The Hauntings of The Greenbrier Restaurant
Posted: 12.02.2024 | Updated: 12.11.2024
Nestled in the thick woods outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a culinary oasis: the Greenbrier Restaurant. Acclaimed by locals and tourists alike for its high-quality menu, which includes steak, duck, and Nashville hot oysters, the upscale restaurant has quickly become a destination for foodies visiting the Great Smoky Mountains.
However, the Greenbrier Restaurant attracts another type of clientele as well: those interested in a slightly more macabre meal. To see the other haunted sections of Gatlinburg, from churches to cemeteries, book a ghost tour with Gatlinburg Haunts tonight.
Who Haunts the Greenbrier Restaurant?
The Greenbrier Restaurant is home to several spirits, from a young boy to a grumpy man. The most famous ghost, however, is Lydia — a heartbroken bride whose wails can still be heard to this day.
The Greenbrier Restaurant isn’t the only haunted former lodge in Gatlinburg, either. Not far down the road lies the Gatlinburg Inn, whose spirits aren’t quite as friendly as the Greenbrier’s. If you choose to stay in the most haunted room, be prepared to come face to face with the Demon of Room 11. If you taunt it, you might end up leaving with a bloody nose, as one guest narrowly avoided.
The History of the Greenbrier Restaurant
For centuries, people have been flocking to the Great Smoky Mountains to breathe in the fresh air and take a beat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Over the years, the Greenbrier area began building a reputation for the best views — as it’s home to some of the tallest ridgelines in the entire Appalachian Mountain Range.
To house the wealthy hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, and loggers who frequented the area, a lodge was built in the 1930s amongst the tall trees. Situated a few miles away from downtown Gatlinburg, the building has always tried to keep guests immersed in the nearby nature.
The building operated as an inn for several years, and it’s been repurposed a few times over the years. While it no longer hosts overnight guests, it’s now home to the celebrated Greenbrier Restaurant.
Located just outside the United States’s busiest national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Greenbrier has surged in popularity in recent years.
While the owners are undoubtedly thrilled at this rise in business, it seems a few ghostly guests aren’t as pleased.
The spirits who haunt the Greenbrier Restaurant
While one apparition tends to steal the spotlight, there are several spirits who call the Greenbrier home. After consulting with mediums, the staff has even tried to assuage the ghosts, in hopes they’ll act up less often.
It seems the staff’s antics may have worked for some ghosts, and not so much for others.
Lydia, the inconsolable bride
The phantom that put the Greenbrier on the ghostly map is none other than Lydia. At some point, when the lodge was still operating as an inn, Lydia was going to stay at the hotel with her groom for her honeymoon.
When the big day came, Lydia got gussied up, put on her dress, and went to the church — not far from the lodge. However, Lydia and her guests waited…and waited. Her husband-to-be seemingly got cold feet and never turned up.
After waiting for several hours, Lydia was finally convinced that her fiance wasn’t going to show. She went back to the Greenbrier, utterly heartbroken. Left to her own devices, Lydia couldn’t comprehend continuing on. So, she tragically took her own life by hanging herself with a rope on a rafter. The staff found her the next day.
The mysterious death of Lydia’s groom
After Lydia’s body was found, people began to wonder where her soon-to-be husband had gone. A few days later, he was discovered in the area that is now the national park.
Yet, he wasn’t found basking in the sun and enjoying his bachelor life. The man was found dead: killed by a mountain lion. There are two stories about the timing of the attack:
- The groom was killed the morning of the wedding, which is why he didn’t attend.
- The groom ditched Lydia. After Lydia’s death, her spirit transformed into a mountain lion and stalked her former love — making sure she got the ultimate revenge.
A jilted ghost
Because of her method of death, the local Gatlinburg community didn’t give Lydia a Christian burial. Instead, they buried her in an unmarked grave. This seems to be the beginning of Lydia’s haunting.
It’s said that after Lydia’s burial, a caretaker at the Greenbrier kept getting woken up in the middle of the night by a whisper: “Mark my grave.” After several sleepless nights, the worker relented and placed a grave marker above Lydia’s body. While she then allowed the man to sleep, this didn’t quiet Lydia for long.
Lydia’s spirit today
Lydia’s story is widely shared at the Greenbrier Restaurant. In fact, guests are even shown the exact beam where Lydia hung herself, which now rests above the restaurant bar. Staff claim you can still see where the rope burned the beam.
In addition to highlighting the spot she died, the restaurant also has named items on their seasonal menu after Lydia. It seems that Lydia may not love her tragedy being so publicized. One medium even said that Lydia “is not a fan” of the beam still being up.
To show her frustration, Lydia can act out. For example, kitchen staff have witnessed food items flying off the shelf. Others have seen Lydia herself — appearing as a small, somber woman — waiting around by the staircase. If you look away, she will disappear by the time you turn back.
The little boy who drowned
Lydia doesn’t roam the halls of the Greenbrier Restaurant alone. A young male spirit also likes to play under the bar by customers’ feet. It’s believed that this is the ghost of a little boy who drowned in a nearby pool long ago.
A visiting medium told staff that the boy will be happier if he has something to play with. So, the staff put a set of jacks under the stairs, where the boy is also often seen. Since putting the toys there, the boy has been spotted less. Perhaps he really did just want to play, and now he is content at last.
The grumpy man
Another spirit who is often seen ambling around the restaurant is an older man who sits in the back corner of the restaurant. The man isn’t a fan of noise and will get quite aggravated when guests get too loud in the dining room.
Haunted Gatlinburg
Known as the Gateway to the Smokies, Gatlinburg has seen its fair share of mysteries, murders, diseases, and unexplainable phenomena. Many locals are convinced there are mystical elements in the forests that surround the city, whether they be cryptids, ghouls, or spirits.
To learn more about Gatlinburg’s sinister past, and see if you experience any strange encounters yourself, book a ghost tour with Gatlinburg Haunts.
If you want to discover more ghost stories from across the United States, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To hear about more local haunted inns and resident ghosts like Lydia in Tennessee, be sure to check out our blog.
Sources:
https://www.thesmokies.com/greenbrier-restaurant-gatlinburg-review
https://www.wate.com/haunted-tennessee/gatlinburg-restaurant-haunted-by-ghost-bride-others
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/article/most-visited-parks-photos
https://www.thesmokies.com/greenbrier-restaurant-gatlinburg-review
Book A Gatlinburg Haunts Tour And See For Yourself
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Join Gatlinburg Haunts for a ghost tour into the eerie corners of this quaint mountain town. Our stories include cannibals, family feuds that go back generations, and witchcraft. See where ghosts of the past are seen walking these streets to this day, and learn of their spine-tingling hauntings and history as they search for the peace they were unable to find in this quaint corner of Tennessee.