BACK TO NATURE- Enota Mountain Retreat, North GA's Best-Kept Secret

ENOTA MOUNTAIN RETREAT

1000 Hwy 180

Hiawasseee, GA 30546

Website: www.enota.com

Ph: 1-800-990-8869

 

North Georgia has nearly 25 state parks offering camping and various other outdoor recreation activities, but there’s none quite like Hiawassee’s Enota Mountain Retreat. A privately-owned property tucked away in the Chattahoochee National Forest just minutes from Brasstown Bald and Helen, Enota features over 60 acres of protected land that includes cabins and campgrounds, four waterfalls, two trout ponds, a working organic farm and more, with a focus on environmental conservation and sustainability.

 

Originally the site of a Cherokee village, the land on which Enota lies was taken by the U.S. government during the north Georgia gold rush of the early 1830s, when the surrounding region was producing over 300 ounces a day. The property was eventually sold to a family who homesteaded there for 60 years before selling it to the YMCA in the 1940s, when it was turned into a popular boys’ camp called Camp Pioneer. The land, which has never had any pesticides or chemicals put on it, was put into Trust in 1998, and has been run as a non-profit volunteer organization centered on education and conservation ever since.

 

“We really wanted to preserve the land so it wouldn’t be developed into a gated community and would be kept in its pristine state as a historical site,” says co-founder Swan Freed, who left behind her former life as a chiropractor in Atlanta in order to oversee Enota’s operations.

 

One of the primary differences between Enota and every other campsite in the state is its focus on organic farming, with several acres dedicated to raising livestock and several more devoted to growing various herbs and vegetables. Visitors are given daily opportunities to milk a cow or goat, collect fresh eggs from the henhouse and, depending on the time of year, plant or pick produce. In the summertime, Freed estimates that 80% of the foods served in Enota’s restaurant are harvested on the farm, from the eggs and milk served at breakfast to all the vegetables in their salads. Catch your own fish in their two fully stocked trout ponds and you’ll have farm-to-table freshness at its finest.

 

“For the benefit of humanity in general we need to look at sustainability practices,” Freed insists. “Every human being should know where their food comes from, and Enota allows people to have hands-on experience in organic farming. We’re one of the only fully functioning farms in the state of Georgia where people can come and stay.”

 

As much as adults may enjoy Enota for the natural beauty resulting from its continued environmental conservation efforts, children seem to have even more fun there. From splashing in streams and hiking wildflower-laden paths to waterfalls to petting farm animals and bouncing on in-ground trampolines, their amenities offer something for the kid in everyone. It’s this dichotomous appeal that has made Enota a favorite among campers such as Abbigail Bauer, a 29-year-old mother of two from Dacula who has visited three times since discovering the retreat via a quick Internet search in early 2008.

 

“Enota’s kid-friendly features are numerous,” Bauer says, “and my daughters always love petting the animals and jumping on the trampolines. But I also love the fact that you can separate yourself from the family sites if you go without kids and want some peace and quiet. Enota is hidden, and even though there’s other people around you can always escape, walking for miles without seeing another living soul.”

 

As its name would imply, Enota Mountain Retreat is much more than simply a family-friendly weekend getaway. Their facilities are frequently used for church retreats, work conferences and workshops, with accommodations for more than 200 people including 10 cabins with kitchenettes, 33 rooms, four bunkhouses, 35 full hookup RV sites, 10 water and electric only sites, a newly remodeled bath house, and over 100 tent spaces. Their lodge features a gift shop and small supplies store as well as a full commercial kitchen and dining room, while their expansive pavilion will hold up to 500 people and features its own outdoor kitchen.

 

But while Enota’s amenities may make it a popular retreat for large organizations, perhaps the retreat’s greatest gift is the peacefulness and serenity it provides for those individuals seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of the grueling 9 to 5 life. Whether you prefer tooling around in their garden, holding baby goats and chickens, hiking pastoral trails to the top of the 200-foot-tall Gurley Falls and Big Joel Falls, savoring one of their 90-minute spa services, or participating in Reverend LaKotahasie Frazier’s weekend-long Native American ceremonial gatherings and sweat lodges, Enota’s remote location and emphasis on environmental preservation makes it feel much like a world unto itself. A world in which most cell phones get no reception, laptop computers seem entirely unnecessary, and whatever is on television is nowhere near as compelling as what’s going on right outside your tent, RV or cabin.

 

If you ask Freed, Enota Mountain Retreat is the perfect antidote to the stress of modern living, offering visitors a chance to relax and recharge. “I think people in general are longing to feel connected and get back to the simple things in life,” she says. “People are profoundly interested in having more personal experiences with nature, because it helps them discover things about themselves that they didn’t know when they got here.” –BRET LOVE

 

 

WEEKEND GETAWAY- Barnsley Gardens Resort

TRAGIC LOVE

THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF BARNSLEY GARDENS

by Bret Love

Barnsley Gardens Resort

597 Barnsley Gardens Road
Adairsville, GA 30103
770.773.7480 or 877.773.2447

www.barnsleyresort.com

There’s an eerie air to the ruins at Barnsley Gardens at night. Even if it weren’t for the dim light that guides our way through the maze of English boxwoods in the formal garden, the wind rushing through ancient imported trees or the imposing frame of the once-stunning Italian style manor that looms before us, there’s still the estate’s 160-year history, which begins with a love story as tragic as anything Shakespeare ever concocted.

 

As told by resident historian and museum director Clent Coker, the Barnsley saga is a Southern epic practically begging for Hollywood adaptation. In the 1840s, English cotton baron Godfrey Barnsley purchased 8,000 acres of former Cherokee land in Bartow County (about 40 minutes north of the perimeter, in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains), on which he planned to build a magnificent estate for his beloved wife Julia, a shipping heiress from Savannah. But she succumbed to consumption before construction was completed, dying mere hours before her husband returned from New Orleans. The grief-stricken Barnsley abandoned his dream for a year until, according to legend, Julia’s ghost appeared to him in the gardens and instructed him to finish work on the manor for their six children.

 

Godfrey forged on, only to lose his vast fortune in the Civil War, when Union soldiers ransacked the estate and stole more than $150,000 in valuables (which would be worth millions today). After he returned to New Orleans and unsuccessfully attempted to rebuild his wealth, daughter Julia– said to be the inspiration for author Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlet O’Hara– struggled to rebuild the property. In 1906 a tornado blew the roof off of the home, forcing the nearly destitute family to move into the kitchen wing, and in 1935 one of Godfrey’s great-grandsons murdered his brother in a dispute over control of the property. Seven years later, the estate was sold at auction, and eventually fell into ruin due to owner neglect.

 

The property’s return to glory began in 1988, when Prince Hubertus Fugger of Bavaria purchased the 1300 acres of land on which it resides. Told of the estate’s rich past by Mr. Coker, whose family’s connection to the Barnsleys stretched back over 100 years (and who owns dozens of the historical artifacts now housed in the Barnsley Museum), the Prince and his wife began restoring the gardens, opening them to the public in 1992. A few years later, the Fuggers decided to build a resort that would recreate an authentic 19th-century pedestrian village in which guests would feel as if they were visiting a true country estate. Now owned by a team of private investors, the result is like nothing I’d ever seen, transporting guests into a seemingly time-warped alternate reality that seems both historic and strangely modern at the same time.

 

Our Barnsley Gardens experience began before we even checked in, with a visit to their European style spa. Like all 45 buildings on the estate, the spa’s architecture was based on the principles of Andrew Jackson Downing, the original designer of The White House grounds and the Washington Mall, whose belief that manmade elements should fit naturally into their surroundings inspired Godfrey Barnsley greatly. But inside the services are decidedly 21^st century, with a broad range of facial and body treatments, massage treatments and salon services; complimentary steam, sauna and whirlpool; as well as a variety of customizable packages designed to deliver hours of pampering. A 50 minute couples massage worked wonders for rubbing away the stress of our busy work week, and we eagerly drove from Registration to our Manor Cottage suite to enjoy the other fruits of our romantic “Couples Retreat” weekend.

 

The cottages themselves are remarkable: It’s easy to see why Barnsley Gardens has received accolades such as Travel & Leisure’s “500 World’s Best Hotels,” Condé Nast’s “Top 75 North American Resorts,” and Zagat Survey’s “Top 50 Small Hotels in the U.S.” The English-style garden was immaculate even in the middle of winter, and the rustic rocking chairs on the front porch were perfectly in-tune with the resort’s laid-back country vibe. Opening the barn-wood door, we were wowed by an interior filled with homey antiques, a stone-hearth fireplace and wet bar, where a chilled bottle of champagne awaited us. The high-ceiling bedroom featured an antique king sized bed, while the ample bathroom featured a massive marble-tiled shower and a claw-footed bathtub.

 

Later that night we made our way along the village’s tree-lined walkways to the Woodlands Grill, a lodge-like steakhouse, where we struggled to determine whether the lightly fried lobster tail with horseradish sauce, gargantuan jumbo shrimp over lobster risotto, or perfectly cooked filet mignon is more delicious. Our meal the next night in the Rice House, which offers an epicurean spin on classic Southern cuisine, was equally divine. The Grill offers a buffet breakfast we heard rave reviews about (though we elected to stay in and have room service), and there’s also a seasonal German-style beer garden featuring light snacks, beer and wine in an outdoor setting centered around a roaring open-pit fire.

 

For those seeking an active vacation, Barnsley Gardens features a broad range of outdoor activities ranging from horseback riding, cycling and paintball to hiking, fishing and canoeing on their 10-acre lake. The on-site Orvis Pro Shop offers private shooting and fly-casting instruction, as well as a sporting clay course, while garden-variety sports enthusiasts can play croquet, bocce ball or badminton in the picturesque Town Square. For links addicts, Barnsley also offers one of the state’s top-ranked championship golf courses, Jim Fazio-designed par 72 layout known as The General.

 

In short, there are a million things to do in this unusual, world-class resort. But with its luxurious cottages, top-notch amenities and attentive service, the truth is that you can have a memorable time simply by embracing the distinctively Southern serenity of Godfrey Barnsley’s love-inspired dream.