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!