Leap Year Sale

Once every four years, we get an extra day in the calendar year that falls on February 29. Leap Year is needed every four years to keep the calendar year synchronized with the seasonal year. By adding an additional day to the calendar year, the drift that is created by seasons not repeating in whole days is corrected.

2012 is a leap year! We toyed with all sorts of ways to use this extra day, but landed on giving it to you. When you call on February 29, you will receive an extra night with your two-night reservation. Think of it as a little gift from the calendar and Dancing Bear Lodge and Restaurant.

We will be manning the phones from 8am-7pm on February 29. So mark your calendars to call, and put this number on speed dial 865-448-6000 or email at melanie@dancingbearlodge.com for more information.

Dancing Bear Lodge Weddings

Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant is the premier destination wedding location in the Smokies and creates an environment perfectly suited for celebrating such a special day! From the first moment you check-in to the closing of your ceremony, we are there to help you and your family customize and execute a moment that you will cherish forever. Come and enjoy friends, family, and loved ones, while we take care of all of the work! View a few photos from some of the past weddings that have taken place at Dancing Bear Lodge.

Jansen & Julie

Andrew & Lizzie

Rob & Liesel

Sunburst Trout Farms

The purveyors that we use at Dancing Bear Lodge and & Restaurant are so important to us and we enjoy introducing their products to our customers. In our restaurant, we use Sunburst Trout in our dishes.

Chef Jeff Carter prefers Sunburst Trout because of their freshness and quality. He says that they also add beta carotene to the trout food so it makes the fish an orange like color.

Sunburst Trout Farms has been family owned and operated for three generations since its founding in 1948.

A favorite trout recipe from Sunburst Trout Farm:

1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp grated lemon rind
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 Sunburst Trout Filets

Mix ingredients and pour over Sunburst Trout Filets.
Marinate for 2-6 hours.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Learn more about Sunburst Trout Farms

What is Split Rail Fencing?

If you have ever been to Dancing Bear Lodge and Restaurant, you have probably noticed the unique fencing around the property. Before common types of fencing such as chain-link were used, the people living in the Smoky Mountains area used split rail fencing. The fencing is made from a rot-resistant hardwood and can be shaped in variety of ways. At Dancing Bear Lodge and Restaurant, our fence is in the form of a zig-zag. Next time you visit us, be sure to take in this unique feature!

Brownies for your Valentine

Chef Carter has whipped up the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert for you to make for your sweetie! Try his amazing brownie recipe. Your significant other won’t be disappointed! Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends at Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant.

Brownies
1 ½ c flour
2 c coco powder
2 t salt
1 ½ # butter, room temp
3 ½ c sugar
6 eggs
2 t vanilla
12 oz chocolate chips

Sift the flour, coco powder and salt together. Set aside. Melt half the butter in a pan or microwave. Put the remaining in a bowl and pour the melted butter over it. Stir together leaving little bits of whole butter.
Mix eggs and sugar in a mixer fitted with the paddle for about 3 minutes. Mix in vanilla then alternate butter and flour mixture until all is incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter onto a half sheet pan sprayed and lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Benton's Bacon

We love highlighting our favorite purveyors! Allan Benton's bacon is well known in this area and around the nation!

Dancing Bear Lodge and Restaurant's Chef Jeff Carter uses Benton’s Bacon in his dishes for the restaurant. Chef Carter said, “Allan's bacon is more smoky and salty so it really adds flavor to other foods it's cooked with.”

Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams, led by owner Allan Benton, was established in 1947 in Madisonville, TN, by a dairy farmer and continues to uphold the traditional dry-curing process that its forefathers began so long ago. Yet, Allan Benton’s slow-cured hams and smoky bacon are anything but traditional in terms of flavor — and top chefs around the country seem to agree. They stand behind his products so much that they specify it by name on their menus.

Visit Benton’s Smoky Mountain County Hams to order your ham or bacon!