Going to the Wilderness of the Smokies, first trip

[JohnDaleswife]

I am planning on going to the Wilderness of the Smokies next month for one night to try out the resort and the water park. Me, hubby, 11-year old daughter and 13-year old niece. It is only a 2.5 hour drive, so its really close.

A very budget trip. We will be doing nothing extra, no arcades, no spending money, only using the water park facilities and of course eating. The only splurge I am willing to do is to stay in the River Lodge vs. the Stone Hill Lodge. I think the rate will be $149.99, before taxes and fees for a Saturday night.

Can anyone give me any tips, advice, ect on ways to save some dough, or anything I might not know that I need to know. Room location request? Thanks.

 

[MomiTo2SwtGuys]

We love Wilderness at the Smokies. What kind of room did you get? Most have a fridge. Some even have a stove. You can save money by cooking in your room or maybe making sandwiches a time or two? As far as room location, we had one overlooking the outdoor water park and absolutely loved it.

We're pretty close too. About an hour and a half away so we go to Pigeon Forge and Knoxville often. (Go VOLS)

Have a great trip.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

I got a pool view studio for a total price of 159.00. I got a 20% off code the very next day after I posted this thread.

 

[nelsonab]

We just went last month. My advice would be take a few drinks with you. Bottled water, soda, capri suns for kids, and maybe even a few snacks. The food was too pricey, but we were able to share portions when having to eat something at the resort. There are several fast food options close by where someone can run out an grab something. That said we were literally only in the room to sleep. We checked in and went straight to the water parks til closing, ran and grabbed Taco Bell, went to bed, got up next morning and hit water parks til check-out, loaded the car, then back to water parks until around 3:00 p.m. Kids loved it. Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[sksjasams]

We have stayed there twice when DS had competitions in Knoxville. We really enjoyed our stays both times. DS loved the waterpark.

Our room had a fridge and microwave, two queens and a sofa sleeper. Definitely bring beverages and snacks. You could also bring supplies to make sandwiches. There is a Kroger not far up the main road. We bought stuff to make sandwiches before our 12 hour drive home.

You will definitely save money if you go off site to eat. There are tons of restaurants up the road towards Pigeon Forge. If you have time you could take a car tour up into the mountains. We are from Wisconsin, so we loved the chance to see them.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

This is exactly what I was planning on doing. Just going for one night to check it out and see how we like it. I will be bringing some drinks, snacks, ect with us. We will be eating only three meals offsite. I have done told my daughter that we are going to swim and such and nothing more. No spending money, nothing extra on this one night trip.

Now if we really like it, we will budget more for a future trip.