You can camp at this 100-year-old South Knoxville farm that's also a 'food forest'

South Knoxville native Aaron White lived in Utah for 10 years and worked for rock climbing equipment company Black Diamond. Five years ago, he and his wife, Kat, started buying and flipping homes in South Knoxville, and eventually the couple decided to return to East Tennessee.

The Whites would visit a three-acre parcel of land they owned and approached Burnett Benedict Bolin about purchasing the neighboring 36-acre farm her grandfather settled 100 years ago.

“That was a year and a half ago,” said Aaron White. “She was very enamored with my wife and daughters, and I think she wanted a young family to buy the Burnett estate with hopes that it would not be developed into another neighborhood.

“Ms. Burnett is 93 and told us stories of playing in the creek,” White continued. “She grew up in the summer house in the hollow that burned down in the 1950s and remembers her father going to work for TVA and when power came to the valley.”

The log cabin on the Burnett estate was built in the 1800s and until recently was inhabited by Bolin’s daughter.

“We currently live in the Island Home neighborhood, but we want to restore the log cabin to its original beauty and eventually live on the farm,” White said. “We want to build a working farm and a perennial food forest with a variety of food and supporting plants.”

They have already planted 40 trees: pecan, persimmon, elderberry, apple, peach, pomegranate and mulberry.

“We found wild asparagus, perennial greens, root vegetables and passionfruit vines,” White said. “My wife found Flying Dragon Bitter Oranges that were planted by the Burnetts in the ’30s or ’40s, that she has made into marmalade.” There is plenty of maple sap for syrup and an abundance of walnuts and hickory nuts.

The Whites kept looking at the Brown Bike Farms across from them. “Last July I saw the owner Greg Brown working on it,” White said. “I reached out and asked if he wanted to sell it to me.”

They worked out a deal and purchased Brown Bike Farms last month and renamed it Low Meadow Farms. “The campground is part of the original Burnett estate, and that’s what the Burnetts used to call it,” White said, who wants to offer ecologically friendly accommodations on the properties.

Low Meadow Farms generally has four to five groups every weekend, with two to three camping groups during the week.

“We lessened the number of campsites on top of each other by spreading them out,” White said. “Each site has a fire ring and picnic table, access to fresh tap water and firewood.

“What we have found in the short amount of time we have had the former Brown Bike Farms, the style of camper we have wants fewer amenities and a calmer, more peaceful stay,” he said. “We want to nurture this campground back to life, minimizing impact while maximizing their happiness. No plugged-in lights and flushing toilets. You go back to a more peaceful setting, where you can hear the creek because you’re not on your phone.”

There is already a pavilion at the campground and an information board with maps. A bike wash station and solar showers have been added.

There are three springs, and Burnett Creek encircles the campground.

“The spring house still has the inscription of Ms. Burnett’s grandfather who built it in 1927,” White said.

Low Meadow Farms will be the setting for intimate birthday parties, camping trips with friends and even the occasional pared-back wedding.

“Our child had a birthday party with mountain bikes and every piece of farm equipment we could drag over there,” White said. “A gal has booked out almost the whole site for her friends in May.

“Dogs are welcome, but we need reasonable dog ownership, and you can’t leave your dog alone at your campsite,” White said. Responsible alcohol consumption is also allowed. Low Meadow Farms may partner with local breweries or distilleries for wine, beer or cocktail tasting and then camp overnight.

The campground offers a hint of backcountry camping without the hike in. It is best suited for off-road vehicles, bike, tent and hammock camping.

“We are also looking to host camping, clinics, and programs with Knoxville Adventure Collective and the University of Tennessee Outdoor Pursuits,” White said. Two Bikes shop will be leading a bike packing trip on June 24 to explore both road and mountain bike trails and camp at Low Meadow Farms overnight.

Low Meadow Farms can be booked through Hipcamp and Airbnb, and more details can be found at lowmeadowfarms.com

White is no stranger to outdoor recreation. His first job was renting out equipment at Riversports Outfitters, and he has been a mountain biker since well before the Urban Wilderness was a real thing in South Knoxville. Kat White has a degree in environmental biology and a master’s in natural resource management.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Low Meadow Farms is South Knoxville camping with a long family history