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For this summer vacation column, I selected three historic inns that not only provide the bed and breakfast experience, but also host full service restaurants that serve dinner. All have won Wine Spectator awards in the past. Check Web sites for full menus and look for special inn rates as well. Travel during the week often provides savings over the weekend.

The Balsam Mountain Inn (68 Seven Springs Drive, Balsam, NC 28707, (800) 224-9498, www.balsammountaininn. com), near Sylva and Waynesville, was constructed in 1905, as a layover for the railroad.

Steam engines had to take on water at the station across the road, part of the process of climbing the steepest grade east of the Mississippi.

The appearance of the three-story wood structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remains close to its original state. A covered front porch spans the entire width of the building. Inside, bead board walls and ceilings look down on plank floors. Caveat: There is no air conditioning (although at this elevation, its need may reasonably be questioned.)

Innkeepers Kim and Sharon Shailer have owned the property for a little over five years.

The Seven Springs restaurant occupies a Florida room with purple, green and white tile floors under white walls. Draperies follow a coordinated color scheme. It's open, airy and pretty. And the food is very good.

My party started with Cauliflower Veloute ($3.95/cup), a luscious, cream-based soup that hosts tender, seared scallops. Fried Green Tomatoes ($8.25) bear a firm, crisp crust, their tart flavor augmented by pimiento cheese and country ham. Smoked Trout Blini Stack ($9.95) combines delicately-flavored trout with corn, cilantro, Gorgonzola cheese and pickled ginger, laced with a balsamic reduction.

In Shrimp and Grits ($24.95), large, tender shrimp swim in a tasso ham cream sauce, flanked by sautéed spinach and fried green tomato grit cakes. Sautéed Trout ($23.95) is enhanced with bourbon pecan butter; julienned peppers are colorful and flavorful, joined by rice. A crust of chopped almonds with a light touch of cinnamon complements free range Rack of Lamb ($27.95) with polenta, balsamic figs, grilled asparagus and hand-cut onion rings.

The chef is Sandra Mitchell-Wood, who trained in London, then cooked in New Zealand. She moved to the mountains after genealogy research identified a half-sister in Waynesville.

The property at the Highland Lake Inn (86 Lilly Pad Lane, Flat Rock, NC 28731, (800) 635-5101, www.hlinn.com) spans 26 acres, including a lake and several recreational areas as well as a covered picnic shelter (catering available). This is an especially good retreat for families with children. The ambience is mountain-rustic. One caveat: Although you are in the mountains, from this property you don't see mountains.

Season's restaurant Chef Peter Fassbender, a native of Peru who has cooked on several continents, oversees a two-acre organic garden on the property, supplying fresh vegetables and herbs for each dish. The style is sophisticated without straying into precious, a reflection of formal training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Executive Sous Chef Robert Boyce developed and polished his skills under tutelage from chefs at The Fearrington Village in Chapel Hill.

In a Mountain Berry Salad ($7), baby spinach hosts strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, along with julienned shallots and caramelized pecans, dressed in a light vinaigrette. Seared Jumbo Scallops ($9) are embellished with a mellifluous parsnip cream sauce, with sautéed oyster mushrooms scattered atop. The tomatoes in Lump Crab and Fried Green Tomato Napoleon ($9) are dusted with cornmeal and lightly fried; an Asiago cream sauce is drizzled with parsley oil, lending color as well as flavor. Sautéed filets of North Carolina Rainbow Trout ($24) are stacked over a strudel of spinach and spaghetti squash, surrounded by goat cheese sabayon.

Construction for The Inn on Church (201 Third Ave. West, Hendersonville, NC 28739, (800) 330-3836, www.innonchurch.com) began in 1919. It was sold in 1921, but the new owner lost the property during the Depression. An auction on the county courthouse steps brought a purchase price of $25.

The new owner kept it for 11 years, then sold it to Hendersonville's Johnson family, who operated the hotel until 2000. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Current owners Brenda and Steve Merrefield bought the Inn three years ago, "for a little more than $25."

The peach-colored dining room, down a long hall, is very attractive. Tables and chairs are also on the porch. This restaurant is a finalist in the Best Dish NC competition. (Winners will be announced in mid-August.)

In an exquisite chilled summer soup ($6), fresh local raspberries, blueberries and a splayed strawberry peek out from a deep blue blueberry-vanilla yogurt, with a honeycomb perched in the center. Watermelon rind pickles, made in-house, enhance a spinach salad ($9), with cantaloupe and watermelon balls, purple onion slices, homemade raisin bread croutons and arugula, dressed in a warm applewood smoked bacon vinaigrette. Crisp turkey croquettes ($12) also host thick sliced country ham; these are stacked next to a sweet potato basket containing white peach chutney.

Fried flounder ($22) bears a light coating of yellow and blue cornmeal, enhanced with tartar sauce based on house-cured pickles. Jumbo lump crabmeat is scattered throughout green and red cabbage slaw.

Roasted corn and sweet red pepper tamale fritters could be a meal unto themselves. In fact, any combination of soup, appetizer or entrée from the menu could be shared, based on portion sizes.

My wife and I had little room for dessert, but butternut squash ice cream ($7) in a pecan waffle cone coated with apple syrup was too original to pass up.

This turned out to be my favorite wine list, both for value as well as selections. The Inn's restaurant is worth a drive in its own right. Michelle Briggs is Innkeeper.

These inn-restaurants are all recommended as part of a trip through the southern mountains. They will become even more inviting in fall.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420 or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com.