I've wanted to come to Gorham's Bluff for years. Overlooking the Tennessee River, it's one of the loveliest natural spots in Alabama. My fiancé and I came for a weekend and we're considering spending our lives here. The inn is a lovely old place - kept up by folks who cherish it, and it shows. Meals are by reservation only, but an experience not to be missed. Food was excellent, a little costly but not at all out of line. Our room was lovely - the Satterfield Room. The only complaint I have is the height of the bed is ridiculous - I had to climb over the sofa at the foot to spring up onto the mattress. But - it was very comfortable. We had a beautiful view of the bluff from our private porch and rocking chairs. There was hot tea and snacks available 24/7, which was so nice after a day hiking. The neighborhood is great - houses are a bargain - which is why we'll give serious consideration to a move if it makes sense when the time comes. Dawn, the owner, is lovely and kind and takes a lot of pride in treating guests specially. We will definitely be back! read more

The Lodge at Gorham's Bluff is a secret gem in Northeast Alabama. The lodge is the center of a small town composed of personal and public houses/cabins. There are hiking trails, bikes and a pool for the small community. The Lodge itself is a bed and breakfast and intended for relaxing. While the cabins have televisions, the lodge rooms do not. There is a center area downstairs with an older television but this is a place for unwinding and personal time. There is wifi but the connection is teneous at best. Several of the Lodge rooms have private balconies that overlook the bluff. The Lodge is at the highest point of a mountain and overlooks the TN river. Truly amazing views. Hawks and vultures fly low over the bluff and swallows have a small community there and provide a constant source of movement. The Lodge itself features a small restaurant. It offers breakfast, lunch boxes (for pickup) and a dinner prepared by a phenomenal chef. For every guest, a custom menu is printed up for dinner and there are typically two choices offered for appetizer, entree and dessert. Prices range from 60 - 80 a person depending if you want both appetizers (3 v 4 course meal). I've had the caprese salad, tomato soup, steak, pork chop and the chocolate dessert in the three or so meals I've had there. All of the food is amazing but the pork chop is the best thing by far - and not only at the Lodge. Depending on the crowd, there will also be a piano player performing in the dining room. I do not recommend the lunchbox. You don't get a choice of what type of sandwich - I ended up paying 42 dollars for two lunchboxes with a duck sandwich, bag of chips, cookie, pasta salad and an apple. I do not like duck and wasn't prepared for a non-typical meat on a sandwich. I wasn't offered any substitute or refund when I told them I didn't eat duck. Regardless, 42 is too much for a lunchbox for two. There isn't a grocery store nearby though so if you don't want to eat there, recommend bringing your own food. Cabins have full kitchens. Lodge does not nor does it have personal fridges in the room. There is one in the pantry area for the guests though. Tip: Explore the trails along the bluff and walk in the woods to the treehouse. Easy hikes but fun to explore. If you have bug issues, recommend staying at the Lodge. The cabins are bug free but have a lot of spiders and insects on the outside. A lot. This is a great place for lovers and families. It's not too crowded and close to Huntsville but offers a true get away experience. read more

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Went to Gorham's Bluff for our 1st anniversary of dating. Didn't know my Guy was going to ask me to marry him. The staff assisted him in creating a wonderful memory, with flowers, tablecloth, cloth chairs with skirting, a photographer, personalized menu with our names & the date. It was simply Awesome. The next morning we had our breakfast delivered to our cottage with a smile. This place will forever hold a place in my heart, with the beginning of the next step in our lives, the views, the quite relaxing atmosphere. the hospital & amazing memories! Love Love Love!!! read more

My daughter was recently married at Gorham's Bluff and I've like to offer a word of warning to anyone considering an event larger than 15 - 20 people. While there were parts that were beautiful (The view, the photos), there were many things that didn't meet our expectations at all. 1. Dawn (facilities manager) is scattered, ill prepared and forgetful. While she presents herself as an expert on events small and large, she has issues with poor communication, organization and overselling the abilities of herself and her staff (or lack thereof). We experienced so many dropped balls from Dawn and her very limited staff, it's hard to list them all. 2. The cost of the Venue - When you rent the Gorham's Bluff venue for 5 k, that includes almost nothing. No chairs, tables, linens, forks, cups, etc. They tried to have us pay for chaffing dishes and warming boxes, claiming that they don't have room to store those things and that we needed to pay for them to be rented. They claimed that they provided staff for the reception, but there were only two servers for 100 guests and everything ran out (including water). You would be much better off renting other venues that charge the same fee but provide some items and are certainly better equipped to effectively execute feeding large parties in a timely manner (trained chefs and staff are the key). Dawn offered to cut down a tree for the tent located outside the reception area (an extension of tables and a bar). It didn't happen until the week before the wedding and the stump was left. It was unsightly and not at all what was promised. 3. The Reception - where to begin. There were so many fails that it's hard to remember them all. *We asked for passed appetizers and what we received were very few and they were lukewarm to cold. The "bruschetta" was a few marinated tomatoes tossed on a piece of toast. No balsamic sauce or much flavor. Big fail. The bacon and cheese app on toast was cold and waxy when they were brought to our table. They held out the trays for people to pick up with their fingers instead of using tongs to serve. We also had a meatball appetizer as well, but the server never came to our table with those, even though I was the person paying for this event (Bigger Fail). Everyone was starving and only received a few pieces of toast and some received ONE meatball. It was so mortifying for me as my family and friends were asking if any more food would be served before dinner. *SCREAM *The Dinner was very late due to lack of staff setting up the chaffing dishes and other stations. These should have been set up ahead of time, but again, the lack of employees was glaringly obvious. By the time we started calling the tables up to get their food, people were downright hangry. I noticed that the brisket was severed sliced, even though we emphatically stated at the tasting that we wanted it pulled (that requires a longer cooking process) and not sliced. I specifically made sure Dawn was aware of this, but she failed to execute with the "chef". The Brisket was lukewarm and pretty tasteless. We requested rolls at the tasting to eat with the brisket and no rolls were provided. This is another "missed" detail by Dawn. The mashed potatoes for the mashed potato bar were cold. The toppings were placed on a table that was too large and nothing was labeled (absolutely no labels on any of the food). The creamed Spinach was more like spinach dip, but it did taste good, so that gets a pass. The chicken marsala was absolutely, 100% NOT chicken marsala. It was nothing like the marsala served at the tasting. It was chicken in a butter/garlic sauce with mushrooms. There was no marsala taste or color. HUGE FAIL. At least the rice was hot (It was the last thing out and we waited a while for it to arrive). The green beans were well cooked but absolutely naked. No butter sauce, salt, pepper, nothing. Also, there was no salt or pepper offered for the guests. Yes, you read that correctly, no salt or pepper in the place. The salad bar was passible, but nothing was labeled. One of the guests looked at me and said, "I'm counting on this being balsamic". It was on a too large table and seemed skimpy. *SCREAM. **The water and tea ran out by 9:30 (this lasted until 11) and the employees vanished about that time. One of my friends literally went to the BATHROOM to get water from the tap. JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH, I was so mortified yet again. The bartenders also did last call at 9:30 because they were only paid until that time and they left without serving cases of beer, 1/2 a keg and a large container of Sangria left. No one asked if if we could pay for another hour. They just disappeared. The attendees served themselves at that point. Again... EPIC FAIL. They bartenders were slow and had attitude. I asked if they could serve from both lines and I was told "no". The fact that we were paying their hourly rate seemed of no consequence. I was gob smacked. read more

This place refuses to honor reservations. They charged my card and screwed up my New Year's night. read more

The new "Tavern Menu" at The Lodge on Gorham's Bluff is fantastic. Great food. Excellent preparation. Can't say enough about Chef Corinne. Such a great way to grab a bite after a road trip here, or if you just don't feel like cooking. Once you order you can dine in or take out. Makes life simple and affordable. Well don Corinne & Staff! read more

If something happens and you have to cancel a reservation make sure that you get it in writing. These guys aren't opposed to keeping your deposit. I lost $177.50. Big fun. read more

My husband and I came here for a relaxing weekend away but our excitement quickly ended once we stepped into our room. The room was extremely hot because the temp hadn't been adjusted prior to our arrival and we quickly noticed a puddle of rainwater on the floor coming from rotted wooden rafters. We also noted the room didn't have a tv(not a huge deal). We tried to ignore these things and settle in but upon closer inspection of the room, we saw numerous spiders crawling on the walls and several filthy areas due to lack of cleaning. The bed linens were stained and the pillows and mattress appeared to be original to when the place was built. It was obvious this place lacks regular maintenance, cleaning, and pest control. There is no excuse for not providing a certain level of cleanliness for guests. Very disappointing considering this place is very pretty and has so much potential to be great. read more

wonderful hideaway- dawn and her staff provide only perfection! southern charm with outstanding service, 4 course meals with relaxation, beautiful scenery and hospitality at its finest! read more

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The lodge at Gorhams bluff is amazing. The lodge has a cozy bed and breakfast feel with spacious rooms with great views. The meals are amazing!! Rene the chef serves the best meals we have ever had. The staff is warm and friendly and see to your every need. A real family atmosphere where you can relax and decompress. read more

Beyond disappointed. My family has been coming here for years. I was just there in December and it was amazing. I suppose they have new management/chefs now...the menu has changed and the food is horrible. When brought to the attention of the staff instead of taking the feedback from long time customers as constructive feedback, my family was met with rude staff. The chef came back out and even said they took pictures of the food so they knew how much was eaten so the bill still had to be paid! No one was trying to get out of paying the bill, my aunt was very nice about it and simply thought they would want the feedback. My aunt proudly takes the whole family there anytime we have relatives in town. She has for years. They told my family never to come back again! Our family travels a lot and we've eaten at some of the best restaurants in New York City, Napa Valley, and Europe. It was nice to have a gem in the middle of nowhere Alabama that measured up to some of those restaurants-somewhere you can be proud to take family from different parts of the country to show you can be in the backwoods of Alabama and have some class and great food. I know the original owner has passed away and it can be hard to transition, but treating loyal customers who want to help you is not the answer. So disappointed we don't have our classy fine dining restaurant that's on par with the best in larger cities anymore... now all we have is a backwards, rude, redneck establishment that is exactly the kind of place you'd expect to be in Pisgah, Alabama. read more

Sad has been. Have enjoyed Gorhams Bluff for many years. Took family and friends last week and was greeted with place in disrepair, cold unrecognizable and uneatable food. The dining room was full of fruit flies and gnats we swatted all night. When we asked the waiter about the flies he stated "you should see the kitchen they are all over everything in there". Perhaps could have considered this a one time bad experience but when I spoke to the manager to share our experience who wanted me to tell the chef directly the chef said "I think it would be a good thing if you just do not come back". I will oblige her in that request and suggest to anyone reading this to save your time and money and do the same. read more

All the bikes are broken. Meal service is unpredictable so be sure to bring food along with you because if you wake up early you have to wait for 8:30 breakfast service. The sites are beautiful, the pool is wonderful, and the people living in the homes are kind and extremely welcoming. The Town is far from any grocery store or good restaurants, not many activities available, no spa service, and TVs in the cottage I stayed in with my friends family didn't even work. Its a great cozy place to catch up on some books, play board games, and spend time with a family with children who are looking for an isolated getaway. I personally would not revisit other than for the walking and views, not for the night, and certainly not for a vacation. read more