by Madelyn Miller
You would enjoy the winding drive through West Millers Cove (no relation of mine, unfortunately) as you find yourself surrounded by the natural beauty of the Smokies. A stately Virginian fence announces you approach to the Inn at Blackberry Farm, where a cathedral of towering trees will envelop and deliver you to the front door. Regretfully, they would be out of town when you arrived, but they would thoughtfully have left their caring, concerned staff with instructions to cater to your every whim and desire. The staff is eager, yet invisible. You never see them until the very instant you need them. Mother nature herself has contributed a serene, relaxed 1,100 acres of clear air, lakes, stream, fields, woods, autumn color and a spectacular backdrop of great Smoky Mountain grandeur off the back terrace. Their note to you would have only one request, "make yourself at home." If this doesn't sound like any of your relatives, despair not. Call the Inn at Blackberry Farm where you will have a similar experience. (865) 380-2260. Inside the hotel you will discover carefully collected furnishings and appointments reflecting a philosophy that true luxury is a balance of comfort and elegance. The owners think a house should be well used and well loved, so friends and guests are put at ease by the quality of their surroundings. The rooms at Blackberry Farm are furnished with the owners' collection of English antiques, fine art, feather beds and quilted down spreads. The gracious finishing touches provide a cozy home away from home. Televisions and telephones are available only on request. Each room is named after native wildflowers such as "may apple", "teaberry", "trout lily" and" fire pink" our rose room featured a four -poster bed and boasted a picturesque mountain view that quickly lulled us into a "Blackberry state of mind" that lasted our entire visit. Nowhere is Blackberry Farm's hospitality more evident than in its dining service. With a crackling fire, glowing candlelight, and the chefs' exquisite meals, dining is a pure delight. it is an opportunity to revisit an earlier tradition of hospitality when meals and conversation were savored and never rushed. The only real culinary pitfall here is that guests are apt to ruin their appetites as were tempted to do because of the inn's "open-door policy" on the refrigerators in the snack alcoves in the public areas. Each day during our visit there were new treats to tempt us--from frozen snickers ice cream bars to fresh fruit to chips and nuts to granola and soft drinks. Our favorite activity was simply to step onto the front terrace, select a rocking chair, and enjoy the view we never got around to using the complimentary tennis racquets, Orvis fishing equipment, mountain bikes, golf carts or binoculars. But we are eager to go back. It was easy to fly to Knoxville on Delta, because it is one of their hubs. Door to door, it was just over three hours from our home. But it seemed like another world. Blackberry Farm |
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TM
Imagine that you had an incredibly rich relative who lived in a magnificent country mansion on 1,100 acres of protected woodlands in the foothills adjoining the great Smoky Mountain National Park. And then imagine they invited you to visit with a friend.