Dancing Bear Lodge
137 Apple Valley WayTownsend, Tennessee 37882
800.369.0111
Designed to bring you an authentic regional experience, our luxury Smoky Mountain dining room combines the traditions and ingredients of the area as well as a comfortable, tasteful atmosphere and genuine service. Start your day with a continental breakfast in the dining room and unwind in the evening with a three course dinner.
Dancing Bear Lodge’s full-service restaurant and bar is one of the finest Townsend, TN area restaurants. Featuring the only full bar and wine program in the area, Dancing Bear Dining Room offers casually elegant, regional cuisine. Enjoy simple fare from a menu that is refined, but not fussy. Family and friends gathering for a fun meal on the deck as well as couples seeking a romantic dinner for two surrounded by wooded views, are equally at home here.
Dinner reservations are required. Please call 865.448.6000 for more information and reservations.
All guests of the Dancing Bear Lodge and cabins are invited to start their day with our deluxe continental breakfast served daily in the lodge dining room.
Whether relaxing on the deck and admiring the outdoors or sitting with a book by the fireplace in the Main Lodge, the Bar at Dancing Bear Lodge is the perfect place to find one of our signature cocktails, a premium spirit, a glass of wine or a beer.
White Dancing Bear Cosmopolitan$12
Finlandia Vodka, White Cranberry Juice, Cointreau, Fresh Lime Juice
Bear of a Margarita $13
Don Eduardo Tequila, Grand Marnier, Lemon and Lime Juice,
Splash of Corona
Dancing Bear Manhattan $10
Marker’s Mark, Sweet Vermouth, Bitters
Tequila Bear $13
Chilled Double Patron Blanco with a Lime
Whiskey Alexander $14
Double Maker’s Mark on Ice
Jeff Carter had a passion for cooking at a young age.
At the tender age of 8, Chef Jeff Carter had his first experience with a true love for food in the form of the neighbor’s monkey bread. He was so enamored with the taste and texture that he walked over to the neighbor’s house, knocked on the door, and asked for the recipe which still remains in his recipe collection. He then prepared the recipe himself and proudly served it to his family which earned him high accolades from everyone on this newly found talent.
Chef Carter also developed a love for flavorful food from the Creole cooking his Father prepared. In high school, he would assist his Father with the preparation of the nightly family meal, a tradition he remembers and draws inspiration from as he prepares dinner nightly for the guests at Dancing Bear Lodge. Chef Carter says, “It’s just like preparing for a much bigger family, but it brings back rich memories of my culinary heritage that are my pleasure to share with our guests.”
After graduating from Faulkner Culinary School in 1999, Chef Carter completed internships at a locally owned Italian Café Allegro and Steelwood Country Club. Steelwood provided the fodder for his first fine dining exposure where he brainstormed with other students to enhance the menu, created his own recipes, and gained the confidence and desire to take his passion to the next level.
During his tenure at Blackberry Farm, Chef Carter learned the intricacies of Chef John Fleer’s signature Foothill Cuisine™ which has been praised by national publications such as Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine and Southern Living. During his four years at Blackberry Farm the property was awarded the prestigious distinction of Relais and Gourmand and was also rated #2 for Hotel Dining in America.
At Dancing Bear Lodge, set against the backdrop of the sapphire mist that envelopes mountain vistas, Chef Carter’s casually elegant, regional cuisine combines the traditions and ingredients of the agricultural bounty and culinary traditions of Tennessee
A guest in the Dancing Bear dining room might be treated to menu selections infused with local flavor like Heirloom Sweet Potato Soup served with Maple Crème Fraiche or a perfectly Almond Crusted North Carolina Rainbow Trout with Butter Beans, Roasted Mushrooms, Spinach, and Crayfish. And for dessert, a very tempting Tennessee Whiskey Cake with Sorghum Ice Cream and Candied Pecans.
Chef Carter continues to bring a taste of elegance to lodging in Townsend, Tennessee by providing comfortable but upscale cuisine as he showcases his talents at the Dancing Bear Lodge.
