# great smokies lodge vs. smoky mountians



## foofoo528 (May 28, 2014)

I really wanted to try to go this year but know it will be impossible - so planning ahead for next year early summer!  



questions: WHich of the two is better for a 7 year old and 4 year old.  

How hard is it to get week during the summer at either?  and is it worth it? 
Is there enough to do outside of the waterpark with small children?  Dollywood? hiking?  

Also, do you have pay for the waterpark tickets if you are a wyndham point holder? 

Watfa


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## lcml11 (May 28, 2014)

foofoo528 said:


> I really wanted to try to go this year but know it will be impossible - so planning ahead for next year early summer!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Depends what they like to do.  There is plenty of everything outside of the water park to do for all ages.

June 2014 availability at Smokey mountain still shows at least the following.

Check-In 	Nights 	Unit Type 	Details 	Points 	Discount
Points 	
JUNE
06/11/2014 	3 	1 Bedroom Deluxe 	

    Transaction Combines Two Reservations and May Require a Room Change
    Managed by Wyndham Vacation Management, Inc.

	46,500 	23,250 	
Note: Transaction combines two reservations and may require a room change.
Click to see details.
06/11/2014 	3 	1 Bedroom Suite B-side 	

    Managed by Wyndham Vacation Management, Inc.

	37,500 	18,750

The water park is harder to get into.  I own at Smokey Mountain and think it is great.  P.M. me if you have any other questions.  Have not been to the waterpark resort, so I will defer to others.

P.M. me for additional info if you like on other possible options.


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## tschwa2 (May 28, 2014)

In case the other post confused you,it confused me because it didn't clearly answer your questions, I'll give it a go.

The Lodge is the one with the waterpark.  Waterpark is included if you are staying there.  I don't think you can go to the water park and pay if you are staying offsite at the other timeshare or anywhere else ( I think you have to be staying in the lodge or hotel).  The Lodge is much harder to book.  Per Icml11 the other one still has availability for this summer.

I think the area has enough to do if you are staying in Smoky Mountains.  It still has a pool.  The Natl Park is beautiful.  Gatlinburg has lots of entertainment. If I had a choice I would go for the great smokies lodge but if I couldn't get it I would take the other.


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## Bigrob (May 28, 2014)

I can provide input to the other side, having stayed at Wilderness at the Smokies (we are whole condo owners there), and we also rent both.

Great Smokies Lodge is harder to book in to and costs more points. But the kids will definitely enjoy both the water and the Adventure Forest (you have to buy passes for the Adventure Forest, but they are good for the length of your stay. I would recommend going for it.) There is definitely plenty to do in the area. 

There are lots of live shows, Ripley's Aquarium, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wonderworks, etc. - definitely something different to do every day if you get tired of the waterpark.


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## Whoozr (May 28, 2014)

*Great Smokies Lodge is the way to go*

We were just there in April for Spring Break.  There is so much to do in the surrounding towns but if you have kids, they will probably want to stay inside the resort.  Between the indoor water park, Adventure Forest and the outdoors lazy river that is more than enough to keep them busy.  This resort is very hard to book for the Summer but there appears to be plenty of availability for the other Smokie Mountain resort.  I haven't been there but the reviews state that it's really nice.

You cannot visit the indoor water park if you aren't staying at the Resort.  I really didn't see anyone checking wrist bands to see if you were a registered guest or not.


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## Vacationfuntips (May 28, 2014)

In my opinion, Wyndham Smoky Mountains location is closer to Dollywood, Splash Country, shopping, outlet mall shopping and tons of restaurants. There is a trolley that can take you from the resort around the area too. Not only are the rooms very nice, but it is the location that makes Wyndham Smoky Mountains a desired spot.  Wyndham Smoky Mountains has both outdoor and indoor pools, and, an activities center, fitness center & mini golf.  Beautiful views from the balcony too.  

Wyndham Great Smokies Lodge has the waterpark and is very kid friendly. I think it really depends on what you like to do and where you can get a reservation? 

For Wyndham Great Smokies Lodge you get passes to the waterpark with your stay.  The Wilderness Adventure Park costs extra $. You can get weekly passes.  There are rope courses, rock climbing wall, mini golf, arcade etc..  There are some restaurants 5 to 10 minutes away.  It is a short drive to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

Wyndham has quality resorts, both are nice and for different reasons.  

Cynthia T.


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## Bigrob (May 28, 2014)

Vacationfuntips said:


> In my opinion, Wyndham Smoky Mountains location is closer to Dollywood, Splash Country, shopping, outlet mall shopping and tons of restaurants. There is a trolley that can take you from the resort around the area too. Not only are the rooms very nice, but it is the location that makes Wyndham Smoky Mountains a desired spot.  Wyndham Smoky Mountains has both outdoor and indoor pools, and, an activities center, fitness center & mini golf.  Beautiful views from the balcony too.
> 
> Wyndham Great Smokies Lodge has the waterpark and is very kid friendly. I think it really depends on what you like to do and where you can get a reservation?
> 
> ...



I'll second this opinion. In fact we determined not to try to decide, so we took Wyndham Smoky Mountains for the weekend and Great Smokies Lodge for the midweek when the points are cheaper. I haven't had the chance to stay at Wyndham Smoky Mountains yet and am looking forward to it. We stayed a couple of nights in Gatlinburg last year and were surprised how different it felt compared to Seveirville... there is plenty to do in the area and we basically do an annual trip there now.


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## lcml11 (May 28, 2014)

Bigrob said:


> I'll second this opinion. In fact we determined not to try to decide, so we took Wyndham Smoky Mountains for the weekend and Great Smokies Lodge for the midweek when the points are cheaper. I haven't had the chance to stay at Wyndham Smoky Mountains yet and am looking forward to it. We stayed a couple of nights in Gatlinburg last year and were surprised how different it felt compared to Seveirville... there is plenty to do in the area and we basically do an annual trip there now.



That is a neat trick to save points. Great idea.


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## staceyeileen (May 28, 2014)

We stayed at Wyndham Smoky Mountains over Labor Day with our 4 year old son and had a great time.  I couldn't believe how much there was to do in the area for kids.  We visited Dollywood 2 of the days, great park!  As others mentioned, Ripley's, Wonderworks, mini golf, go-karts, etc.  We also did Dixie Stampede.  It actually reminded me of a smaller version of touristy Orlando sans Disney.  But then you drive like 10 minutes and you're in the middle of the peaceful Smoky Mountains.  The location of Smoky Mountains resort can't be beat; Great Smokies Lodge is pretty far away from where the action is.  I'm sure my son would have loved the water park, but it costs a lot more points also.  We just decided to spend our time outside of the resort instead.


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## Rascalsmom (May 28, 2014)

I have a couple of 2BR units reserved at Wyndham Smoky Mountains for our fall break, October 2015.  We are taking my teenaged son and his friend, and having our college-aged daughters join us, bringing some more girls. Any suggestions for big group activities?  Adventure park?  Would this age group enjoy Dollywood?  Best ways to get discount tickets?

Thanks for any advice you'd care to share.


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## Vacationfuntips (May 28, 2014)

*I have a couple of 2BR units reserved at Wyndham Smoky Mountains for our  fall break, October 2015.  We are taking my teenaged son and his  friend, and having our college-aged daughters join us, bringing some  more girls. Any suggestions for big group activities?  Adventure park?   Would this age group enjoy Dollywood?  Best ways to get discount  tickets?

Thanks for any advice you'd care to share.    *

Dollywood is fun for all ages!

Some Dollywood discount links :

http://www.pigeonforgetnguide.com/coupons-discounts/dollywood-coupons-and-discount-tickets/

http://www.dollywood.com/Deals/Special-Offers.aspx

You can get Dollywood discounted tickets if you have a AAA membership.  It may also come in handy to get discounts at the outlet mall - most teenagers love to shop!

There is so much to do over at the Smoky Mountains - you will have a wonderful time in the fall!

Some links for things to do:

http://www.visitmysmokies.com/what-to-do/

http://www.gatlinburg.com/things-to-do/attractions.aspx

http://www.mypigeonforge.com/things-to-do/attractions/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Smoky_Mountains_National_Park_Tennessee.html

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

If you browse on the internet and do a search you can find more ideas, coupons and suggestions.

Have a great trip!

Cynthia T.


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## staceyeileen (May 29, 2014)

We did the "after 3PM" deal at Dollywood.  They actually let us into the park around 2:30pm on the first day and we went back the 2nd day on the same ticket.  Teenagers will love the park.  Some really great roller coasters!

Another way to save is on the parking.  There is a trolley that will take you to Dollywood for $1 roundtrip.  We took it and had great service both ways.


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## medsed (May 30, 2014)

We just got back from a stay at Wyndham Smoky Mountains...it is a lovely resort.  Well maintained, great location, some nice planned activities, swimming pools, etc.
A couple of suggestions...use the trolley..even in mid-May it was difficult to find parking...summer and fall (because of the beautiful foliage) are actually quite crowded and parking is expensive and hard to find.
For the younger kids, while,the water park is fun if you are planning to be out and about a lot often time, it probably isn't worth the extra points...I would consider the lodge more of a destination in and of itself.
There was so much to do it was a bit overwhelming.....Gatlinburg is fun to just stroll around and visit shops and attractions, pigeon forge has all kinds of dinner shows, shopping, attractions, etc
We did a driving tour or two on our own in the mountains..Cade's Cove and Roaring Fork self guided auto tours were interesting, breathtakingly beautiful and fun.  Although roaring fork was very narrow roads, with no shoulder etc.
We ended up taking a wonderful guided tour in a smaller bus up to Clingmans Dome, I highly recommend this...no one has to watch the road, no one has to worry about the way someone else is driving etc.  our guide worked at the park and did the tours part time.  He was funny, informative, and very nice.  If anyone wants the company name PM me and I will look it up.
For something a bit interesting and educational but fun, drive south to the other entrance/visitors center in Cherokee NC..they have a farm museum, all of the buildings are in tact etc from before the area became a park...I saw families doing activities with the park staff in the farm house.  Also Cherokee is home to Native Americans, thus the name, and there are cultural centers, museums etc that many people would very much enjoy.
Finally, if you go to the Sugarlands visitors center at the park, ask about the short hike to the waterfall behind the building...it is an easy one, even for younger kids and it was a beautiful and serene spot when we arrived.

As you can tell, we did a lot and loved our time in the area..if I can help anyone with info I will gladly do so, just shoot me a PM.


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## DancingWaters (May 30, 2014)

We are going to the lodge next week and wondered where we can purchase the Dollywood tickets for the after 3:00 time?  How much do they cost?


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## lcml11 (May 30, 2014)

We might release, at some point, a three bedroom for August 2, 2014 for seven nights at the Waterpark resort.  If this becomes a reality that we cannot use it over the next couple of days, let me know and I can let you know when it would be released.


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## foofoo528 (May 31, 2014)

*Big Thank you*

Thanks for all your tips - Really helpful.

@lcml11 - I will now this week and PM - big thanks.


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## staceyeileen (May 31, 2014)

DancingWaters said:


> We are going to the lodge next week and wondered where we can purchase the Dollywood tickets for the after 3:00 time?  How much do they cost?



It's not really a special ticket.  You just buy a normal 1-day ticket, and if you enter after 3PM you can come back to next day for free.


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## JimMIA (May 31, 2014)

*Wahoo Ziplines*, in Sevierville, just a few miles from Great Smokys.  GREAT ziplining that kids that age will love -- great staff, great fun!  

Be sure and get one of their GoPro's for your helmet to record your death-defying feats.

There are some silly little ziplines along the main parkway to Gatlinburg, but this is the real deal.


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## JimMIA (May 31, 2014)

medsed said:


> We just got back from a stay at Wyndham Smoky Mountains...it is a lovely resort.  Well maintained, great location, some nice planned activities, swimming pools, etc.


Yep...that's our home resort!





> We did a driving tour or two on our own in the mountains..Cade's Cove and Roaring Fork self guided auto tours were interesting, breathtakingly beautiful and fun.


Haven't done Roaring Fork, but Cades Cove is a must every trip.  For Cades Cove, check the park info (www.nps.gov/grsm )and try to get there as soon as they open.  Depending on the season, they have an early morning "hayride," which is a Ranger-led tour well worth the nominal expense.  Cades Cove is amazingly peaceful early in the morning, with wildlife everywhere.  Don't miss it.





> We ended up taking a wonderful guided tour in a smaller bus up to Clingmans Dome, I highly recommend this...no one has to watch the road, no one has to worry about the way someone else is driving etc.  our guide worked at the park and did the tours part time.  He was funny, informative, and very nice.  If anyone wants the company name PM me and I will look it up.


Haven't done this particular tour, but Clingman's Dome is another must.  It's actually "On Top of Old Smoky," the highest spot in the Park.  Beautiful views, even on a halfway clear day.





> For something a bit interesting and educational but fun, drive south to the other entrance/visitors center in Cherokee NC..they have a farm museum, all of the buildings are in tact etc from before the area became a park...I saw families doing activities with the park staff in the farm house.  Also Cherokee is home to Native Americans, thus the name, and there are cultural centers, museums etc that many people would very much enjoy.


Lots of junky tourist teeshirt stores in the town of Cherokee itself, but you need junky tourist teeshirts...right?  (The teeshirts in the Park visitor centers are actually way cooler.) 

There are two things in Cherokee that are really worthwhile.  One is the *Cherokee Museum*, which has some amazing Indian arts and crafts.  The other is* "Unto These Hills,"* which is a historical drama in an open amphitheater up on the mountain that tells the story of the infamous "Trail of Tears," which was the forced relocation of all Indians east of the Mississippi to the Oklahoma Territory.  Something like 40% of the Indians died on the journey.  Very poignant and very well done.





> Finally, if you go to the Sugarlands visitors center at the park, ask about the short hike to the waterfall behind the building...it is an easy one, even for younger kids and it was a beautiful and serene spot when we arrived.


Yep, nice short walk (maybe a mile).  Sugarlands VC, incidentally, is on the Tennessee side of the park, just a mile or two from Gatlinburg.  A prettier waterfall hike is Laurel Falls, also on the TN side.  However, it's a 2.6 mile round trip and will take about 2 hours.  LOTS of other nice waterfall hikes in the park.


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## lcml11 (Jun 1, 2014)

foofoo528 said:


> Thanks for all your tips - Really helpful.
> 
> @lcml11 - I will now this week and PM - big thanks.



You are welcome.


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## gravityrules (Jun 2, 2014)

*Neither Wyndham resort is that close to the National Park*

Just returned from a week in Gatlinburg and noticed the location of both Wyndham resorts (Sevierville) is not that close to the National Park, particularly taking into account the summer traffic on 66 and 321.  Wyndham Smoky Mountains is somewhat closer to the NP than the other resort.  That may not be an issue to you, it just depends on what you want to do.  Both resorts are very nice, I'm sure you will enjoy both.
The Smokies have become one of those destinations that can be many different kinds of vacations.  It struck me that a vacation in Pigeon Forge could be a lot like a vacations in Branson now, particularly if you don't venture into the NP.  Both have a really good theme park, plenty of shows, nice resorts, lots of tourist trap activities, etc.
The NP was the main draw for us so we stayed in the Gatlinburg area.  Gatlinburg is quite different than Pigeon Forge/Sevierville.
We hiked to several waterfalls during the week.  For young children, Cataract Falls is an easy 1/2 mile hike to a nice small waterfall behind Sugarlands visitor center ... it's good now, but it doesn't have much flow if you are in a dry summer.  There is also a nice Sugarlands nature trail a short drive from the visitor center.


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## spackler (Nov 5, 2014)

gravityrules, you've touched on some of my concerns as well.  I love the NP & usually stay in a cabin or just camp within the park.

Staying at a resort in super-touristy Sevierville would make for a very different vacation.


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