Because my wife was taking a class, and was going to have to get herself there at times, we just stayed in a motel. But the highways out of Boone are easy to pick up in all directions, so it was simple to get to the waters.
There are a variety of cabins available around the Boone area, and that would be something that we might look into in the future. There are also a lot of smaller towns around Boone that seem to cater to have cabin rentals available as well.
CJ