Tennessee was just ranked first as the Best State for Remote Getaways by Window Gnome. The ranking was based on the analysis of four metrics gathered about all 50 states: Access to remote accommodations, quality of the accommodations, cost of the accommodations and the “friendliness” of the area. Scores were made on a scale of 1 to 100 and then a weight was assigned to each factor based on its importance.
Beating the second-place competition, North Carolina, by more than five points and third place Texas by almost 12 points, Tennessee comes in second on access, second on quality, 21 on cost and 19 on friendliness. Access is ranked on the number of accommodations available. Quality rankings are based on guest ratings, the number of top places to stay, and the quantity of top reviews on the internet. Cost is based on where the average rate in the area ranks between the low of $159.66 and the high of $442.16 nationally. And friendliness takes into consideration air quality, attractions, off the grid lifestyle and natural hazards. Regionally, the South ranked highest with the Pacific Northwest coming in second.
Tennessee has more than 8,000 remote accommodations, and of those more than 700 are top rated. With lots of raw natural beauty and the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee has many places to go to get away, many of them being in Middle and East Tennessee.
Perhaps the most well-known luxury remote getaway in Tennessee is Blackberry Farm. Located in Walland, Tennessee on 4,200 acres of tranquil forest and pastureland, Blackberry Farm has become a celebrated spa and luxury lodging in the Great Smokey Mountains offering breathtaking scenery and a James Beard Award-winning restaurant which offers multi-course menus of Blackberry’s Foothills Cuisine®. This haute cuisine is rooted in Appalachian ingredients from around the region and farm ingredients harvested just a few feet from the front door of the Inn.
The new Southall Farm and Inn located in Franklin, Tennessee is a rising star on the luxury remote getaway map. It is nestled on 325 acres of farmland just South of Nashville. It evokes the feeling of old American farmsteads and connects guests to nature with lots of outdoor activities and gourmet farm-to-table cuisine.
On the other end of the scale are two of the most unique accommodations located away from it all. They are Hobbit House and Creature Camp. The Hobbit House is a one-room cabin made of sod situated among the trees on a 50-acre farm located just outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It offers great walking trails, lots of water features to relax beside, and a fire pit to sit near on lazy spring and fall evenings. There is an outhouse and bunkhouse shower house located nearby. Even more primitive is Creature Camp. Secluded within five acres of trees, stay in an old 1963 Shasta Camper. It offers a place to watch old VHS movies and listen to music on an old cassette player. It is a funky trip back in time and space surrounded by weird creatures made by the owners. You can even take a replica of your favorite creature home with you. It too offers an outhouse, and, in this case, an outdoor shower.
For those looking for something between primitive and luxury, there is the Whiskey River Barn in Unionville offering hiking, biking, kayaking and horseback riding. It is also not too far away from Arrington Winery.
Coalmont is another option. It is a 460-square-foot, state-of-the-art tiny home that was created from an old fishing cabin sitting within a beautiful wooded area right on a natural pond. It is located between Nashville and Chattanooga. Built as a family escape, it was created to provide indoor/outdoor living with the best of all of the necessities of living. There is one bedroom and a loft sleep space. It is the perfect place to disconnect from the world for a while.
This is only a small sampling of the many, many places available to stay out among the natural beauty of Tennessee. Some of the places where more accommodations can be found include Vrbo, airBnB, glampinghub, Tennessee State Parks, and holidayhomes.com.
