December Bucket List

Here's what not to miss for this month! (in no particular order)

A New Tradition

Visit the Garden Shed to place a Country Fair ribbon on the Okra Tree. Help us create enduring holiday legacy while warming yourself by the wood-burning stove.

Paired with a Wintery Mix
With the cuisine turning to a wintery mix of ingredients, we love to pair the wines of Southeastern France with the dishes. Ask a sommelier to show you one of the special wines from the famed region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to accompany your evening meal.

Hike Alum Cave
During the winter months, several of our guides like to switch gears to hiking. The trails are almost empty, the woods are open and offer spectacular views, and the colder temperatures bring new challenges that completely change the character of the trails. We like to hike to the top of Mount LeConte, the highest peak in Tennessee. About half way up, there is a large bluff named Alum Cave, where it is not uncommon to see beautiful icicles hanging from above if it has been cold enough. Let us know if you are interested so we can give you all of the details.

Be Bubbly
Celebrate New Year’s Eve all December long by enjoying a half bottle of Champagne during your stay. We stock a variety of small producers in both large and small formats, so treat yourself this holiday season to some delicious bubbly wine.

Enjoy a Hot Stone Treatment
Now that the weather has turned, stop into our Farmhouse Spa and try our Purifying Stone Massage. Warm stones are gently placed on chakra energy centers to promote balance, centering and the ultimate in total body relaxation during this gentle full-body massage.

Oink for the Holidays
Visit the Farmstead to see Link and Patty, our breeding pair of large black pigs. Love is in the air this winter, so we’ll be expecting a litter of piglets this spring.

Let it Snow
Warm up this December by enjoying a whiskey tasting at our Barn Bar with one of our excellent mixologists. They will take you through a tour of some of the greatest brown spirits available with a focus on your particular area of interest.

Take a Carriage Ride
One of the most peaceful and romantic activities in the colder months is taking a carriage ride around property. Typically about an hour long, there is no better way to see the property and listen to stories as you snuggle under a blanket and sip on a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe even a hot toddy. Nature seems quiet in the winter months, but the sound of the horse and carriage moving along is something you will never forget.

Practice Your Shot
The fall and winter are always inspiring seasons to pull out that handed down shotgun and make sure you still have the eye for shooting. Following the tradition of bird hunting this time of year, our instructors can help you apply your time at the course to getting better at the unexpected, such as a flush of a covey or a couple of wood ducks buzzing your blind. If you visit our clays course, ask to shoot without calling your birds and instead let the instructors pull them at random.

For Your Tree
Visit the Oak Gift Shop to take a piece of Blackberry Farm home for your Christmas Tree! This collectable, glass blown Santa features hand-painted artwork commemorating Blackberry Farm.

Hike alum cave trail

During the winter months several of our guides like to switch gears to hiking. The trails are almost empty, the woods are open and offer spectacular views, and the colder temperatures bring new challenges that completely change the character of the trails. This hike is to the top of Mount LeConte, the highest peak in Tennessee, and is 10 miles round trip. About half way up there is a large bluff named Alum Cave. It is not uncommon to see massive icicles hanging from above. Overall the trail is challenging, as it is the steepest trail of 5 to the top, but the most rewarding.

Stoke the fire
Experience a warming cooking demonstration on the wood-burning stove in the garden shed. We share some favorite Appalachian recipes and old-time cooking techniques, then have lunch in the shed with the gardeners.

You can’t shell just one
Lend us a hand shelling our heirloom beans, peas, butterbeans and okra. Be part of a time-honored tradition of preserving these historic seeds for this winter’s eating and next spring’s planting.

Share a blanket and a carriage
One of the most peaceful and romantic activities in the cooler months is taking a carriage ride around property. Typically about an hour long, there is no better way to see the property and listen to stories as you snuggle under a blanket and sip on a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe even a hot toddy. It always seems even more quiet than normal in the winter months, and the sound of the carriage and horses moving along is something you will never forget.

Shoot the walk-through lane
The fall and winter are always inspiring seasons to pull out that shotgun that has been handed down to you and make sure you still have the eye for shooting. During the winter months our shotgun instructors love to take you out of the stand and let you experience something totally different. A great simulation for bird hunting, the Walk-Through Lane lets you walk amidst the traps, with your instructor behind you pulling targets unexpectedly. Since you are in the middle of the action the clays fly from all directions, and without knowing when or from where the next one is coming this truly is a unique shooting experience.

A few of our favorite things
House-made eggnog, mulled wine cocktails, house-made Irish cream, the new and much anticipated vintage of Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape – 2007, flights of port wine champagne from Coquillette – more holiday cheer than you can count!

Enjoy a hot stone massage
Now that the weather has turned cool, come down to the Farmhouse Spa to enjoy a massage! Our Hesse Creek Purifying Stone treatment uses warm stones that are gently placed on chakra energy centers to promote balance, centering, and the ultimate in total body relaxation. This one hour gentle full-body massage is the perfect way to escape the winter.

A little piece of the Blackberry Holiday
Trim your tree with our signature Blackberry Farm Santa ornament. With a bundle of blackberries and shimmering robes depicting a Blackberry Farm mountain view, our Santa will become a cherished family keepsake.

Here's what not to miss for this month! (in no particular order)

A New Tradition

Visit the Garden Shed to place a Country Fair ribbon on the Okra Tree. Help us create enduring holiday legacy while warming yourself by the wood-burning stove.

Paired with a Wintery Mix
With the cuisine turning to a wintery mix of ingredients, we love to pair the wines of Southeastern France with the dishes. Ask a sommelier to show you one of the special wines from the famed region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to accompany your evening meal.

Hike Alum Cave
During the winter months, several of our guides like to switch gears to hiking. The trails are almost empty, the woods are open and offer spectacular views, and the colder temperatures bring new challenges that completely change the character of the trails. We like to hike to the top of Mount LeConte, the highest peak in Tennessee. About half way up, there is a large bluff named Alum Cave, where it is not uncommon to see beautiful icicles hanging from above if it has been cold enough. Let us know if you are interested so we can give you all of the details.

Be Bubbly
Celebrate New Year’s Eve all December long by enjoying a half bottle of Champagne during your stay. We stock a variety of small producers in both large and small formats, so treat yourself this holiday season to some delicious bubbly wine.

Enjoy a Hot Stone Treatment
Now that the weather has turned, stop into our Farmhouse Spa and try our Purifying Stone Massage. Warm stones are gently placed on chakra energy centers to promote balance, centering and the ultimate in total body relaxation during this gentle full-body massage.

Oink for the Holidays
Visit the Farmstead to see Link and Patty, our breeding pair of large black pigs. Love is in the air this winter, so we’ll be expecting a litter of piglets this spring.

Let it Snow
Warm up this December by enjoying a whiskey tasting at our Barn Bar with one of our excellent mixologists. They will take you through a tour of some of the greatest brown spirits available with a focus on your particular area of interest.

Take a Carriage Ride
One of the most peaceful and romantic activities in the colder months is taking a carriage ride around property. Typically about an hour long, there is no better way to see the property and listen to stories as you snuggle under a blanket and sip on a cup of hot chocolate, or maybe even a hot toddy. Nature seems quiet in the winter months, but the sound of the horse and carriage moving along is something you will never forget.

Practice Your Shot
The fall and winter are always inspiring seasons to pull out that handed down shotgun and make sure you still have the eye for shooting. Following the tradition of bird hunting this time of year, our instructors can help you apply your time at the course to getting better at the unexpected, such as a flush of a covey or a couple of wood ducks buzzing your blind. If you visit our clays course, ask to shoot without calling your birds and instead let the instructors pull them at random.

For Your Tree
Visit the Oak Gift Shop to take a piece of Blackberry Farm home for your Christmas Tree! This collectable, glass blown Santa features hand-painted artwork commemorating Blackberry Farm.