lisatravels

We will be visiting Smoky Nat'l Park. I heard that Knoxville is a nice town and we were thinking of staying there exploring the town and the park. We like arts/crafts, history, antiques, charming buildings and the great outdoors. We've been to Asheville (loved it), but wanted to be closer to the park and see something different. We also want to avoid tourist traps, so we're not considering Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. I haven't been fidning a lot about Knoxville - is it worth staying there?

lakeside77

Staying in Knoxville to explore the national park is quite a bit of driving - and traffic in my opinion. Maybe try areas of Townsend which is near Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, but not as touristy and has access into areas of the park.

You'll still have better lodging options around PF/Gburg, but you can stay a little further out away from the busy-ness.

claire_bluesky

I agree w/lakeside. Knoxville is a lovely place to live, but it is not a tourist destination and does not fit with the description of what you would like to do. You can stay much closer to the park and still avoid the crowds and tourist traps. Townsend is a good idea. It is called "the quiet side of the Smokies." I haven't stayed there.

We have to go to Dollywood on our trips because of kids. When we want peace, we stay in Wears Valley which is about 20 minutes drive to PG (Dollywood) or Cobbly Nob which is still a part of Gatlinburg I think, but away from the chaos. ( We like to stay where we can have a nice mountain view when we visit.)

I'm planning to take the kids to Dollywood for a few days as we speak.

lakeside77

Good suggestion of Wears Valley - definitely the best place to stay with access to Pigeon Forge.

You can also consider the outer areas of Gatlinburg - quicker access to the national park, but can still venture into PF/Gburg for an evening or two.

jent103

I completely agree. I grew up in Knoxville and love it, but definitely don't stay there to go to the park. It's an hour or so drive just to get to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, much less the actual park. Any of the other suggestions sound great; I've had friends stay in Townsend and love that.

Gretchen

Think about staying on the NC side of the park--Bryson City. Knoxville is nowhere near enough.

goldenarmcole

I agree with other suggestions. Townsend is the closest town to Cades Cove which I think is the prettiest place in the Smokies. It has been a few years since we've been there but we used to stay at the Best Western there and it was pretty nice. It has 2 pools, one indoors and very nice gardens.

lakeside77

You can also find vacation rentals through VRBO for the Townsend area, if you're looking for something more independent. Granted, it won't be the selection you would get for Wears Valley or other PF/Gburg areas, but they still have quite a few on the website.

lisatravels

Thank-you for all your responses. I think we'll stay in Asheville again with an overnight or two in Cherokee.

xrae

I like the Cherokee or Maggie Valley area. If you aren't afraid of one-lane, mountain-side gravel roads, the Cataloochie Valley part of the park is convenient to Maggie Valley and you can see elk and other wildlife there early in the morning or at dusk. Like Cades Cove, it's an abandoned settlement, so there are a few buildings to explore. There seems to be a lot of horseback riding in the area.