The Storehouse

Sampson’s Hollow is an outdoor venue in the Great Smoky Mountains. The biggest concern for an outdoor wedding venue is “what will we do if there is bad weather?” The Storehouse is a contemporary design that features a backup plan in case of rain or colder weather. Like an outdoor wedding venue, Sampson’s Hollow has the perfect contingency plan to eliminate to add a huge tent to shelter their guests. Instead, our thoughtfully designed covered front porch will now seat up to 150 guests in a traditional chapel floorplan. Strings of Tuscany-style lights are wrapped around the beams of the vaulted ceiling for additional ambiance. A wrought-iron and crystal pendant chandelier suspends from the vaulted ceiling of the porch. There is a panoramic view of the mountains and green meadows with wildflowers (in season) serving as a backdrop for the altar. The transition from ceremony to reception is made readily by the experienced staff and coordinators who assist in setting up tables and chairs. Features of the facility include an indoor area for seating, warm-toned hardwood flooring, walls, and ceiling, three restrooms, two central air-conditioning units for guests’ comfort in warmer weather and central heat, and a wood-burning fireplace in cooler seasons.

Three barn doors open up the facility, and the grounds surrounding the barn can provide ample room to seat additional guests. Availability of twelve rocking chairs on the covered front porch overlooking a panoramic view of the majestic Great Smoky Mountains on three sides with the added comfort of ceiling fans for a gentle breeze.

A half-loft on the second floor can be used as needed for the bridal party to get ready with a beautiful stairwell from which the bride can toss her bouquet. Hundreds of miniature white lights wrapped around the vaulted ceiling beam and posts within the barn area and around the porch and adjacent trees. As the sun goes down, guests will enjoy sitting around the outdoor fire pit at the edge of the barn, swaying on the swings, and relaxing in the crisp mountain air.

Farmhouse Cabin

Guests have the option of booking our unique one-bedroom cabin in the pines. Designed with romance in mind, the primitive cabin peeks out of the woods, embellished with antiques and collectibles. Even in less than perfect weather, the sound of raindrops on the old tin roof will provide a relaxing melody. Exceptional amenities include an old-fashioned claw foot tub, walk-in shower, and a four-poster queen-size bed with a complementary rose-petal turn-down upon guest’s request. A back porch houses a whirlpool hot tub and provides privacy to sit, relax and enjoy being surrounded by nature. A welcome basket of treats, including coffee and beverages and selected snacks, is provided for the indulgence of our guests. And on any given early morning, guests may be sharing the property with the deer and wild turkey that inhabit our woodland. For guests who require additional lodging, The Powell Farm is located on the Sampson Flynn farmland and can be reserved at an additional cost, based upon availability.

If not included, the cabin can be added to any package as a second location where the bridal party may dress.

Sarah’s Glen

For the bride who has dreamed of being married in the mountains and is enamored with the appeal of Cades Cove, Sarah’s Glen offers a natural setting located in the woodland area of Sampson’s Hollow. The glen offers an even more private and secluded location, cooler in warmer temperatures, surrounded by nature, and nestled among a tall stand of pine and evergreen trees. Features of the glen include three wooden arbors; a larger in the center and one on each side from which a vintage window pane is suspended. A beautifully crafted stone stairwell leads into the ceremony area of the glen, and an antique pickup truck sits alongside an older building reminiscent of an old fillin’ station and perfect for unique photo opportunities.

Pergola in the Meadow

This location is truly located in the hollow of the property and offers a breath-taking view of the Great Smoky Mountains as guests are seated in the green pasture of farmland. The white pergola is landscaped with trees and shrubbery and overlooks the meadow, which blooms seasonally with wildflowers and grasses. Our meadow location can seat up to 150 guests on a natural incline, allowing an unfettered view to all in attendance of your special day.

The Smokehouse

Probably the most popular background on the farm for photography, our little barn is the oldest structure on the property. Originally located on another piece of property, the barn was falling apart and about to be burned. The structure was carefully disassembled, transported, and rebuilt where it now stands on our farm and strongly represents the tradition and daily lifestyle of our Appalachian ancestors. Photographers love the little barn and all the angles and textures and possibilities for capturing memories and moments of your event.

The Foundry

The Foundry is our newest addition to our century-old farm and venue. We design our features and structures entirely with a focus on the bride and her guests. Probably the first concern for any bride or outdoor event is whether there will be rain or high humidity, which would affect the comfort of those attending. A tent is not needed on our farm as a backup plan for bad weather. Our foundry is an open-floor concept, a wooden-beam structure that will allow more guests to be under a covered seating area in any weather without sacrificing the amazing view of the surrounding mountains. The area will seat up to 40 at either banquet or round tables for the reception. Combined with covered seating on our vaulted front porch, a total of 175 guests will enjoy the sights and sounds of nature and the rolling meadows of our mountain location without sacrificing the comfort of the covered space.

In keeping with the atmosphere of our Appalachian ancestry, a foundry was used as a blacksmith shop, typically including fire or furnace needed to forge hot metals and mold into tools used on the farm. While our foundry is not used for that purpose, plans are to add an outdoor fireplace in the future.  An open fire pit is located centrally near the building, which can be used to offer roasted marshmallows or s’mores’ as a special treat for guests. The Foundry features a vaulted ceiling, concrete floors, vintage-inspired lighting, and strands of Tuscany lights suspended from the gorgeous wooden.

The Cross and Footbridge

Perfect for smaller events, accommodating 30 seated guests, the Footbridge is shaded adjacent to the wildflower meadow and the wet-weather creek. Enhanced by a man-man feature of a cascading pond, designed in river-stone, this area provides an intimate setting for a private ceremony for the bride and groom and their immediate family and friends. In addition, the wooden Cross, crafted in barn wood, is located at the top of one of our hills and can be used for smaller weddings or provide an inspirational background for captivating photography.

The Powell Farmhouse

The farmhouse provides every modern convenience, including an in-ground swimming pool and sleeping capacity for 14 people. This additional facility allows out-of-town relatives and friends a roomy and comfortable option to renting small hotel rooms. It is recommended that reservations for the Powell Farmhouse be made when booking Sampson’s Hollow, as the space rents out quickly.
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Customized Event Packages

While we have wedding and reception packages that offer many choices at a bundled price, we always listen to the bride describe her vision and dream event. Let us know what you want to be included in your wedding package, and we will do our best to personalize something that reflects that storybook event. We offer an exceptional value of additional services and features without additional fees. Are we the cheapest event facility in the area? No, we are not. However, we provide tremendous value for all the additional services and bonus options built into our packages. We know what we are doing, we do it well, and we do our absolute best to provide a stress-free and amazing experience for our clients and their guests.

Concierge Service and Wedding Planning For Out of State Clients

Approximately 67% of our weddings are from brides and grooms who live in other states. We have had brides from Washington state, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, Montana, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and requests for information from China, Canada, France, and Great Britain. Many out-of-state brides book with us without ever having visited the property. Having a wedding in the Great Smoky Mountains is a dream come true for many, and we do our very best to provide contact information and points of reference to those brides who can’t visit until the week of their event.