Your Tennessee mountain vacation awaits at one of our inviting lodging properties. Choose the luxurious Iron Mountain Inn bed and breakfast; the Creekside Chalet, a log cabin vacation rental; the Lake House, a lakeside cottage, or the Lodge on Iron Mountain, a mountain hideaway for your next getaway.

Butler, TN, “the town that wouldn’t drown”, is nestled between the Iron Mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains and beautiful Watauga Lake. Our vacation accommodations are far from the crowds of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, so a stay at one of our cabins, or the Iron Mountain Inn Bed and Breakfast is a chance to take a deep breath and relax.  Here, Mother Nature takes first place in things to do: hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, boating, horseback riding, festivals, museums, live theater, bluegrass and country music, and just plain rockin’ n' relaxin’.

Mountain City, TN, the county seat of Johnson County, is the highest town in Tennessee giving us cool summers, long spring and fall seasons, and shorter winters. There are great opportunities to challenge yourself on the Appalachian Trail, or the Virginia Creeper biking trail in Damascus, VA. We are also close enough to Boone and Blowing Rock, NC and the ski areas such as Beech and Sugar Mountains for winter fun!  

Watauga Lake is called the third cleanest lake in the US by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Because it is 80% surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest, and there is no large industry or agriculture nearby, swimming, boating, and fishing are very popular.  But Watauga is not crowded!  The best time to visit is September when the light slanting over the surface ripples elicits the WOW response! 

October brings fall foliage and brilliant color rivaling that of New England.  The second and third weeks of October bring the most color, but even into early November, muted burgundies, rusts, and browns make the mountainsides glow.  The first weekend is the National Story Telling Festival in Jonesborough -- don’t miss it!!! 

In April, winter is cast off as daffodils start blooming, and the redbuds create an alley of color around Watauga Lake during the second and third weeks.  Now is the time to visit before the leaves hide the views as you take scenic drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway.