Disclosure: I received a complimentary stay for this review.The opinions shared here are 100% mine.
As part of our #PFTitanicFAM tour we were invited to stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This hotel has an indoor water park with a spectacular looking outside pool, too. We’ve driven by resort the a bazillion times. Each time my kids asked, “Can we go there?” Happily this time I was able to say “YES!” We left right after school on Friday for our fun weekend trip. My kids were excited to pack goggles and swimsuits even though it is too cold to swim here in Northeast Tennessee in October. The indoor water park was calling our names! My sister and niece joined us for this trip.
I called on the way there to find out which room we were staying in. Andrea, the customer service representative who helped me, was so friendly and informative. She told me we were in the main building. I’m so glad she said that because I didn’t realize how enormous the Wilderness at the Smokies resort is!! It’s so large that they have a shuttle to take guests from one building to another. The great part is that you’re sure to find something to do in one of the buildings. We enjoyed our building, River Lodge, and were situated right above the water park area near Entrance 1. Our room was so very spacious. It’s generously sized for a larger family. We really liked how the rooms are naturally partitioned so that there are separate sleeping areas yet still connected. The balcony was another nice feature. Our kids enjoyed getting fresh air. We had a problem with the balcony sliding door not locking; it was promptly repaired when I called about it. We had two sleeping areas separated by a wall. One area had a queen sized bed and a twin sized sofa bed. The sofa bed wasn’t all that comfortable and the kids chose not to sleep on it. The other sleeping area had another queen sized bed with a loft-style twin bunk above it. Of course, this was the coveted sleeping spot. The kids took turns sleeping up there.
The parking was so convenient even though it’s a large resort. I like how the gift shops and snack areas are spread out throughout the building so that all guests can take advantage of the amenities without having to traipse through the entire resort.
We enjoyed several meals at the Thirsty Miner full-service restaurant. Our favorite was the breakfast buffet; it had everything we could want for the morning meal. The fruit was so fresh that I went back for seconds of that. Yes, I actually chose cantaloupe over pancakes. The kids enjoyed hash browns, pancakes, waffles, fried bologna (YUM! I never see that on a buffet!), donuts, oatmeal, and more. Our server, Lisa, was so helpful and thoughtful. She gave us mommies to-go cups which sustained us for the rest of the morning. Thanks, Lisa!
If you want to save some money, you can also hit the little convenience store near the lobby area. They have fresh baked goods and Krispy Kreme donuts. One morning purchased some breakfast items there and ate them at a table to the back of the lobby. We discovered the movie rental area too. I had a cinnamon bun (the clerk warmed it in the microwave for me) and it was divine. This would be perfect for a to-go breakfast before you hit one of the local attractions.
The water park was, of course, my kids’ favorite part of our stay. There are so many water slides available that it kept the trip interesting. We visited the pool area at least four times during our trip and my kids were still asking for more. In fact, when given the choice to do anything else, they always chose the pool! Even though my kids are different ages, both were satisfied with different areas of the pool. My daughter loved the water slide (Storm Chaser was her favorite) and the wave pool. My son liked the treehouse. I liked the seating arrangements and the way that I could watch several areas at once, making sure my kids were well supervised. The lifeguards were extremely attentive. In fact, when the waves started in the wave pool, I noticed that all of the lifeguards stood up so they could better monitor the water. I appreciated that they kept such a careful eye on the little ones. Another feature that struck me as interesting is how clean the pool area was. If you’ve been to a public pool, you know how it can get downright disgusting with all the people leaving their trash around. There were workers cleaning up all of the time to make sure that the cleanliness was maintained. If you dislike heading back to your air-conditioned hotel room in a wet swimsuit, you can dry off in the Body Dryer before you leave. It is totally worth the $4!
We had a day pass to visit the Adventure Forest, which is located near the pool area. If you’ve been to Fun Expedition or Chuck E. Cheese, this is somewhat similar. There are arcade games, smaller attractions like mini golf and a climbing wall, then bigger thrills like a ropes course and laser tag. We enjoyed this but my children would have preferred to spend that time swimming. This would be good to save for a day when you’re kind of burned out on the pool, or if you just have a few minutes to kill before heading out of the building.
I loved the family appeal of the resort. Even though it has a convention center area for business conferences, the guests I saw seemed to be families on vacation. There were so many daddies swimming with their kids. It brought a smile to my face! This is definitely someplace we will visit again on a future trip. My kids are already asking when we can return. In the future, we’ll make sure we plan for an entire day in the pool because I know my children will want that!
Thanks to Wilderness in the Smokies for hosting our family!
Pigeon Forge is so much fun. We spent time there when we were traveling. We had out fifthwheel so we didn’t need a hotel or condo or anything but we loved the area.
This looks like so much fun!!! I would love to go there!!!
What an absolutely fun looking place to stay! I haven’t been to a water park in forever and a day so I think that is what appeals the most to me (although I’m sure if I got to stay there there would be MANY things that would appeal to me) 🙂
It sounds like you all had a pleasant and fun stay!
This looks like a blast! Growing up I was always jealous of the kids who spent vacations at resorts like this. Having the park in the hotel is even a bigger bonus, since then you never have to worry about packing up the kids to head out on adventure. – Katy
This is so awesome! Thanks for the great post! I’ll be checking this out!
There’s nothing like an indri or water park in cold weather, how fun! I’d love to take a mini Bach here one weekend!
I would go just for the climbing wall, I have never done this before. I would probably only make it 6 feet because my arms are so weak!
That looks like so much fun.
That looks like lots of fun in the woods, too!
I’ve yet to visit an indoor water park. My daughter would LOVE this. She would never want to leave the pool area. I have a hard time getting her to come out of the pool at our condo building(especially when there are other kids) and that pool doesn’t even compare to the water park.
We Love this place! From the bowling to laser tag to mini golf and rock walls to swimming pools, slides and hot tubs, this place has It all! My kids esp love the hot tubs. They are so big so my kids want to spend most of their time swimming in there! lol And me and my hubby love the little convince store too, we could stop by and grab us a Starbucks coffee to help us get through the day!!
The convenience store has delicious homemade cinnamon rolls!! The clerk was happy to heat in the microwave for me. They also have little items like cereal and milk for quick breakfasts.
My grandkids are little monkeys and would love this. 🙂 Too bad on the sleeping but the rest sounds great. Sounds like lots of fun for them and me too. I love water parks and they would really like the climbing, too. Good breakfasts are always a plus.
Wow it sounds like just staying at the Wilderness At The Smokies is a nice vacation in it’s self without having to leave at all. I think my family would be happy just staying there and not leaving for a three day vacation. I don’t know if this is new or that it’s been so long since I have stayed at a fantastic lodge that I am not up dated on the amenities but I have never heard of a Body Dryer before. That cracked me up. I’m not sure how it works but the picture in my head was a person standing in a chamber with cyclone winds lol lol. All I know is I’d have to try that at least once just for curiosity reasons. If I plan a trip to Tennessee I would definitely want to stay here.
The body dryer is hilarious but SO worth the $4 or whatever it costs! I saw one at Dollywood last weekend so they must be everywhere now.
I think I’d like the body dryer. We used to live in Pigeon Forge but never stayed here at this resort/inn.
I live in Knoxville, TN but have never been. I need to get out much more than I do!
I hadn’t ever heard of a body dryer…. how neat! Looks like an awesome place……
I really want to visit Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. These are great accommodations to be able to travel in style while enjoying the area – nice!!!
When I read the Wilderness in the Smokies this is surely not what I expected. I thought maybe a cabin in the forest… This is nice, and I know I would enjoy it but I would also love “Wilderness in the Smokies”. I could be wrong and maybe it is in the mountains and you just didn’t include any outdoor pics.
It is very close to the Smoky Mountains nat’l park, but not really in the mountains itself. You’re right, I should have included more outdoor pictures!
Good points. The name does lead you to thinking more cabin in the mountains and cozying around a fire more than huge water park.
Take Me! Take Me! I live outside of Clt, NC so I am not sure how far it is from me, but it looks like a blast! I love the look of your room, never seen one like it. Makes me wish I had some children to take there. Thanks for sharing your good times!
You can always pretend to have kids or just go with friends and act like kids. It looks like so much fun.
I love visiting the Smokies!It is so beautiful and there are so many things to do.
This looks like it would be such a good place to go.
Sounds Like a great vacátion to get away.
Yummy breakfast, and love the idea of a body dryer. Convenient and really smart. I bet the kids loved it, too.
Sounds like a pretty area!
I would love to see all of these. Especially Parrot Mountain and the Titanic Museum. We love the mountains, and what an exciting and educational trip for kids.
You could definitely just spend a day hanging out at a hotel like this. The place looks huge! Lots of people but kids would probably love the jumbled excitement, and that pool area….yes, definitely a day just in the pool. Kids would really enjoy it!
What a great indoor pool. I’d want to spend time there, too.
The hotel looks beautiful and definitely there to give you an experience. The rooms look comfortable and so many food options. Pancakes and donuts, too. Yum.
This looks like a great place to vacation
This is so pretty love to visit
The smoky mountains are so much fun! Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Looks gorgeous! Love the architecture…would not have expected that swimming pool. How fun!
I would love to visit this place and take my grandbabies with me, I know I will enjoy it just being outside with all that fresh air.
@tisonlyme143
This looks like a blast. I love the indoor climbing wall. Lots of fun for the kids I’m sure! 🙂
Wow, this is one large hotel/indoor waterpark! I’m impressed the pool area wasn’t more crowded. It sure looks a ton of fun for a family getaway!
This looks like a wonderful place to take a vacation. We love Pigeon Forge and the Smokey Mountains. It’s so pretty just about any time of year.
oooh that sounds amazing….i would love to go with my boys and husband
Oh wow!! What a great place!! Its like they really have everything for the family to never even have to leave!! We are actually headed out that direction in May!!
It’s been years since we’ve been to Pigeon Forge! What a great place to stay and go back and visit.
Looks like lots to do there. Never been in the neck of the woods.
I love the look of the restort and the rooms. They both look like the wilderness!
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is such a beautiful location. Its one of the prettiest states in America.
Sounds like y’all had a lot of fun:)
What fun. I’ve never seen an indoor pool like that. Thanks for sharing!
I used to live in TN and visited the Smokies many times. I would love to go back and visit again soon. My fiance’ has never been and I just know he would love it. Nice review!
Such a beautiful place.
Cannot navigate on your site without it crashing – I only use an iPad
The Smokies are a great place for family vacations! There is something for everyone to do!
I’ve never been to the Smokies before. Looks like a good place to visit.
This place looks amazing , and look at the size of that pool, its huge,, I also like that they
have a rock climbing wall.
I’ll remember this the next time we vacation there! It looks amazing and a great family fun hotel!
Looks like a awesome place to visit, I bet the kids would really enjoy it.
We dont have one close, but they akways look so nice clean and fun. I like how they look rustic yet have all the conveniences. It looks so much fun!
I think this would be a wonderful place to stay on a vacation. I loved the continental breakfast so much.
Wow! This place looks great for families. I like that they have a Krispy Kreme too!
I think it’s neat that they have a water park right in the complex.
Looking good loving the krispy craems
hmm planning our first vacation now.
This resort looks so fun. Will have to tell my sister. It will make a nice weekend trip for the family.
A blast to be had at this water park
My dad’s family hails from the Smokies, love any excuse to visit!