The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios

The story of Sweetwater Studios begins in 1977, when Airon Whitt's parents purchased 26 acres in rural Mississippi as newlyweds. After Hurricane Fredrick destroyed their plant and greenhouse business in 1979, they seized the opportunity to create something new. John learned stained glass from an article in Mother Earth News; Kim fell in love with weaving after her father-in-law built her a 24-inch floor loom. In 1980, they moved to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, opened a studio and gallery on the Craftsman's Loop, and immersed themselves in study at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, a 100-year-old center for fine craftsmanship in fiber, clay, wood, glass, and metal. A newspaper article about their work sparked orders that never stopped coming, so they returned to Mississippi, built their home, and spent nearly 50 years creating art featured in museums and galleries across the country, with appearances on HGTV's Home Town with Ben and Erin Napier.

When COVID-19 forced Airon home in spring 2020, she applied the lessons her parents had learned from adversity to an unexpected situation. Drawing on 15 years in the travel and tourism industry—working in hotels and restaurants across Hawaii, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Malaysia—she opened The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios. The venture merged her love of travel, yoga, art, and the desire to share her home with visitors seeking rest and creativity.

The Lodge sits on the same 26 acres where the family's creative journey began, now reimagined as a glamping retreat center exclusively for adults 16 and older. Fully furnished canvas tents provide full connection with nature, each equipped with heating, cooling, and an ice chest. A 1,800-square-foot tropical greenhouse spa houses a hot tub, sauna, and saltwater pool. A 31-foot tented yoga dome and hilltop art and meditation studio serve group and solo practice. A 3-acre lake is surrounded by meandering forest and nature trails. The property welcomes artists, creatives, yoga practitioners, and nature enthusiasts for personal retreats or curated group programs.

Retreat offerings span somatic yoga, mushroom foraging and cultivation, ceramics, candle making, meditative drawing, intuition and mediumship, and day-of-remembrance ceremonies. Programs typically run Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Sunday, all-inclusive, with optional yoga classes available for individual guests at $12 per person per class. The space remains intentionally adult-focused to maintain a calm, restorative environment, though family weekends are occasionally offered.