EQUESTRIAN DEVELOPMENTS: BIG SOUTH FORK NATIONAL RIVER & RECREATION AREA, TENNESSEE/KENTUCKY |
Equestrian Developments BIG SOUTH FORK RENTALS HONEST ABE LOG HOMES LAUREL FORK RUSTIC RETREAT (read article) The Highlands at Big South Fork is a beautiful, private, gated, residential, equestrian community focused on trail riding. The Highlands is a planned community on 3,500 acres with several new homes already completed...located just north of Jamestown, Tennessee in horse-friendly Fentress County. Ownership includes two stalls and storage area in an Owners’ Barn. Beautiful rock shelters, exciting views from miles of custom designed horse trails to scenic overlooks are just some of the delights provided in the commons. This is what is different: You have the use of two stalls in an Owners’ Barn. There are no boarding fees. You can ride miles of private, state-of-the-art horse trails leading to fabulous overlooks. Invite your guests to ride The Highlands private trails and then keep their horses the Guest Barn during their stay with you. It is a gorgeous 12 stall timber frame barn sure to please your guests and their horses. The Highlands offers great bluff lots, interior lot home sites, hundreds of acres including spectacular rock shelters, owners’ barns built by the developer and then turned over to the Property Owner’s Association, a guest barn, huge stone entry with security gate, underground utilities, and more. Eight stall owners’ barns have 12x12 foot stalls and walk-outs to allow our horses to get outside in the sun and rain if they want. Spacious storage areas are provided for tack, hay, feed and stalls cleaning tools. Skirting the western edge of the famous Cumberland Plateau, in northern middle Tennessee, brand new horse trails in The Highlands are just right! Design and layout are thoroughly modern using current best practice criteria. You and your horse can have a good workout without sacrificing safety. You’ll find yourself breezing along, able to look at the passing scenery, without worry about deep mud holes, dangerous rock ledges, or steep, rocky grades. Beautiful overlooks, cliff rim trails, intimate trails to rock shelters and waterfalls beckon you to saddle up. The Highlands welcomes Tom and Pat Seay, producers of Best of America by Horseback to the community. Visit online at www.allardtland.com. LAUREL FORK RUSTIC RETREAT The great country lanes are quite suitable for hiking, walking, and even bike riding. One can ride or walk about 2.5 miles from a cabin to scenic Hwy. 294 without worries about traffic or wild dogs. The route is lined with pastures, cows, horses, and rolling hills. What a paradise! I had the opportunity to enjoy a little down time in the screened-in porch where I read a good book and watched in wonder at the abundance of birds at the bird feeders. The cabin’s high ceilings and stunning windows opened up to the trees, wildlife, and the beautiful blue sky. Each room was decorated to perfection. The master bedroom had a blue bird theme with a comfortable built in window settee to curl up and read or sleep. The upstairs loft offered lots of enjoyment for the boys, as they played foosball, watched TV and a movie, and just enjoyed the cabin lifestyle. The cabin has tile and hardwood floors throughout with delightful beds dressed in high thread count linens. You can enjoy satellite TV throughout the cabin. I was even able to check my email, as “Hanging it Up” has wireless internet. This was true luxury and a totally relaxing weekend. Our hosts, Inez and Jack Troxell retired from nursing and the park service with a vision to turn their family land into their dream retirement home and to develop this amazing piece of property into a great place for others to enjoy as well. They offer twelve gorgeous cabins that folks have built as their dream homes over the last ten years through their rental program. These vacation homes/cabins rival any cabin or chalet in Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains. As an added bonus there is no congestion here, no smog, and the rentals are very affordable. Each cabin has its own personality and run anywhere from $125.00 to $219.00 per night with cabin capacity ranging from 6-12 people - all dependent upon the number of bedrooms and amenities. Many of the cabins have multiple night discounts, highlighted on the easy to navigate website - www.laurelfork.com. There is a lot to do at Laurel Fork Rustic Retreat and the great outdoors of the BSFNRRA including great hikes, such as the Yellow Cliff Trailhead for riders and hikers which connects to some of the other great Big South Fork trails. Even if you don’t hike or trail ride, what a great way to relax, immerse in God’s beauty around you, soak in the hot tub, and enjoy the simple lifestyle with family and friends. Come for a weekend retreat, a special occasion, or book a week in the Big South Fork and let the Troxell family spoil you with their wonderful southern hospitality. Bring a group of friends to help share in the experience. You’ll be glad you did. For reservations, call ROCKCASTLE FARMS |
A majestic, gated community sits high atop the hills of the Cumberland Plateau. It is quickly becoming known as Tennessee’s best kept retirement secret, Long Branch Lakes - a premier, gated lifestyle community. Recently featured in “Where to Retire” magazine, Long Branch Lakes (LBL) offers a high quality of life in a picturesque setting of abundant nature, great amenities, Bill Dance Signature Lakes, an Equestrian Center with full time, on-property equestrian managers, and activities within a community setting. LBL has been diligently carving, molding, and sculpting this remarkable community for nearly seven years now. Owners Edmond Cash, Andy Cash, and Rick Klewein’s desire to give residents a spectacular place to call home and their steadfast meticulous work and vision are paying off. Folks from all around the country seeking to downsize but not sacrifice their quality of living are finding out about the magic of LBL and the wonderful assets of Tennessee country living. This top notch community has been developed for nature lovers and offers an ideal home for families who are planning for retirement, buying a second or weekend home, or folks interested in relocation. There is something for everyone, and the choices include homesites, the new Trout Hill Condominiums, and the Bunk Houses - ten home sites overlooking gorgeous pastures and vistas in LBL’s Equestrian Center. Since the printing of the 2010 Fall Creek Falls Visitor Guide, much has happened at LBL. The long awaited General Store is nearing completion and hopes are to have it operational by summer 2010. The Long Branch Lakes General Store will offer a community spirit and a gathering place for residents and visitors alike. It will be the heart of the community. The General Store will offer provisions such as milk, meats, dairy and staples needed to cook wonderful meals for family and guests. It will also offer the daily necessities such as freshly brewed coffee and tea. The General Store will also have signature homemade jellies and jams, local produce, gift items, and local crafts. The full-service restaurant will make hanging out for lunch, dinner, or one of the many planned community events such as local music, art events, guest speakers, and get togethers part of the wonderful LBL lifestyle. It will also be a great place to get an ice cream for you and your grandchildren after lazing by the in-ground lakeside pool - one of Long Branch Lakes’ wonderful resort-style amenities. Some other exciting news is the progress of the Trout Hill Condominiums - 64 luxury condominiums for residents desiring the lake-side living of LBL without the maintenance and worry of a much larger living space. The Trout Hill Condominiums have their own entrance surrounded by woodlands and lakes, offering such pleasures as a pool, recreation area and a lakefront dock for fishing and canoe and kayak launching; plus use of the full amenities of the LBL sprawling 5,000 acres development. At press time, LBL is working on pouring the second floor of the Trout Hill Condominiums and hopes to have the first residents moved in by the end of summer 2010. Several condominiums have been sold and these 2 and 3 bedroom residences are sure to be popular. LBL’s Equestrian Center managers, Lamar and Vanessa Wright, bring sunshine and experience to those LBL residents looking to enjoy their horses or adopt a horse to ride the over thirty miles of trails that allow the novice or experienced rider the chance to explore the majestic beauty of Long Branch Lakes. Lamar and Vanessa feel blessed to offer such wonderful equestrian quarters, including a new 100’ x 200’ outdoor arena, new paddocks, and luscious pastures for the horses to graze. For many residents, the allure of horseback riding was just a distant dream; but at LBL, residents are finally able to fulfill their dreams with experienced professionals to teach them the basics within the comforts of their own community. Lamar and Vanessa’s knowledge is comprehensive in both English and Western disciplines. They are there to help with professional instruction for riders, and horses; all in these superior custom-built facilities. This dynamic duo is very passionate about horses and is extremely excited to be a part of this remarkable equestrian haven. LBL takes pride in getting to know both residents’ and property owner’s wishes and desires for the community. They encourage them to express what is on their minds. This input will help to create the best possible community for all of the residents. There are over twenty five houses that have been built or are in the construction phase to date. Many folks will be living in their spectacular homes by year’s end. Soccer fields, basketball hoops, volleyball, tennis and badminton courts compliment this development. Their signature, in-ground lakeside heated pool is a great addition to the resort-style amenities. Custom built log pavilions with custom stone fireplaces are strategically placed to offer outdoor family and community areas that can be used for gatherings and entertainment. Log lined streets, rustic lampposts, flower boxes, and the newly opened Discovery Center offer a quality, pristine community in Middle Tennessee. Bill Dance, one of America’s top fishermen, Bassmaster, and superstar in the fishing world, has teamed up with LBL to build his Bill Dance Signature Lakes in the community. These lakes offer trophy fish habitats that serve the serious and recreational fisherman alike and work in harmony and balance with the surrounding land use. The vast investments made by LBL to stock and professionally manage the community’s lakes and ponds, coupled with the expertise and knowledge of Bill Dance and his organization excite both the novice and avid fishermen who reside at LBL. Of course, a resident can enjoy the many lakes at LBL in other ways, simply relaxing lakeside and reading a book, kayaking, bird watching, skipping rocks or just enjoying a hot summer day with a picnic from the General Store. Come enjoy the activities, the grandeur of LBL, and see why this premier community is being talked about in the media, by retirees and families seeking a quality, nature filled lifestyle. Become part of their Saddlebag Newsletter mailing list, by emailing your email address to info@longbranchlakes.com, and find out all the new happenings at LBL and the surrounding area. Long Branch Lakes also can be visited during their Discovery Weekends (see dates on website) at 2350 Long Branch Road in Spencer, TN. Their website is www.LongBranchLakes.com and their phone number is 888-615-6616. Be sure to let them know that you read about them here. |