Enjoying a delicious lunch at 5,000 feet!
Imagine magnificent mountain views in a remote, rustic yet refined setting. Sit in an Adirondack chair surrounded by miles of panoramic scenery of the western North Carolina mountains. Have a gourmet picnic lunch at 5,000 feet! Experience warm hospitality, creative regional cuisine, and pampering accommodations. All this and more welcomes visitors to “The Swag”.
In the book, A Thousand Places to See Before You Die, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is rated as one of the places to see. The only recommendation for a place to stay is “The Swag”, a sophisticated and remarkable country inn.
My husband, Richard, friends Joe, Haroldene and I head off on a rainy morning to The Swag for the Chef’s Gourmet Picnic Lunch and a tour of this fascinating inn followed. Each Wednesday the Swag features a picnic lunch for its guests and welcomes outside visitors. Finding the Swag has its challenges. Driving the winding Hemphill Road in Maggie Valley, NC we spot plain small signs saying “The Swag” with arrows pointing the way. The entrance is marked by wrought iron gates. Once the phone call is made the gates slowly swing open. The 2+ mile drive among lush mountain foliage is a one lane gravel road that spirals as it ascends a 1,000 feet. To our relief, the hairpin turns are paved and widened for better traction.
The Swag is enchanting! The rustic buildings, cabins, lodge with beautiful flowers blooming everywhere is relaxing and welcoming. Remote, charming, quaint, and remarkable all describe the sensations of the Swag. Arriving shortly before the picnic begins, we are delighted the weather permits the picnic to be on Gooseberry Knob. A short ¼ mile walk from the main lodge, the four of us leisurely amble over to Gooseberry Knob. The walk is up and down a hill, so we make a few stops to enjoy the scenery and catch our breath at this 5,000 foot elevation. Transportation is available to the Knob for non-walkers.
Reaching the peak of Gooseberry Knob the reactions from all are ‘ahs” as we take in the amazing and spectacular views. Despite the cloudy day we can still see for miles over the western North Carolina mountains. Fantastic! Picturesque with umbrella covered Adirondack chairs facing the mountain vista along with picnic table are available for lunch. Wandering along the Knob, we take several pictures attempting to capture the essence of this inspiring landscape.
At Gooseberry Knob, Deener Matthews, the Innkeeper, welcomes everyone and says a short blessing then introduces Chef Bryan. The Chef walks down the table sharing the scrumptious picnic items including Angus hamburgers, Brats, a tomato torte with tomato’s from the Swag’s own garden, a tangy cucumber relish, grilled vegetables over a mixed green salad, tasty coleslaw, potato salad with at least 13 ingredients, yellow sweet watermelon, and much more. Listing the items doesn’t do justice the flavors that abound as we taste and savor each. Desserts are excellent with features of rich homemade fudge, delicious apple cake, mouthwatering brownies, a delightful Key Lime blueberry torte, and cream filled éclairs. The staff continues to stop, quickly getting anything we mention from beer, wine, sodas, drinks or another serving. Just as we think we are finishing this gourmet lunch, a host offers us a root beer float. Ready to say “no”, she quickly offers to make a small float for each of us. The root beer float is a perfect final touch!
As we walk back to the main lodge, we see various signs with trails leading to waterfalls, a pond, a croquet field and an outdoor hot tub. Steven, the General Manager, greets us at the lodge to begin our tour. The 250 acres comprising “The Swag” is a high meadow which had been a potato farm, when Deener and Dan Matthews purchased it in 1969 for a family retreat. The locals had referred to the area for years as the “Swag”, which is a dip between two mountain peaks. Just like the swag in a drapery or horses back. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park forms the border of the property across from the main lodge. Guests can walk out their door to trails winding though the Smoky Mountains!
Starting as a second home for the Matthews family, the Swag soon became a weekend church retreat steadily growing and expanding. All the Swag buildings are constructed of old log buildings from Tennessee and North Carolina which were reassembled at the property. Examining the Lodge with the detail of a grand fireplace, seating area in the center and window seats along the wall, numerous large windows, high ceiling and antlered chandler, we are impressed. Steven shares that Dan Matthews does all the designs for the buildings. Awesome! The level of detail in the rooms and the décor makes the inn unique with a warm welcoming feeling. The gift shop is on the loft above the great room of the lodge and Steven encourages us to stop by later to view the Family Photo Gallery on the 2nd level.
Walking out the lodge to the dog trot, where hors’ de oeuvres are served before dinner, we all go to the porch with the quaint rockers, beautiful wildflower, an American flag flying from a tree pole and views of the cascading mountains. The lawn area is welcoming with chairs and swings for relaxing. We spot walking sticks in a bucket. Steven shares that each guest of the Swag picks out their own walking stick upon arrival and it is tagged with their name. The walking stick is theirs to keep!
We tour three rooms finding each one special and unique in its own way. Standard features of the rooms and suites are a king size bed, balcony with superb mountain or woodland view, wet bar, steam shower, wood burning fireplace, and heated towel racks.
The Woodshed was extra special! Imagine taking a shower outside with the Great Smoky Mountains as your backdrop. Soaking in a two person copper tub then relaxing in a steam room. The Wood Shed has it all and more! Initially it was a Foreman’s office and basically a one room building. The sign outside just says “Wood Shed” making us think it is really a wood shed. Stepping into the Wood Shed, we are welcomed into a comfy sitting area with a couch and two chairs. The next room is a wet bar and then we enter the spacious and cozy bedroom with a king size bed covered in a beautiful hand quilted spread. We are further enticed stepping into the bathroom. An elegant two person copper soaking tub is along one wall, with a double sinks on the other, a steam shower, sauna, skylights and of course the heated towel racks top it all off. Walking out to the porch with the woodlands view we learn this is actually the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Yes, here is the outdoor shower!
Speaking with Deener, we ask how the Swag became a country inn. When the World’s Fair was in Knoxville in 1982 there was a concern on having enough accommodations. Deener was asked to open the Swag to the public for this event. The visitors, who elected to stay at the Swag, said they would be back the next year. Suddenly the Swag had become a country inn!
Before leaving the Swag we browse through the gift shop and view the Family Photo Gallery where we become connected with the Matthews family. The photos share the history of Deener and Dan Matthews and their family.
The Swag touches a special place in each of us. This was a fantastic day (even with some rainy weather). We highly recommend the Swag for anyone wanting to experience a unique vacation.. Offering 14 rooms of various accommodations this is an excellent sophisticated charming country inn. Most evenings after dinner, speakers including naturalists, hikers and master story tellers share stories and experiences of the area.
If you go:
The Swag, 2300 Swag Road, Waynesville, NC 28785
828.926.0430
www.theswag.com
Note: Visitors are welcome for the Wednesday Chef Picnic lunch, dinners and Sunday brunch. The Swag is an all inclusive resort. A perfect way for visitors to enjoy both accommodations and an award winning restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are no TV’s in the rooms but wireless Internet is available.