Good Host Co
The Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg · Pigeon Forge · Sevierville, Tennessee

The Smoky Mountains

Four of our cabins sit within a few minutes of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Après Chalet and Little Green Cabin near Gatlinburg, Nordic Haus in Sevierville, and Hygge Blue Chalet up in Pigeon Forge. Wherever you land, the park is the point, and the towns around it are how you fill the hours on either side.

The move we’d make: get into the park early. Cades Cove and Clingmans Dome both reward an early start, before the road fills and the overlooks crowd. Save the coasters, the aquarium, and Anakeesta for the afternoon, when a mountaintop is a good place to be anyway.

Everything below is where we actually send guests. Reserve ahead for the popular tables — Local Goat and Pancake Pantry both draw a line — and keep a layer in the car. The ridge is always cooler than the valley you drove up from.

In the national park

The park is the whole reason to be here, and the two drives below are the ones we'd do first.

  • Clingmans Dome

    Map ↗

    The highest point in the park at 6,643 feet, with a steep half-mile walk to a 360° observation tower. It runs 10–20° cooler than the valley, so bring a layer even in summer. The road up is closed roughly December through March.

  • Cades Cove

    Map ↗

    An eleven-mile loop through a preserved mountain valley — old homesteads, wide meadows, and the best odds of seeing wildlife in the park. Closed to cars on Wednesdays, when it belongs to cyclists.

Overlooks, coasters & family days

When you want the mountains without the miles.

  • Anakeesta

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    A mountaintop park above downtown — treetop walkways, gardens, a ridge coaster, and long views over the Smokies.

  • Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    Genuinely good with kids. The shark tunnel is the one everyone remembers.

  • Ober Mountain

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    Aerial tramway up to a small mountain amusement park and ski area, formerly Ober Gatlinburg.

  • Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster

    Map ↗
The Smoky Mountains — Smoky Mountains

On the water & in the saddle

  • Nantahala Outdoor Center

    Map ↗

    Whitewater rafting on the Nantahala, about an hour and a half out but worth the day.

  • Big Rock Dude Ranch at Ponderosa

    Map ↗

    Family horseback riding — no reservation taken or needed, you just show up.

  • Sugarlands Riding Stables

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

  • Smoky Mountain Winery

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

Where we eat

  • Local Goat

    Map ↗

    Pigeon Forge

    One of the most popular restaurants in the Smokies. Reserve ahead.

  • The Greenbrier

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    A recent favorite of ours. Worth a reservation.

  • Sunliner Diner

    Map ↗

    The best diner around — retro fit-out, reliably good plates.

  • Pancake Pantry

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    The classic Smokies pancake breakfast, and the busiest. Pancake Cabin is a good backup if the line's out the door.

  • Five Oaks Farm Kitchen

    Map ↗

    Easy, family-friendly Southern cooking.

  • Ski Mountain Pizza

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    Solid local pizza near downtown and Chalet Village, with a small dining room.

  • Gigi's Cupcakes

    Map ↗

Stocking the cabin

  • Old Dad's General Store

    Map ↗

    Gatlinburg

    Our go-to for basics in town — food in a pinch, a liquor store right next door, parking in back.

  • Kroger

    Map ↗

  • Publix

    Map ↗

Stay here

Where to stay in The Smoky Mountains

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