Richiex1

Hi All

Our deep south adventure is fast approaching and the itinerary is coming along well.

We fly into Atlanta on the 25th Aug and will stay in a motel that night, the next morning we are heading to the Smokeys for three nights, we've decided to rent a small cabin in the Gatlinburg area, would like nice mountain views and be reasonably accessible to town.

Just wondering if any of you good folk had any recommendations for good reasonably priced rental companies.

I've bee searching on the web and it seems to be a bit of a minefield so any suggestions very welcome, were then moving onto Nashville for a couple of nights so will also be looking for a reasonable priced Hotel/Motel within easy reach of the city centre.

Thanks in advance

Richie and Deb

jent103

There are many, many companies, as you've discovered, and also many threads here with recommendations. The most important thing to decide is whether you want to be nearer Gatlinburg or nearer Townsend (the "quiet side of the Smokies"). Many people on Fodor's tend to prefer Townsend, as there's much less traffic in town and you're closer to attractions like Cades Cove. This is great as long as you're okay with not having much to "do" in town, as Townsend is indeed VERY quiet. If you're hoping to be in Gatlinburg for dinner most nights, or do the aquarium or other in-town attractions more so than hiking or other mountain activities, you'll obviously want to head more that direction. So that will at least narrow down your choices a bit. I've rented from Dogwood Cabins and been pleased, but it's just one of many!

What is your budget? That would help as well. Cabins range from bare-bones and inexpensive to luxury.

jent103

I forgot to mention - it'll be extremely helpful if you can provide your actual budget ($) for lodging, both in Gatlinburg and Nashville. "Reasonable" can mean different things to different people! There are several hotels in downtown Nashville, which is where I'd recommend you stay for a typical short trip.

Richiex1

Thanks for the reply, we are touring the south for three weeks and will be using a mix of motels and hotels, we're going to try and stay in downtown hotels while in the bigger cities ( Nashville, Memphis and NOLA) as live music is a big passion of ours, but as this is our first trip to the states for a good few years I can only guage prices from the Internet.

Im thinking maybe $100 ish per night, do you think this is a bit optimistic?

Thanks

jent103

The most popular tourist hotels in Nashville are downtown and near the Vanderbilt/West End area, and $100 in downtown Nashville is pretty optimistic, yes. Downtown is the ideal location if you mostly want to see the Ryman and the Hall of Fame, do the honky-tonks, etc. However, if you'll have a car anyway, there are options within a 20-minute drive of downtown that are likely cheaper. Just remember to budget for parking - the main garages can be up to $10 a night, and more during the day. I live here, so I don't really know specific hotels except by location, but you might try places to the south in Brentwood/Maryland Farms (fairly straight shot up I-65 to downtown) or Cool Springs (further out), or Bellevue to the west. There's a Hampton Inn in Green Hills that would also be good, if it's any cheaper, and you'd be close to the Bluebird Cafe.

You might see if you can find deals on hotels.com - the zones on Hotwire are kind of risky (you might get a great location, you might not), but with hotels.com you can see the hotel before you book.

For a cabin around Gatlinburg, I think $100 could be doable but you'll need to do some research. Also, you've left it pretty late and will be there during the popular summer season (3 September is our Labor Day and the unofficial end to summer), so your options will be more limited.