Roughing it has never been so luxurious. The luxury becomes apparent shortly after you leave the main highway and begin the climb up the thickly forested mountain road. The cabins are spectacular. There are twelve of them and they are each tucked into little secluded niches which are completely private and yet within walking distance of each other The cabins are different sizes, from one to five bedrooms, and can be rented separately or several together for large families, groups or corporate meetings. We were in cabin number 10 and we knew immediately when we pulled into the short driveway that we were in for a treat. The three story log structure in no way resembled “your grandmother’s cabin in the woods.” When we opened the front door, the first thing we saw were the stark trees of November framed in the windows that stretched across the entire back on the cabin. The view was awesome. I can only imagine what it would look like in the full glory of autumn or the green of summer or even the cold white of a winter Christmas.

We unloaded our groceries into a kitchen that was complete with deluxe stove, refrigerator, microwave and enough pots, pans and dishes to feed a large family. And of course, the kitchen came equipped with the same mesmerizing view as the rest of the cabin.

The master bedroom, which was down a flight, had a fireplace and a television and the recreation room, which was up a flight, had a pool table and several convertible futons in case you brought your children or a large number of friends. Actually, you can even bring your dog or cat if they are well behaved. There was also a second full bedroom on the main floor. The rest of the main floor consisted of a large living room and a stone fireplace which extended to the ceiling. It was almost over-kill to put a large, built-in television into such a beautiful room. Just outside the living room, on the wrap-around porch, was a wood burning fireplace and an already heated hot tub.

Are you beginning to get the picture? This was not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination, except that we had the feeling that we were completely alone in our private mountain retreat.

It was late afternoon when we arrived, so we took a long walk and settled in front of the fireplace to read until it was time for dinner. There was a lovely dining room table, but we decided to eat our dinner by firelight and afterwards retreat to the hot tub. The evening was warm for November and there were thousands of stars visible with no city lights to obscure them.

Not too early the next morning we made breakfast, took another long walk and decided to explore the area. We drove into Bryson City and found the tourist bureau. They loaded us down with enough brochures and things to do to keep us busy for a week even in November. The Nantahala River looked inviting to try white-water rafting, but it was a bit cool. Since we were” flatlanders” from Florida we were not up to mountain biking so we were content to walk and enjoy the beauty of the mountains that way. We did discover a golf course just outside of Bryson City and it was like no other course we had ever played. Every hole seemed to be up-up-up or down-down-down and since we had a golf cart, we had no trouble getting around. If fact it was so challenging that we came back the next day to try it again.

We drove into Cherokee where we spent part of an afternoon in the Museum of the Cherokee Indians which told us a lot about the history of the area. The trip on the Smoky Mountain Railroad was also interesting and allowed us to see a little more of the area. There was really no end to the things to do for both adults and children. I noticed a number of interesting craft exhibits but my dear husband, who hates shopping in any form, flatly refused to go near anything that even resembled a store, even if it was cleverly disguised as a local emporium.

The cabin complex was started by two gentlemen from Atlanta, Tim Goodwin and Ron Larocque, who originally set out to build a luxury cabin for the use of their families and ended up with a growing enterprise. In addition to the main Watershed core property, there are also a number of off-site cabins ranging from luxury to “value” cabins. All cabins have hot tubs and are meticulously maintained and comfortably furnished. Tim now owns and manages the entire company. Eventually, the core complex may be converted into a more “resort-like” property with the addition of a pool and spa area.
Actually, I like it just the way it is. I hope I can visit again with my extended family and for us they do not need to change a thing.

For more information: www.WatershedCabins.com. or call 1-888-604-3075