Talking Water is more than a place to stay. Our 82 acres are an active Greenbelt property, and our livestock have jobs to do.
You may encounter working animals outside of fenced areas during your stay. Our goats are moved via GPS and/or electric fence around the property to browse vegetation. Our chickens may be out scratching and foraging, and our cats patrol the property freely.
This is intentional, and part of life at Talking Water.
Our animals aren’t decorations. We know our animals individually, care about them deeply, and value sharing this farm lifestyle with our guests.
They help us manage invasive plants, vines, shrubs, and overgrowth throughout the property. Moving them to different areas gives them fresh browse while helping us manage vegetation with fewer machines and chemicals.
They scratch, forage, eat insects, turn over soil, and provide us with colorful fresh eggs. You’ll sometimes find Talking Water chicks for sale!
They help keep rodents in check around the cabins, buildings, gardens, and animal areas. They’re working cats, although they frequently seem to think their primary job is greeting guests and joining folks on hikes.
Our goats earn their keep by doing what goats do best: eating things we’d rather not spend our days cutting.
They browse vines, shrubs, weeds, and woody growth throughout the property and help us manage areas that are difficult to reach with equipment. You’ll sometimes see them inside temporary fencing, and other times being moved or supervised while browsing elsewhere on the property.
Our chickens spend their days scratching, pecking, turning over soil, eating bugs, and producing an assortment of colorful eggs.
You may see chickens wandering outside their coop, or working their way through different parts of the property. Please enjoy watching them, but don’t chase them.
Meet Ozzy, Ouissa, Makepeace and Seraphina, our resident working cats. Their official job is rodent control around the property. Their self-appointed jobs include greeting guests, supervising construction projects, and hunting rodents.
Named for Ozzy Osbourne, all chill vibes and loud, social vocals. Raised during our earth-building workshops, bouncing between sleeping bags each night. Sweet, petite, and knows no stranger.
Our wonderful mama, who arrived needing shelter with five tiny kittens. Patient, attentive, and endlessly cuddly. Named for Ouiser Boudreaux in Steel Magnolias.
A slow-moving, adventurous gentleman from the shelter. A little standoffish at first, but he purrs loudly when held gently. Named for our values.
One of Ouissa’s babies, a calm, cuddly little one you’ll see more of as she grows. Named after our childhood cat, Sarah.
Our animals’ health and wellbeing are closely monitored. They receive daily care and attention, and all have safe, appropriate shelter available to them. For their protection, please keep visiting pets separated from our animals. Even healthy pets can carry illnesses or parasites that may be passed between animals.
Living and working alongside animals is part of the experience here. We ask guests to help us keep both people and animals safe.
Under Tennessee law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant, or damage to the property of a participant, in an agritourism activity conducted at this agritourism location or by this agritourism professional if such injury, death, or property damage results from the inherent risks of the agritourism activity.
Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, among others, risks of injury and damage inherent to land, equipment, and animals, as well as the potential for you to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death or to the damaging of your own property. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 43-39-103
Book a cabin and share the mountain with the goats, the hens, and whichever cat decides to walk you to the trailhead.