by: Anne Braly
The drive across Lookout Mountain to McLemore Resort is one filled with bucolic scenes — old weathered barns as a backdrop to cows grazing lazily in open pastures, and ancient forests along the Cumberland Plateau guarding rocky ledges offering glimpses of the faraway Appalachian Mountains.
Then, you make the turn into McLemore, drive along a beautiful wooded road to the resort’s hotel, continue past lovely homes and then it appears: A jaw-dropping view of the mountains and, in its center, the majestic Cloudland, a 245-room hotel that hugs the mountain cliff.
The resort’s architecture fits seamlessly into the rhythm of the mountains, as the hotel, made of wood and mountain stone, dances with the curves around the bluff.
It’s a beautiful marriage of man and nature.
Make It An Event
Two large ballrooms are equipped with floating walls so smaller rooms can be cordoned off as needed. There are also lots of cubbyholes and open spaces for intimate gatherings or larger affairs. All total, the resort has 20,000 square feet of indoor event space perfect for wedding receptions after vows are said elsewhere on property or for conventions and group meetings.
The resort is capable of handling it all, from large to small. And with all the activities offered throughout the resort, your gathering doesn’t have to be all about work. It’s just as important to make time for play.
McLemore At Play
With miles of trails that snake around the mountains, guests are never at a loss to discover new sights and sounds around McLemore.
The resort is dog-friendly, so take Fido along for an early morning walk on the trail from the resort to the 18th hole of the Highlands course. It’s a well-groomed path that’s easy, flat and a beautiful stroll along the bluff. If you’re up early enough, it’s a great place to see the sunrise and sip a cup of coffee while sitting on the 18th hole.
The swimming pool is a major draw for kids and adults. It’s heated so even on the coolest of days it’s a wonderful place to take a dip, grab some rays and maybe a cocktail or snack from the poolside restaurant, Skyside. At night, a soak in the hot tub adjacent to the pool will soothe your weary muscles after a day of golf.
Or take it easy and grab a book in the library and find a cozy chair for an afternoon of reading. It’s also a place to bring the family and play some board games with a fun selection of choices.
In the works and expected to be completed and ready for play soon is a second pool along with tennis and Pickleball courts.
Work out, then relax
The fitness center at Cloudland is magnificent and can help remove the guilt of overeating during your stay, a common occurrence with so many outstanding food choices at Cloudland. The center is fully equipped with treadmills, weights and everything you need, plus a dedicated Peloton room, to stay in shape during your vacation.
After your workout, reward your hard work and rejuvenate in the Selah Spa. How does a facial sound? What about a cold deluge shower followed by a steamy sauna? Or indulge in the pleasures of a massage. The salon offers everything you need to make your body look and feel good.
On the Links
McLemore Resort is known worldwide for its golf courses. Not only are they challenging, they are beautiful thanks to their cliffside locations as well as the expert care taken to groom the greens.
There are two golf courses at McLemore: The Highlands and The Keep, both designed by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones.
Construction of The Keep is complete except for buildings, such as a pro shop, and practice areas yet to be completed, so the course is in preview play.
Was it hard to convince a golf course architect like Rees Jones to come to the mountains of North Georgia to design a golf course?
“Not once he saw the property,” says Charlie Rymer while standing on No.16, his favorite hole on The Keep. Rymer is a native of Cleveland, Tenn., and a former PGA Tour professional. He’s now executive vice president of McLemore and The Keep. “I worked with our president, Duane Horton, and our board to ask the design team of Bergin and Jones to deliver a strategic golf course with tremendous width.”
While most golf course have less than 30 acres of fairway, The Keep has 90 acres.
“I’m thrilled with the result,” Rymer notes. “The Keep is very playable and in excellent condition.”
While preview play, The Keep course is walking only with caddies and push carts available. Golf carts are scheduled to be available in late spring or early summer, Rymer says.
“And we will continue with our caddie program,” he adds.
Greens on The Highlands and The Keep are planted with AU Victory bentgrass with the former planted with Burmuda grass on tees and fairways. The Keep, on the other hand, is the only one in the world that utilizes a specific type of Zoysia grass, Stadium grass, on its tees and fairways
“We are the first to use AU Victory and the first to use Stadium,” Rymer says.
Also, with no dense ground cover on the course, stray balls are easier to find, helping to prevent delay of play.
Rymer is pleased with the design of the new course.
“It has very wide fairways and the angles change daily,” he says. “That’s the kind of golf that I have an affinity for. My board and the design team were heavily involved in convincing him (Rees Jones) to go in this direction, so I’m really happy with what they put in the ground. I think people are gonna really respond.”
The Highlands course with its stunning 18th hole cliffside location, is a 71-par course with caddies and carts. The Keep, a 72-par walkable course, has five cliffside holes with jaw-dropping vistas.
“The drama speaks for itself,” Rymer says.
Dining Above the Clouds
Whether it’s a casual sandwich and chips or a gourmet meal, no one goes hungry at McLemore Resort. Ground zero for dining is at Cloudland. Here’s a taste of what you can experience.
Pocket Cafe: Though all guest rooms are equipped with Keurig coffee machines, start your morning with a cup of freshly brewed java and avocado toast or a sweet roll. The cafe is open for lunch, as well, when the menu changes to flatbreads and sandwiches, such as the Smoked Salmon Reuben, an interesting take on tradition with house-pickled cabbage, cheese, watercress mayonnaise and smoked salmon. It’s one of those you-just-have-to-try-it creations that makes you happy you did.
Croft: For a full-service breakfast, lunch, dinner or weekend brunch, Croft offers delicious choices, some familiar, others perhaps not. It’s a mix of American and international flavors, such as biscuits and gravy or a Croque Madame for breakfast; a Vidalia onion tart or roasted Scottish salmon for lunch; and for dinner, jumbo lump crab cakes or steak au poivre.
Auld Alliance: High ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outside in and add drama to this exquisite restaurant on the mountain bluff at Cloudland at McLemore Resort, a Curio by Hilton property.
What’s in a name? For Auld Alliance, the resort’s newest restaurant opened less than a year ago, we need a little history lesson. In the year 1295, a partnership was made between the countries of Scotland and France known as the Auld Alliance which played a role in the quest for Scottish independence, the Hundred Years War and other footnotes in history. And there you have it.
As you walk through the entrance of the ground-level restaurant, beautiful cuts of beef hang in a refrigerated glass-fronted aging case awaiting your plate and palate.
The menu is made up of a rather ingenious Scottish-French fusion of dishes, such as Fois Gras Haggis with Vidalia onion cream or Highland Crepinettes — glazed meatballs with pomme purée. Auld Alliance is the kind of restaurant where you want to take your time and savor every minute.
The Creag: One of two restaurants on the property serving breakfast through dinner is The Creag, located not in Cloudland, but in the McLemore Clubhouse just up the hill. Diners can expect a seasonal menu of elevated comfort food, like Veal Chop Milanese served with smashed potatoes and white beans with pickled okra and Vidalia onions, in this incredible mountaintop setting.
Dinner reservations are recommended at all the restaurants, particularly on busy weekend evenings.
For more information about the resort, visit themclemore.com or staycloudland.com.
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