Third Anniversary Hiking Trip

Since our fourth anniversary is quickly approaching, I suppose it's about time to post about our third anniversary, eh?  I am such a bad blogger...haha.

Our summer was really busy with our trip to Europe, a family reunion, and various other events both in Nashville and out of town.  Because of all of that, we ended up taking our anniversary trip a couple months late.  It actually worked out nicely because by that time the weather had cooled down a bit and the fall leaves were in their full glory.  Plus, I got to stretch out the anniversary celebrations.  ;)

This time, we went hiking in and around Cookeville, Tennessee, which is just a couple hours outside of Nashville.  We used this book that I got Matt for Christmas a couple years ago to select a few different hikes:

Our first hike was a long, moderate one along the Cumberland Trail.  The terrain was varied, passing over Black Mountain, down to some caverns, and back up through the woods.

Afterwards, we had enough time before dark to take the short and steep hike down to Ozone Falls.  The water wasn't running much, but it was still worth the stop.

The next day, we decided to go to Cumberland Mountain State Park.  We took a long, flat hike around the lake and then extended the hike a few more miles along a nature trail.

On our way back to Nashville, we stopped at Burgess Falls.  This hike was fairly short, but difficult.  There were two falls along the way and then the big waterfall at the end.  It was a great way to finish off thr trip!

Evins Mill

For our second anniversary, it was my turn to surprise Matt with a getaway. I had such fun planning the surprise!

I am really bad at keeping secrets (especially from Matt) so it took a lot of effort not to spill the beans. Unfortunately, Matt figured it out anyways. About a month before our trip, we were hanging out with family and someone mentioned a little town in Eastern Tennessee. I said, "Oh yes, isn't that near Smitheville, Tennessee?" Matt says he knew right away that was where we were going because otherwise I wouldn't have known those two little towns were near each other (I am somewhat geographically challenged.)

Even though he figured out the destination, he didn't know where we were staying or what we were doing, so it was still a surprise.

I found this awesome place called The Inn at Evins Mill online. This place was the BEST find. It was a quiet and secluded retreat about an hour and a half away from Nashville. It had everything that we needed right there on the grounds.

The Inn has several log cabins separated from the main house. Each cabin had it's own porch balcony overlooking a beautiful creek. It felt like we were staying in our own private tree house. The cabin itself was simple and rustic, but clean and charming. I liked that is wasn't overly country but it still had some country touches.







When we arrived that day there were warm chocolate chip cookies waiting for us. We settled into our cabin and then went on a walk around the grounds. Despite a pretty severe drought in the area, everything was beautiful and green.

We picked up a trail map from the main house and set off on a hike to Carmac falls which is part of the Inn grounds. The hike was steep, but not very long. The trail had a couple of tricky spots where the falls had eroded the path, but we made it safely down to the base of the falls. The fall was still running even though the water in the basin as very low. I can only imagine what it must have been like in non-drought conditions. The lack of water was actually kind of nice because we were able to walk across the rocks right up to the falls. We hung out here for a while before making the steep climb back up.













We still had a couple hours before dinner so we explored the grounds some more, taking a peek at the old mill. There were volleyball courts and horseshoes, as well as an old swing. We played like little kids until we were tired and sweaty. Finally, we went back to our cabin to take showers and get dressed for dinner.











Dinner was so relaxing. The little dining room was intimate and quiet. There were a handful of other couples there, which was the first time we'd seen anyone else all day. I can't remember exactly what we ate, but I do remember that it was delicious. I was surprised to be served a gourmet meal in such a remote place. We were allowed to bring our own wine, which they had chilled for us beforehand. The service was great without being obtrusive.

The whole atmosphere of the Inn was so quiet and peaceful. It was such a nice change of pace from our everyday lives.After dinner we went across the bridge to an old barn that had been converted into a rec room. They had couches and bookshelves full of old books. There were also board games, dart boards and a pool table. Matt and I had fun playing several rounds of darts.

The next morning we enjoyed a fantastic brunch in the dining room. I could not believe how much food they had for just a few couples. Along with the typical brunch foods, they also had a chef making individual omelets. We ate to our hearts delight and then went outside to digest on one of the hammocks.



We had planned to stop at Center Hill Lake on the way back home, but we decided to skip that part of the trip. We were so relaxed and happy from our stay at the Inn, we didn't need to do anything else. I know we'll be back someday.

Fall Creek Falls

For our first anniversary, Matt surprised me with a weekend hiking trip in SouthEast Tennessee. I knew we were going somewhere, I just didn't know where. I was pleasantly surprised when we ended up at Fall Creek Falls, a beautiful hiking spot just a couple of hours from Nashville.

Matt and I spent the full day hiking. First we took a long hike to the falls and back. This hike was moderate to difficult. It was very rewarding to dip our feet in the falls after the long hike. Afterwards, we hiked an easier trail to cool down. I think it was about 5 miles long, but it was pretty flat. It started drizzling towards the end, so we finished up just in time.

We went back to our quaint little bed and breakfast to shower before heading out for dinner. There are about three restaurants nearby: a Mexican place, the state park cafeteria, and this local Southern joint, the Pig 'N Catch. This restaurant was awesome. We ate fried catfish and pulled pork, sweet potato fries and hushpuppies. I made the mistake of wearing a sundress, and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The locals looked at me like I was crazy for dressing up for the Pig 'N Catch...haha.

Back to the Bed & Breakfast...it was adorable and a great deal for the money. It was located super close to the falls, which was very convenient. We had the Ruby Belle Room, a clean and charming retreat. The breakfast was really nice, but very simple. The main dish was a sausage strata. The owners were a cute couple who seem to really love what they do. They were welcoming without intruding on our privacy. In general, I prefer hotels just because I like my privacy, but occasionally staying at a country bed and breakfast is really nice.

On our way home, we stopped at the Cumberland Caverns. We walked through the narrow passages of the cave, looking at stalagtites and stalagmites (I still can't tell you which one is which) and a small waterfall. At the end of the tour, there was an optional "Christian Light Show". Now, I am a Christian, but I found this very, very strange. It was basically the creation story, told from the voice of a scary old man. Meanwhile, colored lights were displayed on rocks, with thunder sounds in the background. It was just a strange and random finish to a cave tour.

I realized that I am not a big fan of caves. They just aren't that interesting to me. It was a nice little detour, but I wouldn't go back.



After this trip, Matt and I decided that we'd make it a tradition to take turns surprising each other with mini-getaways for our anniversaries.