Smokey Mountains-accommodation recommendations

[bizlady]

We plan on visiting the Smokey Mountains with our 10 year old grand daughter next summer.

Preference would be a clean cabin within a resort or nearby community so we can eat in and/or go out as we choose. Looking for quality and clean place- and if you have recommendations on time of the summer to avoid, we'll take that also.

 

[braumeister]

The Smoky (not smokey) Mountains cover a LOT of territory. Any particular area you're looking at?

Plenty of tourists at Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, among others, but the Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers over half a million acres. You might start here:
Great Smoky Mountains - Plan Your Visit

 

[JDARNELL]

We plan on visiting the Smokey Mountains with our 10 year old grand daughter next summer.



Preference would be a clean cabin within a resort or nearby community so we can eat in and/or go out as we choose. Looking for quality and clean place- and if you have recommendations on time of the summer to avoid, we'll take that also.

I have two different cabins here in Pigeon Forge with a rental
Company. One is 3 bdrm and the other is 1 bdrm with an open loft. It’s super busy in the summer time no matter when but it’s certainly better arriving on Sunday and leaving Thursday. Plenty to do and see. Happy to help you anyway I can.

 

[Ronstar]

We were in the Smokys last October. Stayed at the Hampton Inn in Pigeon Forge. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg were extremely crowded and congested.

Can't help you on finding a cabin. My advice is to first assess how you will be spending your time. If spending most time exploring the Smoky's, look for something very close to the Smokys away from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. (It took us 3 hours to drive from Cades Cove through Gatlinburg to our hotel in Pigeon Forge)

If you want to spend more time seeing the sights in Pigeon forge or Gatlinburg, stay there.

In any case, be prepared for longer than expected travel times and crowds.

 

[Bamaman]

We were last up there Thanksgiving weekend, and we rented a cabin far above Gatlinburg.

Otherwise, we've been staying at the Wilderness at the Smokies River Lodge down in Sevierville. They have a huge indoor water park with incredible slides and a wave pool. They also have a new outdoor water park called Smoky Mountain Waterpark next door that's just amazing. We get their sales brochures online and watch for sales on rooms.

I've been going to Gatlinburg area my entire life, and I used to stay there when traveling East TN on business. I think I've stayed in just about every hotel on the Pigeon Forge strip and up in Gatlinburg.

If going in Summer, try to avoid weekends. They often have conventions come in then.

 

[audreyh1]

We enjoyed the quieter Townsend area. We were in an RV, but they had lots of lodging.

 

[DrRoy]

We visited last October. Did not stay in a cabin. Gatlinburg has lots of convenient dining but it is a zoo with terrible traffic at most times. We also stayed at a HI in Cherokee for the NC side. That was less crowded, but not convenient to TN side areas like Cades Cove.

 

[ukwildcat]

If you looking to rent a cabin in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge area, Cabins for You is an excellent cabin rental company.

 

[JDARNELL]

If you looking to rent a cabin in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge area, Cabins for You is an excellent cabin rental company.

I would agree. That is who we use to manage ours. Living here we know about a lot of companies and the challenges they have. It was really eye opening during the lockdown to watch which companies were helping guest vs hosing them. There are some universal themes right now.

For example not enough cleaners and such an increase in demand it’s hard to get things repaired as there is not enough time between turns. So in CFUs case they will now contact a guest and go in if there is something pressing. Of course everyone is having trouble sourcing replacement items when something needs to be replaced. I am waiting on a new air hockey table.

I was over at our larger cabin last week during a turn as I like to periodically trust but verify how the place looks for the guest. Our routine housekeeper had been out for about 3 weeks with illness and we were working through some challenges with the interim cleaner. The route inspector for CFU stopped by to conduct his pre-checkin final check which they do before a guest arrives. I watched him follow the checklist on his iPad checking items and marking them off. He also was taking pictures and updating the database so the ops team knew what was going on in case there was an issue. He was also opening up work orders for things that needed maintenance attention.

 

[DireWolf]

If you mean GSMNP, my advice is stay anywhere but the hell that is Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Townsend is a good base for seeing Cades Cove, and Bryson City is a good place on the NC side. I also is worth recommending to get reservations at Cades Cove campground and stay in the park (bring a tent, rent an RV, etc.).

If you don’t necessarily mean the national park, there’s so many other beautiful places in the Smoky Mountains that are just as scenic as the park, if not more so. For instance, my go to is to stay near Brevard and explore Pisgah NF, DuPont SP, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shining Rock Wilderness, cool small towns like Brevard, Cashiers and Highlands, bigger cool towns like Asheville, etc. So many great hikes, waterfalls, scenic roads, etc.

 

[vafoodie]

I’m with Direwolf in my preference for the NC Smokies. I have a cabin that we rent in the beautiful Hallmark-like town of Waynesville. Research it—it’s fabulous. 35 min west of Asheville and 20 miles from the Tennessee line. So much to do in the area. Cabin is on one of the prettiest mountains in western North Carolina. Your granddaughter and you will love it!
If you’ve never seen Highlands, my husband calls in the Hamptons of NC.

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