Cabin Review #2: Niece Weekend in the Smokies

To Billy, Trisha, Shelli, Allison, Damien, and Rylie,

Thank you so much for being guests at Lightning Bug Lodge.  Your story of your Nieces Weekend warmed our hearts.  What a great family to spend quality time together in the Smokies. 

We love our nieces too and have great memories of spending time with them in the cabin; we are so glad you had a fun time too.  Here's what Billy, Trisha, Shelli, Allison, Damien, and Rylie had to say about their experience at Lightning Bug Lodge:

" Feb. 18 -20, 2011

Niece Weekend Getaway

What a great place to spend the weekend watching movies by the fireplace, playing pool and foosball, big family dinners, and taking lots of pictures.

Great way to connect with the kids and get away from home for a couple of days.  Beautiful and cozy."

Billy, Trishia, Shelli, Allison, Damien, and Rylie, we wish you the best and welcome you return to Lightning Bug Lodge to build more memories together.

Walk through History at Mountain Farm Museum

Even if you stay in TN, you can be in NC and back in the same day.  I'd suggest visiting the NC entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, especially the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  It's only 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC.

You can walk through the history, numerous buildings built in the late 19th century:
1) John Davis Cabin - constructed with the rare chestnut timber
2) Enloe Barn - only moved 200 yards from its native site, includes 16,000 hand split shingles

3) Messer Applehouse - originally partially underground to help insulate the apples

+ meathouse, Baxter/Jenkins Chickenhouse, Blacksmith Shop, Springhouse (for refrigeration), corn cribs, and a sorghum press.

The Mountain Farm Museum is free and located near the scenic Oconaluftee River.  The Cherokee considered the waters of the river sacred.  If you have the time, take the Oconaluftee River Trail, an easy 3 mile trail along the river.  It is especially recommended to hike during the spring, the time in which hikers have identified over 40 species of wildflowers.

Tip:  Consider timing your trip for the 3rd Sat. of Sept.  It's the Mountain Lifestyle Festival and you'll be treated to seeing people make cider and lye soap.  Plus you can visit a working blacksmith.

Cabin Review #1: Cabin Love

One of our cabin guests created this picture and testimonial.  I love the beauty and simplicity of the message.  This note means so much to our family; we really cherish this note.

According to the thesaurus & dictionary, love means so much:  admire, adulate, be attached to, be capticated by, be crazy about, be enamored of, be enchanted by, be fascinated with, be fond of, care for, cherish, choose, delight, dote on, fall for, fancy, glorify, hold dear, hold high, lose ones heart to, prefer, prize, think the world of, thrive with, treasure, wild for...

We hope you will fall in love with Lightning Bug Lodge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park too.  Give love a chance, escape to the Smokies with your loved ones.