Update: We stopped in on our trip in August 2025. I grabbed some updated pictures, so as promised I am updating this post.

First off, we should have stopped on our recent trip for updated pictures. LOL! I know we’ve been there since these pictures were taken, but this is what I found on my phone. I looked at my photos and I didn’t take pictures on our last visit, guess I was to busy sampling the cheese. We didn’t have a chance to stop in when we were in the area a few weeks ago, it was a quick weekend trip and they are closed on Sunday.

So, let’s get to it. Have you ever heard of Sweetwater Valley Farm in Philadelphia, TN? Chances are if you’ve traveled to Gatlinburg on I-75 from Chattanooga you’ve probably see the billboard for it. We happened upon this place years ago by accident. We were headed to Gatlinburg and needed a break to get out of the car. You know the time when you are getting the “are we there yet” question over and over again. Well we see the billboard on the side of the interstate for this place, this was before you could just google it from your hand. So we followed the directions from the billboard and head to this place. We didn’t know what it was or if we’d even want to get out of the car, but at this point we just needed to stretch. So off we go.

We find it and open the car door and found out really quick that this is a real working dairy farm!!! So be prepared for the scent that will hit your nose the second you open that door. But don’t let that deter you from stopping in. You don’t smell it from inside the buildings. When we first started stopping here it was just a small building where they sold cheese with windows into the area where they make the cheese, now they have opened a cafe and store in the building next door.

You can sample the cheese, eat in the cafe and tour the farm. We’ve not taken a farm tour or had a chance to eat at the cafe. We are usually there between breakfast and lunch. I can tell you that they do have delicious cheese. They have containers with samples of a variety of cheese that is made on site along with summer sausage. You can purchase it all there. On one of our stops they were frying up cheese curds. Just browning in a skillet. That was our first time to try a fried cheese curd. Now you see them on menus where they are deep fried. These were just being browned in a hot skillet and were delicious. It feels like they squeak against your teeth when you chew them.

*Update: The lady in the cheese shop said that they are finished making cheese for the year. But they do have cheese available for sale. She said that they would only make more if their current supply was not enough to finish the sales for the year.

As we drove in we saw a new building behind the cafe and then the signs for tours of the robotic milking facility. We did not inquire if that was an option during our visit because we were only going to be there for a few minutes as we were limited on time.

If you are in the area and need a break from driving, we highly recommend that you stop in, even if you don’t like cheese they probably have something for you. The cafe serves sandwiches, milkshakes and coffee among other things. They also sell a variety of items in their store.

But note, they are closed on Sunday’s!