If you are looking for the perfect place to spend your summer vacation, look no further than the acclaimed resort hotels Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Blackberry Farm is a luxury hotel and resort situated on a pastoral 4,200-acre estate in the Great Smoky Mountains, and it is one of the most celebrated small luxury resorts in the world. We are delighted to welcome Proprietor, Mary Celeste Beall to The Glam Pad Today!
For more than a decade, Mary Celeste has lived and worked on the family-owned properties. She first joined her late husband Sam as he led the transformation of Blackberry Farm into a renowned food, wine and wellness destination. As Proprietor, Mary Celeste, alongside her father-in-law, Sandy, and the Blackberry team, drove the creation and opening of Blackberry Mountain as it evolved into a haven for preservation and personal exploration in relaxation, wellness and adventure. She led creative direction for launching the brand’s print magazine, Blackberry Magazine. She continues to share her vision for the expansion of the Blackberry brand, continuing a longstanding reputation for renowned hospitality and celebrated wine and food.
Over the years, the Blackberry brand has garnered industry praise, including Blackberry Farm’s three James Beard Awards for Best Chef—Southeast, Outstanding Wine Program and Outstanding Service. Blackberry Farm was also named Bon Appetit’s No. 1 Hotel for Food Lovers. Blackberry Mountain is adding to the brand’s awards with recognitions including ELLE Décor Travel A-List – Best New Hotel, Hideaway Report – Hideaway of the Year, and inclusion in Travel + Leisure’s It List for best new hotels in the world.
Welcome, Mary Celeste!
Q: Please tell us a little about the history of Blackberry Farm… How it began, your involvement, and how it has grown over the years.
A: In 1976 my in-laws, Kreis and Sandy Beall, moved to Walland to make Blackberry Farm their family’s home. They recognized how special this place was and wanted to share it with others so they opened to the public as a six-room country inn. The Beall family began creating a tradition of Southern hospitality, notable cuisine and cherished experiences that still exists in everything we do today. Kreis and Sandy’s son, Sam Beall, took over in 1998, and he ushered in a new era of the Blackberry legacy, guided by his passion for food, wine, adventure and living a full life. With Sam as proprietor, Blackberry expanded its foundation into much of how the property is experienced today. The property has evolved so much over the years, always driven by our family and what we enjoy. The farmstead and culinary became a heightened focus and the wine cellar expanded with the opening of The Barn at Blackberry Farm. Blackberry Farm Brewery was created and the Blackberry Farm Foundation was launched.
I have always been involved in the property, supporting Sam and the Blackberry team in different ways, as well as raising our family. When Sam died in 2016, I stepped into the role of Proprietor. Today, we continue the tradition of hospitality, service and providing unimaginable opportunities and memories for each guest. We opened Blackberry Mountain in 2019, inviting even more opportunity for guests to fall in love with the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and continue our mission to help protect the land we love.
No matter the evolution of the property, Blackberry continues to welcome guests from the far reaches of the globe, as well as nearby neighbors, with the genuine Southern hospitality and personal attention that have become the estate’s hallmark.
Q: Blackberry Farm has received countless awards over the years including recognition for best food, best wine, best hospitality, best hideaway… What do you think keeps your customers coming back year after year?
A: I believe it all comes back to our authentic hospitality. Everything the team does is executed with a genuine desire to create memorable, beautiful experiences. Hospitality is at the heart of everything we do, and I think our guests can feel that. We want Blackberry to feel like home. We want guests to not only feel welcome but to immediately feel comfortable when they visit us. I think they can feel that too.
Q: What are some of your personal favorite activities on the farm?
A: That’s a tough question! It depends on the season, but I absolutely love any time I can spend exploring outside. Getting out on our miles of hiking trails makes for such a great day. Seeing the evolution of the forest through each season is fascinating to me – especially watching as the bare trees and dormant flowers come back to life in the spring.
Q: How would you describe the design aesthetic and signature look of Blackberry Farm? Did you work with an interior designer to decorate the all of the rooms, cottages, and houses within the property?
A: Warm, welcoming, classic but fresh. We are fortunate to work with talented architects who help us create spaces with amazing light, finishes and scale where our guests always feel a sense of place.
Blackberry Farm was originally my in-laws’ home, decorated with antiques and with a classic English country house feel. Over the years, the aesthetic has continued to evolve, but we always maintain the goal of Blackberry Farm feeling like home. And often, t’s about the details – from the fresh-cut flowers on the tables to the linen napkins and sterling silver at dinner. For years my mother-in-law, Kreis, led the interior design. She created Blackberry’s own design team and hired friends along the way to help with different projects until 2017 when we expanded our team and hired design director Jason Bell to lead Blackberry Farm Design. As a hotel, we are constantly evaluating and updating our rooms, cottages and common spaces, so having a local team dedicated to maintaining the beauty, look and feel of Blackberry is critical for us.
Q: I understand you now have your own in-house interior design team, Blackberry Farm Design. How did this group come about, and are the designers available for projects nationwide?
A: I feel so fortunate to have our own talented team dedicated to maintaining the beauty, look and function of Blackberry Farm. Yes, they work on homes and projects across the country.
Q: What are five things you would recommend for fans who want to bring a little taste of Blackberry Farm into their own home?
A: Don’t be afraid to mix old and new. Give family treasures a spark of freshness with a new finish or a modern piece paired with it.
Prioritize lighting. Candles, dimmable lamps and beautiful natural light are a magical combination.
The most welcoming spaces are comfortable. Use throws, plump pillows and a mix of seating.
Find great art. Work with artists you admire to create pieces that tell your story.
Bring the outside in. Take advantage of the views and find inspiration outside!
Q: You have spoken openly about the adversity you experienced through the loss of your husband at such a young age. What is your advice to others who are going through painful times… How do you pick up the pieces and not just survive, but thrive?
A: We will all go through trials – personal struggles, difficulties in relationships, health challenges or loss. However, all of our journeys are unique, and how we are affected by our painful times depends on so many factors, from how we were raised to who we surround ourselves with. Because I didn’t know any other young widows, and our immediate community hadn’t experienced a loss like ours, I quickly realized it wasn’t just me who didn’t know what to do when Sam died. Our friends, my children’s friends, my family – none of us knew exactly what to do. I found it very helpful to tell myself that there were no rules for grieving and handling our loss. I realized that what applied to one family may not be applicable to us, which freed me in so many ways to follow my gut and do my best every day to make the next decision.
I also knew Sam would want us to keep living, which meant showing up at my children’s sports events even when I wanted to crawl under my covers and cry. I had to get comfortable being uncomfortable and not let some tears and anxiety over missing their dad or doing something alone prevent me from being the best mother I could be. And yes, it means, even to this day, having difficult conversations and putting myself out there to lead my family when I wish their dad was here. I follow my gut and take each situation as it comes. One thing I know is, we cannot predict the future. All we can do is make the best out of each day we are given!
Q: Tell us a fun (or funny!) fact about yourself that most people wouldn’t know!
A: I grew up on a dead-end street in Alabama. It was a charming, close-knit community but not the highest traffic area for a lemonade stand. My best friend, Chris, and I loved attempting our own store – sometimes lemonade but on a few occasions, we took it to another level and sold “treasures” from our houses. We collected a few things from each of our homes and sold them. Our store didn’t last long. One of our neighbors called Chris’s mom to say, “Hey, I just bought your favorite candy dish for $2. I’ll bring it over later.” For Christmas that year, my mother had a “storefront” made for Chris and me, but it was gifted with the promise that we would not use her living room accessories as our inventory!
Q: What does the future hold for Blackberry Farm?
A: Blackberry Farm will be celebrating 50 years in 2026! We are so fortunate to be stewards of this beautiful land adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Our future is all about continuing to create welcoming spaces for our guests and homeowners to relax and escape their everyday. To me, there is nothing more important than connection, and we want to continue being a place that fosters that – connection to self, to others and to nature.
Thank you so much, Mary Celeste, for joining us today! What a breathtaking property, beautiful decor, and such an inspiring story! To learn more, please visit Blackberry Farm and follow @blackberry.mountain on Instagram for ongoing inspiration.
