Our favorite Smoky Mountain town is in the news! TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, recently included Gatlinburg in its list of “24 Beautiful Little Mountain Towns Across America”. To qualify for the list, a town needed to have less than 10,000 residents and be located in a scenic mountain setting.
What makes Gatlinburg the best mountain town in the nation? Here are some of the things that make our East Tennessee home so special:
At the Doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Gatlinburg boasts an unparalleled location bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With over 10 million annual visitors, the Smokies are the most popular national park in the United States! As one of the few national parks that does not charge an entrance fee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is truly accessible for everyone.
The Smokies are a paradise for anyone who loves the great outdoors. Hikers will find over 800 miles of trails to explore, with everything from easy 2 mile hikes to 12 mile treks. The national park is also home to 11 beautiful picnic areas, 2,900 miles of streams, and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the nation. Even if you don’t want to work up a sweat, you can enjoy the area’s natural beauty right from your car on one of the park’s scenic roads.
When you stay at Chalet Village, you will be just 1.5 to 4 miles away from the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In fact, our cabin community borders the national park on three sides!
(See Also: 5 Fun Attractions Near Our Gatlinburg Cabins)
Home to Tennessee’s Only Ski Resort
Another thing that makes Gatlinburg a unique mountain town is Ober Gatlinburg, the only ski resort in the state of Tennessee. During the winter months, Ober offers fantastic snow tubing, skiing, and snowboarding. While the Smokies don’t typically get a ton of snow, the resort’s powerful snow machine ensures that there is always enough fresh powder on the slopes.
In the off season, Ober Gatlinburg operates as an amusement park with a number of fun attractions and activities for the whole family. Highlights of the park include a mountain roller coaster, alpine slide, scenic chairlift ride, wildlife encounter, mini golf, an indoor ice skating rink, and even more fun.
Chalet Village is located on the same mountain as Ober Gatlinburg, so guests are just minutes away from all of the activities at the ski resort and amusement park!
Charming Downtown Area
Downtown Gatlinburg is both quaint and bustling at the same time! Despite only being a few blocks long, the center of town is loaded with some of the state’s most popular attractions, shops, and restaurants. Visitors will find one of the top aquariums in the country, a number of moonshine distilleries, excellent mini golf courses, a plethora of pancake houses, and everything else you could possibly want on vacation.
The cabins at Chalet Village are just a 10 – 15 minute drive from The Strip! To learn more about what it’s like to stay in the heart of town, check out this blog: 3 Advantages of Staying at Our Cabins Close to Downtown Gatlinburg.
As you can see, Gatlinburg is a mountain town like no other! To start planning your vacation, browse our selection of Gatlinburg cabin rentals!
