A Reunion Weekend… From a Personal Perspective

Since Northeastern Tennessee has numerous things to offer, the decision was made for our medical school reunion to assemble at Sugar Hollow Retreat.

We arrived late on a Thursday afternoon with the plan to tour the area on Friday, and spend Saturday at Sugar Hollow Retreat to enjoy the walking trails, bluegrass music, cocktails and supper followed by funny stories from those in attendance.

After the majority of our party arrived late Thursday afternoon, we went to the Captain's Table restaurant on the shores of Watauga Lake. The next morning we started our tour with a visit to the Butler Museum, which highlights the small town of Butler (it was moved 15 miles in 1947 prior to filling Watauga Lake). A 45-minute walking tour through the museum given by Judy Helms gave us a fascinating glimpse or yesteryear, some of which were obtained in the 1972 draining of the lake to repair the dam.

Next, we paid a visit to Sycamore Scholl's Historic Site and Museum along the banks of the Watauga River in Elizabethan Tennessee - only 20 miles from Sugar Hollow. At this site in September of 1780, the Watauga Settlements were located here where 1,100 frontiersmen met under a huge sycamore tree prior to heading south for the Battle of King's Mountain (one of the most significant battles in our Revolutionary War). This is also the site where British general Patrick Ferguson lost his life along with 300 sympathizers with another 600 taken captive. The patriots losses were far less with 28 killed and 62 wounded. While there, we viewed a film recounting the story and listened to locals dressed in period costumes who told the living drama. A replica of the original fort stands on the site where every summer an outdoor drama takes place over a three-week period.

Next up, was a visit to the John Carter Mansion, the first clapboard house built in Tennessee in the 1790's. The original log cabin can be detected within the walls. John Carter is thought to be a descendant of the Carter Family of Shirley Plantation along the James River in Virginia.

After all of this adventuring, we were ready for some nourishment, so for lunch we dined at Carter At Main Restaurant where the cuisine was superb, worthy of Atlanta or Charleston and very reasonably priced.

In order to truly appreciate the beauty of the mountains and Watauga Lake itself, after lunch, we ventured through a maze of little roads to the Wilber Dam and Watauga Lake Dam, both within a forest service reserve. Manicured and maintained, pristine and quite, we met a man who goes there for solitude after a busy business day. Not many places are left in the world today like this small cozy retreat nestled along the lake's shore, within a tree-lined mountain domain.

The highlight of the day, for me, was our stop at Shirley's Restaurant on the way back to Sugar Hollow where we met all the others. Shirley caters to the local folk with "Mamma's home cooking" that's mountaineer style. I enjoyed the buffet style that offers seven or eight vegetables and also includes cornbread, salad, and two - four meat choices. The desserts (also included) are heavenly and you can eat as much as you like.

After a scrumptious breakfast at Sugar Hollow on Saturday morning, we decided to explore the grounds. While strolling along the 10 miles of walking trails (old logging roads) planted in creeping red fescue we saw spectacular mountain views through the beautiful hemlock, white pines and various hardwoods. White tailed deer and wild turkeys were in residence at the property and our group was able to capture several Kodak Moments. Our hike included a visit to a barn below the lodge where we stopped to inspect a cave mouth at the base of the cliff. Legend has it that sixty years ago the cave passage to the river was open but over time has filled with topsoil from the field below the lodge. Jim told us that young people from the American Adventure Service Corps from Black Mountain are presently digging out the caves in hopes of forging a clear passage down to the Elk River, about a half mile distance.

The planning and facilitating of activities by Innkeepers Jim Gresch & Martha Plummer made our reunion a weekend to be remembered for years to come, and we are already planning our return