DEEP BREATH

It's time to turn off all devices, set your intention, and breathe. This is the year of mindful, meditative travel, and these three wellness-focused Southern destinations are built for restful self-discovery.

- TRISHA BOYER AND ERIN BYERS MURRAY

MOUNTAIN MEDITATION
Finding balance at Blackberry Mountain
Walland, Tennessee

As I navigated the slow, easy switchbacks leading me up toward the Blackberry Mountain resort, my brain was in one of those close-to-panic states—I was overloaded with a crushing to-do list, not to mention the upcoming holidays. That, coupled with a lack of sleep and a knot in my back, meant I was aching for a rejuvenating retreat.

Blackberry Mountain, younger sibling to venerated luxury property Blackberry Farm, is set in a remote corner of East Tennessee on a ridge called Three Sisters. The farm's ownership broke ground on the property in 2016 and opened the resort in 2019; both properties are part of the Relais & Châteaux network of exclusive hotels. While parts of the property are still being developed, the resort itself is a small hub of buildings and residential lodging centered on the Lodge, with its Three Sisters restaurant, spa, outdoor pool, and lawn. There's also a wellness and activity facility called the Hub and a second restaurant, Firetower. The all-inclusive pricing for the cottages, small homes, and treehouses means that all meals and morning wellness activities are included for guests.

I was booked in a treehouse called Angel Wing—these sleekly designed spaces are built for one or two people with king beds, in-room jacuzzi tubs, private porches overlooking the property, and their own golf cart. As soon as I walked in, that ache in my back started to slip away—the windowed nest made it feel like I was perched high above the world while the white oak-lined room, marble tile, and light pouring through the windows reminded me that we were deep within the woods.