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Buffalo Creek Vacations is a family owned & operated business. It was our father, Harold Clackett, who retired as a UPS truck driver on LI, New York who always had a dream of raising bison & building his retirement log home. They built their log home with the help of all of their 5 sons & their 1 daughter over the course of a few years & then it was time to move. Our dad, along w/ our mom, Harriet Clackett, made the move to the beautiful Smoky Mountains in 1994, the night before they left it was said that they were heard singing…”Nothing would be finer then to be in Carolina in the morning..”. Then soon the bison herd was formed & started expanding.
We all just fell in love with the area & all that it has to offer from hiking & water falls in the summer to the beautiful foliage in the fall, skiing in the winter & new baby bison being born in the springtime.
It wasn’t until 10 years later, in 2004 that the 40 acres behind our folks came up for sale & that 3 of us guys, Cheryl along w/ our spouses shared the vision of expanding our father’s bison ranch & start building cabins to rent & invite others to enjoy our little piece of heaven that God has blessed us with.
With all of our knowledge & experiences combined, we have built on the property 4 primary residences (with 1 being a castle!) & 4 vacation log cabins.
Opening Dates
Bison Overlook – July 1, 2007 Tatonka Lodge – February 10, 2008 Buffalo Bungalow – August 4, 2013 Timber Hollow – June 5, 2014 Bison Escape – June 13, 2015 Seaboard Coastline Caboose #0887 – April 1, 2016 BC Party Caboose – July 2017 Seaboard Coastline Caboose #0843 – December 20, 2017 BC Depot – Summer 2018 Hare Pin Inn – April 1, 2019 One of our father’s other “loves” was for trains, & 20 years later, in late December 2014, from when my folks 1st moved down to NC…Buffalo Creek purchased 2 cabooses that were relocated to the property & we renovated them and started renting them out as well by 2017. Since then we have purchased 3 more cabooses as well. One is currently our party caboose & the other 2 are sitting on the tracks waiting for their chance to be brought back to life!
Every cabin has been designed & built by mostly our family as well as a lot of the wood furniture in all our cabins has been handmade by the wood on the property! Even the covered wagon bed, (in Tatonka Lodge) that was custom built our father.
Buffalo Creek is proud to provide family & friends with work as well. All of our cleaning crews are related or good friends of the family.
God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. We hope you love the mountains like we have all come to love being transplants from a very flat NY!
Buffalo Creek Family Partnership
Cheryl & Jeff Hillis, Jacob & Holly Clackett Joshua & Maggie Clackett & Tim Clackett
**So Much to do at Buffalo Creek**
Once you have had your fill of relaxing in one of luxury cabins, you will find there is so much more to do – all you have to do is walk out the front door. Our property is small enough that it is easy to get around on foot, but also big enough for short hikes and great exploration.
Our Gift Shop
The Trains
The Playground
Day-Cation Pass
Mini Donkey Excursion
Mini Horse Rides
Feeding the Goats
See the Llamas
Game Room
Morning Bison Feeding
Paint Ball
Fishing
Just stayed in the caboose!
It was awesome. Comfy bed & super clean.
It was so cool seeing the bison right out the window! It was like sleeping in the zoo!
Also saw the alpacas, llamas & horses!
I’ll be back!
We stayed at Buffalo Creek in one of the Caboose’s with our 3,4 & 6 yo! Our oldest loved the loft area which had some kid friendly details! The views from the windows were right on the bison pasture. The caboose had a fully equipped kitchenette (bring some cooking spray or a stick free pan if you want pancakes - that was the only thing we missed and needed!) We stayed two nights. On our first morning, the kids were the helping hands on the farms and fed all the animals! Then they all rode on a mini horse. We went on the short hike to the wooded playground that overlooked the horses, then ventured down 40 a few mile for lunch at a gas station diner - it is a MUST! Such good food and friendly atmosphere. When we got back we walked upstairs to the model train room and HOLY COW! Amazing detail and so much to see!! Then we carved pumpkins we brought on the train deck and it was beautiful fall weather. Then we had a campfire with some s’mores! We visited the gift shop in the morning where there is coffee and a game room. It was such a fun adventure, they were so accommodating and kind and helpful and have thought about so many details. We will be back!
We were the 1st guests to stay at the Tanglewood Cozy Cabin in Maggie Valley NC. The kitchen table seats 4 but the cabin sleeps 6. Plenty big for 2 adults & 4 kids. This cabin is SO lovely! It’s warm, inviting, and truly cozy. Chris & Stephanie are very kind & helpful! We had coffee, water & snacks in the room. They did amazing work on the renovations. We loved our mini-horse rides and visit with the animals at Buffalo Creek. We will watch the Bison feed today! Trip to Waynesville downtown & Mast last night was fun! Tonight we will snow-tube at Cataloochee and come back & enjoy the beautiful fireplace. We love it here.
Just spent the weekend here with my hubby. Had a fabulous time the cabin was wonderful. We enjoyed the bison steaks at night, and enjoyed walking around seeing all the animals. Can’t wait to come back with my extended family and stay in the bigger cabin. It was great meeting Jeff down at the bison corral and we got some great souvenirs for the family in the little store.
Thank you for creating this little piece of paradise.
My Wife and I always get an annual Christmas present from our parents. They take the kids for a couple of days and send us on a two night get away. We have been a lot of places, but this one was amazing!! If you are a couple stay in the Buffalo Bungalow!! You won't regret it!! The views are incredible and you have everything you need to disconnect from the hustle of everyday!! We didn't even want to leave the cabin to explore the area!! We didn’t even turn on the TV or pick up our cell phone other to play music or keep track of our dart score!! The family who run the resort are amazing. The cabin was so clean too!! Special shout out to Cheryl. She was so helpful!!
