The Stay

Groups, Dogs & Early Starts

Early breakfasts, late arrivals, gear, dogs and rooms for the whole party — exactly how a hunting stay works at the only inn in town.

A two-bed room popular with hunting parties

In short

We're set up for hunting parties — pre-dawn key handoffs, early coffee, two-bed rooms placed close together, parking for trucks and trailers and boats, and pizza and wings when you come back in. Call early in season, because we're the only hotel for miles and we fill up.

Most of our winter guests are crews with an early alarm, so we've learned how to make the inn work around a hunt. Here's how a stay with us usually goes.

Getting out before light

You don't have to wait on anybody. When you book, tell us you're leaving before dawn — we'll get you checked in the night before, hand you your key, and you can slip out as early as you need with no one at the desk to wake. Check-in here is personal and flexible; a real person sorts it out with you over the phone, no app, no deposit, no fuss.

Coffee and an early breakfast

Our hot breakfast — grits, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, muffins — runs every morning and is famously cheap, a few dollars. If legal shooting light comes before the kitchen opens, let us know the night before and we'll have coffee ready and set something aside so you're not hunting on an empty stomach.

Keeping a party together

Book as a group and we'll put your whole crew in rooms near each other, so you can lay out gear, talk through the morning and roll out together. A lot of our rooms have two beds, which keeps a party tight and the cost down. We've got fifteen simple, clean rooms with A/C and heat in every one, and a wide front porch with rockers for the end of the day. You can see them on our rooms page.

A clean two-bed room at Hotel Engelhard — Two-bed rooms keep a hunting party together — and the cost down.

Trucks, trailers, boats and muddy gear

Parking is free and there's room for trucks, trailers and boats — no city lot to squeeze into. Come back caked in marsh mud and that's fine; we'll point you to a spot to stow wet, dirty gear so it's not tracking through your room. If you're bringing a dog, we're dog-friendly, but call and ask when you book so we put you in the right room.

Coming back in

After a cold morning on the water, the kitchen runs pizza and wings until nine — a thin-crust pizza for about ten dollars hits the spot. Eat, dry out on the porch, and get some sleep before you do it again.

The one thing we'll push you on: book early. We're the only hotel for miles, and in season the rooms go fast — especially the week after a hard cold front when the birds drop in. If you've got questions about a group stay, our FAQ covers a lot, and the timing's all in our waterfowl seasons notes.

When you're ready, call the front desk at (252) 925-2001 or start on our booking page, and we'll get your whole crew set.

← Back to Hunting Season