After Greg Brown bought the old farm of Burnett’s circle of relatives in South Knoxville, he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“It would take a lot to build on it; it’s downhill, there’s no big house, it’s literally a piece of land,” said Kat Bike, who manages Brown Bike Farm’s communications and oversees a little bit of everything.
“It’s a lovely meadow and I just tried to do it.”
Bike had a rental cabin in Gatlinburg that was destroyed in the 2016 wildfires. “I enjoyed connecting with other people,” he says. “I saw a list with only one shed and other people were renting it. People rented outdoor spaces everywhere, but not in Knoxville.”
As an avid mountain biker, Bike said the farm, located two or three miles from Mead Quarry, the Forks of the River, Helix and Transfarms mountain bike trails, is the best position to establish a base.
“I’m looking to figure out how to create the best property and Greg is contemplating promoting the farm,” he says. “That’s when we made an agreement for other people to come and camp in.
“We have had an increase in the number of other people; many other people are outdoors and need to be separated, have peace of mind or keep social distance,” Bike said. “Many camps are complete and recreational cars are crammed side by side. Let’s go for something a little different.
Four-acre D-shaped assets are delimited through Burnett Creek and Burnett Creek Road. In addition to camping in tents, there is the option of camping in hammocks, especially at the edge of the creek.
Brown Bike Farm has assigned and numbered camping sites in primitive streams and camping sites of remote organizations. “We have water in the city and a marina, so this may be more primitive,” Bike said.
Some consumers spend the night in their switched vans, in the back of their trucks, and others have small cars built for camping.
“I camped in my hammock near the creek,” Bike said. Last year, he helped run a motorcycle packaging workshop at TVB (Tennessee Bicycle Valleys) where other people talked about the gadgets they were and to give him an idea.
The meadow is full of local flowers and changes the color with the seasons, according to Bike. “In spring, there is a diversity of white, yellow or purple flowers. In season, the total meadow turns purple with ironweed. This season, the cotton odiversity attracts butterflies.
A nest of turkeys and bunnies was also spotted in the distance. “Other people camped and noticed otters playing and dragging turtles,” he says. “You can be close and soak up nature while you stay close to the city.”
Visitors use the iNaturalist app to geolocate other trees, insects, fungi, plants and trees of the property, or simply the best trees to hang a hammock.
Bike said it was an opportunity to revel in a primitive camp without walking with all its gadgets for 24 miles.
For the additional expenses of Brown Bike Farm, Brown is a beekeeper and its business partners distribute honey.
Reservations can be made via https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/tennessee/brown-bike-farms or Airbnb. “We’re not a classic camp,” Bike said. “Hip Camp has started to allow campers to request more accessories and we rate a payment and install them.”
Brown Bike Farm, for protection commands, only accepts reservations for five or six of the 10 creekside sites and limits the organization’s sites to six to 8 people.