By: Deener Matthews 

“Over the Christmas holidays, our family went over to Pigeon Forge to see the highly-touted Titanic.  It is a WOW!”.

Crowds are controlled, so that you can really see the items he has collected.  When you enter the museum, you are given a card with the name of a Titanic passenger.  It is not until you exit — a good hour or so later — that you find out whether your person survived.

We had the opportunity to meet John Joslyn, the man behind this magnificent creation just before we went in.

We learned that we can save traffic time by driving over from The Swag on I-40 to the Maryville, TN exit.  Titanic is on the near side of Pigeon Forge to I-40.  Actually, it is a museum that really immerses you in the dreadful event without horror, but definitely awe.

So, for our Swag guests who want a richly rewarding experience, Dan and I give it a heads-up.  I guess it would be best to go on non-holiday days, before school gets out. April, May, September and November would be excellent times to take a days drive over there.

It’s a chilly day up here at 5,000 feet! We woke up to a nice dusting of snow this morning, and we wish you were all here to enjoy it with us! This is our second snow of the season, and it’s only October 29th! Can you believe it? 

If you’re spending this fall Saturday at home, why not bring a little of The Swag to your kitchen? With this cold weather, the kitchen whipped us up some Swag bars this morning and we’re all enjoying them warm, right out of the oven! It’s the perfect way to get warm and enjoy this beautiful Saturday! 

Join us, won’t you? These treats would even make for a huge hit at your Halloween party this weekend! Enjoy! Be sure to share pictures of your Swag bars with us!! Oh, and a nice cup of coffee makes them even better!  We’ve included The Swag Bar recipe for you below!

SWAG BARS

1 cup white sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

2 cups creamy peanut butter

6 cups crushed corn flakes

1 – 8 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate chips)

• Combine white sugar, white corn syrup and peanut butter in large heavy pan.
• Heat over medium heat, bringing almost to a boil, stirring constantly
• Remove from stove
• Add crushed corn flakes 
• Mix well together
• Press into lightly greased/sprayed pan (9×13) 
• Spread chocolate chips over the top and place in a warm (250 degree) oven

           (just long enough to allow the chips to melt)

• Using a spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly as a topping
• Score into bars while still hot as they are difficult to cut when cool

Swag Bars can be wrapped individually and can be stored in the freezer.  They are best served warm or at room temperature. 

In the coming weeks, Swag guests have a couple of great opportunities to view the Elk down in the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The first of these comes on Thursday, September 29, at 5 p.m. for a special, guided viewing of the elk with Friends of the Smokies.  Space is limited, so Swaggers will need to respond by September 22 by emailing The Swag office at Stay@TheSwag.com.    Unable to make the tour on the 29th? Not to worry.  The Swag has added a special amenity lasting through the month of October.  In partnership with Cataloochee Valley Tours, The Swag now offers tickets for Eco-Tours.  The evening eco-tour consists of round-trip transport into Cataloochee Valley, a short hike, elk and other wildlife viewing,  refreshments and a mountain sunset.  The tour lasts approximately four hours.

The experimental release of elk into Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in February 2001.  Each fall, during the breeding season, known as ”rut,” male elk make their legendary bugling calls to challenge other bulls and attract cows. Their calls may be heard a mile or more away. Large bulls use their antlers to intimidate and spar with other males. Most encounters are ritualistic and involve little physical contact; only occasionally do conflicts result in serious injuries to one or more combatants. During the rut in September and early October, dominant bulls gather and breed with harems of up to 20 cows.

The Cataloochee Valley is 17 miles from The Swag, about a 45-minute drive from the Swag House, or for the adventurous, a seven- mile one-way hike.  More information about the elk in the Smokies can be found on the park’s website.

While ziplines and canopy tours have been modes of transportation and tourist attractions in other parts of the country, and around the world, the canopy tour has become the latest “Big” attraction.  Over the last couple of years, several canopy tour companies have opened their doors for the high-flying excitement here in western NC.  Adventure America Zipline Canopy Tours is the most recent to open in Asheville.  Adventure America now has six different locations in the southeast, three of which are in NC and would be a perfect day trip from The Swag.

Innkeeper, Deener Matthews, take a zip at Navitat.

Just ask our Deener Matthews, our innkeeper.  Recently when her family was visiting at The Swag, they all loaded up and headed to another fairly new tour operator, Navitat Canopy Adventures.  Deener, and her family, spent over three hours hiking, zipping and rappelling at Navitat, located about 20 minutes north of Asheville.

So if you are looking for something a little more extreme that hiking to Hemphill Bald, think about one of the local canopy tours here in the beautiful mountains of western NC.

The Swag, celebrating its 30^th season in 2011, has always valued our returning guests.  However, in the early years, we didn’t really have a way to reward repeat Swaggers.  Then, in 1991, The Swag became a member of Select Registry which had a loyalty program called the Golden Quill.  This program has evolved over the years to provide repeat  guests a loyalty reward of $25.00 on their fourth visit to a Select Registry property.

In 2011, Select Registry  revamped the Golden Quill Loyalty Program  making it easier and quicker to earn a reward.  Now after only 12 nights, not stays, guests are entitled to a $100 gift certificate issued by Select Registry that can be used at The Swag, or any other member property.  To participate in the Golden Quill Loyalty Program simply  register on the Select Registry website and enter your nights after you check-out.  With the program now being online, there are no more cards to keep track of and no more stamps to collect at check-out.  It’s just that easy!

And if that’s not enough, this season The Swag joined Stash Hotel Rewards.  Stash is a new hotel rewards program where members earn and redeem points for free nights at authentic, independently-run hotels across the U.S.  Swaggers have the opportunity to earn five points for every dollar spent on the base rate which can add up quickly for free return visits to The Swag, or over 150 other unique independent properties across the U.S.  Stash, which is just over a year old, continues to grow and has already expanded by 25+ properties since we joined in April. With Stash, there are no membership numbers to remember or cards to carry, your Stash account is tied to your email address.  To join,  enroll online at the Stash website or pre-enroll at check-in.

Whether it’s Golden Quill, Stash, or both, rewarding loyal Swaggers has never been easier.  Collect the rewards you’ve earned and enroll today.

After somewhat of a hiatus during the month of July, The Swag welcomes back several special event leaders over the next several weeks to educate, lead hikes, and entertain.  Renowned storyteller Donald Davis concludes his week of “Walks and Talks” tonight (8/21) with stories after dinner.  Donald returns for his final week of storytelling this season beginning September 25th.  If you’re interested in bird watching, you don’t want to miss the return of Dr. Bob Collier who arrives tomorrow (8/22) for a week of “Birding on the Lawn” each morning and then daily nature hikes.  Bob will be with us through the 26th and will return on September 12th for his final visit of the season.

Bill Harley

Grammy winning storyteller Bill Harley arrives at The Swag on August 29th for fun filled evenings of music and imagination that’s great for the entire family.  Bill will take us into the month of September departing on the 6th.

The following week it’s “Songs from the Hearth” with Doug Peters.  Doug, and his wife Kathy, are passionate outdoor enthusiasts and will be leading daily hikes.  After dinner, Swaggers will gather in the Great Room as Doug plays and sings some of his original songs about life, love and adventure.For more information on these and other Swag special events, visit our Special Event Calendar on our website or check the Eventson our facebook page.

Doug Peters w/daughters Analise & Madison out hiking on the AT come across another "Swag".

Photo by Glasscock.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is by far the most common species that breeds in the eastern half of North America.  Ruby-throats are intensely inquisitive and thus easily attracted to feeders, where males in particular typically display aggressive territoriality toward rival hummers, other birds, and even insects such as bees, and butterflies.  They quickly become accustomed to human presence, and as many Swagges can attest, will swoop down to investigate red articles of clothing, possibly as potential food sources.

Did you know?..The Swag currently has four hummingbird feeders out on the front porch which Swag staffers fill twice daily.  That equals 384 oz. of necter a day, WOW!

Speaking of hummers, don’t forget our birding expert Bob Collier returns later this month for Birding on the Lawn and daily hikes.  Check out our Special Event Calendar for more information.

The license plate with the distinct black bear image is benefiting wildlife throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer, thanks to strong plate sales and numerous projects to support black bears, trout, elk, and other wildlife.  The North Carolina “black bear” license plate, which benefits Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, brought in $102,900 in the last quarter, an increase of more than seven percent over the same period in 2010.

Of the extra $30 annual fee for each specialty tag, $20 goes to Friends of the Smokies to support projects and programs on the North Carolina side of the park. Launched in 1999, the North Carolina Smokies license plate has now raised more than $2.4 million.

“The Smokies are a true refuge for black bears, brook trout, salamanders, elk, and thousands of other species,” said Dan Matthews, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Smokies and co-owner of  The Swag Country Inn in Waynesville. “We are very glad for the opportunity to help protect these wild creatures and to have so much support from drivers all across North Carolina. They are the ones who make these important projects possible.”

Deener has hers, do you have yours?

More information on the license plate for both NC and TN can be found by visiting the Friends of the Smokies.

The Blue Ridge Parkway will Celebrate Heritage & Community this Saturday, August 6, at Waterrock Knob.  The celebration begins at 10:00 a.m. running until 3:00 p.m. with ongoing craft demonstrations throughout the day as well as Cherokee dancers, Appalachian storytellers, old-time and bluegrass music, and clogging.  The day will end with a naturalist lead hike through the knob.

Waterrock Knob, located at Milepost 451 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is about 21 miles from The Swag and a visit there tomorrow would be another great way for Swaggers to experience the history and heritage of the region.

For more information on the parkway or the days events, visit the Blue Ridge Parkway Association or Asheville Citizen-Times.