Fall Colors in the Smoky's

The fall colors are almost at their peak in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the surrounding area. The color is showing up in Townsend. There are a lot of folks here this time of year, but there are still available cabins for rent. The weekends are the most sought after times to come, but if you can be flexible and come during the week, there are more options available. So, give us a call. We'd love to see you.

CBM's 75th Anniversary Celebration

Children's Bible Ministry's 75th Anniversary celebration at Camp Gilead in Polk City, Florida was wonderful! Florida was hot and humid, but beautiful. The accommodations were great, the meals were good, and our meetings were superb. We had a local pastor who was our guest speaker, and he was dy-no-mite! Literally! He is very passionate about teaching the Word, and kept our attention the whole weekend. We thank the Camp Gilead staff for hosting the celebration and all the effort they had to put into planning the event.

We had special guests to arrive on Sunday: The Jensen family. CBM was started 75 years ago by Walter Jensen. His son and grandchildren and their families were able to be with us for a few hours and that was a special treat. Thank you Jensens for making the effort to be there.

Many of you may already know that Tuckaleechee Retreat Center is owned by Children's Bible Ministries, but for those of you who don't, I'm telling you. CBM has been around for coming up on 75 years. In fact, this Labor Day weekend they will be celebrating at their National Conference in Polk City, Florida at Camp Gilead. Florida is where CBM started, and Camp Gilead is their first childrens camp. Back in the day, a CBM missionary would go into the public school, teach children a Bible lesson in the classroom, then assign memory verses. The teacher would listen to the children say their verses during the week, then the missionary would return to the school the following week, give rewards to those who accomplished their memorization, then teach the next lesson. If the child memorized a total of 300 verses throughout the school year, they could attend summer camp free of charge.

However, things have changed somewhat. CBM can no longer go into the school room to teach the lessons, but with the Released Time laws and certain conditions, they can take children off the school property for an hour, teach the lesson, and return them to school. CBM uses local churches, recreation centers or mobile classrooms to teach the children. They also provide correspondence lessons for the children to do, and camps in the summer. Thus, the ministry of the 3 C's: classes, correspondence and camp. For more information about CBM, check out their website: www.childrensbibleministries.net.

Extend Your Summer!

Even though school has started in many counties, if you are in Tennessee or one of our neighboring states, you can extend your summer. Come to Townsend for a weekend in the mountains. Cool off at the pool, drive up to Newfound Gap, or have a picnic at one of the picnic grounds in the Smokies. There's Cades Cove, Metcalf Bottoms or the Chimneys to name a few. They all are located by a creek and are shaded. We have cabins for you to rent at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center. Give me a call: 865-448-6442.

Sunsets in the mountains

Have you ever seen the sunsets at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center? They can be absolutely beautiful. Last night in the evening, the air had a yellowish-green tone to it. Then it progressed into this breath-taking red color as the sun set. Although this sunset was unique, it is a common occurance to see beautiful sunsets here. Maybe you should come here to see them. We have cabins available, so log onto our website and check them out. www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com. See you soon.

Hot, hot, hot...

We have had our share of hot weather, but according to the news, we are not alone. However, we are thankful for a few rain showers here and there. We were getting quite dry, but the rain has helped. Summertime brings all the family reunions to our retreat center. We have many families who come every year, and we are extremely grateful for them. Thank you for considering us your reunion home. www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com

Cades Cove in the Smokies

Have you ever visited Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park? It is a beautiful valley in the mountains that a community of people used to live in, farm, and raise cattle. There are old cabins and churches for you to go through, and the views are spectacular. Since Townsend is a gateway to the Smokies, you only have to travel a short distance to get there from Tuckaleechee Retreat Center. If you visit early in the day or late in the afternoon, you have a very good chance of seeing deer, turkey, and sometimes bear. There are other animals in the park, such as fox, owl, and coyoty, that are seen less frequently, but you just might get a glimpse of them. Recently, the road around the Cove was paved, and it is lovely. There are paved pull-overs for you to use when you want to stop and gaze at the scenery or the animals, and best of all, no more potholes!

It's summertime in the Smokies!

Do you need a place to stay? Check us out at http://www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com/. We'd love to have you.

The temperature is in the 90's most days, the sun is shining, and we are working hard to keep up the property. There is lawn to mow, flower beds to weed, the pool to keep clean, plus all the minor fixes in the cabins due to the many guests who are here these days. But doesn't it look great! Jim, our maintenance man, is diligently keeping up with all the tasks.

This is our busy season and there are lots of guests scheduled to be here; however, we still have space available for your reunion, retreat, or celebration. Call me and we'll chat about your needs. It's not too late, and you might find a deal. Don't forget, we have smaller cabins to rent by the night for a 2 night minimum, or for as many days as you can stay. The pool is available to all our guests, and you also have a hot tub at your cabin. Come enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains.

Wow! How time flies. It's been 3 weeks since I've written. Another work week later, I am now ready to settle in for the summer bookings. We still have openings, so please call if you haven't booked a cabin for your reunion, retreat, or family getaway. We'd love to have you.

Don't forget the Pottery Festival this weekend, June 4-5. Also, Christy Fest, June 16-20, is a big part of Townsend's festivals. Check out their website for a schedule of events: www.christfest.org.

Lots to do in Townsend

Sometimes people might get the impression that if Townsend is The Peaceful Side of the Smokies, there's nothing to do over here. Not so! One of the upcoming attractions is The Smoky Mountain Pottery Festival at the Townsend Visitors Center on June 4 and 5, 2010. Don't miss it. Also, there are numerous riding stables, a golf course, walking and biking trails, the Heritage Center Museum and Tuckaleechee Caverns, to name a few. As the weather gets warmer, the tubing companies will be up and running, and tubing down the Little River is a great way to spend a warm afternoon. And don't forget we are one of the gateways into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Just driving through is a pleasure, but be sure to stop along the way. The trails are beautiful, the rivers are pleasing to the ear, and who knows what kind of wild life you will see. So, come visit us and enjoy the many attractions in Townsend.

Cabins are available for you to rent. See our website at www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com.

Special deal for you

Summer is just around the corner. The pool is almost up and running. Many family reunions and youth retreats are scheduled; however, there are a few open dates still available. If you aren't sure whether you can afford to schedule your group for a reunion or retreat, please call me. There is a 10% discount for any of our lodges, Elk Lodge, Bear Lodge or Deer Lodge, that are booked during the week. Feel free to call to see if you can take advantage of this discount. 800-487-6659 or 865-448-6442. Hope to see you this summer! www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. Take time to check out nature.

It's time for a little time off. As an innkeeper, it is sometimes hard to find the time to take off. However, Mother's Day weekend is a great time. Nobody books a retreat or reunion on Mother's Day weekend. So, I'm taking a road trip with my friend to explore Louisville, KY. I'll post pictures upon my return, and let you know how it went.

It's wild flower time in the Smokies!

This is a picture of wild iris, one of the many varieties of wild flowers in the Smokies. I went on a hike a couple weeks ago on the Porter's Creek trail, and we saw 22 different varieties of wild flowers along the way. We also saw a bear. He was more interested in eating the flowers than watching us. Porter's Creek trail is a great place for wild flowers. It is off Hwy. 321 past Gatlinburg. Approximately 2 miles in there is a beautiful water fall. Then we hiked back to the car and ate a late lunch at Wild Plum Tea Room. Great place for lunch!

Well, it's time for another work week. We have approximately 25 volunteers arriving today, Sunday, to stay the week and help us complete projects. We assign them a bedroom, and feed them 3 meals a day, and they leave on Friday morning after breakfast. The amount of work that will be accomplished is unbelievable. Our main project this week is to replace all the windows in the living room and dining room of Elk Lodge. Those of you who have visited here recently know that our windows look like we never clean them. Actually, they are double pain windows, and the gas has leaked out. They look dirty and foggy, and it's all on the inside. So, we are replacing them with new double pain windows. We are really looking forward to having them installed. Volunteers are fantastic!!!

Fellowship in the Smokies

It's fellowship time in the Smokies! We invite people to come visit with us at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center in Townsend, TN for our Fellowships in the Smokies. We schedule two in the spring and two in the fall. First come, first served. They stay with us from a Monday through Thursday night, and we treat our facility like a bed and breakfast. We assign each couple or family a room, feed them breakfast in the morning, the Director of Children's Bible Ministries, Jerry Traister, gives a devotional and tells a little about the ministry, then our guests are free to do whatever they like for the rest of the day. AND, it's FREE! Most of of our guests go sight seeing, some stay at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center and enjoy the view or a nap, and some do a little of both. Our purpose is to expose and expand the ministry of Children's Bible Ministries.

If you are interested in attending a Fellowship, please call me, Ruth White, Innkeeper, at 865-448-6442. If there's room, you are welcome to come.

Work, work, work...

Every year we have four Work Weeks, two in the spring and two in the fall. Volunteers come to our property and labor with us. They do everything from spring or fall cleaning to building projects. Landscaping, painting, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, chain saw work, etc. are just some of the things they accomplish for us at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center. How would we make it if it weren't for the volunteers!? They are wonderful. We house them and feed them, and they work. The fellowship is great and we get to meet a lot of new people as well as welcome back some returning friends. The group to the right are all from Tri-County Bible Church. Aren't they beautiful? If you are interested in volunteering, let us know. 800-487-6659 or you can email from our website: http://www.tuckaleecheeretreatcenter.com/.

CBM Directors Conference

Tuckaleechee Retreat Center ("TRC") is owned by Children's Bible Ministries ("CBM"). Periodically, the ministry will have conferences or events. This past week, the Directors Conference was held at TRC. We had approximately 48 people attend, including directors of the CBM areas, a member of their staff, and their families. We prepared meals for them, and they attended sessions about various topics. Their sessions usually revolve around sharing stories about their areas, or possibly learning something new from a speaker or video. It's always a good time when members of the CBM family get together.

Tuckaleechee Retreat Center is in The Peaceful Side of the Smokies, or Townsend, TN. If you've never been here, please come visit. I love to show the Retreat Center, and will be happy to give you a tour. Soon it will be warm enough to use the pool. Don't hesitate to call for a reservation. People are calling to book their events.

We've had a lot of snow days this winter. Although we don't get many inches each time, if the snow lays on the driveways, Jim, our maintenance man has a lot of work to do getting product on the snow to melt it. We have been blessed with a golf cart that has nobby tires. It goes ANYWHERE, so that's the mode of travel when we have snow. Hopefully, we are past the worst of it, but it is still chilly here. The temperature today will be a high of 50 degrees. Not exactly warm, but better than 20's.

Tuckaleechee Retreat Center

Normally, we do not offer discounts or specials at Tuckaleechee Retreat Center during June and July. However, this year, due to the economic struggles many are experiencing, we are offering a 10% discount on our large group lodges for new bookings in Elk Lodge, Bear Lodge and Deer Lodge.

If your family is debating on whether to have your reunion or not, please consider Tuckaleechee Retreat Center. We get numerous compliments from guests that our facility is better than they anticipated. Check out our pictures online and feel free to call with questions or bookings.