September 7, 2012 - Hemlock Inn, Bryson City, NC 

Well, we finally made it! The Hemlock Inn is one of our last stops in Swain County. Its seems we are saving the best for last. The Hemlock Inn is one of our oldest and most historic establishments. It is actually less than a mile from me through the woods.  The Inn has been around since the 1950's and has stayed unchanged pretty much since that time. Very few owners. I have inserted a piece of the history from the Hemlock Inn's website. At the Inn, there are numerous photo albums with great photos of the owners, guests and activities since the 1950's .They are all categorized by decades. You can even find vintage postcards on Ebay picturing the Inn. 

Driveway to the Hemlock Inn

"In 1987, we (Lainey and Mort White) moved with our three sons (Andrew, Steven and John Thomas) to Hemlock Inn to help Lainey's parents (Ella Jo and John Shell) operate the Inn. The Shells retired a few years later and the new Innkeepers Cottage was built for them in 1990. The Shells purchased the Inn in 1969, built the Woody Cottage in 1970 and bought the Red Cottage in 1971.
How It All Got Started
A man named Plumer Plemmons had a farm which Lorene and Seth Haynie bought in the 1940's. Lorene was the dietician at Emory University and Seth was a realtor in Decatur , Georgia . The mountain farm they bought was a 65 acre tract (lots of woods) on top of a small mountain at an elevation of 2300 feet.
The Haynies decided to open a small inn. Hemlock Inn opened July 4, 1952 . The original building had only nine rooms, but that soon changed. By 1958, a second building, with 12 more guest rooms, had been added. Then came the three cottages in 1965, 1970, and 1971, making a total of 26 units. At first, Hemlock Inn was open only in the summer. Later, the fall and spring seasons were added. The Inn operated for two years without a telephone! The first cook to work with Lorene Haynie was Mrs. Annie Sitton who retired in 1974 at the age of 74.
In 1964, Georgia and Raymond Johnson, from Washington , bought Hemlock Inn. The Haynies stayed with them for two years. During that period, the Rondette (it's like a tree house) was built and the second story was added to the innkeepers residence. They sold the Inn to the Shells.
It's interesting that all of the owners have lived at the Inn year round and have ties to Georgia , but our guests come from all over. 75% of them have either come here before or have come because friends have said to them "..we know a place you'll just love..."
As you can see from our history, we started small, and with a few changes, we are still small, because our guests like it that way and so do we. Our philosophy, which guides the way we operate the Inn , hasn't changed. We want to give our guests a change of scenery and a change of pace, we want to share the beauty and the peace we enjoy here, and we want to know that our guests’ holiday has been restful, relaxing, and happy."

One side of Inn

Other side of Inn

The food at the Inn is definitely something to write home about. The Inn used to serve dinner on Sundays too as my family sometimes went there after church to eat. It was an opportunity to meet potential friends. And if any of  you knew my daddy, you would know to him there was no such thing as a stranger. Strange, yes.. but he would talk to anyone. He loved people and loved to find out all about them. 

Big Lazy Susan tables filled with homemade goodness

"Large, home-cooked breakfasts and dinners are served family style at large, round bountifully laden tables with lazy Susan's. Neighbors supply us with fresh vegetables and fruits in season (in the summer, you may be treated to ears of corn picked just a few minutes before). Foods native to the area are featured, country ham, for example, and fried chicken, and homemade biscuits with mountain honey or our own apple or pumpkin chips. Yeast rolls and all our desserts are made from scratch. Visit with other guests during dinner and make some new friends.

Dinner is served at 6:30 pm daily Monday through Saturday. Reservations are required 12 hours in advance. Breakfast is served at 8:30 am daily. You do not have to be an overnight guest to dine with us! We do not serve an evening meal on Sunday."

What's for Breakfast? 5-6 items served daily  Scrambled Eggs Country Ham Apple Sauce Grits Biscuits Bran Muffins Poached Eggs Bacon Granola Cereal Corned Beef Hash Oatmeal Strawberries Streak-o-lean Gravy Curried Fruit Cheese Grits Bring your appetite!

What's for Dinner?  8-10 items served daily  Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes & Gravy Chicken Livers Turnip Greens Pinto Beans Peaches/Cottage Cheese Herbed Tomatoes Cornbread Apple Sauce Muffins Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Country Fried Steak Baked Potatoes Chicken & Dumplings Lima Beans Fresh Squash/Onions Broiled Tomatoes Frosted Cauliflower Yeast Rolls Coconut Cream Pie Country Ham & Gravy Beef and Potatoes Green Beans Corn Pudding Wilted Lettuce Okra Fritters Apple Pie Fried Chicken Apricot Casserole Carrot Custard Green Peas Broccoli Salad Strawberry Pie Cod Fish Black-eyed Peas Vidalia Onion Pie Banana Fritters Chess Pie Chicken Pie Cream Corn Chocolate Cake Meat Loaf Cheese Strata Jane's Cherry Salad Lemon Torte

You do not know what you will be having for the meal as it is cooked that morning and you only know what you're getting once you sit down. And let me tell you... they do not like latecomers. Dinner will start without you and you are taking a chance of whether there will be anything left to eat. You will also get strange looks if you walk in late.. like we did!! As you can see from the potential list of menu items.. you will not be disappointed regardless of what is served. Reservations are required as they need to know how many to cook for that morning. 

We had Fried Chicken and Rice, Carrot Custard, Apricot Casserole, Yeast Rolls, Meatloaf, Apple Chips, Pumpkin Chips, Green Beans, Gravy, and a Oatmeal Chess Pie. As  you can see from the photo below... folks did not hold dinner for us. But there was plenty left and it was yummy! A word of warning... you may get served something you are not used to or even heard of. For example, we had Carrot Custard, Apricot Casserole, Apple and Pumpkin Chips - all of which I nor the rest of the ASC had heard of. But, they were out of the ordinary great. Very tasty, great home made goodness.

 I just love those big ole' tables too. They will seat 10 folks. That is one big honking table!

Everyone just dug in.. without us! 

Lisa trying to hurry and get to dinner

The inside of the inn beside the dinning room

What a great porch to sit and relax on.

Have you ever seen anything so gorgeous? 

The view from the porch - the beautiful Great Smoky Mtn's. (can you see my house?)


After supper, we sat on the huge front porch looking at this view  just talking, telling stories, and of course, laughing. We stayed so long it got dark on us, the owner came and turned on the porch light and  we thought we better go so's not to wake the guests.
The Hemlock Inn is a great get away if you live close, or a fabulous retreat if you come from far off. They have in addition to the Inn, several cabins and cottages. All set in a wooded, rustic (not primitive) atmosphere designed for you to relax, prop up your feet and let the beautiful, majestic Smoky Mtns caress your cares away while a gentle, bird song filled breeze lulls you to the land of drowsies.

If you can't stay, then definitely come by for a meal. You can't go wrong either way.

The Hemlock Inn has a Facebook page. Check them out at  https://www.facebook.com/hemlockinn 

Our next destination... The Chestnut Tree in Cherokee, NC. See you there on September 21, 2012, at 6:30. Note our change of date. We are meeting on Friday this week in order to check out the seafood buffet. Come join us!

August 30, 2012 - Rivers End Restaurant, Nantahala Gorge, Bryson City, NC 

It seems like several months since we have blogged, but we changed our plans for several weeks and Rivers End was put off time and time again. But tonite we finally made it.. although without Pam or Lisa who backed out at the last minute. It seemed more like a date instead of the ASC without our two sidekicks along. 

Our designation tonite was the Rivers End Restaurant located in the Nantahala Gorge on the west end of Bryson City on the way to Andrews. The gorge connects Bryson City - or more properly, Almond and Andrews. The drive through the gorge is beautiful at any time of the year, but during the summer you have to also deal with the tourist traffic. It can be quite horrendous at times, which means you have to pay close attention to the traffic and cannot admire the gorgeous scenery. 

If you travel the gorge during the summer, be prepared for wall to wall cars, folks darting out in front of you trying to cross the road, and hundreds of rafters, kayakers and even just as many gawkers. 

The Nantahala Gorge was the location for the summer Olympics in 2008 kayaking event. It drew quite a crowd in the gorge and in nearby Bryson City. It was quite a coup for Bryson and the Smoky Mtns in general. 

Entrance to the restaurant

The Nantahala  Outdoor Center was started by Payson and Aurelia Kennedy and their good friend back in the 1970's. It has turned into a very successful venture and the original rafting business now includes cabins, a cafe, Aurelia's Garden restaurant, Rivers End Restaurant, a store selling outdoor equipment and conference center. It still maintains that small town local feel and has been recently enhanced by beautiful stone walls (some can be seen in the photos), walkways and bridges.

( It all started on the Nantahala in 1972, with three friends who knew there was something special about this place, and something magical about the time spent in the river, in the hills and on the trails. In the decades since then, the river has seen it all: millions of visitors and millions of smiles. Every year since its founding, NOC has strived to share the wonders of this place, and all the places we raft, hike, pedal and paddle.) http://www.noc.com/noccom/about-us/the-noc-story/ Take the time and read all about  the NOC and their fantastic, build it and they will come dream. A wonderful story of Americana. I was in school with one of the Kennedy's and we were quite good friends. My brother was in school with one of the Kennedy daughters. They were all extremely smart and artistically talented.

View down the river. Note kayak gates

There are now several other rafting companies strewn throughout the gorge, and now when you travel this two lane road, the river looks like an amusement ride with a colorful chain of rubber rafts strung the length of the river. There is a dam located up a side road in the middle of the gorge. It is where the Nantahala school is located. The dam is "turned on" in the morning and "turned off" in the evening. This means the level in the river  changes depending on the time of day. It also means the water is frigid (and I mean frigid) in the morning as it is coming straight from the bottom of the lake caused by the dam. You can see the steam or fog created by the cold water hitting the warm air. It is very ethereal and beautifully misty. Or it can look like a booger fog straight out of a Hitchcock film.. depending on how you look at it.

 The Smoky Mtn  Railroad also goes through the gorge on one of their trip choices. They used to go almost to the end of the gorge, switch engines and head back. They stopped at the NOC for lunch. It was a short stop, so you were really better off bringing you a sandwich than trying to purchase something from the little cafe, as you might get hung up in line and miss  the train. I don't know if they still offer that trip, but it was my favorite. 

Usually the Rivers End is crowded with tourists, summer residents at NOC, locals looking for a place to eat and those just passing through. The restaurant has changed a bit over the years, but in a good way. They have expanded the building, added a porch where you can eat, added a small bar, and tried to expand parking. Every seat has a window where you can watch the activity on the river, including, during slack times, the ducks. 

Rivers End on the back side

When we arrived, we were able to find a parking place pretty easily. It didn't appear the place was too busy. Plus the equipment shop was closed, so that freed up spaces. The restaurant was not too busy either. Fast seating right next to a window. We had a very pleasant,  friendly waitress. I always have a hard time selecting what I want to eat here. They have basic fare, sandwiches, good burgers, pizza and some dinner plates. They also have some uncommon selections such as Sherpa dishes. What is Sherpa, you ask? Well, it is lentils, barley, basmati rice with vegetables stir fried with cheddar cheese. They have it in a variety of  combinations. They also now offer beer and have a small bar you can sit at complete with - my favorite!- a TV. But it is not intrusive into the rest of the restaurant. Keep in mind that this area caters to hundreds of outdoors enthusiasts that are biking, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or on the water, so you will see lots.. and I mean lots of outdoorsy, hippie types. Don't be alarmed, they are great fun and offer some interesting conversation. 

Inside of the length of the restaurant

Greg and I wanted to try something different than what we had eaten in the past. Since it was only the two of us, we decided to get a salad and split a sandwich. Greg got The Greek Salad. It was ginormous! It had mixed greens, feta, black olives, pepperoncini,  tomatoes, red onions, artichoke hearts tossed with Greek Dressing.

Greek Salad

I ordered the Raven's Fork salad which had mixed greens, feta, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges sunflower seeds, red onions, with a honey citrus dressing, which I got on the side. I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but these salads were huge! I was not expecting them to be that big. But! there they were.. in big ole' red bowls. They were very yummy. The citrus dressing was great. The salads look as good as they taste.

Raven's Fork salad

Nantahala Gorge sandwich with homemade potato chips. 

We also ordered the Nantahala Gorge Sandwich, which we had planned on splitting. The Nantahala Gorge is Turkey, Ham, Bacon, Cheddar, Swiss, Lettuce, Tomato on toasted organic wheat bread. I told Greg they should have named it the Cardiac Special with all that meat.  We figured a salad and half a sandwich should make  fine supper. I had ordered the sandwich before, but due to my age, I must be getting senile. I do not remember that sandwich being the size of a stop sign. We should have ordered a half of a half. Neither of us could eat our sandwich halves, so we got a box to bring them home. We did manage to chore our way through the salads and finish them off. Afterwards, I felt like I had eaten a third of a produce stand. My salad was very, very good. Greg's must have been too, cause he didn't say much during his concentrated eating.Our waitress did comment when we asked for a box, that she wondered about our ordering that sandwich. She thought we had just come "off the trail" and were just really, really hungry. The "trail" being the Appalachian Trail. Yeah right. We were a  tad embarrassed.

A close up of one half of the sandwich. 

The homemade chips were fabulous! Thick,crispy and lots of flavor. They were worth ordering just by themselves. I just love, love homemade chips. 

The river at dusk.

We did not order dessert as we could not have eaten it. They do offer a nice selection of desserts, not a huge selection but quality, which included cobblers during the season. 

The evening was nice, but we missed Pam and Lisa.   We didn't have a question or find out what those two wild women had been up to this past week.
We would recommend the Rivers End for a nice, relaxed meal. They do offer breakfast and lunch as well as supper. So, if you are in the area, stop in and try a nice sandwich, burger, pizza or try something a little less mainstream. Their menu is online, so check it out then go check them out. Tell them the ASC sent you. 

Next week, September 6th , we will be back in Bryson proper at the historic Hemlock Inn on Galbreaths' Creek. Come join us! Reservations are required at Hemlock Inn so let me know if you plan on attending. They make the food that day and it is served family style around huge Lazy Susan tables,so they have to know how many to cook for.