Ancient Lore Village: Does the finished resort look like the proposal?

A couple of years ago I wrote about an upcoming new resort experience: the Ancient Lore Village. Except, at that time the land they hoped to develop “the world’s first story resort” on fell through.

The sketches and concepts they had at that time looked really neat though. They did have one “dwelling” (as they call the rooms) already constructed at that time. In fact, that’s what had caught my eye. At first, I thought it was something having to do with Hobbiton in New Zealand because it looked just like a Hobbit House! Here it is:

But it wasn’t. It had to do with a resort being built in the United States. In Knoxville, Tennessee, to be exact.

New Zealand and Hobbiton are on my wanderlist, but who knows when I might get there. Ancient Lore Village, however, conveniently opened in the state I currently reside in. There’s a much better chance —and opportunity!—for me to head three and half hours east to Knoxville.

Except this isn’t your typical resort and they don’t reserve rooms quite the same way as regular resorts do. I’ll write more about that in another post.

For now, I want to compare and contrast the proposed Ancient Lore Village I wrote about a couple of years ago with how it turned out. Are the dwellings the same? What about venues within the village? Let’s take a look.

Comparing and Contrasting the Dwellings

In 2019, I found six renderings on the Ancient Lore Village website for dwellings that were to be built. They included:

1. Ivy Cottage
2. The Caverns
3. Starlight Hollow
4. Waterfall Den
5. Emberstone Villa
6. Enchanted Villa

Those were great names, and the concepts looked stunning. Here are a couple of them that I found on the Ancient Lore Village’s website back in 2019:

Now that the resort is complete, did the proposed dwellings become reality?

Yes and no.

They’re built and there are six of them, but the names changed. In my opinion, they improved upon them. Here’s what they’re now called:

1. Bokee’s Bungalow
2. Waterfall Villas
3. Orc Home
4. Fairy Cottage
5. Gremlin Den
6. Leprechaun Lair

And here are a couple of pictures from their Facebook page:

 

The Venues

What about the venues? In 2019, they envisioned “experiences” like

• The Manor House and Vista Restaurant –  the lobby, a bakery, a fine dining restaurant, wine cellar, private dining room, retail shop, and a library with books, games and activities.
• Story Tree and Unity Plaza – a “climbable playspace” and “proprietary play experience centered around story”
• Glowstone Cavern  – a pool with a story-twist: themed lazy river, zero entry pool, swim up bar, an eatery as well as a spa.

Did they become realities?

Not quite.

But they did still create enchanting areas that include dining, gathering places, and event spaces to create truly unique settings for memorable meetings, both intimate and on a larger scale. Here are some of the venues you’ll find at the resort:

• Tree Elf Nest – the “living room social area of the Village.”
• The Nest Patio – primary dining area.
• Ground Elf Burrows – meeting space.
• Boyd Hollow Falls – a 40-foot tall waterfall with three levels of gathering ponds.
• Waterfall Landing – overlooks Boyd Hollow Falls and has seating areas to rest, relax and read as well as a 50 person ampitheater.
• The Boulders Patio – another place to meet, enjoy drinks and check out the waterfall.
• Fireside Grill – serves lunch and dinner.
• Village Gardens – can also be used as a meeting spot or wedding area.
• Yeti Cave – sounds like a place to drink and enjoy cigars.
• Woodland Terrance – “a private, immersive, and magical forest hideaway.”
• Pinnacle Point – they say it’s a great spot to enjoy a sunset view.
• Gremlin Gameyard – outdoor oversize game area for kids and adults alike. (Think giant jenga and they also have Farkle.)

While the whimsical names of both the rooms and venues may suggest this is a place for children, and kids are welcome, it’s all very classy and upscale.

I’m not sure exactly how much the Ancient Lore Village resort experience costs. Yet. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I’ll write about how to book a room in a separate post and I’ll include prices there.

For More Info

Visit ancientlorevillage.com.

Check-In

Which dwelling would you pick to stay in, and which venue appeals to you most?

I’m torn between the Fairy Cottage, Gremlin Den, and Leprechaun Lair for dwellings. And I love the names of the Yeti Cave and a Gremlin Gameyard. (Which at first I misread Gremlin Graveyard!) I’m not a big drinker and I don’t smoke cigars, but if they had a sign indicating the Yeti Cave I’d definitely have to get a picture of it at the very least!

The only thing I am certain about is that I don’t know how or when, but this is one place I most definitely want to jaunt to! What about you?