Nice places to stay in Gatlinburg????

[iluvwdw4ever]

Hi!!

My family may be visiting Gatlinburg for the first time in a couple of weeks and we have absolutely no idea where to begin!!!!! I need some ideas of where to stay..we would prefer to be very close to the action with a great view. Any help would be appreciated!!!!!!!

THANKS!!!
Angela

 

[BuffettFan]

When we go to Gatlinburg, we usually stay in Sevierville, just a little ways down the road. We stay at The Resort at Governor's Crossing. It's very nice and has and indoor/outdoor water park for the kids, complete with lazy river.
Nice place. Tons of amenities! Close to pretty much everything.

Here's the website if you want to check it out:


http://www.governorscrossing.net/index.html

 

[terri01p]

We stay at Park Vista whenever we go, the view is just beautiful and they have indoor pool...etc...take a look at their website....parkvistadotcom

 

[Ohiodislover]

We usually stay in a chalet. We rent from Chalet Village, and have used them for 20 years (about 5 trips).

We have also stayed at 2 different Best Westerns in Pidgeon Forge, for one night, when we have stopped there on our way somewhere else, but that was at least 6/7 years ago. I don't know what shape they are in now, but when we stayed- nice/clean, and comfortable- nothing fancy.

 

[BelleWDW]

We rented a condo way up in the mountains and i hated driving to dinner at night and back-all those curvesThe last stay, we had a suite at the Clarion Hotel right on the main street-literally walking distance to the entrance of the Great Smokey mts National Park


We walked to restaurants each night, and just walked around the town in the evening

 

[Wishing on a star]

It has been quite a while, but last time visited the Park Vista, I knew we would never return.

The rooms were very dated, and very basic. Dark and musty. Not 'nice' at all...
It was hard to find an ice machine that worked...
No pool towels at the pool.
The indoor pool was very small, crowded, stuffy, and NO fresh air circulating... Could not even breath in there for all the haze and chlorine fumes, etc.. I snapped a photo, and it didn't even come out because the camera picked up all the haze.

Yes, some rooms might have a view... but, the balconies are concrete, so, you have to be standing and looking to see out...

MUCH nicer places to stay!

I would suggest you stay right on the strip, or stay in Pigeon Forge....
Because, driving and parking within Gatlinburg can be a hassle.

On the Strip, actually all the way at the furthest point before you exit Gatlinburg and head into the mountains is a large and very nice looking hotel... I think it is a Clarion. I might suggest that you check that out. edited to add: Yes, I think it is the Clarion mentioned in the above post!

If you are traveling with children and want more room with a full kitchen for drinks and snacks, a nice pool area, lazy river, etc... We like the MainStay Suites at Pigeon Forge.



Hope you have a great visit!

 

[MinnieMe87]

We stayed at the Sleep Inn in Gatlinburg the first time we went. That's been quite awhile ago, but it was very nice! We like to stay in Pigeon Forge now, and drive into Gatlinburg during the day. Pigeon Forge has much more things we like to do at night than Gatlinburg. The Sleep Inn was right in the action if I remeber correctly, just a short walk down a hill to get into downtown.

 

[mikki'smom]

We go to Gatlinburg a couple of times a year and always stay at Riverhouse Inn at the Park. This is a "mom and pop" operation that is located at the last traffic light before you enter the Park. It is spotlessly clean and the rooms are very large. In each room you have a small fridge and a microwave. You can get balconies on the water or on the street. It is quiet here and reasonably priced.

 

[ecatesby]

I definitely second Riverhouse at the Park. It's just a bit "retro" - but absolutely spotlessly clean. My family has stayed here for years. They also have unbelievably good homemade donuts in the morning!

 

[tinatark]

There's a brand new Hilton Garden Inn - opened a couple of months ago.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

timely thread for me! I've been researching places to stay all day!! There are millions!! It's so nice to read personal experiences.


We usually just go for the day, but thinking of spending the night this time. Thanks OP!

 

[mckryan]

I highly recommend renting from http://www.sherwoodforestresort.com/. We rented there last year, and it was fantastic.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I have not been to Sherwood Forest, but the cabins and the location sound incredible. If I were planning a trip, I might check this out.... Last time we used my inlaws timeshare, and before that it was the MainStay Suites www.mainstaypigeonforge.com.
So we haven't checked this one out yet... it is new and looks very nice.

It is not 'right in the middle of the action',
But it sounds like it IS in the middle of some nice gorgeous natural foothills....
And, really, just around the corner from the strip.

The 'action' is always there.... and personally, the action in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge also includes traffic - tourist traps - Tshirt/souvenir shops - minicar racetracs - etc.... Not necessarily exactly what I want my accomodations to overlook.

PS: about the Park Vista... also remember that you will be driving all the way up the little winding road to get up there and back... or waiting for the trolley to get around...

Personally, the views are up and away from the action... Unless you are talking about a view of the strip as I just described. You just don't get panoramic mountain vistas from down on the strip.

 

[jkew]

We stayed at Best Western Zoders Inn over spring break this year and loved it. It could use some updating but our room was very clean. They offer free wine (or pink lemonade) and cheese in the evening and milk and cookies around 8 p.m. Our dd loved this part.

 

[melanie18]

Rent a cabin! It's the only way to go for that area. We've stayed at Elk Springs Resort in Gatlinburg twice and absolutely loved it.

Some of the motels along the main drag look sketchy at best. The Inn at Christmas Place is pretty new in Pigeon Forge. Looked clean and attractive.
We originally booked 2 rooms there for our first trip and when we started looking into cabins, it was about the same price and gave us an entire house. Elk Springs is still under construction so there are always new cabins.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We go to Gatlinburg once or twice a year and we love it. One of our favorite places to stay is the Clarion located on the strip in Gatlinburg. It's clean and easy to get in and out of. They offer breakfast there also. Another place to consider is Edgewater. They have just finished redoing the hotel and it is getting good reviews. It's also close to the Ripleys Aquarium. We stayed at Park Vista in June and it was awful. I had a CHEAP room there and now I know why it was so cheap. It is in need of some TLC.

Some of our favorite places to eat are:Calhouns, Best Italian and Smokey Mountain Brewery, all located in Gatlinburg. We also love the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge.

Some of our favorite things to do in Gatlinburg are the Space Needle, putput golf, the aquarium, and just going in the shops. We love to go to Dollywood too.

I hope that you have a great trip!!

 

[iluvwdw4ever]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!!!!!!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Drive up 321N to The Bear Creek Grill for a nice meal in a very rustic but very nice setting!

www.bearcreekgrill.com

We ate there for my husband's birthday last year, and the food was good.

We had the smoky mountain rainbow trout, and another person had the filet... and it was very good!

I hope you will be going up into the mountains.
And do not miss Cades Cove... (Leave early in the morning for this one... by noon, it can be packed going around the loop road.... Stop by the perfect swimming hole there at the intersection at Townsend as you head back from Cades Cove!

Also, stop by a sub shop and take a picnic to the Chimney Tops picnic area, right on a rushing mountain creek about halfway up 441 to Newfound Gap.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Let's keep this thread going! I checked out the cabins and they are all 2 night minimum (we just need one). Off to check the others.........

Would love to find one close to Bubba Gumps in downtown.........Is that the Best Western one??

 

[crazelion]

Huck Finn is a awesome place to eat to. They had almost roll me out there.