Fans of the Shining may already know about this gorgeous and old Grand Hotel resting east of the Visitor Center in the Yosemite Village of Yosemite Valley but even those unacquainted will be impressed with its beautiful, cozy, and sprawling interior. Outside the hotel you can also see Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and Glacier Point. It is an absolutely beautiful spot to stay or just to visit and have dinner or a drink while visiting the park.

The Ahwahnee Hotel opened in 1927 but before that, it was a tent camp in 1899 ran by the Currys. This couple not only got almost 300 people to stay that first year, despite it being a two week round trip to the nearest town, but they also began the famous (and now defunct) firefall! For more on that, listen to my podcast series over Everett Ruess who frequented the park in the 1930s. Even he complained about the crowds!

The Curry’s name is used for Curry Village, obviously. The hotel’s building used 5,000 tons of stone, 1,000 tons of steel, and 30,000 feet of lumber, which is an absolutely astounding amount of building materials but the look and feel of the place absolutely transports you back in time to an era where anything seemed possible and decadence was something sought after.

Eventually, the Curry family business, the Yosemite Park and Curry Company opened the Hotel and many other buildings and amenities in the park. It has 121 American Indian designed Hotel Rooms with plenty of amenities and a restaurant that requires “Appropriate Attire”. In WW2, the US Navy actually commandeered the hotel for a convalescence retreat which no doubt brought many stories with it.

The Great Lounge, the room that evokes Jack’s typewriter, has two large fireplaces made from sandstone. Also in the room is the amazing floor to ceiling stained glass windows. There’s also the American Indian blankets and designs. It’s an absolutely gorgeous room. Kubrick used the look of the Great Room, the elevators, and the lobby for his film based off of King’s novel (which was based off of occurrences in a hotel in Estes Park, Colorado).

Also in the hotel is a gift shop, a sweet shop, and a fantastic bar with great drinks.