Autumn Dancer Llama Farm

We stayed for almost a week with two seniors (my in-​laws), our two teen kids and two dogs. Every one of us would have gladly stayed several days longer. Ginny has the cabin so well equipped that we were able to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner from scratch, for six, without needing to bring a single pan or utensil! There is literally every comfort of home, and then some.
Ed and Ginny are just wonderful hosts. They invited us to meet the animals. It is clear that each of them is greatly loved and well cared for. The animals truly enhance the view, which is beautiful enough without them. We took a day trip to Gatlinburg and a half day to Pigeon Forge. The kids enjoyed both but would not have felt cheated if we hadn’t. We played games, used the hot tub, watched football, took family walks and just generally had quality time to spend together in a place that is worry free in almost every way.
It’s a good distance from town. Expect to take a half hour both ways if you need to make a run. But Ginny will also pick something up for you if you need it during the week and offers to have groceries waiting for you on arrival if you give her a list.
Ginny and Ed both go out of their way to make their guests feel at home. My husband had to join us late on the second night. They called before going to bed to ask me not to hesitate to wake them if he got turned around coming in in the dark so Ed could go find him and lead him in.
It is important that you follow their gently presented instructions specifically, as the mountains and even a farm can be dangerous. We were very lucky in that one of our dogs got away from us and bit one of the llamas. The vet was astounded that the dog wasn’t killed. Ginny and Ed handled our agregeous mistake with true grace and did their best not to make us feel any worse about the situation than we already did.
But if you mind your little ones carefully, two-​legged or four and take head to their words of wisdom, this couple and their beautiful cabin in the Smokies will provide you and your family with an experience you will cherish for many years to come. We all are looking forward to going back!

My dog LOVED this vacation spot!!! The humans loved it too, but it was so wonderful to have a completely dog and family friendly vacation. No worries about dog hair or slobber, about the dog barking or having to be crated, no traffic or busy parking lots outside a hotel for dog potty breaks etc.
This is a single «cabin» which is basically a 3 bedroom ranch style house with 2 full bathrooms (one «master» bath and one hall bath), huge wrap-​around covered deck with a hot tub and plenty of seating, and a nice sized fully fenced yard. 5 foot tall, newly built wire and wood fencing. Very safe for the dogs or kids while still allowing a view of the horses that graze the adjoining pasture.
The house was so well appointed. Not fancy– country style at its best with wood floors, wood paneling, a gas fireplace and full kitchen (gas grill outside). Ed and GInny seem to have thought of every single item that vacationers might need in the home from kitchen things like veggie peelers and bottle openers, to instructions for the large flat screen TV and Wi-​Fi internet to night lights in the bathrooms and books and crayons for the kids. I’m not joking when I say that I could move right into that house without needing to bring anything but my clothing/​personal items along.
Outside the cabin is a small llama farm with several pastures of llamas. Llamas are kind of unusual animals, often shy and fun to watch but not always interested in attention like most dogs or horses. Ed and Ginny, the owners, live on the property and run the llama farm so they are available if the guests need assistance but are very unobtrusive. They have golden retrievers but no problem if your dog is shy or doesn’t like strange dogs since their dogs have a completely separate fenced yard around the owner’s home.
Nearby is access to the Cherokee National Forest. My favorite part was the Paint Creek Corridor Scenic Drive (accessible from Highway 107) which is a 1 lane paved road that runs about 5 miles alongside and crossing back and forth over Paint Creek until it meets the French Broad River. Scenic and relatively easy to drive with several stopping points for walks and photos and even splashing in the creek. Many of the forest roads are gravel, sometimes steep and one lane with turn-​outs but mainly accessible in a regular car in dry weather. My V-​6 engine had no trouble but some of the roads aren’t for the faint of heart or height-​phobic.
There are several small towns within about 30 minutes drive on winding narrow roads but don’t visit here expecting to dine out nightly or go to outside entertainment like movies or bars etc. Several of the roads are steep and while passable with regular car in dry weather, would be treacherous in heavy rains or snow.
This is a place to relax and get away from all of that. Either pack coolers and boxes of groceries for the trip, stop at the Food City 30 minutes away and/​or take Ginny up on her offer to buy groceries for you and have them at the cabin with a receipt for repayment. Packing some good wine, beer or liquor is a great idea if you drink alcohol since the lovely deck just invites sipping a drink and gazing out on the horse pasture.
All in all, a 5 star rural get-​away about 6 hours drive from Louisville.

My wife and I have never been able to take our dogs on vacation. We finally decided to look into places that offered «pet friendly» amenities for a quick weekend getaway, and figured that a vacation property likely offered us the best chance of finding a place for ourselves and our two dogs to enjoy.
Now, when I say we have two dogs, it’s a bit of an exaggeration; we have one dog and one bloodhound, who is more like a small horse than a dog in many aspects. So when hotels say they’re «dog friendly», they often mean dogs under 50#. Our big guy is 110#, slings drool up onto walls, and scratches at doors while screaming at the top of his lungs when he really needs to go outside. Suffice it to say, he wouldn’t be very welcome at most «pet friendly» establishments.
If there is a more pet-​friendly place to vacation than Autumn Dancer Llama Farm, I challenge you to find it. Our dogs have never been more relaxed than they are here. A large, fully fenced in ¼ acre back yard runs down a slope from the cabin. There is no opportunity for the dogs to escape– they don’t particularly seem to want to anyway! The wrap-​around deck is also fenced in, and your dogs can be corralled on it if need be. Toys are provided for your pups as well! You can bring and board horses on 2.5 acres with a shelter. There are paths and country roads for you to explore.
The cabin itself is quaint and rustic enough but is also modern in all the right ways. Wi-​Fi and satellite TV are provided, there’s a gas fireplace, full A/​C and heating are also here. You can grill outside on the covered deck via a seemingly endless supply of propane provided by the owners. And there is a hot tub on the back porch with a gorgeous, serene view. The cabin is clean and well-​maintained. Ed and Ginny have done a wonderful job of finding the balance between country charm and modern amenities.
Lastly, Ed & Ginny are amazing. There are more than a few animals on the farm who are simply put out to pasture. It takes a certain type of personality to look after animals who technically do not contribute to a working farm– both Ed & Ginny are kind, sweet people who love animals. They also care about their renters– they offered to pick up groceries in advance, lead us in from a local town if it was too dark for us to feel safe, and tend to our dogs a few times if we wanted to go out by ourselves during the day. Additionally, while we were staying here, a large/​violent storm ran through. Ed called us to make sure we were safe and sound and just give us a heads up that he was a stone’s throw away. The owners are kind, sweet people, and I think that deserves mentioning.
We are here right now (mid-​May), and we love it so much that we’re in the process of booking another 4 – 5 days in October!
Disclaimer: This place is definitely in the country. GPS devices don’t work too well, and there are some pretty «country» back roads that you can get sent down if you come in at night. Make sure you clear up directions with Ed & Ginny before you put all your weight in your Garmin. Personally, I used the Waze app on my iPhone and it actually got me right to the front door after some interesting directions in Newport were avoided. Also, next time I come, I’m bringing a power strip just for charging phones/​computers.