that.
Getting to Montreat
Other Considerations
WiFi is available in Assembly Inn, the Presbyterian Heritage Center, and most conference center meeting rooms. For specifics please visit our meeting space page.
Cell service is generally accessible throughout the valley but you may experience some outages depending on your location.
Firearms are prohibited on all conference center properties.
Tobacco use, including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes, is only permitted out of doors where urns are found.
Service animals are welcome. A service animal is a dog or miniature horse that is trained to do work or perform tasks for, and to assist, an individual with a disability. The ADA requires that service animals be under the control of the handler at all times. The service animal must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service animal's work or the person's disability prevents use of these devices. In that case, the person must still maintain control of the animal. Under control also means that a service animal should not be allowed to bark repeatedly in a quiet place. The handler of the service animal may be asked to remove their service animal from the premises if the animal is out of control and the animal's owner does not take effective action to control it or the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
Pet dogs are welcomed in most public spaces and must be leashed at all times, including on hiking trails. Pets are not allowed in Robert Lake Park or any of Montreat Conference Center's accommodations.
Ranger Jason's Wilderness Tips
For more general information on Montreat's protected land, visit our wilderness page.
- Be sure to grab a map at the Montreat Store, the Nature Center, or the front desk of Assembly Inn before you go hiking — your phone's GPS is not reliable on our trails
- If there is a lost person or an accident on the trails, please call 911
- There is no back-country camping along the Montreat trails except for at the two shelter sites listed on the map
- There is no biking allowed on Montreat's Trails
- Please keep dogs on a leash while hiking our 40+ miles of trails
- We have black bears in our protected wilderness, be sure to always put your trash in a secure receptacle. If you see a bear that is disrupting the public or in a high-traffic area, please notify the Montreat police at 828.669.8072.
- We have snakes in our protected wilderness — most of our snakes are non-venomous and all species are important to the ecosystem! Our two venomous species are protected by state law, if a venomous snake is in a problem area, please contact the rangers (summer only - 828.669.9540) or the police (828.669.8072)