On August 30, 2019, my wife and I camped at Blackberry Row Campground located on Shalom Farm near Ethridge, Tennessee. The private campground is right in the middle of Amish country, so on our drive in we were able to stop and enjoy the fields, windmills, animals, and horse and buggies of the Amish people. There are other campgrounds located near the Amish community in Ethridge but none quite as beautiful and centrally located as Blackberry Row.
The campground is simple. There’s a bathroom building with a composting toilet. At the time we camped, there was no running water in the bathroom building, but there was a spigot located near the campsites. This doubles as a water source for many of the farm animals that will join you on your camping trip at Blackberry Row. For instance when we got up in the morning, we were greeted by five beautiful hens and their ever watchful rooster. They enjoyed picking up the scraps from our S’mores the night before.
The campsite we stayed at was near the woods. It had a permanent structure built there that a tent or hammock camper could use during the rain. We parked next to it and used it as a porch for our chairs, cooking setup, and campfire. It was nice sitting under it and enjoying coffee from our Banner and Oak Coffee Cups.
Some of the camping areas are not level, but there’s a large field that has plenty of level spots if that’s what you need. The campground is near a small paved country road but there’s very little traffic. The whole time we were there only two or three cars passed. We had full cell phone reception which was really nice.
This would be a perfect place for kids. I know my children would have loved visiting the many animals that call Shalom their home.
TIP: I would make sure to pick up all of your essentials before arriving to set up camp. This is a rural location and stores are a bit away. We brought our Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast(yum) and a few snacks to get us through the night. We also had fun using our Grub Stick to make S’mores over the fire.
TIP: By the way, don’t forget to bring some cash. The Amish make wonderful items for sale (Monday-Saturday, closed on Sundays), but as you might imagine, you can’t buy their fried pies or peanut brittle with a card. We took $25 in cash and ate like kings.
TIP: Please remember that the Amish do not like to be photographed. If you stay at Blackberry Row you will be camping in the heart of their homeland.
