Where should you stay when visiting the Great Smoky Mountain National Park? Below I have accommodation options:
- Camping - The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is host to front and back country campsites. The frontcountry sites have cold running water and flushing toilets with no running water or electrical hookups at the campsite. There are no showers available in frontcountry campsites. The fees range from $14-$22 per night. The back country sites require hiking several miles into the park and do not have a fee. You can also camp or rent cabins in the surrounding towns to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park including: Jellystone Camp Resort Gatlinburg, TN, Outdoor Resorts Gatlinburg, TN, Cove Mountain RV Park Sevierville, TN, Smoky Bear Campground Gatlinburg, TN, Arrow Creek Campground Gatlinburg, TN, Adventure Trail Campground Cherokee, NC, & Yogi's Jellystone Camp Resort Cherokee, NC. Camping is great for the family on a budget because you can save lots of money by "roughing it" in a tent. For families with an RV, camping can be a less expensive option from a hotel, motel, or vacation home. However, keep in mind the monthly cost of owning an RV and include that in the cost of camping. (Don't forget to include the months you don't use the camper when determining cost.)
- Vacation Rental Homes - If you seek to have a vacation in a setting that feels like home, you have many options in the Great Smoky Mountain area. Check out websites such as Airbnb, Homeaway, Vacation Rentals By Owner, & Flipkey among others. Vacation homes are great for the large family on a budget because you can get a home that will come with a full kitchen (save money by cooking meals in the crock pot during the day) as well as plenty of room for everyone.
- Hotel/Motel Options - When my family traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains, we opted to stay in a motel. My family consists of myself, my husband, and our 9 year old son. A single hotel/motel room with 2 queen beds meet our needs nicely as we spend most of our days outside the room and use it only for showering and sleeping. There are hundreds of hotels/motels from which to choose in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. My family was on a budget so we needed a CLEAN & well priced hotel/motel for our 4 night stay. We chose Jack Huff's Motor Lodge in Gatlinburg, TN. What can I say about Jack Huff's?
- Let me begin by stating I have stayed at mid-range chain hotels across the nation and have never had an experience like Jack Huff's Motor Lodge. Most of the mid-range hotels have paper thin walls and staff who could care less about you and your accommodations. Jack Huff's is a family owned business that takes pride in their property and customer service. The hotel itself is not new. Believe it or not that is actually to the guest's advantage. You see when this building was built the walls were made so that you could not hear every movement of your neighbor. This makes for a pleasant sleeping experience. Jack Huff's is not full of frills.
- You will not find down comforters and pillows on the beds. The furniture I am certain must be at least 20 years old. However you could not tell that by looking at it because it is exceptionally clean. Cleanliness is my TOP priority when staying at a hotel. Jack Huff's does not disappoint. I did not even find a speck of dust in the room.
- I really liked that the room had a microwave and fridge. This saves us lots as we were able to eat breakfast in our room.
- I also enjoyed the balcony. It was nice to sit out on in the evenings and watch the people go by.
- Finally I liked that the hotel was off the main Parkway. We tried to avoid the Parkway at all costs as it did not appeal to us. We came here to hike in Great Smoky Mtn National Forest and found the Parkway to be WAAAAAY too commercialized to the point of ridiculousness.
- The staff at Jack Huff's were very accommodating as well. They were friendly and made me feel like I mattered.
- The rates for our summertime visit was an affordable $75/night for a spacious room with a balcony. Great option for a family on a budget!
- If I am ever back in this area I will certainly stay here again. Thanks Jack Huff Motor Lodge for providing me such an accommodating place to stay!
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| Jack Huff's 204 Cherokee Orchard Road Post Office Box 865 Gatlinburg, TN 37738 |