Eastern Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm offers all the pleasures of summer: eating, drinking, strolling, riding, fishing, relaxing, and caring for yourself. TABLE contributor Julia Leonard dives in… and is all the better for it!
Smoky Mountain Shangri-la
I love a city break as much as the next person… the kind of vacation where you arrive armed with a must-see list that will be checked off with military precision. But what if you’re looking for something that doesn’t require a passport and travel shots? A place where you can step out of the daily grind, catch your breath, and recharge your batteries?
Let me introduce you to Blackberry Farm: 4,200 acres of paradise unfolding along the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee. This well-being, outdoors, and sporting oasis is only a 25-minute drive from the Knoxville airport but feels a world away.
What makes it so special? Proprietor Mary Celeste Beall and her team have attended to all the details, from crisp linen sheets to antiques in the bedrooms and original artwork on the walls. There’s a relaxed and welcoming feel, like staying at a friend’s country house, albeit a friend with very good taste and an impressive wine cellar. Book a room in the Main House, a luxury cottage suite (complete with whirlpool, well-stocked pantry, and wood-burning fireplace), or even your own private house. Boulder — one of six different houses on offer — comes with a library, media room, and a kitchen roomy enough for a guest chef and your own private cooking demos.
There’s a long list of activities that varies by season, so you can fill your days from dawn till dusk. In summer, an energizing morning yoga session, a chilled afternoon of fly fishing, and an early evening horseback ride. They’ll even pack a boxed lunch if you’d like to spend the day hiking along the farm’s trails. Rocking chairs come with a jaw-dropping view of the Chilhowee Mountain ridgeline — the perfect spot for reading or simply daydreaming. You might consider their signature Blackberry Bumpkin cocktail, made with house-infused blackberry vodka. It’s the perfect end to a day spent doing as much or as little as you like.
And that’s the whole idea, Beall says. “No matter what the season, Blackberry is relaxing.” She understands that it’s the kind of holiday we crave. “As a busy mother of five balancing so much, I love a getaway that can combine adventure, great wine and food, and rejuvenation.”
Breakfast and lunch are served in the Main House, while dinner is by reservation at The Dogwood or The Barn, a turn-of-the-century bank-style barn. Much of the food is grown on-site, so for summer, think corn, eggplant, zucchini, and fresh off-the-vine tomatoes. Gluts of anything–foraged mushrooms, for example–are preserved and used throughout the year. Cassidee Dabney, executive chef at The Barn, works in close collaboration with the Blackberry Farm garden team. They’ve also established strong relationships with local growers and producers so food that was picked today is on your plate tonight. They call it Foothills Cuisine®, which Cassidee describes simply: “It’s growing, celebrating, and preserving–doing the best possible things with the ingredients at hand.”
The food isn’t fussy but is full of finesse. “I like to make food that is delicious and beautiful and thoughtful, and that people are going to like,” she says. “I think there is a difference between interesting food and yummy food. I like to not pivot between the two, but whisper a little bit of interest into something that is incredibly yummy,” she says.
Rooms book up quickly, so plan ahead, although there are sometimes last-minute cancellations. And if you’re finding it hard to say goodbye, you can stock up on Blackberry Farm essentials such as Spiced Cherry or Peach Vidalia jam or my favorite, their Ramp Chimichurri, as a welcome reminder of your stay… because the only problem with Blackberry Farm is that once you get there, you might never want to leave.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
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