Staying in Long Creek is all about experiencing the area’s stunning natural beauty. Just how close you want to get to nature is up to you.
Accommodations run the comfort gamut from luxury mountain cabins to primitive creekside campsites. Dining options are a bit more limited but include several great choices.
Two of Long Creek’s most acclaimed attractions—Wildwater and Chattooga Belle Farm—rent cabins onsite, offering guests a unique back-of-the-house experience.
Adventure-seekers planning to raft the Chattooga River, paddleboard on Lake Tugaloo and go zip lining on a canopy tour, can stay walking distance from all the action. Wildwater offers cabins of various sizes and comfort levels tucked in the woods on the Chattooga outpost property.
The Chattooga Corkscrew, named after the river’s infamous Corkscrew rapid, is a luxury three-story house with a one-of-a-kind spiral staircase and poplar beams made from trees that once stood on the property. It sleeps 12 and features a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, along with a covered porch and patio with grill.
Next door is Jawbone, another luxury house named after a Chattooga rapid. It features three bedrooms, accommodating up to eight guests, with a covered deck, front porch and patio with grill.
Wildwater also offers four two-bedroom, two-bath cabins; a cozy one-bedroom “birdhouse” for two; duplex cottages and group yurts adjacent to a communal building with six individual bathrooms.
Chattooga Belle Farm also has its own one-of-a-kind lodging options, including two tiny homes, two RV campsites and primitive camping overlooking Horseshoe Lake.
More RV and tent camping is available at Chattooga Sounds Campground and Chattooga River Resort & Campground. At Chattooga River Resort, you also have the option of staying in one of nine guest rooms in its 4,500-square-foot lodge.
Whatever your choice of accommodations, the eating will be good at Long Creek’s two popular dining spots. Humble Pie, a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint offering handmade pies with fresh ingredients, is the kayaker version of “après ski.” What’s better than fresh-from-the-oven pizza after working up an appetite on the river?
The other go-to eatery you’ll want to try is Belle’s Bistro at Chattooga Belle Farm. It offers an extensive menu of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers and entrees like fried chicken and waffles and Charleston-style shrimp and grits, along with a fantastic view of the farm and surrounding mountains to enjoy during your meal.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the farm store, featuring a large variety of canned products, fresh produce and eight types of wine made from fruit grown on the property.
The farm also has its own distillery where fruit from its fields is fermented, distilled and bottled for sale. Among the usual inventory is brandy, whiskey, vodka, bourbon and gin. The distillery also serves mixed drinks and select mini bottles of vodka and moonshine for visitors who want a taste of the Upstate's home-grown spirits.
