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Blackberry Farm
Walland, Tennessee, United States · Independent · Apex Luxury
Blackberry Farm got its name when Florida Lasier snagged her silk stockings in a thicket of wild blackberries. She and David Lasier were driving from Chicago to the Georgia coast in 1940 when the Great Smoky Mountains stopped them, and David bought 158 acres four miles outside Walland for $3,500. The farm was self-sustaining from the start, with chickens, pigs and crops, and MICHELIN awarded it Two Keys in 2025.
- 68 rooms
- Opened 1976
About Blackberry Farm
- Founders David and Florida Lasier were driving from Chicago to the Georgia coast in 1940 when the Great Smoky Mountains stopped them, leading David to buy 158 acres for 3,500 dollars.
- The farm's name came from Florida Lasier snagging her silk stockings in a thicket of wild blackberries on the way in.
- The property was self-sustaining from the outset, raising chickens and pigs and growing crops alongside its nine-bedroom inn.
- Proprietor Sam Beall, who had run the estate since the early 2000s, died in a skiing accident in 2016, and his widow Mary Celeste Beall now leads it.
History
Blackberry Farm's story begins in the last years of the Great Depression, when Chicago natives David and Florida Lasier came through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains on their way to the Georgia coast. The mountains stopped them. On March 21, 1940, David Lasier purchased 158 acres of land four miles outside Walland, Tennessee, for $3,500. The name was Florida's invention — she had snagged her silk stockings in a thicket of wild blackberries on the way in.
Over the following year the Lasiers built a nine-bedroom inn, a seven-car garage, and a guest house, installing Florida's sister-in-law Ruth and her husband Jim Harris as proprietors. The spring of 1941 brought the first paying guests to what Jim and Ruth's inaugural brochure described as a property where visitors could motor over mountains, climb them on woodland trails, or simply sit and look at them from the terrace. The farm was self-sustaining from the outset — chickens, pigs, and crops alongside the inn — and seasonal, running from May through early December. Ruth and Jim returned to California in 1943, and in December 1952 Lasier sold the property to Howard and Eleanor Jarvis of Knoxville.
The inn's next transformation came in 1976, when a young Tennessee entrepreneur named Sandy Beall, who had founded the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain four years earlier while a student at the University of Tennessee, purchased Blackberry Farm with his wife Kreis and moved the family to live on the grounds full time. The inn then had nine guest rooms and a gravel road. Kreis Beall approached Blackberry as an extension of her own home rather than a commercial enterprise: she served guests on the family's wedding china, tended the gardens herself, and developed a style of Southern hospitality rooted in genuine warmth rather than scripted service. Over the following decades the property expanded from nine rooms to more than sixty, and from a simple country inn to a Relais and Chateaux estate celebrated internationally for its farm-to-table cuisine, extraordinary wine program, and the quiet magnificence of the surrounding landscape.
Sandy and Kreis's son Sam Beall became proprietor in 2003 and deepened the property's commitment to food culture, attracting chefs, sommeliers, and culinary travelers from around the world. Sam Beall died in a skiing accident in 2016, and his wife Mary Celeste assumed the role of proprietor, carrying the farm forward across the four thousand acres it now encompasses. MICHELIN awarded Blackberry Farm Two Keys in its 2025 guide, a recognition that confirmed what generations of guests had already known: this Smoky Mountain farm had become one of the great American luxury destinations.
The setting
10 miles from Tuckaleechee Caverns.
Experiences
- Renew and Restore — Wellness and adventure event, 1-4 November 2026, featuring Charlotte Hardwick and Tammy Fender.
- By Land and Sea — Wine and food event, 6-9 December 2026, featuring Chef Matthew Kammerer of The Harbor House Inn, Grace Family Vineyards and Winemaker Helen Keplinger.
- Wine Geek — Wine and food event, 3-6 January 2027, featuring Todd Mathis of DNS Wines and Andy Chabot.
- Sisterhood Summit with Jenna and Barbara — Enrichment event, 21-24 January 2027, featuring Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush.
- The Joy of Well-Being — Wellness event, 31 January to 3 February 2027, featuring author Kate Bowler and assistant director of wellness Meghan Henley.
- Excellence in Residence — Wine and food event, 7-10 February 2027, featuring Chef Frank Stitt and wine importer Gregory Castells.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Fitness center
- Tennis
- Horseback riding
- Fine dining
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Andrew Harper Members Choice (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List (2025)
- Robb Report 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth (2025)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotels (2024)
Open Blackberry Farm in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Walland
- Blackberry Mountain — Independent · Grand Luxury