My wife and I would like to stay a couple nights in Mentone to see what the area is like. She has never been and I think I went once years ago (I remember Little River Canyon) but my memory sucks. Advice/recommendations on AirBnB/VRBO cabins? Need a 2br2ba prefer looking out over a valley vs no view. And the obligatory: any places to eat 😂?

Thanks!

Your wife would love eating at Wildflower cafe. You, not so much.

We've stayed up there 4-5 times in the past 4-5 years. Been to a different cabin every time. We can never remember which one we like best so we just try to pick one that looks good. We've used VRBO but not AirBnB. Lots of cabins over there are close together. Look at all the photos online for clues on how close. I do not like being crammed in beside another cabin.

I hear people rave about the Wildflower all the time but now that you mention it, they are all women. Never heard a man talking great about it.

There's a good reason for that. The food isn't bad, it's just chick food. I go, because my wife loves the place. The last 2-3 times I've been, I've suggested a menu change and I seriously think it would be a huge money maker for them. I suggested that they put 3-4 items on the menu and call it "The Good Husband menu." They don't serve steak. They do have a cheeseburger, and it absolutely sucks. Seriously, I'd rather have any fast food burger, over the one that they serve. They make the burger sound good by telling you it's ground fresh daily from X cut of meat. It probably is, but it's as dry as a bone. I've had it twice, thinking the first time was a fluke. No fluke, it just sucks.

I just go, to make the wife happy, and when we're in Mentone, if the wife is happy, then I'm real happy.

the Canyon Grill, about 1/2 hour north of Mentone, is excellent. It's a pretty drive up there and back. They will let you bring your own drinks, and provide set-ups. They take walk-ins, but you would be wise to make a reservation.

Elevation Bistro is great, definitely our favorite place in town (the dry aged steaks and pork chops are particularly good). Mentone Market is great for sandwiches and pizza (and your wife will love the gift shop). As Mentioned the wildflower cafe is definitely marketed toward the womenfolks but the food is great. Great burgers at lunch and their steaks at dinner are also very good.

We always stay at the Memtone Inn B&B when we go. The owner is super sweet, her breakfast is amazing and the historic house is very unique.

your 3 eating options are mentioned above if in town. there’s a gas station too with some good burgers. take a bottle of wine with you if you go to wildflower. I think their being dry impacts opinions on the food. has always been great imo but we do prefer elevation for steaks and drinks. pack a pizza and chicken salad from the market and take the lower trail to the bottom of the falls. is a relatively easy hike/picnic and great scenery. we’ll be there next wknd fri-sun.

There is a place to blow glass ornaments about 30-45 min aways

x2 pizza @ Mentone Market

Yes, Orbix Hot Glass. I’ve not been but sounds cool and my GF loved going.

There’s also a great Antiques store just before Valley Head, Dave’s Antiques. We’ve picked up a lot of great stuff there over the years

I echo FurFlyin's review of the Chick Cafe. I will forage for scraps in traffic before eating there again. I may watch my wife eat while I have coffee, but I won't be partaking.

They have a "tomato pie" that is one of the few things I will not eat. Sliced tomatoes in a pie shell with some other things, baked until "done" -- i.e., mushy -- to me is like cherry kool-aid vomit on a plate. I don't care who makes it. I don't care if "the best" comes from your wife, mee-maw, Great-GeeGee, some restaurant, Irish's kitchen or a hobo in the woods with a stick and fire. Blech.

The corner where the White Elephant (I think?) burned a few years ago would IMO be incredible property for a small boutique hotel and really good restaurant. Even better if the west side trees could be trimmed for a good view.

Also, don't speed through there. If it says 35, do 34. Let other folks do the speeding.

Clem just threw "Great Gee-Gee" on notice...

Paging Irish. You may end up falling in love with it and building a cabin up there.

I will add that "The Hatter" is a great place to eat. The women folks love it because it's themed like it's straight out of "Alice in Wonderland" but the food there is very good. We go there at least once a month. Mrs. Irish loves it, and I love her... So we eat there, but I don't mind because the food is great.

Our favorite trails are the three trails that lead to a beautiful vista of Desoto Falls. One goes on top of the canyon rim, one goes at the base of the canyon cliffs, and another one goes by Little River. All are very nice and there are plenty of caves and rock formations to see. We know the secret location of Prince Madoc's fortress cave on the side of the canyon. He is supposed to have lead the first group of white men into the area. There used to be a monument in Mobile where he and his Welch explorers landed. The system of caves where they settled for a while are cool as hell, but difficult for average people to get to. Madoc is the reason that Meriwether Lewis reported back to Thomas Jefferson that we had Welsh speaking native American tribes. I believe he came through Alabama in the 1100's, which is way before Columbus or Desoto.

Square in the middle of our view is "Chief Dirtseller Mountain" and according to local stories there is a very large stone foundation on the mountain that the Cherokees say they didn't build, and were unlike anything that any native American tribes had ever been know to build.

My wife won't even eat at Wildflower again. We really like Mentone Market for the pizza. Elevation Bistro and Canyon Grill are good. We like grabbing food to fix at the cabin and sit outside and eat while enjoying the view. Download the All Trails app and it will show you what all trails are up there. I will say the Pisgah Gorge trail is a good one that doesn't take all your energy to do. It is pretty flat all the way to the end where the look out point is.

sounds like with all this "Chick food" they should change the name to Womentone.

Tigers Inn in Valleyhead, not 5 mins away. Good brunch and fried deviled eggs. They also get their hamburger from Tennessee River Music Farm which Randy Owens I believe is part owner of. Burgers are great cooked medium.

We keep meaning to try that place. I think Southend Grill that opened up in Fort Payne in the old Teri Yaki place is owned by them. It's supposed to be pretty good too.

I'll tell you another place that we've eaten at and liked... Mountain Parkway Grill in Sand Rock. It was pretty good.

They got a pretty good hamburger steak also.

Tigers Inn is good and if you do end up at the Wildflower Cafe, get the peanut butter pie.