Closer to heaven at almost one mile high in elevation!  A Brief History follows:

Traveler’s Rest is named after the gracious Kentucky plantation of Isaac Shelby, Kentucky’s first governor and hero of three wars.  He has been called the “Father of Kentucky” and cities and counties have been named after him in nine states.  In 1775, he chased a buffalo which led him near a big salt lick, a spot of land he called “the most beautiful place I have ever seen.”  He pitched a tent that night and later designed and built Traveler’s Rest, his homeplace for over fifty years.  In later years he entertained neighbors and old friends, Indians, passing travelers and ragged war veterans, giving them the same hospitality he offered to the rich and famous who came to Traveler’s Rest for company or advice.  This retreat is dedicated to my great, great, great, great grandfather, Isaac Shelby, a man of God, family, and country.

The Spirit led us to this spot in the summer of 1995 (220 years after Shelby was led to his Traveler’s Rest). We broke ground for our Traveler’s Rest in October, 1995, with its dedication in March, 1997. We consider ourselves but stewards of this place and hope that one will feel as comfortable here as we do. On a calm day, you can hear the Glen Burney Falls just a few hundred yards away in Johns River Gorge.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”–John Muir