A Smoky Mountain Getaway

It’s not every day I get to relax in a rustic yet luxurious log cabin on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but that’s exactly what I’ve been up to for the past few days. Welcome back to The Life Outside where you can learn all about my latest adventures and travels throughout the great outdoors. Last week I told you about where to eat, play, drink and sleep in Aspen, Colorado, since I was recently in the tony mountain town for an assignment for Outside Television (http://bit.ly/Aspen20). And before that, it was all about nearby Telluride, where Lynsey Dyer and I wrapped up filming Outside Film Festival and our coverage of Mountainfilm (http://bit.ly/Telluride10).

Clearly it’s been a busy month but one filled with countless adventures. Did I mention that I’m just back from the most visited National Park in the United States? That’s right: The 800-square-mile Great Smoky Mountains National Park sees more annual visitors than both the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, often thought to be the granddaddy of the National Park Service. Sure, they may be two of the largest or arguably the most awe-inspiring, but a quick glance at the misty mountaintops of North Carolina and Tennessee and you’ll quickly realize why so many Americans visit this stunning corner of the National Park system.

My excuse was easy: Along with my extended family I was there to celebrate my mother’s milestone birthday. Even better, we did it at place that has long welcomed our multi-generational clan with open arms, a luxurious country inn in Waynesville, N.C., called The Swag. Originally a private mountain home for innkeepers Dan and Deener Matthews, The Swag first opened its doors to guests in 1983 and has since become one of the “1,000 Places To See Before You Die,” according to author Patricia Shultz, who included the inn alongside the Taj Mahal and Mt. Kilimanjaro in her compendium of must-sees across the globe.

Perched at 5,000 feet on 250 wooded acres, The Swag is the highest country inn in the eastern United States featuring six hand-hewn Appalachian cabins with thoughtful touches like early American antiques, handmade patchwork quilts plus stone wood-burning fireplaces and outdoor mountain-view hot tubs. Best of all, in addition to miles of nature trails throughout the property, The Swag has its own private hiking entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which boasts 16 peaks over 6,000 feet, approximately 1,500 black bears, more than 1,600 flowering plants and over 120 species of trees (compared to Yellowstone’s 20). If the view from my hike to Hemphill Bald is any indication, you’re in for a real treat (see photo below).

If all of that hiking has made your stomach grumble then rest assured you’ll never go hungry at The Swag. Hearty breakfasts include fresh baked breads and scones, cider-simmered oatmeal plus southern favorites like sausage and grits. For lunch have your sandwich, fresh fruit and peanut-buttery “Swag Bar” packed in either a brown bag, hiking pack or a picnic basket complete with a red and white blanket. And for dinner expect a locally-sourced four-course meal with entrees like Copper River salmon or braised veal cheeks from the ranch down the road—all of it served blissfully from the farm to your table, long before “farm-to-table” was even a culinary movement.

Now in it’s 29th year, The Swag isn’t quite as old as Great Smoky Mountains National Park—the park was first established in 1934—but I couldn’t think of a better mountain retreat for anyone longing for The Life Outside.

RELATED LINKS

The Swag, http://www.theswag.com

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, http://www.nps.gov/grsm

To learn more about David LaHuta's life in Bermuda read Bermuda Shorts at http://DavidLaHuta.blogspot.com

And to follow his adventures on Twitter visit https://twitter.com/DavidLaHuta