Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn

Each of our guest rooms and cottages were designed with your special needs in mind: romance, history, peacefulness, and luxury abound in all of our accommodations. All of our rooms have queen or king beds and private baths. Your stay includes a full breakfast each morning, evening desserts and refreshments.Each room in the inn is named for a historic or geographical part of the Smoky Mountains. Our Smoky Mountain Rooms are all unique and beautifully decorated. Also if you are planning a corporate retreat, a small conference, or just need to get everyone away from the office or that extra important meeting, the Blue Mountain Mist has the facilities, equipment and atmosphere to insure a productive outcome. Our helpful staff will meet your every need and will make it a breeze for you to present your best ideas. Your participants can take a break and relax in our bright, retreat center garden room or in their private, individually decorated guest rooms. The Blue Mountain Mist is an award-winning bed and breakfast with a reputation for excellence, and we will do our utmost to ensure the success of your next meeting.
The mist rises from every hollow and ravine, and the hills and mountains appear layer upon layer--their hazy-blue color giving meaning to the Cherokee phrase Shaconage (land of blue smoke). This land has a wonderful, mysterious, magnetic pull. The lush vegetation, varied wildlife, and spectacular views have an appeal which attract the Smoky Mountain visitor. For Norman and I, there's even more than this that holds our hearts to these mountains. Our roots are planted deep in these mountains. My mother--whose maiden name is Shields--is a direct descendant of some of the very first settlers to this area. In 1784, Robert Shields moved his family of ten sons and one daughter from Virginia to the new frontier. He came to settle only a couple of miles from where our Inn is today. He and his sons built a fort on Middle Creek at the foot of what is known as Shields Mountains.

Shields Fort was several miles away from regular Indian trails and was never attacked by large war parties--only small bands which might shoot at anyone outside the protection of the fort.

Norman's great-great grandparents were full blooded Cherokee, and had been planted firmly in these mountains long before land-grabbing intruders. One story handed down in my family holds that one of the 10 brothers, Thomas, was killed by the Indians while tapping sugar maples a few miles from home. Accompanying him were his two small sons and an old blind mule. When the band of Indians attacked, he put his sons on the mule and told him to take the boys home. The blind mule did get the boys back to safety, but not in time to save Thomas. (Just think--my ancestors and Norman's ancestors could have been enemies at one time.) Both sides of our families, parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents were natives of this area. Several lived in mountain communities which were taken over when the National Park was established Norman's parents were both reared where the National Park is now, and Norman's dad played bluegrass and mountain music for a living all of his life. You'll see memorabilia from his mountain music show and hear his music while staying at our inn. All of our parents were reared in this difficult and unique lifestyle which shaped them into people whose values, faith and fun-loving spirit stayed with them throughout life.

It's really a wonderful feeling, knowing how we came to belong here. It also makes us feel very proud and, even though it's a little selfish, I guess we feel as though these mountains are ours. Ours to share, of course. We also want to share our great appreciation of the natural beauty of the mountains and our love of the mountain heritage with all of our guests. We love this little spot God has given us and we want to share it and our heritage with as many people as possible.

Sarah Shields Ball