We love our life here at Randall Glen, and we'd like to share it with you. Here you can experience the simple mountain lifestyle that Southern Highlanders have known for hundreds of years, and you can enjoy contemporary vacation pleasures as well. You can also just plain have fun. We have no pressing schedules here, and no lines to stand in. A stay at Randall Glen is a true vacation that leaves you refreshed and relaxed, not in need of "a vacation from vacation".

The simple pleasures of our mountain and farm can't really be catalogued, but our amenities include:

• Horseback Riding

• Hayrides and Buggy Rides

We regularly hitch up our big horses for a ride around the farm. The covered wagon is great for a hayride, and we have a handhewn sledge for close-to-the-ground kid rides. You might catch a ride, too, in our antique doctor's buggy.

• Trout Fishing

Our pond has plenty of big Rainbow and Brown trout, and the little trout pools in the streams are filled with Speckled trout and native Brookies.

At our gem mine you can dig your own bucket of "gem dirt" and sieve it by the creek to find emeralds, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, and more. We also have supplies to turn your find into a pendant or other jewelry.

• Hiking and Mountain Biking Trails

We have miles of beautiful trails, ranging from a peaceful stroll to highly challenging. There are great picnic spots, too, alongside creeks, on our mountaintop, and in fields filled with flowers. Adjoining us is conservancy land with thousands of acres and gorgeous trails.

Sledding The games lawn turns into a sledding hill when we have snow. Gentle-to-steep slopes make good sledding for every age, and we have all kinds of sleds and tubes. And in the summer, the saucer sleds work great on the grass!

Randall Cove Farm Our home farm provides fruits, vegetables, and eggs, and we raise all sorts of animals too. You're welcome to lend a hand here at Randall Cove Farm, to help gather eggs, pick blueberries, or maybe to bottle feed baby goats and lambs.

Living History Here in the Great Smoky Mountains, many Southern Highlanders still farm in the ways of their ancestors. Experience living history here at Randall Glen, when we plow with horses, shear the sheep, perhaps cook up a batch of biscuits on a wood stove. You might even get to hand the farrier his nails when he shoes the horses.

Games Lawn On the two-acre games lawn there's plenty of room for kite flying, Capture the Flag, or a game of ball. There's volleyball, badminton, tetherball, giant chess, and an old-fashioned tire swing. In the summertime we have a haystack for climbing, sliding, and tossing around. There are slopes for grass sledding in the summer and snow sledding in winter. Our bonfire ring is here at the Games Lawn, and the evenings are great for S'mores, mountain music, stargazing, and chasing fireflies. Game Room Overlooking the bonfire ring is the Games Barn, a genuine antique chestnut log barn. Enjoy Billiards, Ping Pong, Foosball, Air Hockey, and more. On a rainy day, join us on the big wraparound porch for a crafts project, whittling, or just to listen to the music of rain on a tin roof.

We offer a full workout, with cardio, free weights, Universal, and boxing. In warm weather you can enjoy the special pleasure of fresh air exercise with equipment on the deep covered porch overlooking the woods. Towels and water are provided.

• The Barnhouse

Our farmhouse is also our guest center. We call it the Barnhouse, because it's a real barn that's been outfitted simply as a house. We welcome you here when you arrive, and during your stay we'll help you out with local activities and bookings. Here you'll find the general store and gift shop as well as the video, book, and game library. You might also find us bottle feeding baby goats or canning vegetables from the garden. From our wraparound porch we look out on the sheep meadow and the creek, the llamas and horses, and the mountains of Sandy Mush.

At the gift shop in the Barnhouse you'll find exclusive gifts, family crafts projects, mountain arts, and keepsakes. The general store stocks gourmet treats and local delicacies as well as basic staples. We also keep a modest cellar of wine and beer, including Biltmore Estate wines and exceptional local ales.

Browse our Barnhouse lending library for movies and kid's shows, family games, jigsaw puzzles, and that perfect vacation novel. We also have a reference library on mountain ways, birds, butterflies, wildflowers, and all those things you wonder about.

Avoid searching for quarters or wishing you had the credit card with you. We'll be glad to set up an account to allow authorized members of your party to sign for virtually every purchase or activity.

We're happy to help you book for outings like whitewater rafting, hot air ballooning, skiing, the Great Smoky Mountains Railway, and the Biltmore Estate. We can arrange for luxurious massage and spa services at your cabin. We'll also help with directions, area information, and "What is it?"

We regularly put on cookouts, sing around the bonfire, and bring out the telescope for stargazing. There might be genuine mountain music, a storyteller, or maybe even a snipe hunt.