The property also serves as an animal preserve. “We are providing these birds habitats that they’ve not had in decades so, we’ve brought back bird populations that haven’t been here in 35 years,” said Brewington.

Their quail and dove hunts include professional guides and trained dogs. “I think we are unique and that you can come to hunt here, but also have an in-room massage or have a gardening class,” he said.

The restaurant, Wilder, is already racking up accolades. Wilder has just been named the winner of the “best splurge-worthy restaurants” category within this year’s Best of Travel Awards by TravelAwaits. The Executive Chef, Ben Warwick, is from Knoxville.

“We are flavorful. We want everything to be as strong and powerful as it can be,” said Warwick. “We like to integrate smoke into things to make it East Tennessee. We like to say the South is made up of a lot of different people. That allows us to use international techniques to do things. So, we pull from Asian countries, we pull from African countries, European.”
 

The farm considers itself “hyper-local;” many of the ingredients used in their food are grown in their garden, just feet away from the kitchen. “They say farm-to-table is really cool, and it is, but it’s a lot of work,” said Warwick. The farm also has several apiaries where they source their own honey.

If you’re not staying at the resort you can eat at the restaurant on the weekend. They offer dinner and brunch to the general public, although reservations are recommended. They also have local musicians perform on the property.

“Our farm is your farm. It’s your farm for the weekend,” said Brewington.