Blackberry Farm, an All Inclusive Country Retreat in the Foothills of the Smoky Mountains

Blackberry Farm Accommodations

Blackberry Farm may be set in a rustic paradise, but the accommodations are all first class. All of Blackberry Farm’s rooms, cottages, and houses are situated on a hill overlooking the beautiful and expansive scenery of the Smoky Mountains.

The Hill Cottages are designed with the elegance of old-fashioned techniques married to contemporary design. Relaxation is the central key of Blackberry Farm, and the Hill Cottages exemplify this ideal. A central fireplace is available for the living room and the screened-in outdoor porch, keeping guests warm no matter where they sit down. The bathroom features an oversized tub and the bedrooms boast king-sized feather beds for maximum comfort. The front porch offers the best view and white washed rockers are ready for guests who wish to enjoy it.

The Hills Cottage comes with fast wireless internet, flat screen TVs, and integrated sound systems throughout the house including the bathroom and surround sound in the living rooms. The Hills Cottages are stocked with snacks and wine to enjoy while taking in the view or enjoying the great televisions. Finally, when guests are ready to explore the grounds, a personal golf cart is ready for use.

The Estate Rooms are perfect for individual and couple retreats. The rooms date back to the original building and are decorated in period antiques, which give the rooms the most farm-house feel in the whole resort. Each estate house has a centralized area equipped with a fireplace, outdoor veranda, and a pantry full of drinks and snacks for use by all the guests. It’s perfect for the guest that likes to go out and meet new people.

For larger groups wishing to visit Blackberry Farm together, there are a number of cottages available with fully stocked kitchen and dining rooms and an increasing amount of bedrooms. All have a private golf cart for exploring the grounds.

The Farmstead Cottage holds two king-sized feather beds and a large bathroom with a whirlpool tub and two vanities. The cottage may look rustic on the outside, but inside it is all elegance with white walls and wood accents. Both the living room and master bedroom have a fireplace and there are three porch options to choose from when enjoying the scenery, one glass-enclosed, one screened, and the other exposed. The living room hides a wealth of audio-visual technology to keep guests entertained.

The Farm House is decorated in the early rural home style and is built from recycled wood from an 1800’s barn. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom and the living room has multiple fireplaces.

The Garden House is perfect for groups with multiple families with a main house and two cabins grouped together. Each building has its own bathroom with heated tiles and a fireplace and supplies up to five bedrooms.

The Elkmont is a mountain hideaway with wood and stone architecture. The houses is perfect for large families or groups with a large kitchen and dining room, beautiful stone and reclaimed wood living room with a fireplace and surround sound system equipped with a provided selections of Blu-Rays, screened porch with a fireplace, hidden TV, a swing bed, and a washer and dryer.

The Boulevard is a three-bedroom house that will really make a guest feel at home. The spacious property is beautifully decorated in a discreet fashion, keeping the house clean and elegant. The Boulevard is equipped with a full kitchen, screened in porch, and beautiful mountain scenery.

Dining at Blackberry Farm

Food is one of the major attractions of Blackberry Farm and it has won the property multiple awards during its lifetime. Blackberry Farm takes farm-to-fork practices to the ultimate level as all the fresh ingredients used are from the properties acres of farmland, livestock, and forests, which makes its Smoky Mountain inspired menus deliciously authentic. Breakfast and lunch are served in the Main House of the estate and no reservations are required.

Breakfast options range from a full country breakfast with fresh eggs, bacon, and pancakes to eggs, beans, and pork jowl to a light breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit.

Lunch options feature fresh finger-food options like cornmeal chicken liver sandwiches, cheese platers, farmhouse pizza, and smoked trout. For those heading out for the day, Blackberry Farm provides picnic baskets, backpacks, blankets, and trail maps so guests can enjoy their lunch out in the forests and pastures of the estate. For dinner, Blackberry Farm has two restaurants to choose from, The Barn or The Dogwood.

The Barn is located in the middle of the farmstead and offers fine dining in a rustic environment. The restaurant is inside a bank-style barn and is decorated with aged wood, antique coverings, and old fashioned glass lighting, which gives The Barn an authentic feel. The Barn is an open restaurant, with guests seated around individual tables in the open space. Meals are inspired by Appalachian ingredients and soul, but are more refined than typical southern food. The Barn boasts an expansive wine cellar with over 6,000 different wines to choose from. Reservations are required and men must wear jackets.

The Dogwood is Blackberry Farm’s more relaxed and casual restaurant and exemplifies the idea of southern hospitality as well as cuisine. To help bring out the since of hospitality, free snacks, such as roasted hazelnuts, are passed out randomly through the night. The food of The Dogwood is distinctly southern and influenced by the produce of the farms. The Dogwood Bar has a fine selection of wines and beers, and a truly suburb selection of whiskeys, many of which come from the Appalachian region.

Vacation Activities

For those wishing to enjoy the streams and rivers coursing through the Appalachian Mountains, Blackberry Farm is a great base for this. Blackberry Farm gives four-hour guided tours through the nearby rivers and lakes. Not only will the guides help you get out and back, but they will also offer some knowledge of the local plants and animals that make the Appalachians unique. Tours are available for canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards.

For those wishing to get their hiking boots on, Blackberry Farm has more than nine miles of trails of varying difficulty running through 1,000 acres of private woodland. If that isn’t enough, the trails run into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park with endless hiking opportunities. Guides are available for hire for those that don’t wish to get lost or want some information about the history and wildlife of the surrounding region. Guides are especially useful if venturing into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as they can point guests towards nearby landmarks such as beautiful waterfalls and parks of the fabled Appalachian trail. For those wishing to hike on their own Blackberry Farm provides water, first aid kits, and two-way radios so that hikers will remain safe.

Blackberry Farm utilizes the nearby Chilhowee Mountain for a course on rock-climbing. Guests will be taught the basics of rope safety and mountain climbing before being allowed to climb up cliff faces in the mountain based on their ability. Once they’ve climbed the cliffs guests will be treated to some of the best views the Smoky Mountain region has to offer.

Blackberry Farm offers both road cycling and mountain biking. Blackberry Farm will help to plan guest’s perfect biking experience by plotting a route for them and providing the perfect bike for their needs. For road cycling, there are many lovely roads that follow rivers, cut through the mountains, and leisurely wind through the neighboring farms. Guests are encouraged to pack a lunch and enjoy the region on an all-day adventure. Blackberry Farm’s mountain biking takes place outside the property, but there are a wide range of available trails and paths depending on guests’ likes and desires. Whether a guest is a beginner or expert, Blackberry Farm can plan out a path best suited for them.

Blackberry Farm provides a paintball experience for groups of 2 to 20. Everything is provided by Blackberry Farm, including paintball guns, paintballs, CO2, masks, and protective gear to keep clothing clean.

Fly-Fishing, Hiking and More

Lovers of horses can delight as Blackberry Farm offers a wide range of guided horse riding through the farms, valleys, and forests on the property. Whether you like to ride at a leisurely pace or galloping, Blackberry Farm has a tour for you. They even provide mounted hunting for the truly confident riders. Horse riding instruction are available for English or Western riding techniques. For real horse lovers, an all-day horse clinic is available for learning everything about horses before riding one of the trails. For a slower side, Blackberry Farm also offers carriage rides across the property and guests can even learn to drive the carriage themselves.

Another great staple of Blackberry Farm is freshwater fly-fishing. Blackberry Farm is one of only 60 Orvis endorsed lodges in the whole of the United States and Canada, so guests can be assured of the value of its experience. Blackberry Farm offers two lakes and a stream on property, and over 700 miles of trout creeks in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Orvis certified guided trips are available from Blackberry Farm on property or to the national park. For the truly adventurous, Blackberry Farm also offers full day float trips on the nearby Clinch and Holston rivers on Mackenzie-style drift boats while trout fishing. For those who need instruction, fly-fishing classes are available on all aspects of fly-fishing, including classes on making your own fly-fishing lures.

For shooting, Blackberry Farm offers shooting ranges for shotgun and archery. Classes are available to teach all aspects of gun and bow shooting and safety.

Blackberry Farm is a working farm, and for those who are interested, it offers a number of hands-on tours to learn all about it. Guests can take a guided tour by the property’s master gardener to learn all about the plants grown on site and can even see some of the livestock kept by Blackberry Farm. Beekeepers can take guests through a guided tour of the beehives while wearing a beekeeper’s suit. For a unique experience, guests can check out the truffle orchard and learn all about the Lagatto truffle dogs that hunt the rare mushrooms down. For culinary lovers, Blackberry Farm offers cooking classes. Guests can cook their own three course lunch with the help of a master chef, or guests can spend the day in the estate kitchens learning about what goes into cooking fresh meals for the entire estate. Wine and whiskey tastings are available with thousands of options from all around the world.

The Wellhouse

The Wellhouse is more than just a spa, it’s an entire experience. Spa treatments, saloon treatments, hand and foot care, body baths, yoga classes, fitness instruction, nutrition classes, the art of juicing, outdoor activities, and more are all available. Many of the spa treatments include creams and lotions made from products grown on the estate and a philosophy of natural ingredients and techniques are found throughout

The Wellhouse activities and it utilizes the farm and forest surrounds. Yoga classes can be taken in outdoor forest areas, fitness classes include outdoor biking and hiking, and nutrition courses involve guests going out to the gardens to pick their own ingredients. Full-day to even full-week courses are available for guests who are interested in an outdoor fitness and relaxation retreats. Special seasonal treatments are also available to ready a guest’s body for the coming seasonal weather.

Family Friendly Activities

Blackberry Farm has a wide range of support and activities for visiting families. They provide sitting services for any parent still on the property for a small fee. For increased entertainment for children, Camp Blackberry is available between Memorial Day and Labor Day and during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday. In it, kids experience different activities each day around the estate, such as visiting the farm and nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, while the parents get some valuable alone time.

For activities to do with the whole family, Blackberry Farm offers the Adventure series, which are a number of Blackberry Farm’s activities tailored towards children and families. Families can visit the gardens, go canoeing, practice archery, visit the truffle dogs, and a number of others that are tailor made so all members of the family have an adventure they will remember.

More ideas: Tennessee Attractions

1471 W Millers Cove Rd, Walland, TN 37886, Phone: 865-984-8166, (website link)

Blackberry Farm, an All Inclusive Country Retreat in the Foothills of the Smoky Mountains :