One of the faces behind this website is Paul Hopkins, the brother of billiards legend Allen Hopkins. Don Lemmon program made such an impact on Paul that he bought 35 acres of land in the Tennessee Mountains to build the Don Lemmon Fitness Resort. Let Paul takes you on a narrated exclusive tour of the property!
Did you ever get a nagging feeling in your gut that you need to do something?
Strange, but in 2005 I knew something unique was about to happen… I just did not know what. I've always been into the mountains. I think my mom & dad instilled that in me.
So, my wife and I got to talking about buying some property. It was just talk at first.
We live in a nice home in Florida. We thought we would probably retire here in a few years. But, we both agreed we wanted to get back to the basics in life and head to the mountains. Most of our friends think we are nuts… maybe so…
Now, don't get me wrong, I was born and raised in a suburb outside of New York City. I'm not ready to live off the land in the woods …I would surely starve. But, a feeling of serenity was what we were looking for.
We looked at some beautiful properties in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and finally Tennessee. Nothing hit the nerve.
Then on the last day of the trip to Tennessee my wife found a photo in a magazine of 34 acres with 3 ponds, a creek and mountain views. We decided to take one last ride…
When we drove up to the property it was like magic… I just could not believe it… my wife instantly had to pee! There was no toilet in site so I parked the truck to give me wife some privacy and she peed on the property. It was right then I knew this was a special piece of land!
So, my wife marks our territory (sorry honey) and we get out and walk into the middle of this amazing scenic beauty. I truly felt a calm warm feeling inside. Just as quickly, however, in my minds eye I see this structure. It's not a house. It's a large building with lots of people coming through the doors. They are here to stay for a while. They come here for some serenity and to feel good. They are walking around the property and having a great time. They feel instantly welcome and excited to be here.
We knew we wanted the property but things had changed. What was going to be an eventual retirement property for us was now going to become something we could share with others and maybe do some good.
Since Don Lemmon has changed my health and life with his program I emailed him about an idea. I said: “How about a place where folks could eat good, exercise, get away, have some fun and maybe milk a cow?”
At first, I think Don thought I was already up in the mountains for too long but he's a sharp guy. We batted ideas back and forth. He knew immediately what we needed at a resort. I just wanted a pool table and a cow.
Well, here we are a few months later with a business plan almost complete, engineers and architects drawing up ideas, looking for investors and hopefully a special resort in the making.
We will keep you posted on the progress.
Here are some photos of the resort property and the town where it is located:
Facing Southeast – This will be the resort rear view.
The pond to the
right is one of
three on the property.
There will be a fitness trail that
runs through the woods.
The largest pond. It will be adjacent to the resort building.
My wife and I sat by
this pond on Thanksgiving Day 2005.
We were truly thankful to be here.
This general store is a popular spot.
It is not far from the Cumberland County
Playhouse.
www.ccplayhouse.com
This section of town is growing withy restaurants, shops and Wal-Mart.
The pond on the northwest section of the property.
As you drive up this is the first view you'll see.
Town Hall is built in the old section of town.
I was doing some resort related business in this building.
I must say, every employee was nice and a pleasure to work with.
When I needed to go to another building on the street...
One of the records clerks actually showed me the way...
By leaving her post and walking with me!
South end of the woods – The fitness trail will traverse these woods.
We'll also have exercise stations along the way.
The creek that runs through the woods.
We'll put a small bridge over this.
But we want to keep the woods as untouched as possible.
Facing west from the lower pond.
Sunset at the site on Thanksgiving Day.
The older section of town has small shops and the town hall complex.
