Smoky Mountain Getaway: Why Cabins in the Mountains Rock

After Father’s Day and Adeline’s birthday party, Matthew headed to the Smoky Mountains for a quiet getaway. As much as I talk about the importance of self-care for women, it is important for men too. I asked him if we would write about his experience for today and why he loved staying in a cabin so much. I think it will inspire you to take a trip, book one for a loved one or for your family to the Smoky Mountains. It has become a favorite place for us.

Last month, I went by myself on a writing retreat to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a delightful little town that serves as a prelude of sorts to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This, the most visited National Park in the United States is, in a word, heavenly.

As a child, I visited the Smoky Mountains and became convinced that East Tennessee, with its lush green mountains, magnificent rocky cliffs, and numerous streams, brooks, and waterfalls, must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. And as a well traveled adult who has visited numerous picturesque locations on five continents, my childhood assessment still stands—the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina is indeed one of the most beautiful places on Earth, an undisturbed natural sanctuary of peace and tranquility. Last year, amid the park’s 75th anniversary, The Saturday Evening Post wrote, “After three-quarters of a century, the healing touch of undisturbed nature has restored this mountain range’s power to inspire.”

And inspire it does. Gatlinburg is a perfect location for a writer’s retreat. Not only is this vacation town an environment filled with life-giving beauty but it’s also known for its moody climate and weather patterns. Like its name implies—smoky mountains—clouds often linger over the mountains that surround Gatlinburg, offering a mystified and calming backdrop for becoming creative. But this town is a perfect escape for any kind of getaway, from romantic weekends to family vacations to large and small retreats/gatherings. (You might remember that we visited there this spring before Jessica went back to work.)

Whatever your reasons for visiting Gatlinburg (or Pigeon Forge, for that matter, which is located only 7 miles west),  in order to experience the Great Smoky Mountains in their full effect, I recommend staying in a cabin. Here are my five reasons why a cabin-experience is the best way to experience a mountain getaway.

1) A cabin puts you away from the crowds and inside nature. Unlike most hotels in the area, which are usually located along busy highways and/or way too close to all of the tourist attractions, staying in a cabin puts you in the middle of the Smoky Mountain experience. But don’t worry if you’re not the naturalist type, I’m not suggesting you stay in one of those “roughing it” types of cabins; I’m talking about a cabin that is spacious, well-furnished, easy to get to, and offers you and a varying number of loved ones a comfortable, enjoyable, and somewhat rustic mountain experience. Trust me, there’s something about being at a cabin, high amid the glory of the mountains (and still within a few miles of attractions like Dollywood) that makes you feel one with your surroundings, a participant and not simply a spectator. A cabin offers you the experience of feeling like you’re a thousand miles away from everything and yet the reality of being close to almost everything, including attractions, restaurants, and nightlife.

2) Staying in a cabin offers you a diverse set of vacationing options. For my writer’s retreat, I had the pleasure of staying in one of the 500 “mountain homes” designed and managed by Cabins of the Smoky Mountains.  This conglomerate of Gatlinburg-area cabins, in conjunction with Cabins of Pigeon Forge, offers the largest and most diverse selection of cabins in the Gatlinburg area. Whether you’re going alone or bringing a party of 50 or more, the options for enjoying a comfortable and roomy “mountain-home” stay, are available and much more affordable than you might imagine.

3) A cabin gives you space to enjoy company and space to be alone. While each cabin offers its own unique layout (cabin floor plans are available for every cabin), even the smallest cabins usually offer unexpected roominess that gives you and your family/friends/retreat guests room to spread out, but also space for community and/or space to escape for some needed alone time. This space makes a cabin a much better relational environment than hotels which usually offer little or limited common area to enjoy the people with whom you’re vacationing.

4) Most cabins offer added benefits that help to make your stay more comfortable, enjoyable, and relaxing. The cabin I stayed in was simply delightful, a cozy little log-built bungalow 2 miles from the main stretch through Gatlinburg that features nearly all of the comforts of home—from a full kitchen to a comfortable living room area to plush beds and pull-out sofa beds—plus it had a few extras—which include a hot tub, whirlpool bathtub, and a two-tier deck with a heavenly view—that made my stay more relaxing. If that wasn’t enough, I walked downstairs to the basement floor of my cabin and found a large entertainment room that was stocked with upright video game machines, a pinball machine, air hockey table, and full-sized pool table. (The kids were jealous when we facetimed!) While a cabin’s amenities vary according to its layout, size, and location, nearly all of the mountain homes featured at CabinsOfTheSmokyMountains.com come loaded with a variety of extras that offer kids/adults of all ages a choice of fun activities for those lazy pockets of time when you just want to relax in your home away from home. Some cabin locations also offer a pool, gym, and other extras that can be enjoyed by anyone staying at the resort.

5) A cabin stay offers a Smoky Mountain ambiance that will make your vacation, retreat, or getaway an experience to remember. Our kids are still talking about the cabin vacation to the Smoky Mountains that we took in April. And while our cabin isn’t the only reason that’s true, it’s certainly a part of why our first family vacation to the mountains was so special. As we vacationed with a family friend of ours, the kids loved sharing the loft with their friends and waking up too early to venture downstairs to enjoy the wide open playroom. They remember it because of the cabin’s decor—black bear statues, black bear pictures, and black bear almost-everything were doused throughout the cabin. The same was true for the cabin where I stayed for my retreat; everything at the cabin was designed and decorated with Smoky Mountain delight. Though cabins and guests were close by, I felt like I was on top of a mountain, amid the Smokies. And it was perfect.

Has your family vacationed in the mountains? If so, did you stay in a cabin? What was your experience?

Disclosure: Cabins of the Smoky Mountains provided Matthew with a cabin to stay in for his retreat, which we gratefully accepted because we love the Smokies. All thoughts are his/our own.