By Josh Guin
Traveling every weekend to ride another trail is no easy task. However, my family and I have a goal to ride and review every trail and campground in and around Tennessee. We’ve been at it since 2020 and are booked through 2022. We love our little family project, and the amazing sights we see along the way are greatly rewarding. Of course, keeping up a schedule like this brings all sorts of pressure; therefore, we’re always thankful when we stay at a place that genuinely caters to its visitors.
Some places just feel like home from the first time you visit. These are the ones we especially look for, and we found when we attended Frontier Days at Sevens Springs Lodge in Tuscumbia, Alabama. I heard good things about this place from several friends and I am glad I took their advice to check it out. I could not have been more pleased!
Seven Springs Lodge is located near the Tennessee-Alabama line and sits on 3,000 beautiful acres of hills, valleys, forests, and fields. Situated at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, there are huge rock formations to ride through and several historical and geological sites on over 100 miles of trails. The lodge has all the amenities you could ask for, from stalls, RV sites, and lodging to a store and their famous Rattlesnake Saloon Restaurant tucked under a large hanging rock.
With all the amenities that Seven Springs has to offer, I think I was most impressed with the hospitality that my family and I received. When traveling with almost fifty feet of rig, four kids, our horses, and everything we need to camp, ride, play, and live, we are very structured on how we do things. When we arrive at a campground, the horses come first. After riding in the trailer for hours at a time, we get our horses settled into their stalls. Then we set up camp and take care of ourselves.
By the time the work is done, the stress can be high and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I was impressed that, upon our arrival, we were greeted with big smiles and a warm welcome from the staff and were promptly guided to our stalls and campsite. Then, we were informed of the exciting activities we could expect throughout the weekend. Danny Foster, the owner, was on site all weekend and was easily approachable; just another example of that “at home hospitality.” This made such a difference for us and brought a peace to our trip that was appreciated.
After settling into camp, I saddled up and hit the trails. The trails have something to offer for all skill levels. We enjoyed riding side by side on wide grassy lanes that anyone could ride on, and then we took on some of the more technical trails where we rode so close to rock walls that our saddlebags would slide along the rocks. The footing varied from sand to gravel and large rocks that were manageable to ride around. One of my favorite places to ride was in the large field in the very back of the campground. My horse was a little spirited through the weekend from all the horses and action and it was fun for her to just stretch out and gallop the field.
The weekend was jam-packed with fun. We enjoyed watching the chuckwagon races and a rodeo each day, and we participated in a big horseback parade complete with flags from every U.S. state. The ladies competed in an extreme cowgirl competition; the kids hung on tight in mutton busting; and every night we got to sit back and listen to live entertainment.
By the end of the weekend, our bodies were tired, but our hearts were full. As we pulled out heading back toward Nashville I was reminded again of why we love doing this little family project. It’s not just the sights you see or the nature that we all love. It’s also about the amazing people who are doing amazing things. It’s about enjoying a home away from home. We’re finding these experiences all over the place and I’m certain that if you look, you will too.
Traveling every weekend to ride another trail is no easy task. However, my family and I have a goal to ride and review every trail and campground in and around Tennessee. We’ve been at it since 2020 and are booked through 2022. We love our little family project, and the amazing sights we see along the way are greatly rewarding. Of course, keeping up a schedule like this brings all sorts of pressure; therefore, we’re always thankful when we stay at a place that genuinely caters to its visitors.
Some places just feel like home from the first time you visit. These are the ones we especially look for, and we found when we attended Frontier Days at Sevens Springs Lodge in Tuscumbia, Alabama. I heard good things about this place from several friends and I am glad I took their advice to check it out. I could not have been more pleased!
Seven Springs Lodge is located near the Tennessee-Alabama line and sits on 3,000 beautiful acres of hills, valleys, forests, and fields. Situated at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, there are huge rock formations to ride through and several historical and geological sites on over 100 miles of trails. The lodge has all the amenities you could ask for, from stalls, RV sites, and lodging to a store and their famous Rattlesnake Saloon Restaurant tucked under a large hanging rock.
With all the amenities that Seven Springs has to offer, I think I was most impressed with the hospitality that my family and I received. When traveling with almost fifty feet of rig, four kids, our horses, and everything we need to camp, ride, play, and live, we are very structured on how we do things. When we arrive at a campground, the horses come first. After riding in the trailer for hours at a time, we get our horses settled into their stalls. Then we set up camp and take care of ourselves.
By the time the work is done, the stress can be high and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I was impressed that, upon our arrival, we were greeted with big smiles and a warm welcome from the staff and were promptly guided to our stalls and campsite. Then, we were informed of the exciting activities we could expect throughout the weekend. Danny Foster, the owner, was on site all weekend and was easily approachable; just another example of that “at home hospitality.” This made such a difference for us and brought a peace to our trip that was appreciated.
After settling into camp, I saddled up and hit the trails. The trails have something to offer for all skill levels. We enjoyed riding side by side on wide grassy lanes that anyone could ride on, and then we took on some of the more technical trails where we rode so close to rock walls that our saddlebags would slide along the rocks. The footing varied from sand to gravel and large rocks that were manageable to ride around. One of my favorite places to ride was in the large field in the very back of the campground. My horse was a little spirited through the weekend from all the horses and action and it was fun for her to just stretch out and gallop the field.
The weekend was jam-packed with fun. We enjoyed watching the chuckwagon races and a rodeo each day, and we participated in a big horseback parade complete with flags from every U.S. state. The ladies competed in an extreme cowgirl competition; the kids hung on tight in mutton busting; and every night we got to sit back and listen to live entertainment.
By the end of the weekend, our bodies were tired, but our hearts were full. As we pulled out heading back toward Nashville I was reminded again of why we love doing this little family project. It’s not just the sights you see or the nature that we all love. It’s also about the amazing people who are doing amazing things. It’s about enjoying a home away from home. We’re finding these experiences all over the place and I’m certain that if you look, you will too.
