gah, take me back.
We’re used to annual trips to the beaches in Mexico or Turks & Caicos, but with the state of the world a safe but still luxurious escape was needed and Blackberry Mountain it was. Just shy of a 9 hr drive (not interrupted with kids in the back!) wasn’t bad at all and 4 days, 5 nights was just the ticket.
Some interesting Blackberry Mountain facts:
- Started by the Bell family who spun up the Ruby Tuesday’s fortune.
- It’s over 5,200 acres – with a mix of their two resort style properties and now private residences.
- The Bell family still runs it – the approach was how to bring an elevated culinary experience to the south with that southern hospitality in an organic and natural environment. I think they nailed it.
- Blackberry Mountain focuses on natural, wellness and how those two things come together while Blackberry Farm focuses on farm to table and cuisine.
What we really loved about it:
The individual cottages is what really sold us. We knew the culinary experience would be amazing, but the private cottage with stunning views, multiple fireplaces and an outdoor hot tub really made it feel like a retreat. The stone and iron elements made it feel like a modern rustic piece of nature. The antique wood door was such a neat way to add another layer of charm but also privacy.
The design and decor was done so beautifully and I felt really inspired by the art, the texture, the color and use of natural materials (my fav!)
It’s a no tip establishment – meaning it’s built into the cost of your total stay. We never had to sign a check, or tip a bellman. We’ve stayed at a few places that do that and it honestly elevates the experience. It’s sets an expectation that the service will be there and most times than not it really does.
The little things…
like the use of Aesop products throughout their facility, a personal golf cart so we could easily get around on our own and unique class and program offerings that were extremely personal – I took a sketching class while Nick went mountain biking. We also took all their tasting classes – whiskey, red wines and mixology and we loved them all.
I think we’d love to go back, but before we do we’d like to experience Blackberry Farm and everything that property has to offer.
A few tips if you go:
- Upgrade to the Clingman cottage – it’s worth it.
- Be prepared to shop in the gift shop for their pantry items like hot sauce, honey, mustards and Blackberry Mountain Beer because they are all that good.
- Firetower pizza is SO good!
- We didn’t do the smores set up at our cottage and I wish we had done it at least one night. Do it for me.
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Looks and sounds amazing 👏 ❣
Looks fantastic, beautiful scenery..so happy you two had a great time❤❤