The Best Story in Smoky Mountain Cabin Rentals

We didn’t set out to break into the Townsend cabin rentals market. In fact, Moon Shadow Lodge started with an overnight camping trip. Our family wanted a quiet place to spend time together in the mountains, but what we got instead was a busy campground with noisy neighbors.

That’s when we first thought about buying some land. While interviewing a person who grew up in Townsend, I, Steve, heard about some farmland in a secluded valley. It sounded like the perfect place for a quiet picnic.

I called the office of the owner, Dr. Mynatt, and spoke with a rather brusque nurse who said she’d pass on the message. If Dr. Mynatt wanted to sell, then he’d call. Thinking that this frustrating conversation had settled the matter, I hung up the phone. Dr. Mynatt surprised me by calling within the hour.

Within a month, we had purchased the land.

That was August of 1992, and many years of camping, picnicking, and larger gatherings followed at what became known simply as “the farm.”

Over the next thirteen years, we watched with deep satisfaction as our children, family, and friends experienced the joy of “getting away from it all” in the mountains, and we gained a clearer sense of what God wanted to do with the beautiful piece of creation that He had entrusted to our care.

Our vision went from building a facility for several hundred people to a simple covered picnic area to somewhere in between. In mid-2004 our plans began with a drawing on notebook paper, and we broke ground in August of that year. Many dedicated friends and family volunteered to help, and the next fourteen months were a lot like an old-fashioned barn raising: building, raising beams, laying tile, installing floors, picking up rocks, cleaning, and a thousand other tasks.

Moon Shadow Lodge opened in February 2005. It is a place to relax, to enjoy nature, and to reconnect with the Creator. We can’t wait for you to see it. Of all the cabins in Townsend, we think you’ll like it the best.

But of course we’re biased.

Click here for information about booking Moon Shadow Lodge and planning your Smoky Mountains vacation.