Blog for Zip line Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Where To Stay In The Smokies – Part 1
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on August 1, 2023
Unless you intend to come to the mountains for only one day, you'll probably need to book some kind of overnight accommodations the next time you visit the Smokies. That sounds simple enough on the front end, but once you start digging deeper into all the possibilities that are out there in the world of Smoky Mountain lodgings, you'll quickly realize that the options are not only abundant, they're almost overwhelming.
To help you sort things out, we're sharing an overview of some of the types of properties that are available in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. And we'll include a few other criteria to consider when planning a short trip or a full vacation. Hopefully, this will provide you with enough information to make a smart decision about where you want to stay and what kind of lodging provider suits your needs best.
Let's start with location. It makes sense to base your accommodations closest to the things you plan to spend the most time doing. If you're coming to the Smokies to do a lot of exploring of the national park, or if you're planning to ride our ziplines, Gatlinburg, TN, is a logical option. If going to see music shows or perhaps spend some time at Dollywood are on your agenda, then consider booking a property in the Pigeon Forge area. Is outlet-mall shopping your top priority? If so, then maybe Sevierville is the place to be.
Once you've settled on the where, it's time to focus more on the what. One of the most abundant and popular choices for overnight accommodations is the hotel or motel, and you'll find tens of thousands of rooms available throughout the area. From familiar national chains to mom-and-pop properties that have been around for decades, there's something for every budget and need. Keep in mind that some hotels appeal to a niche market. The Inn at Christmas Place is a holiday-themed hotel located across the street from the Christmas Place retail store, and Dollywood has multiple hotels that cater to guests planning to spend time in the theme park.
Hotels and motels have the advantage of generally being close to town, whether it's in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge or Sevierville, and they are usually convenient for walking to some nearby destinations. When it comes to amenities, the options vary widely, but swimming facilities are common.
Another popular option among our guests at Smoky Mountain Ziplines is the overnight rental. You'll find these more in the outlying areas of our main communities, and often, they are situated in some of the more mountainous sections. As such, a cabin, condo or chalet rental will generally mean that your property is going to come with some pretty amazing views of the surrounding landscape, whether it's the Smoky Mountains themselves or stunning mountain valleys and farmland.
There are several upsides to staying in an overnight rental. They offer a wide range of sleeping capacities, so you can plan everything from a romantic getaway to a family reunion. Having multiple bedrooms also makes them relatively cost-efficient if multiple parties are splitting the bill. Finally, cabins and the like have a lot of the amenities of home and then some. Enjoy full kitchens, laundry rooms, game rooms and multiple televisions as well as features like fireplaces, barbecue grills, hot tubs and whirlpool baths.
We're going to leave it at that for this week, but check back with next week's blog post, in which we'll offer even more suggestions for where to stay in the Smokies. And some of those ideas are a little more on the unconventional side.
