Any experience with Blackberry Farm near Knoxville, TN?
Apr 2nd, 2010, 10:10 AM
#1
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Any experience with Blackberry Farm near Knoxville, TN?
Checking this place out for a friend who is interested in an early fall multi-generational family get together in one of the cottages. While the Farm is supposed to be known for luxury, is there enough to keep a family busy for 3-4 days? Please expand on your visit, thanks!
Apr 2nd, 2010, 11:04 AM
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Well, my own two-night visit was great, but it was only the two of us as we left the children at home. Hopefully others will be more helpful with family or multi-generational experiences, but I'll expand on my visit:
We stayed in a cottage (very nice and private) but it was just the one bedroom -- actually, I think the cottages were like duplexes in that there was another similar accommodation physically attached to ours, but private enough that either there was no one in the other one or we never saw or heard them. However, it was not a multiple-family setup. Perhaps there are larger cottages suitable for multi-generational family get-togethers.
Activities are, of course, geared toward the outdoors. We enjoyed hiking and riding a golf cart all around the property. You can do fly-fishing and ride horses. I remember people doing puzzles. I think Blackberry Farm attracts avid puzzlers, of which we do not number.
The food is a big part of the experience, as are the peace and the views. Whether children would find that entertaining enough for 3 or 4 days would depend on the child, I guess; mine would be ready to do something else after a day or two, unless they were with cousins or friends with whom they were close.
I think children are allowed only at certain times, so there may be planned activities for children during those times. If the children like being with each other, the activities may not matter as much as just being together. I know when we took a multi-generational trip to London, and then another one to Alaska, the young cousins had as much fun playing together in the hotels as they did doing any of the activities.
We stayed in a cottage (very nice and private) but it was just the one bedroom -- actually, I think the cottages were like duplexes in that there was another similar accommodation physically attached to ours, but private enough that either there was no one in the other one or we never saw or heard them. However, it was not a multiple-family setup. Perhaps there are larger cottages suitable for multi-generational family get-togethers.
Activities are, of course, geared toward the outdoors. We enjoyed hiking and riding a golf cart all around the property. You can do fly-fishing and ride horses. I remember people doing puzzles. I think Blackberry Farm attracts avid puzzlers, of which we do not number.
The food is a big part of the experience, as are the peace and the views. Whether children would find that entertaining enough for 3 or 4 days would depend on the child, I guess; mine would be ready to do something else after a day or two, unless they were with cousins or friends with whom they were close.
I think children are allowed only at certain times, so there may be planned activities for children during those times. If the children like being with each other, the activities may not matter as much as just being together. I know when we took a multi-generational trip to London, and then another one to Alaska, the young cousins had as much fun playing together in the hotels as they did doing any of the activities.
Apr 2nd, 2010, 11:40 AM
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I can't speak to the family aspect either, but keep in mind that the Smokies are just a few miles away, with SO much to see and do if they want to leave the farms and are at all into outdoor activities. The Cades Cove loop road will be open by then. There are tons of hiking trails and scenic drives in the park (with picnic grounds and stopping points for kids to stretch their legs). Not to mention Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg (though those would not be my first choices, they do have some kid-centered activities, and the aquarium in Gatlinburg is a good one).
In short, it's hard for me to imagine being close to the Smokies and getting bored after just three days, especially with a big family around.
In short, it's hard for me to imagine being close to the Smokies and getting bored after just three days, especially with a big family around.
Apr 2nd, 2010, 12:05 PM
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You better check out the Cades Cove loop. I was just there in March and it was closed for road work and they implied that it would be closed quite awhile. Apparently they haven't done any repairs in 30 years!
