Warland, Tennessee: Blackberry Mountain
A gastronomic haven for outdoor enthusiasts
Even if you’ve never been to Blackberry Farm, you might be familiar with this culinary utopia in the Great Smoky Mountains of Woland, Tennessee. Founded by the Beall family in 1976 as a six-room inn, Blackberry Farm has since become a Relais & Châteaux member resort known for blending fine dining with an Appalachian setting. James He’s Beard Award-winning restaurant, The Barn, at the resort features “Appalachian produce from the region and produce harvested just feet from your front door.” Blackberry Farm is an idyllic to-do list getaway, but now it has an energetic sibling.
In February 2019, owner Mary Celeste Beall and her family opened a second property 20 minutes away. This christened Blackberry Mountain resort caters to a more adventurous clientele (perhaps the Lululemon/Moncler set), but still one that appreciates great food, spirits and wine.
The Blackberry Mountain property has two main restaurants. Enjoy lunch or dinner at an altitude of 2,800 feet with sweeping views of the Smoky Mountains. The more casual of the two restaurants, Firetower is a repurposed observation deck at the top of Blackberry Mountain. Guests can hike there or ask the concierge for a ride.
Meanwhile, the resort’s flagship restaurant, Three Sisters, offers an elegant, mountain-inspired four-course dinner and premier wine program by Executive Chef Joey Edwards. Three Sisters is the only Tennessee restaurant to appear on The New York Times’ 2021 list of “50 Most Vibrant and Delicious Restaurants.” (You know, it’s the same listing that Columbus’ own Chapman’s Eat His Market appeared on.) The restaurant is open to the public for some reservations, but they’re booked through the end of 2022.
When you’re away from the Blackberry Mountain gastronomy, enjoy wellness and adventure with forest yoga, fly fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and more. The property offers over 25 miles of private hiking and biking trails, including a route that leads to a meditative maze called “Love Time.” Designed by artist Thea Alvin, this natural masterpiece was created from his 1,000 foot stone sourced from his Blackberry Mountain property.
A six-hour drive from Columbus, the resort is $1,600 to $12,000 a night.
—Erin Edwards
Stay in style:25 Cool Hotels and Other Stunning Destinations A Day’s Drive from Columbus
Chicago Athletic Association
Eat, drink and a little history
The view from Cindy’s may be the best in town. From the restaurant on the top floor of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, you can see the skyline soaring north, Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean” sculpture) below, and Lake Michigan shimmering. After sharing plates under the glass ceiling, sip cocktails on the terrace and take in the views. Tierra Roja in season. You may not want to leave, but there are many other things to see.
Once a private club, the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel served the city’s elite, including Marshall Field and William Wrigley, from 1893 to 2007. (The Chicago Cubs logo originated with the association before Wrigley bought the team.) Instead, the hotel, which replaced the hotel, features a dash of its decadent history, along with cuisine from seven fine dining restaurants. offers.
Enjoy a traditional dinner in the Cherry Circle Room before catching a show in the nearby theater district. The owner has preserved the restaurant’s bar and furniture and has taken inspiration from the old menu when the hotel opened in his 2015. Slip into an original leather chaise longue and savor Dacqua’s L’Orange for two. According to Kelsey Sullivan, the hotel’s senior sales manager, a member was sitting here ordering milk, but like Prohibition magic, he was receiving whiskey instead.
To find the source of the hooches, visit the aptly named Milk Room, which was discovered behind a drywall during restoration. Reservations and a deep wallet are required. The bar specializes in rare whiskeys and “antique” liqueurs, and cocktails he $30-$200.
The nearby game room offers billiards, foosball, bocce ball, tabletop shuffleboard, beverages, and delicious bar food (order the fried chicken sandwich). And there is history here too. Check out the cherubs carved into the pillars. Woodworkers used to cover the faces of the angels with their hands so that they would not see the gambling and boxing that were once held here. Makes you wonder about everything they’ve missed.
A six-hour drive from Columbus, this hotel costs between $200 and $900 a night.
—Chris Guyten
Marblehead, Ohio: Red Fern Inn at Rocky Point Winery
Enjoy a local drink at a limestone landmark.
Visitors to the old Marblehead School on the shores of Lake Erie may not learn much about literacy, literacy and arithmetic these days, but if they choose to spend the night they will find reds, rosés and rieslings. I can. .
The historic former school was built in 1893 from local limestone quarried on the Marblehead Peninsula. It is now home to Red His Fern His Inn at Rocky Point His Winery and is owned by former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris His Red Fern and his wife Kim.
The school has always been the center of social activity in the area, and Marblehead’s first public well is right in front. Wineries are now full of visitors who stop by to sip on more flavorful wines than water.
Rocky Point has a comfortable, leafy outdoor seating area with a large patio chilled by lake breezes, and a cozy indoor tasting room for chilly weather. The winery offers six local wines and up to 50 other labels, a full bar, and a seasonal food menu featuring sandwiches and dips.
The Inn consists of four spacious luxury suites named after nearby islands and towns. Each room comes with a full kitchen and, of course, a complimentary bottle of wine. The inn also features the Lake Erie Loft, a two-bedroom unit across from the old school in the Martha & Molly building.
A two-and-a-half-hour drive from Columbus, this inn costs between $149 and $309 a night.
—steve stevens
This story is in the October 2022 issue of columbus monthly.
