The Guest House here on the Birdland Retreat provides a three bedroom, two bathroom private accommodation on the grounds of a quiet 18 acre retreat 20 minutes northeast of downtown Knoxville, Knoxville Zoo and University of Tennessee, four area hospitals, and just an hour away from the major family attractions at Sevierville and Dollywood.

The Guest house is completely private and self contained with a well appointed open kitchen and comfortable dining area to easily allow for in house dining.

The space

The Lipsticked Pig Guest House started life as a prefab structure but over the years has been expanded to include a wrap around deck, laundry room and light filled sun room. These well designed additions have created a spacious 1700 square foot living space that sits at one of the highest points of our peaceful, park like 18 acre retreat allowing guests to enjoy the expansive views of Birdland's green pastures and rolling hills.

But Birdland is more than just the Guest House. Birdland is a rural retreat and we are respectful of and share space with a wide assortment of wildlife. If you are allergic to mosquitoes or wasps, panicked by the sight of a tiny lizard, field mouse, skunk or opossum, please consider that Birdland many not be the right choice for you.

The Guest House sleeps up to five (two couples and a fifth person) so is perfect for groups or families desiring extra space and beautiful views combined with great value. Feel free to walk the grounds or find a spot to just sit to enjoy the bird choruses at dawn and dusk while enjoying the views.

Location

The Guest House sits in the middle of a lush, park like , tree laden setting great for strolling, bird watching or just enjoying the breezes the sunset or the stars from the deck. Guests are free to explore around the entire retreat.

We encourage folks to book for a week or longer in order to really slow down and fully appreciate the immediate environment, and the many attractions the Knoxville area has to offer.

Other items to note

We at BIRDLAND are experienced hosts with a 4.9 out of 5 rating from some 200 guests since 2019. We employ an enhanced cleaning protocol, which was developed with expert guidance. Here are a few highlights:

We sanitize high-touch surfaces, down to the doorknob
o We use cleaners and disinfectants approved by global health agencies, and we wear protective gear to help prevent cross-contamination
o We clean each room using extensive cleaning checklists
o We provide extra cleaning supplies, so you can clean as you stay
o We comply with local laws, including any additional safety or cleaning guidelines

Pets

Unfortunately, we do not allow pets in order to keep the Guesthouse environment hospitable to those guests with respiratory issues.

We, the caretakers who live on the property, had two pet mascots - friendly, frisky boxer brothers - Zak and Ziggy - who grew up here at the retreat. Sadly, they have both now passed over into doggie heaven. They are sorely missed, and our loyal, returning guests continue to ask about them…

Anticipating their loss, we acquired a standard poodle puppy before the boxers passed. His name is Neo, and he is a curious mix of standoffishness and curiosity. He is still trying to figure out the difference between friends and strangers. We are trying to teach him not to bark at guests. He is a slow learner...

He wants to smell newcomers but he doesn’t like to be touched. Full of contradictions! He is not aggressive - does not nip or bite, so the best thing to do is to just ignore him. He will bark initially, but then settles down.

He has not yet learned good driveway manners, and has little respect for moving vehicles, so we ask guests to be especially mindful of him as you enter and exit the grounds.

He was very lonely after the boxers passed, so we bought a ginger cat to be his buddy. His name is Nacho, and they are now the best of friends.

They live and spend most of their time at their owner/caretakers houses but have the run of the property. Neo can be gated in if he becomes too much of a nuisance. We have also installed simple expandable gates at the entrances and exits of the deck so that you can, if you wish, create a completely dog free outdoor lounging area for the entirety of your stay.

* Retreat not suitable for children under elementary school age, those under 25 years of age, fishing or hunting parties, or work crews.