1. Fairfield Inn & Suites–North Gatlinburg
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 430-3659, (866) 430-3659
Address: 168 Parkway
Description: The first lodging establishment on the left as you enter Gatlinburg, the Fairfield Inn has 101 rooms that run the full gamut of accommodations, with most of them containing two queen beds and all providing a coffeemaker and high-speed Internet. The three-story back portion features wooded views. The continental breakfast is on the house. The Fairfield has two heated pools, one with a spiral waterslide, and a fitness center. The purple route trolley stops at the front door if you need it; with a restaurant, a liquor store, and a wedding chapel on the property and a miniature golf course next door, you can meet most of your needs without leaving the property.
2. Comfort Inn On The River
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5047, (866) 885-5047
Address: 293 Parkway
Description: Three floors of private balconies directly over the Little Pigeon River (you can fish from your balcony!) make you forget there’s bumper-to-bumper traffic right outside the door. From standard two-bedrooms to luxury suites with fireplaces and Jacuzzis, the Comfort Inn’s spectacular view of the river and the mountains in the background make you forget you’re in a city at all. Built before the tourist boom of the 1970s, this establishment is a classic reminder of what the Smokies is really all about. The inn offers an outdoor pool, refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, and free continental breakfast.
3. Rocky Waters Motor Inn
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-7861, (800) 824-1111
Address: 333 Parkway
Description: When Ralph Lawson first built the Rocky Waters in the late 1930s, the road ran down the other side of the Little Pigeon River. When the new road was built, the Rocky Waters’ owners built a bridge and a new building on the new Parkway, and now it’s the only motel in town with units on both sides of the river. A hundred rooms and one cabin provide a broad variety of accommodations, all with private balconies as well as refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers. Some rooms also have wood-burning fireplaces and Jacuzzis. The hotel also offers a guest laundry, two pools, and continental breakfast.
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Address: 402 Parkway
5. Best Western Twin Islands
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5121, (800) 223-9299
Address: 539 Parkway
Description: How about an island right in the middle of downtown Gatlinburg? Well, the city has two, and the Luther Ogle family built a superb motel that uses up both of them. One hundred nine rooms, all with river views and some with private balconies, surround a central courtyard that makes you feel like you’re in a private resort. All of downtown Gatlinburg is just outside the front driveway. Like the rest of the old-line family properties, some rooms have fireplaces and Jacuzzis. The Honeymoon Island suites provide isolation without taking you away from the bright lights. This hotel also offers an outdoor pool.
6. Greystone Lodge At The Aquarium
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5621, (800) 451-9202
Address: 559 Parkway
Description: If you’re in the part of the Greystone that’s near the Parkway, you’re looking at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies (described in detail in the Attractions chapter). If you’re at the other end of the Greystone, you’re looking at the west prong of the Little Pigeon River. This is a big complex—257 rooms in three buildings (one of which is five stories) plus six cottages, all stretched out along the river for more than a quarter of a mile. (Most of the rooms, in fact, overlook the river.) Room configurations vary from two double beds to queen and king rooms, some with hot tubs and fireplaces. An expanded continental breakfast is served every morning in the refreshment bar beside the lobby.
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Address: 715 Parkway
8. Four Seasons Motor Lodge
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-7881, (800) 933-8678
Address: 756 Parkway
Description: The Four Seasons (formerly a Ramada Inn) is as close to the middle of everything as you’re likely to find, but its unique layout shelters its guests from street noise. With 148 luxurious units, plus two cabins, this inn offers a variety of accommodations that’s hard to match (including Jacuzzi rooms, fireplace rooms, various suites, and a penthouse). The heated indoor and outdoor pool is elegant, and the on-site convention facility has three good-size meeting rooms, a full stage, and its own kitchen. The Gatlinburg Convention Center is just a block away, and you’ll also find several restaurants and many attractions nearby.
9. Reagan Resorts Inn
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5607, (800) 933-8674
Address: 938 Parkway
Description: The unique topography of this motel provides a spectacular view of the mountains out the back and arm’s-length availability of more than two dozen attractions and restaurants out the front. The convention center is right next door. Most of the 63 rooms are unusually large and well appointed, with comfortable furniture in addition to home-style amenities. All rooms have refrigerators and coffeemakers, most have microwaves, and three have Jacuzzi tubs. The inn also offers an outdoor heated pool, garage parking, a business center, and a meeting room that seats up to 100 people with its own full kitchen.
10. Quality Inn Creekside
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-4857, (800) 473-8319
Address: 125 LeConte Creek Road
Description: This inn features 104 oversize rooms with a choice of bed configurations, some with fireplaces and Jacuzzis. The view of the mountains from the balconies on the back building is spectacular. All rooms have microwaves, refrigerators, and coffeemakers, and the inn serves continental breakfast. The inn has an outdoor pool, and the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is just a few blocks up the Parkway.
11. Clarion Inn & Suites
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5656, (800) 933-0777
Address: 1100 Parkway
Description: Luxury is the minimum standard at the Clarion—every one of the 130 rooms, from king and queen bed double units to the penthouse suites, is richly appointed. Private balconies in every room provide great views, and the only rooftop meeting and banquet facilities in Gatlinburg give a special flavor to large gatherings. And speaking of flavor, the Clarion’s full hot breakfast is renowned as one of the best in a town famous for that sort of thing. The aerial tramway to Ober Gatlinburg is just across the street, and the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within 100 yards. In addition, several of Gatlinburg’s finest restaurants are steps away, along with the interesting Calhoun’s Village, one of the city’s many shopping malls.
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Address: 204 Cherokee Orchard Road
13. Bales Town & Country Motel
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-4773, (800) 458-8249
Address: 221 Bishop Lane
Description: In addition to standard guest rooms where comfort is the keynote, the 30-room Bales Motel also has a couple of town houses (with Jacuzzis and fireplaces) and a cottage on the grounds for larger parties. Long-term rentals are available, and guests paying for six nights will get their seventh night free. The motel offers an outdoor pool, as well. Two blocks from downtown Gatlinburg in the secluded Baskins Creek neighborhood, Bales Town & Country offers a glimpse of how the local families live. The motel is open from April through early December, although the town houses are available year-round.
14. Bradley’S Court
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-4884
Address: 111 Woliss Lane
Description: Another time-warp property, Bradley’s Court was built in the ’50s and ’60s by current operator Chuck Bradley’s parents. Twenty units, accommodating anywhere from two to eight people each, are built into a mountainside at the end of the street, giving the guest a feeling of total privacy within walking distance of downtown. Some rooms have kitchens, and most rooms have a sleeper sofa. Roll-away beds are available at a nominal charge. The swimming pool has an attached baby pool, and a large grassy area is just right for lying around. Pets are welcome. The hotel is open from April through October.
15. Scottish Inns & Suites
City: Gatlinburg, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (865) 436-5198, (866) 537-7953
Address: 208 Woliss Lane
Description: Opened in the 1960s, this is another of Gatlinburg’s old-line, family-owned and -operated accommodations. The inn has 32 rooms, including 17 suites, with as good a view of the mountains as you’re likely to find anywhere. Stroll a couple of blocks through a quiet neighborhood in the other direction, and you’re in the heart of the downtown business district. The hotel also has its own video arcade right next to the outdoor swimming pool (complete with slide).