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Soak Up the Serenity
The peaceful view from the rolling hills above Watts Bar Lake is your first indicator that Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston is, as touted, a sanctuary for the soul.
Adjoining a 5,400-acre wildlife and waterfowl refuge, the inn’s natural setting beckons you to slow down and relax.
Whitestone owners Paul and Jean Cowell – and their attentive staff – work diligently to ensure that the inn lives up to its credentials in every way. Rooms and suites are available in one of five settings on the estate’s 360 acres.
Each is designed for elegant comfort with amenities including fireplaces, canopied beds, waterfall showers and whirlpool baths.
The country breakfast, served in a dining room and enclosed porch overlooking the lake, is fit for a king but satisfying enough for a farmhand, with blueberry waffles, bacon,
eggs, hash browns and fresh fruit.
For more information, visit www.whitestoneinn.com,
or call 888-247-2464.
Gone to the Dogwoods
When clouds of white dogwood blossoms fill the forests, it’s high time to celebrate spring - and Knoxville does it in style with a huge Dogwood Arts Festival that starts in February and really gets going in April. Some key events this year include a jazz tribute concert honoring Ella Fitzgerald at the Bijou Theater on April 8, a “Let the Bloomtimes Roll” parade on Friday evening, April 11, and a full-out festival April 11-13 with live music, art displays and demonstrations, kids’ activities, dancing and more. The dogwood trails – the inspiration for the festival - open April 9, with more than 70 miles of trails throughout Knox County and Oak Ridge. The scenic drive is populated with landmark homes and gardens, and all trails are open for touring and photography. Free, guided bus tours start from the festival venues for the Knoxville trails, but many folks prefer to set their own agendas with a self-guided tour. Local trails also provide splendid scenery for bike rides, jogs and walks.
For all the details and a calendar of events, visit www.dogwoodarts.com.
Hands in the Cookie Jar
Food couldn’t get much closer to farm fresh than what you’ll find at the Cookie Jar Café in Dunlap. As a matter of fact, this restaurant is the centerpiece of a working dairy farm that’s been in the Gray-Johnson family for generations.
Three Johnson sisters – Bonnie Johnson Hudson, Sue Ann Johnson Lockhart and Peggy Johnson Farley – cook up fixins just like their Mamaw used to make. Succulent ribeye steak, flaky catfish, fried chicken livers and the very popular grilled meatloaf set Cookie Jar guests’ mouths watering.
The sisters opened the restaurant in order to keep ownership of the farm in the family after their father retired. A former herdsman now runs the dairy, and the whole operation has been turned into a family-friendly agri-tourism destination including dairy tours, hayrides, a corn maze and a petting zoo.
For more information and directions, visit www.johnsonfamilyfarm.com.
We’d Like To Hear From You
Do you know of a wonderfully special restaurant or a quirky little museum?
Send your ideas to TN Connections Editor, 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, or e-mail tnceditor@jnlcom.com.
