Reviewed by markmayb1955 on Apr 5, 2018
Old Country Hospitality, Unique Experience
It’s rare to stumble across a place like this, but I was lucky enough to find this place in the mountains of Tennessee, and will plan on making it a future destination anytime I travel through this beautiful part of the state. I was unhappy with the local hotel chain I was booked at through my business, so I took it upon myself to find a better place to stay, and decided on this location. The staff was friendly, the room was nice and comfortable. The overall feel was like a cozy, deep in the woods getaway. The property has a lot of nice wood crafted chairs and furniture.
Then I wandered over to the gift shop, considering maybe stopping for a meal and just take a look around. I did decide to go with the buffet, which had likely the best fried chicken I’ve ever had (yes, even compared to THAT popular chain) it was just outstanding. The variety of sauces was pretty amazing, there had to be at least 20 different ones, BBQ sauces, mustards, and even hot vinegars. I tried their house standard BBQ sauce and had no reason to try others because it was so good on the pulled pork from the buffet. The cornbread was different from what i’m used to, but I liked it. The bread pudding was just awesome.
My server Gayle had that ‘southern mom’ personality that made me feel at home, and I enjoyed her and the great service. I was ready to pay and leave out at the cashier, and the manager down there commented on my hat (which was the rival of his favorite hockey team) and we had a friendly banter for a minute or two. He proceeded to offer me samples, and I tried a couple flavors of their homemade candy. He continued to sell me on some popcorn that had been made that day, and we got into discussing the store products, the sauces, the rubs. He mentioned that the peach bbq sauce was the best sauce he’s had ever, and again, promptly offered me a sample.
I wound up leaving the store with nearly 2 pounds of candy, popcorn, and 4 bottles of the peach bbq sauce, because it was just that good. He took the time to be friendly with me, discuss things like old friends would, while introducing me to things I have never had before and will now share with my family and friends back home. The hospitality was very much appreciated and it was just a pleasant overall experience. It was only a one night stay, and I felt like I cheated myself by not staying longer. I will return to the smoke house in the future, sooner rather than later. Very highly recommended!
