Olde Mill Inn

When our tour of town was finished, we were able to drop our bags into our home for the next six nights, the Olde Mill Inn Bed and Breakfast. The Inn has eight guest rooms with varying sizes, themes and amenities. We stayed in the Thomas Walker Annex, which has its own parking spot and private balcony. It’s the Inn’s newest and largest room and one of two pet friendly rooms. It was named after the first documented explorer to come through Cumberland Gap, Dr. Thomas Walker. It’s decorated to reflect Walker’s sense of adventure. The room has two Queen size beds, a large sitting area, corner desk, mini fridge, microwave, Keurig, and a mud room perfect for storing luggage. The Thomas Walker Annex can sleep up to five guests, and you’ll fall asleep listening to the sound of the historic water wheel outside your window. Inside the main portion of the Inn there are two rooms on the first floor and six rooms on the second floor. The Cabin (first floor) is the second pet friendly room. It’s designed to look like a 1700s log cabin. There are no stairs needed to get to The Cabin, and the shower has a seat, making the room partially handicap accessible. The other first floor room is one of our favorites at the Inn. It’s called Nana’s, and it’s decorated with a bright sunflower theme. On the second floor you’ll find The Suite, Front Parlor, Creekside, Pinnacle (with the most gorgeous view), and Daniel Boone (featuring rustic bunk beds). All of the rooms are beautiful, and they include a delicious breakfast daily. Coffee starts brewing around 8:15 every morning, and

breakfast is served between 9 and 9:15 at the dining room table. We ate so many delicious breakfasts at The Olde Mill, but our favorites often included a egg bake, fruit parfaits, and banana bread. Other favorites for guests are the stuffed French toast, blueberry pancake bake, and cheese grits. If you have a food allergy or other dietary restrictions, just let the staff know before arriving and they’ll do everything they can to accomodate your needs. Owner and Innkeeper, Kim, has created a true home-away-fromhome atmosophere for everyone to enjoy. During our stay, we had the incredible opportunity to have a private dinner at the Inn. It was catered by a new restaurant in Cumberland Gap called Nineteen19. The restaurant is owned by Chef Edward and his wife, Bernie, and their building is currently under construction. While it’s being updated and beautified on the inside, Chef and Bernie are running the Nineteen19 food truck every weekend, and practically selling out of food every day they open. Our exclusive dinner catered by Chef and Bernie was unbelievably delicious. We started with a fresh Asian salad with carrots, cabbage, peppers, fried wontons, and a homemade Asian vinaigrette. Joanie B. and I aren’t likely to order an Asian salad, but y’all! This salad was absolutely divine. I could’ve taken that whole bowl and enjoyed that as my entire meal. Although the food truck menu is ever changing, the Asian salad is an item that’s offered fairly regularly. Thank goodness! After that delicious salad, we had scratch-

made shrimp scampi and a side of spicy shrimp. Holy prawns! This stuff was out of this world. Everything tasted so fresh and you could taste the care and love in every single bite.

As if that wasn’t already the most fantastic menu, Chef finished the meal off with a meringue dessert served over a sweet custard and fresh fruit. When he brought it to the table,

we all had to stare at it for a while, because it was absolutely beautiful. Once we dove in, the meringue was light and complimented the sweet custard. The fruit added a nice pop of freshness and the kind of sweetness that can only come from perfectly ripe fruit. This dinner was served in The Olde Mill Inn Bed and Breakfast, but it felt like we were sitting around a friend’s dining room table. The conversation flowed as smooth as the sweet tea. But that’s the power of a good atmosphere and great food, isn’t it? It brings people together in ways nothing else can. We spent several hours enjoying our dinner, sharing stories and laughter long after the last plate was cleared from the table.

After we’d said our classic three or four goodbyes, Joanie B. and I settled back into the

Thomas Walker Annex with full bellies and overflowing hearts. It was around this point in our trip when we realized that what had started as a fun trip in a place we’d never visited, was turning into something much deeper. As we sat on the sofa in our room, we were talking through all of the events of the days we’d had in The

Gap. Then Joanie said something crazy. “I think I could live here.” I said something even crazier. “Me too.” In our two years of full time travel, we had said those words about very few places. Out of those select few, I had never felt as strongly about the idea as I did in that moment. Was it the bed and breakfast? Partially. Was it the shrimp scampi? Maybe. Was it the magic of The Gap? Absolutely. 31