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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
Tatonka Lodge
- 4 bedroom, 3 bath luxury log home that sleeps 14.
- 2 Master Suites with Jacuzzi baths
- 3rd Bedroom is furnished with Queen-size bed
- 4th Bedroom has a twin over full bunk bed & twin covered wagon bed
- Pool Table
- Lifesize chess set
- Air Hockey
- Foosball
- Hot Tub
- Free WiFi
- Satellite TV (Dish Network)
- 2 Wood burning stone fireplaces with free (limited amount) firewood
- Central A/C
- VCR/ DVD
- Fire pit outside for roasting marshmallows
- Baby high chair (other baby items available for rent)
- Full-size Washer/Dryer
- Large Charcoal Grill
- Pets welcomed
- Short hike to our large playground for kids & horseshoe pit
**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
We spent 6 days at Tatonka Lodge,
It was an amazing place to stay with the whole family, you have all need in the house, plenty of room for a big group, games, hiking trails, the hot tub next to the fireplace is a plus. and also the support of it’s amazing host Cheryll.
Thank you so much we’re coming back for sure!
We had a great week-long stay here with other family and in-laws. The cabin was comfortable to stay in and my two nieces wore out the hot tub. The location is near to Asheville and Waynesville for touristy things to do, as well as ziplining and hiking when not wandering the ranch property.
The only cons are the road to the cabin (very steep and narrow) and the view from the back deck is entirely blocked by vegetation/leaves.
After being holed up for 70 days at home due to the COVID-19 shelter in place orders, the Tatonka Lodge and Buffalo Creek rentals was THE PERFECT GET AWAY!!! We highly recommend it. This spacious lodge was perfect for our extended family. We slept 14 comfortably, enjoyed the hot tub after long days of hiking, sat around the camp fire and roasted marshmallows, and got up each morning to witness the herd of buffalo coming in for their morning feeding. We look forward to coming back!!!
This was a fantastic family getaway! This cabin was HUGE! Plenty of room for multiple families to enjoy time together, without feeling crowded. The game room in the basement kept the kids (and adults) entertained for hours! The view from the top of the mountain was phenomenal! The Jacuzzi's and hot tub were awesome. The decorations were perfect for the cabin setting. I would highly recommend this cabin for your next family gathering!
Note... The actual address you want to type into your GPS is: 226 Bison Run Rd, Clyde, NC 28721. Then follow the signs to Tatonka Lodge
pictures were accurate. Did not disappoint. After first run up the hill, it was never a problem. Grandkids enjoyed the morning buffalo feed and "helping" feed the other animals. A little drive to all attractions, but fairly centrally located and easy access to highways. Would stay again if vacationing in the area.
