...continuing with a recent visit by my cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice. We'd been out driving around, exploring and doing a bit of shopping. Then Janice requested an opportunity to be down by Tellico Lake's shoreline just to enjoy the views and the relaxing impact of being next to a large body of water.
Always trying to please any visitors, I opted to visit a local bar and restaurant on the shoreline of one arm or bay of Tellico Lake. Might as well enjoy some refreshments and an appetizer or two while enjoying the lakeside ambiance... This is The Mudpuppy Restaurant in Vonore Tennessee. The restaurant literally floats on the lake.
Mudpuppy is not just a restaurant! It is part of what was formerly knowns as Sequoyah Landing...which also includes a 200 slip commercial recreational marina on Tellico Lake and it features upscale rental cabins, pontoon rentals and fuel sales...in addition to the Mudpuppy Restaurant. Sequoyah Landing Resort has been renamed as the "Cherokee Outdoor Resort" and, in collaboration with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, a major expansion is planned.
Note: The marina is located right at the one of the head of navigation for commercial barges and larger yachts on Tellico Lake. Several major boat and watercraft manufacturers are located close by this location.
I borrowed this drone photo of the cabins available for rental by folks on vacation who want a lakeside location...that's located close to boat slips, boat rentals and a restaurant. It doesn't show in this photo but guests can see the Smoky Mountains from the cabin's lakeside porches.
OK...back to The Mudpuppy Restaurant. This is a view of the bar. Lots of TV screens and apparently a popular place to down a brew (or something stronger) while relaxing or watching a sporting event.
This view is looking from the water's edge back through the indoor/semi-outdoor dining area at the Mudpuppy Restaurant. Given that this large crowd was here mid-afternoon on a weekday in late April before the boating season really begins, speaks to the popularity of the restaurant.
Nathan doesn't exactly pose his photographic subjects. I don't know who that grumpy looking old man is but at least Laurie was happy! Underneath that grumpy look, I was smiling...it was just internally...
The good news is that neither Janice or Nathan were smiling when this photo was taken...so I feel vindicated given my photo. Janice wanted a lakeside experience and you can't get much more 'lakeside' than in this photo.
Others stopped by looking for a snack or appetizer at the Mudpuppy. This female duck (or hen) didn't seem at all bothered by those big carp cruising around underneath her. I can tell you that carp like these have broken many of my fishing lines over the years...making off with hook, line and minnow.
Time for some food and beverages! Keep in mind that this was just a 'mid-afternoon snack'. We started out with this giant Bavarian Pretzel accompanied by beer cheese and a mustard dip. ($15.50) Adult beverages were served as well... The pretzel was very nice indeed...even if it seemed a bit pricy.
If deep fried pickle chips are on the menu and my better half is present, you can count on an order of pickle chips! In any case, these were our Mudpuppy's Crispy Fried Pickles with ranch dressing for dipping. ($9.50) They were better than average.
What the heck! Let's order just one more appetizer/snack item... For one member of our group, this is the favored treat. These were our Loaded Cheese Fries. ($12.00) This heap of seasoned French fries was smothered by the Mudpuppy Queso, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and scallions...and then topped with sour cream. I will admit that I really enjoyed this heart stopping appetizer!
This was our first visit to the Mudpuppy Restaurant and there is an extensive menu to explore during future visits. To view the menu, just go to https://www.mudpuppyrestaurant.com/menu. To learn more about the Cherokee Outdoor Resort in Vonore Tennessee, go to https://cherokeeoutdoorresort.com/.
I thought that I'd end this post with a water view up stream on Tellico Lake as seen from The Mudpuppy Restaurant. Being lakeside is so calming... That lone boat speeding up the lake will soon be joined by many others as the boating season is almost upon us.
Tellico Lake is part of the Tennessee Valley System of dams, power plants, reservoirs and locks. This portion of the lake is fed directly by the Little Tellico River as it flows from the Smoky Mountains. From the lake adventurous boaters could conceivably cruise to the Gulf of Mexico, the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Minnesota, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and even to Lake Champlain and beyond. Tellico Lake itself is 33 miles long and has 357 miles of shoreline.
Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
What a beautiful and relaxing lake view! You didn't look grumpy at all, and that's a really lovely photo of you and Laurie! That pretzel with cheese dip costs 15 bucks??? What? Is that a Michelin restaurant?
ReplyDeletemudpuppy's is always a good place to take company.
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