Staying in Gatlinburg
 

We are going to spend a weekend this October in Gatlinburg and were looking for suggestions for someplace to stay in town. It seems like a lot of basic motels. We have been thinking about maybe the Clarion or the Bearskin Lodge. Any comments on either of these or suggestions on somewhere else?

I can't remember names of specific hotels, but here's a tip: October in Gatlinburg is extremely crowded, and traffic is horrible! If you haven't made your reservations yet, you need to do so as soon as possible.

My suggestion would be a cabin in the mountains, and then you can go to town for a day to see everything.

We went to Gatlinburg on our honeymoon. The things we most enjoy are getting out of town, seeing Cade's Cove and other "nature" stuff.

Echo what samsaf said and adding to stay away on a Tennessee home game weekend, unless, of course you are going to the game!

You say it seems like a lot of basic hotels. Go West 20 miles to Townsend, TN and stay at Dancing Bear Lodge.

Have a nice trip.

http://www.dancingbearlodge.com/dbhome.aspx

Check the reviews on Tripadvisor. Several rated higher than the two you mentioned.

Gatlinburg itself is a lot of basic hotels/motels. If you're going for the in-town things (aquarium, restuarants, Ripley's anything, etc.), most of the hotels are fine. If you're going more for nature (Cades Cove, hiking, etc), definitely second the suggestions for Townsend or chalets/cabins. We stayed in one through Parkside Cabin Rentals last summer that was great.

Lodging in G'Burg is pretty basic. So far we haven't been impressed; so just want what's decent, well-maintained and clean. The Fairfield Inn (the one in town) gets all good reviews on TripAdvisor, and has a great location for walking to everything. It's also quite popular, so book way ahead if you're going at a busy time.