Taste of Loudon County, Tennessee
Whet your palate for the “Lakeway to the Smokies.”
by Hope S. Philbrick
Loudon County is a picturesque place adored by its residents yet ranks among the roads less traveled as a vacation destination. With its rolling hills, sparkling lake, quaint towns, friendly folks, authentic food producers, upscale eateries and luxurious overnight accommodation options, it won’t stay a hidden treasure for long. The agriculturally rich retreat is located about a half-hour southwest of Knoxville and an hour west of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains.
Your lungs will love the fresh air, your eyes will love the views and really every part of you will love the pace of life here, but your tastebuds will thank you most of all for the visit. Loudon County is packed with flavor. Bring a cooler when you visit so you can tote your favorite food and drink discoveries back home.
Among Loudon County’s abundant tasty treasures:
Bluestem Hollow is a 350-acre boutique farm that’s home to a flock of pastured laying hens, native grassland where up to 120 cows can graze and an organic farm market garden dubbed “The Meeting House” that opened in March. The market offers fresh, grass-fed, hormone/antibiotic-free beef and pork, organic vegetables from the nearby garden, local goods including breads, mushrooms, pastas, kombucha, honey and more. Two chefs on site stock the market with unique products like grab-and-go salads as well as brats, kielbasa and other goodies. While here, you can walk the trails, volunteer in the garden, hang out on the deck, shop and enjoy fun events if your visit coincides with one of the farm’s scheduled festivals.
Monkey Town Brewing is a restaurant and craft brewery housed in an old train depot. Order a tasting flight to sip several seasonal flavors across the rotating menu of brews, from hoppy IPAs to malty stouts. The food menu showcases local ingredients, from meats and cheeses to fruits and vegetables, across a mouthwatering range of diverse dishes. Popular favorites include the Mandarin teriyaki chicken salad, Buffalo chicken wrap, Thai chicken lettuce wraps, pulled pork tacos, burgers and house-made cheesecakes and gelatos. Bustling with locals and visitors alike, the main dining room has an upbeat welcoming vibe and literally vibrates when a train rolls by.
Sweetwater Valley Farm, located on land that has been a dairy farm since 1917, is home to over 1,500 dairy cows. The current owners, who first got involved in 1987 and became sole owners in 1992, added robotic milking machines in 2018 and in the process became Tennessee’s first Lely XL Robotic Milking facility. Take a tour to see the milking machines in action—watch cows voluntarily step in whenever they feel the need for relief—and learn fun facts such as each cow eats about 100 pounds of food and drinks about 50 gallons of water every day. This dairy farm ships 21,000 gallons of milk to Mayfield every day. The farm also uses milk that it produces to make award-winning cheese. Be sure to stop by the cheese building for a tasting. Don’t miss the Seed to Sandwich Café for a wide variety of grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. The gift shop if worth your attention, too, with its local foodstuffs, farm-themed housewares, T-shirts, accessories and more.
Tennessee Valley Winery, established in 1984, is one of the oldest-operating wineries in East Tennessee and one of the best—it’s won more than 1,000 awards. The family-owned-and-operated winery uses imported juice and local fruit to produce 20 different wine varietals; total production is about 80,000 bottles each year. Popular favorite wines include muscadine and sparkling chardonnay, plus several different blends that range from dry to sweet to suit a wide range of palates. Visit for a tour, tasting and/or enjoy the relaxing grounds and view. Themed dinners, festivals and other special event dot the winery’s event calendar so plan ahead to join seasonal fun.
Ugly Mug Coffee & Café Lenoir City stands ready to satisfy cravings for coffee and tea, whether you like it served plain or mixed into something fancy. The wide range of hot and cold drinks have espresso and nitro brew among the options. The beverages are so yum that even a large size may not be enough, so consider ordering one to enjoy on site and another to enjoy along the way to your next stop. The menu also includes pastries, flatbread pizza, sandwiches, salads, wraps and more temptations. The place is small but cute with indoor and outdoor seating, plus a drive-through. Whole bean and ground coffee is also sold by the bag.
Windy Hill Farm & Preserve can be a home base for exploring Loudon County, a dinner destination or a retreat in and of itself. The accomodations are a homey blend of rustic and plush, grounds naturally picturesque, service attentively top-notch and overall vibe a delightful “aahhhh.” Its onsite restaurant Wilder serves upscale seasonal fare for breakfast, lunch and four-course dinner with seating indoors and out. Complimentary activities for overnight guests include mountain biking, garden and orchard walks, hiking the more than four miles of on-site nature trails, yard and board games, roasting s’mores around the nightly bonfires and sometimes even musical entertainment. For an additional fee, you can also rent kayaks, shoot sporting clays, learn about beekeeping, enjoy a bourbon tasting, go crappie fishing, try forest bathing and hunt quail (in season).
For more information, explore visitloudoncounty.com. Photos by Hope S. Philbrick.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Hope S. Philbrick is a freelance writer because she believes that work and fun should not be mutually exclusive. For 24 years and counting, she’s written about travel, food, wine & spirits (as in booze, not ghosts).
