5 Things I Love About Windy Hill Farm & Preserve
This East Tennessee oasis is one of the most mesmerizing places I've ever stayed.
Windy Hill Farm and Preserve is a new kind of destination resort and upland preserve along the Tennessee River in Loudon, TN, just half an hour or so from Knoxville. The family-owned property sits on 650 acres of countryside and when I tell you every inch is worth exploring, I mean it. There are 18 accommodations here including luxurious cabins and more traditional guest rooms, a restaurant and bar, golf carts for everyone and plenty of activities to keep you busy. There’s a lot I didn’t get to do during my stay like kayaking/paddle boarding, mountain biking (I’m too short for the bikes - lol), yoga and cooking classes. But what I did get to do, I LOVED.
And of all the trips I’ve taken lately, this has been one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. Could it be because I had a girlfriend in tow and didn’t do it solo? Maybe. But I think I would’ve been swept away by the beauty of the property, the standard of service, the level of warmth and hospitality and just the overall knowledge of everyone I encountered here regardless. What started as a cattle farm and quail hunting preserve continues to abide by strict pillars of responsible stewardship, preservation and conservation, three generations in. Everything at Windy Hill was so wonderful—I only wish I could’ve taken up residence there all summer long.
Below, five things I loved about my stay:
Windy Hill Farm & Preserve is in a great location. It feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere once you arrive and I promise you won’t have to leave the property for any reason until checkout. But if you’re coming from Atlanta or Asheville, it’s just a three-hour drive, the perfect weekend getaway when you want to get out of a big city. And from Knoxville, it’s just 30 minutes away.
The resort is all-inclusive and not the kind of all-inclusive you’re thinking of. Here, three meals a day are part of your stay at Wilder, the hotel’s on-property restaurant and bar. This is definitely more elevated dining than you’d expect to find at just any old all-inclusive. The chef-driven restaurant specializes in garden-to-table dining using seasonal ingredients found on the property’s working farm, like quail, peaches, tomatoes and even mushrooms. We got to see shiitake mushrooms growing in a log—I thought this was fascinating. Dinner is prix fixe and you get to choose your first, second and third courses plus dessert. If you happen to be in the area, but not staying on property, you can still book dinner here on the weekends.
Wilder hosts live music every Friday evening and it’s nothing short of magical to be able to grab a drink, saunter outside, find a vacant lawn chair and experience a great band under the twinkly lights or the stars. Windy Hill also hosts ticketed music events with local singer-songwriters as well as Grammy-nominated artists, which are open to the public. The concert series takes place at the Granary Stage just across the way from the restaurant.
There are sooo many things to do here. You could take your relaxation to the next level and do nothing for the duration of your stay, but I’m not that kind of traveler. And lucky for me, there’s an activities guide on site to walk you through everything from beekeeping and honey tasting to wine hikes through the nature trails (this was truly spectacular and our golf cart was waiting for us at the end of it so we were able to drive down to the river and stick our feet in the water after). At night, if the weather is OK, an activities guide will start a fire for you to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. Fort Wilderness vibes for sure, but so much better.
The cabins have outdoor showers in addition to traditional indoor showers. I’ve probably said the word “magical” 15 times already, but it really, really was. Taking a shower outside at night with the sound of bugs all around you is great for your nervous system. It poured a couple times during our stay so that was the only time I opted for the indoor shower, but even that was cozy, just being able to lounge and hear/see/feel the rain from my big, soft bed. The cabins, with their own porches, closets, double sinks, robes and wood floors are luxurious without feeling over the top.