Susan

My husband and I are planning a trip for this fall to the Smoky Mountains. We've never been there before (but do travel a lot) and are overwhelmed by all of the advertisements for cabins, etc. on the net. We're looking for a nice place to stay that has a great view of the smoky's. Maybe a lodge or cabin or B&B. Not a Marriott or Hilton. Thanks for your help!

linda

Susan,
I definitely would recommend a nice cabin. Private, romantic. DO NOT stay in the touristy town area- yuk. my husband and I rented from wildflowermountainrentals.com twice and were pleased. (We had Mountain Primrose- actually a wooded view- but very nice and big hottub gazebo/secluded.)We have also rented from jacksonmountainhomes.com
I found these 2 companies to be very reputable and honest about the properties they handled. You need to be specific about your wants in a rental property (view, location, privacy, etc.) Also, they had many pictures online to help us with our selection.
You should book ASAP- during fall, it gets busy.have fun!

roger

My wife and I have a vacation home just outside Great Smoky Mtns in Franklin, NC (Smoky Mtn visitor center is located here), theres a website called realestate-bg.com that offers rentals near the entrance to park, I'm with Susan, the sooner you book the better because fall in the smokies is beautiful and CROWDED. How long will your trip be, where are you coming from and what price range? I can recommend some as i am very familar with the area and have "roamed" these mountains for years, yes the views can be incredible! Please feel free to to ask any questions, I love this area of the world and wish everyone could enjoy its splendor. You will not be dissapointed!

Susan

Thanks for the quick replies. I was wanting to stay under $200/night. I've also heard about 2 B&B's - Berry Springs Lodge adn Little Greenbrier Lodge. Any info on those resorts is appreciated also.

Roger

Susan, both places are on the Tennessee side of The Smokies (near Gatlinburg) and in my opinion are more crowded in fall than the NC side. The most popular area of The Smokies is the drive from Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN. On the NC side (Cherokee, Bryson City, Dillsboro, etc. in my experience has less vehicle traffic. In the fall the Smokies can become a virtual parking lot on the main roads, my suggestion is to stay off the beaten path and visit the less touristy areas; I for one am more at home in a private, secluded area (where the color of the leaves are the same!) Our house in Franklin is about 20 miles from the park entrance but has great views of the park and surrounding mountains. Good luck, again ask me questions please, for I truly enjoy bragging about the mountains!

RB

We've stayed twice at the Little Greenbrier and have been well pleased with its accommodations. You can search this board for previous comments. Having said that, though, I would agree with the previous poster and would steer you toward the NC side of the Smokies during fall "leaf season." If you want to see car traffic at its worst, IMO, go through Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg the third weekend of October. Yikes! The good thing about the Little Greenbrier's location is that you can go into Gatlinburg from the Park side and therefore bypass the Pigeon Forge side which is crawling with cars. On the NC side, my standing recommendation is the Folkestone Inn near Bryson City. Search this board for previous comments and view its site, www.folkestone.com. Little Greenbrier has a page at the www.bbonline.com site.

Lesley

We went to the Smoky Mountains last year in June. It was one of the best trips we have taken and we travel alot. We stayed in a cabin in the moutains. It was very nice. We stayed with Mountain Valley Properties. They have a web site with pictures and description of the cabins. The one we stayed in was private. Even though there were cabins around us we could not seee anyone because of the trees. We took our 4 year old daughter. She loved it as well. We liked it so much we are planning on going again the fall. I have heard it is very busy during the fall. Make sure you book soon. It wasn't far from all the action. We drove down the mountain several times. The road had ruts and was steep but that was part of getting up in the mountains. My sister also went last Oct. She loved it so much she is going back this Oct. It is a great place to relax. But there is also plenty to do, outside of the cabin. We went to a country show. It was most memorable for our daughter as well as us.