4 Best Road Trips

By Edible Editors | February 28, 2021

The lush paths meandering through RT Lodge and Maryville College in east Tennessee

RT Lodge, Maryville
In Maryville, just south of Knoxville, exists a true oasis in every sense of the word, RT Lodge. In 1931, a rich widow by the name of Susan Wiley Walker moved close to Maryville College and fell in love with the natural surroundings. She arranged with the university’s trust to build a home in the Maryville College Woods, which, upon her death, would be left to the institution. The 26-room home became known as Morningside, the 80-year-old Ms. Walker supervising both its construction and its landscaping. With her meticulous eye for natural beauty, she helped preserve much of the wooded area that surrounds the building today.

Eventually, Ruby Tuesday (a chain based in Maryville) arranged with the college to run the home and grounds as an event center, focusing on idyllic, outdoor weddings. The corporation built two lodges next to the home -- now the restaurant -- with porches, rocking chairs, and views of the lush grounds. All around, groomed trails wind through the woods and adjacent campus of Maryville College, allowing for plenty of wandering on bike or foot.

As for the farm-to-table food, it’s as good and comforting as the natural surroundings. The dishes are completely seasonal, from the stir-fried okra with peanuts to the mushroom risotto (hearty, with big chunks of foraged ’shrooms), to the tomato tart. Even the ramp salt, hot sauce, fermented butter, and breads are all homemade. In the melon salads (both watermelon and cantaloupe), they first compress the melons by vacuum packing them, making the chunks of fruit almost translucent while remaining extraordinarily flavorful. The fried chicken is not to be missed, nor is the berry pavlova for dessert. Best of all, after a couple glasses of wine, your comfortable room is just footsteps away, well within waddling distance.

Whether you're visiting your student at UTK (a mere 20 minutes from the lodge), or spending time in the neighboring Great Smoky Mountains, RT Lodge is a respite from the busy world. At only a 2 1/2-hour drive from Nashville, it gets one of our top votes for best dreamy staycation.

RT LODGE
1406 WILKINSON PIKE
MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE 37803
(865) 981-9800
rtlodge.com
@rtlodge.com

Photo 1: The path to La Paz treehouse

Photo 2: Elke, Layla, and Tom Detko of Treehouse Mountain Retreat

Evins Mill, Smithville
The first thing you need to know about Evins Mill is that it has its own private waterfall; how’s that for a splash! At 90-feet tall, Carmac Falls is bigger than Foster Falls. Hike down to the bottom, and chances are you’ll have its picturesque swimming hole all to yourself.

The fact that you can doze off to sleep in the creekside cabins to the sound of the burbling stream is also not inconsequential. This intimate, wooded resort is perfect in almost every way. Tucked into a hilly and forested forty acres, the property dates back to 1939. There are trails around the grounds leading to an old mill to explore, as well as to an overlook of the falls. Done with walking? Then simply set up an important meeting with the rocking chairs on the porch.

Dinner and breakfast, included with the room, are served in a small dining room with a large deck overlooking the grounds. The food is made from scratch and locally sourced from area farms. Also included is a substantial packed lunch -- a meal ready to take on a hike, or to eat in the car on the way home.

Evins Mill
1535 Evins Mill Rd.
Smithville, TN 37166
(615) 269-3740
evinsmill.com
@evinsmill

Photo 1: Carmac Falls at Evins Mill

Photo 2: Evins Mill

Hachland Hill, Joelton
Hachland (pronounced Ha-land) Hill, an idyllic, 80-acre retreat in Joelton, is possibly the best-kept secret in middle Tennessee. It was owned and operated by Phila Rawlings Hach, the grande dame of Southern cooking and the visionary who pioneered the first cooking show on WSMV-TV.

Minutes from downtown, Hachland Hill today hosts weddings, retreats, and private stays, and is run by Phila’s grandson, Carter, a gifted chef who inherited his grandmother’s love of hospitality and talent for cooking. Carter now operates the inn and offers dinner and breakfast to overnight guests as well as to the public who reserve in advance. His farm-to-table, locally sourced food is thoughtfully prepared with a bit of whimsy. On our visit, we had a sumptuous mushroom pot pie called the Chicken “Not” Pie. This tasty dish was followed by the Tongue in Cheek -- smoked pork cheeks with house pepper jelly and roasted garlic aioli. We capped off our meal with the Classy, Bougie, Pastry, a blackberry cobbler crème pâtissière filled brioche. Oh, my!

Below the Main Inn and down a long driveway is the Spring Creek Inn, a three-story log cabin that sleeps 18. This rustic cottage contains antique beds and overlooks a creek and the old tobacco barn. The simple rooms are outfitted with quilts and have porches perfect for coffee or cocktails. Historic charm is all around like Phila’s marble biscuit table (originally a 19^th century table from candy maker Charlie Mitchell) and a well-worn biscuit roller from the 1920s.

Hachland Hill
5396 Rawlings Rd.
Joelton, TN 37080
(615) 876-1500
hachlandhill.com
@hachlandhill