Hidden gem Spruce Pine’s Willow Oak Lodge offers abundant outdoor fun for all
Story by MARÍA CAMP Photos by MARÍA CAMP AND CONTRIBUTED
W
illow Oak Lodge, nestled in the woods just off Highway 43 in Spruce Pine, might be best known as a high-fence hunting preserve offering whitetail deer, wild turkey and quail hunts – but it’s so much more. Willow Oak Lodge offers more than a thousand acres of diverse terrain, including creeks, ponds, open fields and impressive views. Guests have access to fishing and hiking, trails for side-by-side riding, boating, spotting wildlife and generally enjoying being in the great outdoors. Other options for relaxing include booking a massage, taking advantage of the sauna and making use of the full gym. Good food and Southern hospitality greet guests, many of whom come from out of state to get away from it all. The lodge also hosts special events, including a costumed Halloween party, New Year’s Eve party and a Valentine’s Day ball. Husband and wife team Tim and Kim Horton are the owner-operators of Willow Oak Lodge, which opened to the public in late 2019. They also run their lure company, Profound Outdoors. A major league pro fishing angler, Tim won the 2000 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and is an 11-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier. He is also the star of his well-known educational fishing television show, “Timmy Horton Outdoors.” Kim worked in education as a gifted and talented program teacher for 13 years. “Franklin County has always been home,” said Tim Horton. “I’m from Spruce Pine, and Kim is from the Rockwood/Belgreen area. This is a very special place that’s really entwined in the fabric of who we are. Our goal is to get people outside and making wonderful memories together, and that’s the most important thing.”
30
Franklin Living
