Most of our readers probably have heard of Tennessee’s myriad of options when planning a relaxing weekend to get away from everything.  With the Smoky Mountains being so popular (and a little pricey and tough to reserve!), there are a lot of nearby places to travel to that might not be the first to come to mind.  In search of a nearby location to take in some of the natural beauty, and get in some rest before the school year got back in full swing, we took a long-weekend northwest of Nashville to visit the Land Between the Lakes. With a beautiful bed and breakfast on Lake Barkley we were able to take advantage of everything from the natural beauty of the wildlife to trying a few off the beaten path places.

On the advice of the helpful docent at the LBL visitor’s center, we stopped by Knoth’s BBQ, which is just a stone’s throw away from the Barkley Dam.  Apparently Mr. Knoth is quite the BBQ-er based on the accolades that had been framed on the wall from his BBQ competition days.  Service was super-friendly and super-quick, to the point where we were debating on whether or not to order another sandwich and/or dessert.  The BBQ sandwich is the highlight here, with a good smoky flavor and pulled pork pieces that had retained their juicy character.  Knoth’s is unique in that its sauce is not your typical tomato/vinegar/spice style, but rather tastes almost as if there’s a bit of honey in the sauce.  The result in a slightly sweet, but still tangy sauce that is like nothing I’ve ever had in my Memphis BBQ outings.   Knoth’s does have a spicier, thinner sauce, but the honey BBQ sauce wins out in my book.