Hello Friends and Welcome to the beginning of our story,

When we were young… we had dreams, plans, excitement, curiosity.

Like many young couples, Everett and I would talk about what we would do someday, we were 19 and 20 years old when we met. For me, I wanted to see the world. I dreamed of being somewhat of a gypsy. I wanted to experience different cultures, be a beach bum, sit in cafés all over the world, and meet strange and interesting people.

I imagined a life full of movement, discovery, and adventure.

Everett and I have been “adulting” for a very long time. We have been married since 1985. We raised two children, became grandparents, worked hard, paid bills, made responsible choices, and did what so many people do — we kept putting one foot in front of the other, every decision that was made was made for the benefit of our childrens lives.

And somewhere along the way, those big youthful dreams got quieter.

They did not disappear. They were still there, tucked away under careers, responsibilities, family, and the ordinary busyness of life. But they waited.

Eight years ago, we looked around and discovered that the children were grown and we needed a new challenge, a new direction.  We decided it was time to stop only talking about someday.

We were in our mid-50s when we chose to leave our old lives behind and take what we called “the leap.” Some people may have thought it was a strange time to start over. Maybe it was. But we knew we were ready for a new chapter.

We wanted more than just a business. We wanted a life with meaning, a place with character, and a chance to build something that felt real.

That leap brought us to Copperhill, Tennessee.

When we first found the property, it was not fancy or polished. It was rustic, wooded, tucked into the hillside, and full of possibility. The cabins had an old Appalachian feeling, as if they belonged to another time. The land felt peaceful. The mountains surrounded us. And the little town of Copperhill carried a history and grit that made us feel there was a story here worth preserving.

We thought we were buying a cabin property.

What we found was a place layered with history.

Copperhill is part of the old Copper Basin, an area shaped by mining, mountain life, hard work, and generations of people who knew what it meant to build a life from the land around them. Nearby, the Ocoee River winds through the mountains, bringing rafters, fishermen, hikers, and travelers looking for something a little more real than the usual vacation.

That feeling is what drew us in.

The property was not perfect. In many ways, neither were we. But maybe that is part of why it felt right. It had character. It had stories. It had work to be done. And it had the kind of quiet beauty that makes you slow down and pay attention.

Not long after we took that leap, the world changed.

We were still finding our footing as new business owners when COVID was announced as a pandemic. Like everyone else, we wondered what in the world was coming next. And on that very day, a homeless little puppy wandered onto the property.

We named her Rona.                                                                                                             .

At a time when everything felt uncertain, this little dog showed up as one of the first unexpected gifts of our new life. Today, Rona is our official “welcome dog,” greeting guests and becoming part of the story of The Cabins at Copperhill.  You will, no doubt meet her as we work for her now.

Looking back now, we can say the leap was not always easy. It did not look exactly like the dream we had when we were young. We may not have become the beach bums sitting in cafés all over the world. But in its own way, Copperhill gave us the adventure we were looking for.

Here, we meet people from all over. We hear their stories. We watch families gather around fire rings, couples escape for quiet weekends, friends come together for rafting trips, and guests discover the beauty of this little corner of Tennessee.

We have learned that adventure does not always require crossing oceans.

Sometimes it means taking a chance on a mountain road, an old cabin, a new town, and a dream that refuses to disappear.

That is how we came to Copperhill.

And that is why we stayed.

The Cabins at Copperhill has become more than a business to us. It is our home, our work, our challenge, and our way of sharing this special place with others.

This blog is our way of telling more of that story — the story of the cabins, the property, the people, the copper mining history, the Ocoee River, the mountains, and the experiences that make Copperhill so special.

We hope you’ll follow along as we share the history, beauty, and heart behind this place we now call home.

Sometimes the life we planned when we were young does not arrive exactly as we imagined.

Sometimes it arrives later.

Sometimes it looks like a rustic cabin in the woods.  http://Plan your stay at The Cabins at Copperhill

Lesa Cope

The Cabins at Copperhill