Favorite gathering spot at the Inn
photo by Ann Newell Yungmeyer
High on Hemphill Bald
photo by Ann Newell Yungmeyer
Many trails lead into the park
photo by Ann Newell Yungmeyer
The Swag Country Inn
photo by Ann Newell Yungmeyer
Porch views
photo by Ann Newell Yungmeyer
With the 75th anniversary celebration of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this year marks a great time to get out and enjoy the wonders of the Smokies. If hiking in the mountains and enjoying a quiet retreat is your style, consider celebrating your own occasion at The Swag Country Inn, near Waynesville, N.C. The Inn sits at 5000 feet elevation, bordering Great Smoky Mountains National Park and tucked between two knobs in a “swag” (as in, dip in a horse’s back).
Navigating switchbacks up the Inn’s long graveled driveway, our ears popping, we had a hint that we’d arrive on top of the world. Overlooking Cataloochee Ski Area and out towards the Blue Ridge Mountains’ highest peaks, it’s all about the unsurpassed views for most guests. But the overall experience of staying at The Swag tends to clinch that top-of-the-world feeling.
Upon arrival we met owner/innkeeper Deener Matthews arranging flowers on the Inn’s flagstone porch, known as the “dog trot.” She and her husband Dan Matthews, a retired Episcopal clergyman, built the rustic mountain house in 1971 as a family and church retreat. When the Worlds Fair came to Knoxville in 1982, the Matthews decided to accommodate guests and built additional lodging in the same rustic mountain style. Their intimate 15-room inn, now in its 28th year, has been called a "paradise" for those who enjoy the mountains along with a bit of luxury in a sophisticated, yet casual setting.
Gourmet cuisine is part of the package – hearty breakfasts, sumptuous picnic lunches and four-course dinners. Three meals are included, prepared by executive chef Bryan Kimmett. New to The Swag in 2008, Chef Kimmett previously owned a bistro in Middleburg, Va.
We first met the chef out in the garden of The Swag. Basket of greens in tow, he explained his preference for using local and seasonal ingredients and his pleasure in finding new angles on traditional favorites – “comfort food with a twist,” he calls it. “Biscuits and gravy might become lobster crème sauce over a hot smoked salmon biscuit, for instance.” Later we found him digging in the woods, proudly displaying his find – a batch of morel mushrooms and bunches of ramps, collected for two of the evening’s menu choices – crab and wild mushroom cheesecake and grilled local trout with creamed wild rice, ramp cloves and asparagus.
Besides culinary pleasures and relaxing in a peaceful spot, the main event at The Swag is discovery in the outdoors. Well marked hiking trails lead into the Park beginning just steps from The Swag’s backdoor, and The Inn makes choosing the perfect hike easy with printed maps and trail descriptions.
The Divide Trail, traveled by early settlers for 200 years and by the Cherokee for centuries before, runs behind the Inn along the Park boundary, marked by a 75-year-old split-rail fence.
Two outstanding short hikes are the Nature Trail on the Swag’s 250-acre property and Hemphill Bald Trail, which crosses into the Park to the top of the bald and descends along the edge of a steep meadow. On a clear day from the grassy bald one can see Roan Mountain, Mt. Mitchell, Cold Mountain, Balsam Knob, and numerous other peaks identified on a stone marker.
The Nature Trail offers a one or two mile option. We took the short loop which leads to the grassy-knolled Gooseberry Knob, where Swag guests enjoy a cookout lunch on Wednesdays while taking in the grand view from well placed Adirondack chairs. Just down the hill is “Roger’s Hideaway,” one of several deck structures perched in secluded thicket for peaceful reflection or for watching a sunrise. Along the trail there are plaques identifying trees, plants and wildflowers. We came upon a swinging bridge (terrifically wobbly and fun!) and further on, a lily pond deep enough for hardy souls to take a cool dip in the spring water. The trail continues past a Badminton court in the woods before returning to the Inn.
Back at the Inn, there are options of croquet, racquetball or browsing the extensive library. The library houses the Inn’s only television and a collection of videos produced by Dan during his years as rector of Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. But with mountain vistas beckoning, we opted for a soak in the outdoor whirlpool, perfectly situated for watching a dusky sky transcend the mountain peaks.
In the evenings before dinner, guests are invited to gather for hors d’oeuvres on the dog trot or inside by the fireplace. We met many folks who return year after year – a couple who were married on the property and others who have come for 25 years. One reason they keep coming back they say, “There is no easier place to be a guest and feel totally relaxed after being here.” By this they mean The Swag offers every comfort; the Matthews and their attentive staff have thought of all the extras.
Rooms are equipped with XM radio, corkscrew (bring your own spirits, Haywood is a dry county) and pleasant surprises such as candles for the bath, a bedside book of love poems and lavender mist. Many rooms have a fireplace, nicely laid, ready with a jar of firestarter pulp on the hearth. We stayed in the newly remodeled Family Room Cottage which has a sitting room with a stone fireplace, copper soaking tub, towel warmer, two-person steam-shower and private sauna.
Sweet amenities include afternoon tea and bons bons at tuck-in, and The Swag bestows thoughtful souvenirs for guests – a personalized wooden hiking stick, a mini-flashlight for those staying in an outbuilding, and a ceramic keepsake tile with quotes such as Tolkien’s “Not all who wander are lost.”
Open from late April to mid-November, The Swag hosts guest lecturers and special walks throughout the season highlighting the flora and fauna of the Smoky Mountains. “After joining a hike or a talk with our naturalists,” says Deener, “they become your new best friend, and conversations continue through dinner and beyond.”
Although Deener hadn’t envisioned being an innkeeper, it seems that pampering guests on a mountaintop is what she loves. Admittedly she says, “It’s like a seven-month long house party for us.”
For information visit www.theswag.com
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parknews/75th-anniversary.htm
(Ann Yungmeyer is a freelance writer. Email her at ayungmeyer@gmail.com)