April: Welcome to Explore The Smokies, the podcast.

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So if you visited Gatlinburg recently, you know that Anakeesta is among the top attractions in the Smokies. A world of its own exists 600 feet above the City of Gatlinburg and joining us today is a managing partner and founder of Anakeesta. Her name is Karen Bentz.

Thank you for joining us and speaking with us about Anakeesta, Karen.

Karen Bentz: Thank you very much. It’s a great opportunity to talk. I appreciate it.

April: So Anakeesta is actually a Cherokee word, correct?

Karen: That’s correct, it’s Cherokee Indian. Actually has a couple of different meanings. There is a certain type of stone that only occurs in the Great Smokies and it is an Anakeesta Stone. It’s a type of slate that you’ll see as you come in the Spur in Gatlinburg and it’s also known for the other references the Cherokee Indian word for place of high Balsam. So the very very top of the mountain. So we felt like that was an appropriate name for this beautiful place in the Smokies.

Aaron: That’s a perfect name. Perfect name. Hey, I understand, you’re a founder of Anakeesta. Where did the idea come from came?

Karen: So my husband and I have had family properties here for many years. Both of our parents had homes here in this area and I’m from Knoxville. So I came up and hide. Both my husband and I were both National Park Service Rangers very very long time ago.

So this particular property was adjacent to the property that we owned and so we knew about it. Had hiked on it for years and years and so when it became available to purchase we really jumped on the opportunity and we actually purchased it from the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity For Women. It’s a sorority and it was actually a legacy property so it had never been basically fully developed in 100 years. Some of the trees are climax forests.

They’re absolutely beautiful. And we really felt like this was a very, very special piece of property and we really wanted to have a vision for what it could be. Develop it according to kind of our own personal guidelines of ecological development stewardship of the land. And a very important tune, to make sure that families can and enjoy the Smokies. So that’s kind of been our guideline all along.

April: So how did you first- It’s seventy acres? Is that correct? 70 acres of land?

Karen: It is. Well, actually we’ve acquired more now. So it’s roughly about between 70 and 85 acres.

April: So how did you first start bringing this vision to life?

Karen: Well, once we purchased the property. We actually only have the property that was above Baskins Creek Bypass. And so then, we actually turned to the same group of people and we’re able to acquire the rest of the property that’s on the parkway. So what we were left with is two acres on the parkway and the rest of it. The balance of that was on the mountain.

And so it was a wonderful opportunity to really think about how we were going to join those two properties and the really the only way because of the terrain was to create this Chondula. So it’s a chairlift that also has gondolas on it and that allows us to scale the mountains. So it goes 2,200 feet and an elevation gain of about 600 feet from the parkway in Gatlinburg all the way up to the very top of the mountain.

April: Wow. So that was my first experience on a chairlift. I have to tell you and I’ve never had.

Karen: It’s fun, isn’t it?

April: It is. The first time I went up there. It was definitely like hanging on for dear life but then I realized, no, this is relaxing, calm down. It was good. It was very good. So you know obviously 2016, the fire that came through. How did that affect what you were doing there in Anakeesta and how you were developing that land?

Karen: So interesting part of the story is that we had just closed on the loan two weeks prior to that fire. So we were already through all the planning stages we had already had a lot of the architecture work already. You know, designed and we had completed our master plan and the fires came and of course, it was the perfect storm of an unbelievable phenomenon that had never occurred in this area to anyone’s knowledge.

And so we had not gone vertical and in other words, we had not actually started to build. We had our utilities in. We were starting to put the roads in but in terms of actual loss of built property, we didn’t really have any. But what we did have was the fact that the fire went through all 70 acres and the land that faces South, that faces Mount Le Conte was absolutely devastated.

So we lost all the trees and it was just absolutely fried everything and as the fire reached the summit and went over to the north side. That side was much more moist, that’s entire forest.

So the fire went out eventually and we didn’t lose our office or anything. So we were very fortunate in that respect and what it taught us was the resilience. We made the decision. You know, days after we found out that the property was damaged.

There was a curfew, no one was allowed on the property, and in respect of all of Gatlinburg and we knew that we lost five houses in three hours but we did not lose any office at Anakeesta. So we made the decision that we were going to go forward with the project and the silver lining for us when we started to take down all those burned trees is that we revealed an unbelievable view of the Smokies.

So the land that I described that was burned the worst, we remove those trees and that is our beautiful viewshed of the Smoky Mountains. So we look to Mount Le Conte. We look to Sugarland’s range and we also look to the interior of the mother nature trail. So our view is all of the national park and it is incredible.

You feel like you can just reach out and touch it.

April: Yes, indeed.

Karen: It’s just beautiful.

Aaron: Well, that’s a great silver lining to that story, right? And a lighter note, I understand there’s only two ways to access the park. Can you talk a little bit about that for us?

Karen: Yes. So, when you see the entrance to Anakeesta on the parkway. It is a beautiful public space. We actually put in brick and we really wanted it to be used as a public space. The parking is down there.

So, some options for getting to the top because all the fun is at the top. We have the chairlift and it also has, so it has chairs that actually bring you to the top. You can fit four people to that to the chairs. And that’s the fastest way of.

We also have gondolas. So those are enclosed cabins and they’re fully enclosed and your family is perfectly safe. If you have any, calms about being, fear of heights, and that will take you up equally as fast.

And then the other option, which I think is really fun is the Ridge Rambler and it says massive Peterbilt 18-wheeler that we’ve completely turned into this outdoor kind of a safari vehicle. So you’re outside and you’re going up, what we call our interior road. So you actually come by our offices. You go up this beautiful road and it’s like hiking except you’re on this Ridge Rambler. Which carries about 35 people and it’s a great way to get to the top. And when you get to the top, you’re right there in the middle of all the villages and black bear village. And you can just, make your choice from there where you’d like to go.

April: So a couple of follow-up questions I have for you on that. We have a Facebook group with Explore The Smokies, and people ask questions about
places to go and things to do. And a couple of the reoccurring questions is accessibility for Anakessta.

Are those ramblers wheelchair-friendly? Can you get up on one of the ski lifts? Explain how somebody in a wheelchair can get up there?

Karen: So we have a couple of different ways. So that the gondola that I described that has the closed cabin. We have the ability to actually roll a wheelchair right inside that Gondola and so that the chairs, pop up. And so they’re totally comfortable and very, very safe and inside there.

Then we also have some handicap bands. So we can actually accommodate anyone with a wheelchair as well. So we have a van with a lift that can actually carry the chair all the way up to the top. So, a couple of different choices.

April: That’s fantastic. Fantastic information because it’s such a sight to see.
There’s so much to do when you get up there between restaurants and shopping in the Firefly Village and the- I love just sitting on one of the rocking chairs.

Overlooking the mountains. Listening to the music playing in the beer garden. It’s an amazing experience even ziplining. We’ve definitely done the zip lining too, but the one thing that I always tell people that they cannot miss when they go up there is, the photographic journey that actually documents the fire. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about how that came to be?

Karen: So, we actually created that signage just to kind of inform people about what had happened with the intention of taking it down a year later because the fire was over.

The entire forest has regrown even way, way, way more lush than it ever was previous to that. But you know, people were interested. So we kept it up and really the photographic journey just kind of dictate the details of all the information about where the fire started, how many acres burned, and then it really kind of also tells a story about the individual people who were affected.

And so the photographer that came from Nashville actually came here. Interviewed a number of different families and people and organizations. It describes their specific story about how it affected them. So people were interested in it, we were going to take it down but we decided that we would reprint it and keep it up.

So there’s a lot of information on that and the signage also ends with the real story behind, that the natural phenomenon of fire and a lot of national parks and of course, in the Western United States. We just got back from Yellowstone and Tetons and Glacier, fires as a normal incident, that happens on a regular basis, and that the forest heals itself. The trees come back and the forestry grows.

Over time, I think we all heal and I think that’s kind of the message that we want to end with that, with the fire memorial walk.

April: And I’m glad that you decided to keep it up. I tell you, I’ve been up there a number of times, and each time I take the time to walk through it and I think it was very beautifully done.

So I’m just going to add- end with one more question before we get into our Smoky Mountain 5. And that’s, what is next for Anakessta? I see, you’re consistently building up. What’s the next thing that we can see?

Karen: Well, it’s interesting that you ask that question because as soon as we complete one thing, we’re starting another. So we have a whole team of people that just really focus on development.

My husband is the one that really focuses on that. He’s got a great vision for what’s next and what we really do is we look at what people like the most. So people love the tree canopy walk. They love the treehouse adventure. And what we like to see is that families are here interacting with each other.

So it doesn’t matter if you’re a grandmother like myself or a young child. What people like to do is just to kind of be free and play and so we’re really focused on another family adventure.

So you know, I don’t want to get too specific about it, but it’s going to be amazing. And we’ve already defined the area. It’s on the drawing boards and it’s going to be really fun. There’s always more space. I think we’ve only really developed about maybe five to six acres. So we have so much more room for growth and we have such a beautiful forest to do it in. So we’re constantly being very mindful about what’s next and it’s going to be fun. It really is.

April: I can’t wait. I can’t wait to experience it. I’m going to turn it over to Aaron for a Smoky Mountain 5.

Aaron: This is my favorite part. It’s Family Feud style, Karen. The first thing that comes to your mind. I’m just going to ask you a quick five questions and let me know when you’re ready.

Karen: Okay, not sure if I can do this.

Aaron: Okay. So, in the Smokies, what’s your favorite place in the whole smokies, outside the Anakeesta? What’s your favorite place?

Karen: My favorite place. So I’m going to go someplace, I’m going to Greenbrier and that’s outside 321. Yeah, that’s my favorite place. Love it.

Aaron: So within Anakeesta, which your favorite place to eat?

Karen: Oh, Clifftop, absolutely Clifftop. It’s just so beautiful. It’s all glass and everywhere you look all you see is that the Smoky Mountains. That’s definitely– and the best food ever. It’s really good.

Aaron: It’s awesome.

April: It is good. Yeah.

Aaron: And if I’m in, I’m in the Smokies for 24 hours, where to must places that you tell me to go to, outside Anakeesta? We know we’re going there so that’s three.

Karen: Okay. Okay, so I have 24 hours so I think one thing I would do if it’s summertime, I would get wet. So I would either find a place where I could go tubing like Greenbrier or I would hike through a stream or I would go river rafting and I would also hike for sure. I mean, you can’t leave the Smokies without being in the national park and doing a hike. Either at Elkmont Tremont, Cades Cove, you’ve got to do that.

And the third thing I would do for sure is I would take a hike that I could see a view and one of my favorite view is Gregory’s bald in the spring and they have wild azaleas and it’s absolutely gorgeous. And you really have to work hard to get there, but it’s worth it. So I think those would be my top. If I had 24 hours and not sleep.

Aaron: Not sleep, yeah. What do you think the one reason, people keep coming back to the Smokies, keep coming back to Anakeesta, what is it? Is the views? The people, what’s your opinion?

Karen: You know, I thought a lot about that and I think that the thing that people really like to do on their vacations is have kind of that spontaneity of fun where you don’t have to stand in a line. You don’t have to do a specific experience. That it can be the experience that your particular family has together. And I think that you can create that at Anakeesta and I think that regardless of age or athletic ability. Everybody can walk and everybody can stroll and everybody can enjoy each other and that time spent together. So I think that that’s what brings people back.

And in terms of the Smokies. The Smokies is one of the most incredible national parks in our nation and I think it’s beautiful, and it’s intimate. And you can walk through it. And you can touch the flowers and you can climb the mountains and it’s not so overwhelming that you can’t do it at any level of ability.

I just think that it’s within driving distance of so many people and it’s just it’s easy, it’s comfortable. And you know, every time you come, you realize how wonderful the hospitality is in the area and it really is true. I think there is such a thing as southern hospitality and I think people genuinely appreciate visitors. And they take time to talk to them, to help them make choices about where they go, where they spend their time.

And I think of that, that brings people back. I definitely believe that.

Aaron: Final question, when you and your husband are walking around Anakeesta, what makes you smile? What do you see? And it makes you smile as the families, the children playing, what’s your favorite memory?

Karen: I think watching the kids laugh. I think that that’s the fun thing that they start to really relax and enjoy themselves and they know that they’re not going to get hurt. There- Nothing is dangerous and you know they do their little antics and they play in the treehouse Village or they’ll run across the tree canopy walk and they’ll turn around and look at their parents and just with this mischievous smile and start laughing and everybody kind of relaxes.

And I think that’s what really really makes a big difference to me. Seeing families, just enjoy each other.

April: I love it. Thank you so much, Karen. This has been a really fun podcast and I learned a lot. There’s a lot about Anakeesta that I didn’t know. So I really appreciate you being with us today.

Karen: Well, I appreciate it too. Thank you so much. I really do.

Aaron: Don’t forget everyone, you can get all of your planning needs for Anakeesta and other travel planning needs on explorethesmokies.com. Thanks for joining us again. We really appreciate your time.

Karen: Thank you.