The Swag: Vacation of a Lifetime

view from The Swag

This year, following the The Storytelling Festival, we treated ourselves to a few more days in the Smoky Mountains at The Swag in Waynesville, NC.  We found out about The Swag from one of our all-time favorite storytellers, Donald Davis, and his wife, Merle.  Over the years we've been going to the festival we'd become acquainted with Donald and Merle.  At dinner the last night of the festival, they mentioned that they were going up to The Swag for the next week, where Donald would tell stories in the afternoons and evenings, and also lead hikes and walks and talk about the area in which The Swag is located.  Donald is uniquely qualified for that, since his family settled the area in the late 1700s and Donald himself grew up in Waynesville.  We were going to be in Waynesville for the next week, so we decided we'd see if there was going to be room at the inn, and lucky for us, there was.

'back yard' of the main building

The driveway gate is 2.5 miles from the inn, most of the way up a 5,000+ elevation mountain.  You go up 1,000 feet in elevation on the driveway.  The inn itself was constructed in 1971 on 200+ acres from reclaimed logs from historic buildings, the oldest structure dates back to 1795.  The land was last used as a potato farm, and is bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Four of the six highest mountain ranges are visible from the property.

Jay in front of our lodge

raised beds in the garden

The Swag has won numerous awards including several from Conde Nast and others for the food (much of which is local - some of which is produced on the property's garden) as well.

The Inn has also received 2 green 'eco leafs' on  I Stay Green  and is a member of the Haywood County Green Business Initiative.  I can honestly say we've never been to a more warm and welcoming place.  The staff was around in an unobtrusive way.  The chef-prepared food was amazing, with well-thought-out menus to choose from, that were very healthy and incredibly accommodating for special dietary needs.  There was something for everyone, from locally made venison sausage, fresh fruits and vegetables, to artisan cheeses and fresh cookies at tea time (which sounds way more formal and fussy than it was.)  Three meals, afternoon tea and pre-dinner appetizers are included each day of your stay.  The most unique meal included is the lunch option on the last day. They will either pack you a backpack with lunch to take with you on a hike on the property after you check out, or they'll put it in a picnic hamper, or box it up for you to take with you if you can't stay.  Not to be missed are The Swag Bars (made from copious amounts of chocolate and peanut butter.)

Donald on the Deck

Merle on the Deck

The highlight of our trip were the hikes we took with Donald and Merle.  Donald took us on a hike around the property, and through part of the Smoky Mountains National Park.  He told us all about the trees and plants as well as about local history including the Civilian Conservation Corps project that built the fence (still standing) that borders the Inn and the Park.  We learned how to tell the difference between types of pines and firs, and hiked to an old cabin that was preserved on the grounds of the park.

cabin in the park

Merle was so sweet to walk with me at the end of the group.  I was still in my ankle brace, and was very careful to watch my steps.  The trail was very well maintained, and there weren't a lot of spots that were uneven, so I did really well considering the circumstances.  The Swag lets you choose a walking stick of various kinds of wood that they personalize for you with your name and the year.  Mine was a the most crooked dogwood one in the bunch, and Jay's is a very big, manly and heavy one made from a sassafras sapling.

Lunchtime on the hike

hikers

Our room at The Swag was bigger (and ten times nicer) than our house.  It had two bathrooms, one of which had a jacuzzi tub and a steam shower (which was awesome) and a fireplace, along with the king size bed and XM radio.  The lodge our room was in also had a library, common area with fireplace, sauna and basement racquetball courts.

Ridgeview Room

Malcolm Matthews, Swag Cat

 Another highlight was Malcolm, the Swag Cat.  He's a big gray dude that hangs out around the lodge and basks in the sunshine.  He has a brush conveniently located for all the guests to accommodate his grooming needs.  He also can be found on Facebook, which cracks me up.  

The Swag holds several special events during the months they are open to the public, from storytellers to musicians and naturalists, these special evens make an already magical place even more special.

 Our time at The Swag is going to be a memory we hold onto forever.  The hospitality of Deener and Dan Matthews is unparalleled.  The gorgeous mountain views and weather would be memorable under any circumstances; but to share them with Donald and Merle made this an experience even more precious.   They are two of the most kind and gracious people we've ever met.  We love going to the mountains, and love our time at Storytelling even more - but getting the opportunity to go to The Swag after the festival this year was the icing on the cake.  I'm already setting aside a "Swag Fund" so we can save up to go back - maybe next year.

picnic area near Valley View

fall foliage

near the old park border fence