Hey Guys!
My hubby and I were looking for somewhere close to spend a long weekend.
After some research, we decided to go to Fall Creek Falls State Park.
The park is approximately 2.5 hrs from our home.
We left on a Fri after work and arrived to the cabin we rented from VRBO around 7 pm.
The cabin was located in a gated community and located only 15 mins from the park.
It had 3 bedrooms and 4 baths…it backed up to the woods so there was no one behind us or in front of us but there were cabins on each side of us….thankfully, no one had rented them while we were there so it was really private and quiet.
Shots of the inside/outside of the cabin.
After arriving, we spent some time in the hot tub.
The next day, we decided to drive into the park.
Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres..
At 256 feet, Fall Creek Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States.
Other waterfalls within the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades.
It had been drizzling rain so we decided not to do any hikes.
Click here & here for hikes in the park & here for nearby waterfalls
Our first stop in the park was the Cane Creek Falls overlook near the visitor center.
Cane Creek is responsible for carving the impressive gorge that is responsible for all the other falls.
The falls can be viewed from two overlooks. One is very close to the Visitor center parking area, but the view is not very good.
A better view can be had if you cross the swinging bridge above Cane Creek Cascades, and head up the trail towards Fall Creek Falls. From here you can also see Rockhouse Falls, which is adjacent to Cane Creek Falls.
We viewed the falls from the parking area and then walked across the swinging bridge to get a better view.
The bridge was terrifying! I don’t like heights so I could only walk about half way across the bridge.
However, the views of the falls were really good from the bridge.
Next, we walked to the other overlook to view the falls.
This overlook wasn’t quite as good, as the falls were a bit obscured.
Next, we headed to the Fall Creek Falls Overlook.
When you visit the falls from the Fall Creek Falls parking lot and trailhead, there’s an immediate overlook. However, the falls are quite distant from here but the views are still really good.
The falls is 256 ft tall.
We could see people hiking from a distance and they looked very close to the edge!
After leaving here, we stopped at a pullover called Milliken’s Overlook and Buzzard’s Roost.
This overlook is named in honor of Dr. Glen Milliken, a Vanderbilt physiologist, who fail to his death in a rock climbing accident in May 1947.
It was cloudy and rainy, so the views weren’t that great.
Next was the Piney Creek Falls stop.
After walking a short trail, we arrived to an overlook for the 75 ft falls.
After this stop, we headed to the new 85-room Lodge at Fall Creek Falls to have lunch at their restaurant.
The restaurant recently opened in 2021 and offers indoor and outdoor dining with breathtaking lake views.
We sat inside since it was raining.
The menu was limited since it was their off season…we were there in Feb. 2022.
I ordered the smothered chicken with a baked potato and the hubby ordered the fish and chips.
The food was pretty good considering it was park food.
After we finished our lunch, we headed outside to snap a few pics.
The lodge is very nice and the rooms had balconies that faced the water.
After spending a few hours in the park, we headed back to the cabin to spend some time in the hot tub!
The next morning, we headed to Pikeville for lunch. It was about a 20 min drive from the cabin.
We spotted a restaurant called the Butter Dish.
The Butter Dish is a family owned restaurant that offers home style meals.
It was really crowded but we got seated pretty quickly.
I ordered the baked chicken, fried okra and collard greens and it was delicious!
My hubby ordered a burger and fries and he said it was really good.
They had freshly baked homemade cakes so we couldn’t resist ordering something.
We decided to order two different kinds of cake and share.
We ordered the chocolate cake and a lemon berry cake.
Both were very good but the lemon berry cake was the best!
The food was very reasonable …I think our bill came to around $35.
After lunch, we drove through the quaint town of Pikeville.
There were lots of little shops and restaurants but most were closed since it was Sunday.
We passed this beautiful old stone house!
As we drove down a side street, we had this pheasant literally start following our car! He followed us for a while..it was hilarious!
After spending a short time in Pikeville, we headed back to the cabin to pack up and head home.
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for my next post on San Antonio!