First trip to the smoky mountains area

[janej]

Hi all,

I am planing a trip to the smoky mountains area. I'd like to pick a time first. We are limited to Spring break (the week before Easter weekend) and summer. Our spring break for 2011 is April 17-24. Would that be a good time to see the area?

I am in the process of closing an Wyndham Smoky Mountains points package. Should I stay at my home resort? I read it is not the best location, but a nice resort. I think for our first trip, location is more important. I also have access to RCI and II. Please recommend a good resort. Our boys will be 15 and 12 by then.


Many thanks for your help,

Jane

 

[vkrn]

Wyndham Smoky Mtn will be a great resort. The location is good for Dollywood, but not so good for Gatlinburg and the Park, although it is manageable. They have also built a lot of "back roads" that help navigate the area.

Spring break will be very busy, but will still be a good time to go. The pools might be cold and Dollywood may have limited open hours. Still, there is the Aquarium and all the other things that make the area a great place to visit.

Do a search and you will find a lot of information on TUG about the area and what to do.

 

[Miss Marty]

Smoky Mountains

We spent two weeks (August and September 2007) at
Wyndham Smoky Mountains Timeshare Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee
Nice Resort but too hilly and not within walking distance to attractions

It maybe to cool in early spring - Schools go back early in Tennessee
Since you have school age boys try for the middle or end of August..

Here is an attraction and retail store that you and your guys will enjoy
Smoky Mountain Knife Works and National Knife Museum In Sevierville..

http://www.smkw.com/emp_ret_detail.html

 

[Miss Marty]

Smoky Mountains

You may want to check into the resorts in Gatlinburg

 

[SherryS]

We stayed at Wyndham Smoky Mtn. this past May and explored the park. It is a good drive to the park from Wyndham, but the traffic is not bad in the spring, so it is managable. The wildflowers would be out in full force during your spring break, April 17 - 24.

If you decide to go in the summer, I would try to stay in Gatlinburg. The traffic can be terrible in the summer, and you would waste a lot of time staying in Sevierville.

 

[janej]

Thanks a lot for the information. Will we be able to see Dollywood, Gatlinburg and the Park in a week? I want the vacation to be somewhat relaxed. We can plan 3-4 big busy days. But I don't want to rush to places every day. How many days should I plan for the park?

I found the Ski View Mountain Resort (#5136) available from RCI. Is that a better choice?

 

[sfwilshire]

If you don't plan tons of hiking or other time consuming activities, a week should be plenty. A day or two for Dollywood. One day is plenty for Gatlinburg, even if you visit the Aquarium. There are really only a couple of day drives in the park.

I agree that the lighter traffic in April will make the Wyndham a good choice, and it's just minutes from Dollywood and the biggest outlet mall. The weather is typically very nice here then.

Check the web for info on the Knoxville Dogwood Arts Festival. Lots of festival activities throughout April and only about 40 minutes from the resort.

Sheila

 

[janej]

I used google map to map out the interest points. Is the Wyndham smoky mountain less than 15 miles from the Smoky Mountain NP? We will have no problems with that.

What is the best resort at Gatlinburg? I might put in a request in RCI or II. If that does not come through, I will use my Wyndham points when the date opens for reservation.

Thanks a lot for your help,

Jane

 

[laurac260]

Smoky mtns in spring break will be PACKED!

We did Smoky mtns 3 or 4 spring breaks ago. It was in March. It snowed. AND it was mobbed! Spring in Gatlinburg may be slow, but spring break was not. Even in March, even in freezing cold, even in snow. We came up from Tampa and froze our @$$es off! Now, in April it will be a bit warmer than March, but be prepared for lots of people, lots of traffic

(not trying to scare you off...)

 

[janej]

We did Smoky mtns 3 or 4 spring breaks ago. It was in March. It snowed. AND it was mobbed! Spring in Gatlinburg may be slow, but spring break was not. Even in March, even in freezing cold, even in snow. We came up from Tampa and froze our @$$es off! Now, in April it will be a bit warmer than March, but be prepared for lots of people, lots of traffic

(not trying to scare you off...)

Uhmm, that sounds like a bad combination, cold weather and lots of people. I just checked Wyndham Web site for availability, March and April 2010 are still wide open.

 

[sandcastles]

Thanks a lot for the information. Will we be able to see Dollywood, Gatlinburg and the Park in a week? I want the vacation to be somewhat relaxed. We can plan 3-4 big busy days. But I don't want to rush to places every day. How many days should I plan for the park?

I found the Ski View Mountain Resort (#5136) available from RCI. Is that a better choice?

I own at Ski View and I do not think it would be a very good choice for you. It has a very small indoor pool and not much to do around the resort.

We just got back from Gatlinburg today. Stayed at Sunrise Ridge Resort. I think we have stayed at every resort there except Bent Creek. Fairfield (Wyndham) is probably my favorite resort. I haven't stayed there in a couple of years though and I'm not sure how the addition of so many new units has affected things. I love all the activities at the community center. They have a breakfast with musical entertainment, a cheese and wine tasting, at least two evening music shows, etc. They also have an indoor pool.

Taking the back roads from Fairfield helps with the traffic. There is so much to do in Pigeon Forge that you will be close to. There is also a bypass to the park after you get close to Gatlinburg that will keep you out of the Gatlinburg traffic.

 

[tombo]

Uhmm, that sounds like a bad combination, cold weather and lots of people. I just checked Wyndham Web site for availability, March and April 2010 are still wide open.

Wyndham is nice, but it is not really in the mountains (although you can see the mountains from the resort). There is really nothing to walk to from the Wyndham and you miss the fun of walking to restaurants, stores, people watching, and listening to street musicians as you stroll along through Gatlinburg at night. Of course you can fight the traffic and pay high dollars to park if you drive to Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge, but I love staying in Gatlinburg.

From both Gatlinburg Town Square and Holiday Inn Crown Park you can walk anywhere you want in Gatlinburg since you are only a couple of blocks from the main drag. We easily walk to the Ober Gatlinburg Tram and ride the Sky Tram to Ober Gatlinburg. We walk to the Aquarium, the putt putt courses, the sky needle, the chairlift ride, the Hard Rock, the Bubba Gump's, etc, etc ,etc. We walk to many other great restaurants and then we walk back to the room. We walk to the Sweet Fannie Adams Show (very good) and walk home. We have some drinks with our meals and don't have to worry about driving. There are families walking up and down the streets all day and night and it is a fun friendly atmosphere. Tree Tops is also a very nice Gatlinburg resort in the mountains, and if you don't mind farther walks of 1/2 mile or more each way with hills to get to the main street, it too is within walking distance of downtown, but it is a lot farther walk than GTS and HI Crown Park. I would not attempt to walk to town and back from Tree Tops with small children, elderly adults, or people who are overweight and out of shape because the 1/2 mile or more walk back to the room is almost all uphill.

Both GTS and HI Crown Park have indoor pools and activities (GTS has the bigger indoor pool but HI Vacation Club is newer and so the resort is in better shape). Many of the rooms at HI Vacation Club have great views of the mountains and downtown from their balconies. All of the GTS rooms have balconies and some have great views, but some have had their views blocked since the HI was built between GTS and downtown. GTS has a great picnic/grilling area in a wooded area overlooking a babbling brook which is very nice. Some of the GTS rooms overlook the babbling brook and it is very peaceful and relaxing, but these rooms are hard to get.

If you stay where you can walk around town leaving your car parked at the resort you will enjoy Gatlinburg a lot more. If you have to fight the traffic to get to Gatlinburg, pay to park, and then fight the traffic back to Pigeon Forge you will probably only visit downtown once and you will miss the fun of strolling through town at night after visitng the national Park or Dollywood during the day.

Wyndham is a great resort with great amenities, but I go for location, location, location, and I will never stay anywhere but GTS or HI Vacation Club (or Tree Tops for my 3rd choice) when I visit the Smokies unless I just can't find any availability at those 3 resorts. I stayed at Pigeon Forge the last time I visited because it was all I could find for the dates I needed and I really missed walking to restaurants and people watching in downtown Gatlinburg. The main draw is the National Park and you can get there from any resort (although you are less than a mile from the National Park entrance when you stay at GTS or HI) but the relaxing strolls downtown at night or during an off day can't be matched by any resort that is not within walking distance of downtown IMO.

 

[janej]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I should be able get to Wyndham without any problem based on what I see for 2010.

I found lots of Gatlinburg Town Square available on II through Dec 2010. I will keep an eye open for later date. I did not see any trace of HI Crown Park with RCI. That must be a hard trade. I think I will be happy with Wyndham or GTS.

 

[sjuhawk_jd]

Indoor Water park

Is there any decent indoor water park attached to the Wyndham Smokey Mountain resort? If yes, are the tickets included if you exchange into this resort via RCI. I have a reservation for May 23 to 30th.

 

[tombo]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I should be able get to Wyndham without any problem based on what I see for 2010.

I found lots of Gatlinburg Town Square available on II through Dec 2010. I will keep an eye open for later date. I did not see any trace of HI Crown Park with RCI. That must be a hard trade. I think I will be happy with Wyndham or GTS.

April 16th to 23rd is available at GTS in a 2 bed 2 bath on RCI with a trade that is pulling 138000 weeks. If you are looking for a check-in on the 17th, they will be few and far between because most of the GTS weeks run friday to Friday. Holiday Inn vacations has availability using the same trade on RCI from April 17th to the 24th, but the only available weeks i can see are one bed room units.

A good deal for a week is the extra vacation on RCI where you can book a 2 bed 2 bath at GTS for $503 from April 16th to the 23rd. That is cheaper than you could book a week figuring your MF's on your deposited week and adding in the $164 exchange fee. On extra vacations there is a Tree Tops 2 bed room available April 17th to 24th for $530. You might want to consider saving your deposited week and renting a cheap week through RCI.

 

[janej]

I now found both GTS and Holiday Inn Vacation Club with RCI points. But the extra vacation price is certainly the best option. Thanks for bringing that up.

 

[tombo]

P.S. The Wyndham is also available for April 17th through 24th on extra vacations for $530 if you want to stay at that resort. The Wyndham is very nice with regards to furnishing, amenities, etc. and you will not be disappointed with the rooms. It is a very nice upscale resort.

If you just want nice accomodations, if you don't mind driving everywhere you go, and if you don't mind staying at a huge complex which only has one outdoor pool and one indoor pool for 600 units, then the Wyndham might be just what you are looking for. I personally prefer to stay in Dowtown Gatlinburg at the HI Vacation Club or at an older resort downtown like GTS or Tree Tops which have fewer people and are within walking distance of all of the Gatlinburg activities, and I say that after staying at many different resorts over the years in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area (including the Wyndham).

Gatlinburg is a great area and you will have a great trip no matter where you stay. Don't miss Cades Cove, the Roaring Forks Motor Trail about 1/2 mile up the road from HI and GTS, the Log Cabin Restaurant for breakfast (right across the street from GTS and HI), and supper at the Old Mill Restaurant. There are a lot more great things to do, but these are not to be missed.

 

[Lisa P]

...if you don't mind staying at a huge complex which only has one outdoor pool and one indoor pool for 600 units, then the Wyndham might be just what you are looking for.

Our teens preferred Wyndham resort's amenities to spending time in downtown Gatlinburg. The resort does offer two outdoor pools, two indoor pools and two recreation and fitness centers. The newer rec center has indoor game rooms for ping pong, billiards, coin arcade games and organized activities. For our family, a convenient Trolley stop at the resort made up for the lack of walk-to attractions. It's only a mile or so to the Nascar go-cart tracks and several outlet centers.

We do enjoy the Nat'l Park but that involves driving from any resort. Our preferred area to visit is in and around Cades Cove, a relatively long drive from any timeshare. We usually spend only one day of a week in Gatlinburg proper. Dollywood is somewhat easier to reach from the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge area via back roads than it is from Gatlinburg area resorts.

We think the resort with the best amenities/location combination is the Westgate, which includes a small indoor water park. It's located just off the parkway between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in a very pretty area. That's a hilly resort too and it only trades through II. But we enjoy the Wyndham a lot. If we were just a couple traveling and we wanted convenience to Gatlinburg, GTS is a better choice. But with a family traveling on most of our stays, the resort amenities matter more to us. JMO.

 

[janej]

Lisa,

Thanks for the additional information. I do have access to the Westgate through II. But TUG reviews place them below the other ones. Will it be warm enough for outdoor pools in late April? I think my boys will want to go to the indoor water park, but probably just once for a few hours, like they did at Massanutten and the Great Wolf lodge. They tend to get tired of small indoor water parks fast. It's a little odd since they never get tired of playing in a pool.

Jane

 

[sfwilshire]

Will it be warm enough for outdoor pools in late April?

Not even close. Pools tend to open around Memorial Day here. Might be different if they're heated.

Sheila

 

[wcfr1]

Stayed at Westgate Gatlinburg last July 4th. Now that's a busy week. In fact according to the paper it is their busiest week of the year.

So if you are going in the colder months with big crowds I would discourage you from doing that. Probably why there is plenty of availability in March and April.

I would go for early Summer. Much better time to enjoy the parks, especially if you plan to bike or hike.

As for the indoor water park, Westgate's is huge.

Timeshare units were great and area was just out of town away from the crowd. Decent access to shopping, town and Pigeon Forge.

Don't cross it off your list, would recommend it.

 

[Egret1986]

Strongly considering a change of plans for this summer.

From both Gatlinburg Town Square and Holiday Inn Crown Park you can walk anywhere you want in Gatlinburg since you are only a couple of blocks from the main drag. We easily walk to the Ober Gatlinburg Tram and ride the Sky Tram to Ober Gatlinburg. We walk to the Aquarium, the putt putt courses, the sky needle, the chairlift ride, the Hard Rock, the Bubba Gump's, etc, etc ,etc. We walk to many other great restaurants and then we walk back to the room. We walk to the Sweet Fannie Adams Show (very good) and walk home. We have some drinks with our meals and don't have to worry about driving. There are families walking up and down the streets all day and night and it is a fun friendly atmosphere. Tree Tops is also a very nice Gatlinburg resort in the mountains, and if you don't mind farther walks of 1/2 mile or more each way with hills to get to the main street, it too is within walking distance of downtown, but it is a lot farther walk than GTS and HI Crown Park. I would not attempt to walk to town and back from Tree Tops with small children, elderly adults, or people who are overweight and out of shape because the 1/2 mile or more walk back to the room is almost all uphill.

Both GTS and HI Crown Park have indoor pools and activities (GTS has the bigger indoor pool but HI Vacation Club is newer and so the resort is in better shape). Many of the rooms at HI Vacation Club have great views of the mountains and downtown from their balconies. All of the GTS rooms have balconies and some have great views, but some have had their views blocked since the HI was built between GTS and downtown. GTS has a great picnic/grilling area in a wooded area overlooking a babbling brook which is very nice. Some of the GTS rooms overlook the babbling brook and it is very peaceful and relaxing, but these rooms are hard to get.

If you stay where you can walk around town leaving your car parked at the resort you will enjoy Gatlinburg a lot more. If you have to fight the traffic to get to Gatlinburg, pay to park, and then fight the traffic back to Pigeon Forge you will probably only visit downtown once and you will miss the fun of strolling through town at night after visitng the national Park or Dollywood during the day.

Wyndham is a great resort with great amenities, but I go for location, location, location, and I will never stay anywhere but GTS or HI Vacation Club (or Tree Tops for my 3rd choice) when I visit the Smokies unless I just can't find any availability at those 3 resorts. I stayed at Pigeon Forge the last time I visited because it was all I could find for the dates I needed and I really missed walking to restaurants and people watching in downtown Gatlinburg. The main draw is the National Park and you can get there from any resort (although you are less than a mile from the National Park entrance when you stay at GTS or HI) but the relaxing strolls downtown at night or during an off day can't be matched by any resort that is not within walking distance of downtown IMO.

We are considering a two-week trip to the Glacier NP area this summer, as a follow-up trip for a previous 1-week stay that just wasn't enough time.

However, since we are doing one fly-to vacation to the Caribbean over Easter week, we are considering changing our plans and putting the Montana trip off until 2011.

Since my family has enjoyed all its Nat'l Park trips and they haven't been to Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park, this would be a great alternative and close enough to drive to.

I just purchased an RCI Points Wk 30 at Tree Tops. I would love to be able to stay in my unit this summer, but it would require getting the week back from RCI (since the reservation period has passed) if it hasn't been withdrawn once closing and transfer has been completed.

I checked RCI availabilities for late August and there is availability at GTS for both a 2BR & 3BR. I checked the RCI/TUG reviews on this resort trying to find out more about the 3BRs, but it appears just about everyone gets a 2BR lock-out. Does anyone know if the 3BRs are lock-outs or dedicated 3BRs? Any specifics on the 3BRs? Are all 2BRs lock-outs?

I have two 16 year-olds, so a 2 or 3BR lock-out or a dedicated 3BR would work. The one time that we stayed in a lock-out, they really enjoyed having their own little apartment next to us, plus Mom and Dad had a little bit of private space. So, while having a nice large 3BR would be nice, a 2BR lock-out could be a bonus. Any opinions or insights?

Thanks for your input all!


P.S. Has anyone stayed in the Pedestal Cottages at Tree Tops? If so, could you give me a little bit of info on them? There really isn't a whole lot of info in the RCI/TUG reviews on these units. Thanks!

 

[jerseydave]

Stay at your home resort....... it's a nice place, convenient to restaurants and a super wally world.

I'm not sure if they still do it but Dollywood used to have a "2 day special" where if you went after 3pm on Day1 (open till 9pm I think?) you could use the same ticket to return the following day for free (entire day, open to close).

Things we enjoyed: (not all in one visit)

Dollywood
Dixie Stampede
Wonder Works
Ripley's Aquarium
Ripley's Believe it or not
Nascar go-carts
Driving tour of GSMNP
and much much more

I hope you like traffic..... it's terrible.
Get a GOOD updated local map showing ALL new streets.
If you are good at map reading and have a little navigational common sense you can bypass most nightmares without going out of the way at all.
There are many "back ways" to get where you need to be.
Learn those and you will be a happier camper.

Dave

 

[sandcastles]

We stayed in one of the pedestal units at Tree Lofts about 5 years ago. I enjoyed it much more than the regular Tree Tops units. It was so quiet and we had a beautiful view. The unit was very large. We had two BR down stairs and a loft BR also. Just my DH and me so we didn't use the loft.

The only problem I can see is if you wanted to use the pool. You would have to drive down to the main units or they have a walking trail down to it but it is a fairly steep hill. Teenagers probably wouldn't mind it but I wouldn't do it.

I can't remember the unit that we stayed in a couple of years ago at Tree Tops but I wouldn't want to do it again. It was in a building with an elevator (I guess not all bldgs. have elevators) close to the office. I read on TUG that those units were noisy. Not from other guests, but from the construction of the units. The floors above squeaked so much that you could hear every foot step. Evidently not insulated much either because you could hear a lot of outside noise such as cars and motorcycles parked under the unit. All in all we were kept awake many nights.

 

[Egret1986]

Thanks for the info on traffic

Stay at your home resort....... it's a nice place, convenient to restaurants and a super wally world.

I'm not sure if they still do it but Dollywood used to have a "2 day special" where if you went after 3pm on Day1 (open till 9pm I think?) you could use the same ticket to return the following day for free (entire day, open to close).

Things we enjoyed: (not all in one visit)

Dollywood
Dixie Stampede
Wonder Works
Ripley's Aquarium
Ripley's Believe it or not
Nascar go-carts
Driving tour of GSMNP
and much much more

I hope you like traffic..... it's terrible.
Get a GOOD updated local map showing ALL new streets.
If you are good at map reading and have a little navigational common sense you can bypass most nightmares without going out of the way at all.
There are many "back ways" to get where you need to be.
Learn those and you will be a happier camper.

Dave

I don't know if it was this thread or another, but someone mentioned that it is a a lot better after the middle of August for crowds and traffic because the local schools start back up. I sure hope so. It's been mentioned that GTS and Tree Tops are located within walking distance of Downtown Gatlinburg, though for Tree Tops everyone better be in good shape for the uphill walk back to the resort. I want to avoid as much traffic and parking issues as possible. We're tied to the school year, so we need to go in the Summer. I was looking at the last week of August. We would be checking out the morning of the Friday before the Labor Day weekend starts.