LEESBURG — Owners Charlie and Kris Thomas want everyone to find out about their exclusive, one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast on the very edge of Lookout Mountain.

Located on Highway 68 between Leesburg and Sand Rock, The Secret is a secluded, scenic wonder. The Thomases, who purchased the converted private residence nearly two years ago, had long imaged owning a bed and breakfast in their retirement. In June 2011, the Great Recession provided them the opportunity many years sooner than they expected.

“We're from Douglasville, Ga., and we basically found ourselves out of work,” Charlie Thomas told The Post. “I was a golf pro and Kris was in the mortgage business.”

After looking for new jobs and having no luck, Charlie and Kris decided to look into fulfilling their B&B-owning dream. It was a series of serendipitous events that eventually culminated with the couple moving to Cherokee County.

“The previous owners were willing to finance the sale, otherwise we would never have been able to get a loan,” Charlie said. “And my son had just graduated from Georgia Tech and he got a job in the Atlanta area and was able to take over our house.”

Carl and Diane Cruikshank first opened The Secret in the mid-1990s and have added several improvements through the years, including four stand-alone rental cabins around the edge of the property. However, a large portion of the property's appeal—both for the new owners and their guests—is the main house, originally built as a home.

Completed in 1965 by M.G. Weaver, who once owned Peoples Telephone Company, the house is solidly constructed of steel, brick and concrete. Charlie said he was told the original cost of construction was around $870,000.

There's an elaborate, glass-walled, lodge-style great room just past the main entrance, complete with a massive rock fireplace. The house also features imported Italian tile flooring, cabinets from China, cathedral-type interior ceilings lined with Honduran wood, and a rooftop swimming pool.

Charlie said the Cruikshanks truly loved the place but were ready to retire and travel. Still, they agreed to stay and help Charlie and Kris through their first hectic weekend as owners.

“It was the Fourth of July weekend and the place was full, so they stayed with us that weekend along with all their help,” Charlie said. “They got us through that first weekend.”

Charlie said he and his wife truly enjoy running the place as a B&B, even though the costs occasionally outweigh the profits.

“It's really just taking care of people, watching out for their needs,” Charlie said. “My wife likes to cook so it's not a big deal. We thought it would be a lot harder than it has been, though I can honestly say you can't make a lot of money doing this.”

To supplement their income, Kris owns a dog-walking business in Atlanta and travels there during the week before heading back home to get ready for the usual weekend influx of guests.

“It is surprising how busy we stay, even when the weather is cold,” Charlie said. “We probably had 50 rentals in January. Most of our business is anniversaries, birthdays and honeymooners.”

Charlie said guests, often traveling from as far away as Mississippi or New Orleans, will stop in at The Secret on their way to Tennessee.

“We're the first mountains they hit, and it's just as beautiful here as it is in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge,” Charlie said. “Why drive six more hours to get to the Smoky Mountains?”

Charlie said one of the more memorable groups he and Kris have hosted was a trio of young ladies from Australia.

“They had all finished two years of college and they were in the States for six weeks of travel,” Charlie said. “They flew into San Francisco and traveled east, and came to the South last.”

Charlie said the girls ended up at The Secret because they had traveled to Chicago and Washington and decided they wanted to stay somewhere remote, just to have a different type of American experience.

“They were supposed to stay one night and ended up staying four,” Charlie said. “They thought Trade Day in Collinsville was the coolest thing, and that the food at Tony's Steak Barn was the best food they had ever had. We're Facebook friends with all three of them now.”

Charlie said The Secret hosted several large weddings last summer and expects even more group events this year as he and his wife spread the word that they are available for bookings. He all but guaranteed that anyone who comes to The Secret will leave eager to tell everyone about their experience.

“Pictures really don’t do this place justice,” Charlie said. “When people get here, they look around and say, ‘I can't believe this is here'."