We thought we had found the cutest hidden gem for our summer getaway. When we first pulled up and…read moresaw the property, we immediately started talking about coming back in the fall. We rented the property with the primary and secondary treehouses. The primary treehouse was acceptable. The counters hadn't been properly wiped down, and the bedroom had a musty, locker-room smell. I cleaned the counters and used some air freshener, so it was manageable. Unfortunately, the secondary treehouse, where our kids were staying, was a completely different story. There was a horrible sewage smell coming from the bathroom. At first it was noticeable but tolerable because the cleaners had left the bedroom windows open. Once it got hot and we closed the windows, the odor became overwhelming. Every time someone flushed the toilet, turned on the sink, or took a shower, the smell became nauseating. It was so bad that all of us were forced to use the bathroom in the primary treehouse instead. We reported the issue, but after eight hours with no response, we reached out again and were simply told they were sorry for the inconvenience. After spending a long, hot day hiking, we returned to find that the sewage smell had spread throughout the entire treehouse. Since no one had addressed the problem or offered a solution, we packed up and drove home that evening rather than stay another night. The following day, we were told that maintenance couldn't find anything wrong. That response was frustrating because the odor was impossible to ignore. It leaves me concerned that the issue may not be fixed before future guests stay there. The smell was so severe that we were genuinely worried about the health and safety of anyone sleeping in that treehouse. The company refunded us only half of one night's stay, even though we reported the issue much earlier in the day and ultimately had to cut our trip short. It's disappointing because the property itself is beautiful and has so much potential. Unfortunately, our experience with the condition of the secondary treehouse and the company's response means I would think twice before booking here again.

Future renters. This place is special indeed however you might want to check the Bear hunting…read moreschedule for this area. About an eighth of a mile up the road is a property marked Worsham property that has bear hunting With hunting dogs. Usually this is not an issue but last season some hunters did not adhere to their designated area and there were conflicts with homeowners in the Norton Creek area . This was documented with authorities. Dogs were hunting as well as hunters on residential land. If you are going to vacation here with children or pets please keep a watchful eye. Hopefully the hunters will be more responsible and respectful from now on.

This review is regarding Treehouse Grove at Norton Creek. My friends and I were excited to get away…read morefrom all of the craziness of 2020 and stay in a treehouse in Gatlinburg in early June. We were initially super impressed with the facility and the amenities, however our opinion quickly changed. The air conditioning in our treehouse, The Hemlock, did not work properly all four nights we were there. A small effort was made to correct the problem but ultimately we were miserably hot every night while sleeping. We were told that they've had many complaints about non-functioning AC. The icing on the cake though is that after checkout, we found out that our FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR security deposit had been kept for "using the countertop as a curing board." We noticed scratches in the countertop on the first night there but didn't think to report them, as no walk thru for damages was required upon checking in. WE DID NOT DAMAGE THE COUNTERTOP! It has been extremely difficult working with the property manager, Bill, and Ayres Vacation Rentals. Be warned--do not expect to be able to speak to Bill or the Ayres developers and resolve any issues! They do not return emails or phone calls. EXTREMELY disappointed with the customer service and headaches of what should have been a relaxing vacation.

Anakeesta is one of my favorite places to visit in Tennessee! The views are absolutely beautiful,…read moreand there's so much to do for the whole family. The mountain scenery, rides, attractions, and overall atmosphere make it a great place to spend the day. Everything feels like a fun adventure, especially when you take the chairlift up and enjoy the views of the Smoky Mountains. Definitely a place I would recommend visiting if you're in the Gatlinburg area. It's a great experience for both kids and adults!

Was stuck at the top of Anakeesta for 3 hours due to lightening. The management lacks any sort of…read moreevacuation plan. Another guest commented that they were continued to bring guests up on the gondola until there was a lightening strike some distance away. There was no clear communication to guests. They were taking people down in 3 small buses on a one-lane road. Beyond the lack of management and any sort of emergency plan to evacuate several hundred, if not more, people. The entire operation is a giant cash grab. In order to do most of the activities, an additional fee is required. As the storm moved in, they were still taking people's money. Definitely there are better options for families in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas that are more reasonable in costs and better value. Wanted to have a good time. Left disappointed. No plans to come back. Not how I expected to be treated as a paying customer. Young employees not trained to respond to the situation. Just disappointing the unsafe conditions they put every family that was that was at Anakeeesta in. Just unprepared and unacceptable. There are other situations that require emergency responses, and I highly doubt they are prepared to respond.

Cool experience. My son liked it. Paid for the special ticket but no one checked it. Quite a bit of…read moredownhill and uphill walking. Music and lights were neat. No bathrooms once you get started. Neat experience but not sure it was worth the cost considering the ski lift isn't operational and you have to hassle with the truck ride up and down.

Stunning attraction with changing laser and lighting features. Tranquil walk, with many different…read moretwists and turns, and a superb score, well worth doing. And it's also a changing attraction with the seasons, winter, no leaves on the trees, gives an almost etherial feel and then w/ summer's lush leaves and greenery another totally different experience.

This place is actually tons of fun to visit. It's exactly like the pictures you probably see on…read moreInstagram. I've stayed here a few times and each cabin is unique and different. This makes for the perfect mountain getaway. It's about a mile away from pigeon forge and a few miles from Gatlinburg but still so close to all the entertainment. Great relaxing spot to sit in a beautiful cabin that looks out toward the Smokey Mountains.

We stayed in a cabin named Mountain Dreams managed by Wyndham. The property it's beautiful, but…read moreunfortunately Wyndham is doing a horrible job. Jessica, the customer Service Rep was kind of rude and the cabin was dirty. We found hairs on the beds, the pillows had yellow stains from other guests fluids, the furniture was dusty. We had to buy new pillows at Walmart. Also we found dirty dishes in the cabinets. If you are determined on having a good time despise of this horrible inconvenience, I highly recommend you to bring your own pillows and disposables plates and cups. I'm attaching pics and videos

My wife and I recently stayed at Parkside for a three day weekend culminating in an on-location…read morewedding event. The facility itself was exactly what we expected it to be - a rustic lodge overlooking some beautiful mountain views. The wedding definitely turned out to be memorable, and that is the important thing! The only "challenge" with this venue is the next-door neighbors, who clearly have issues living in proximity to a commercial resort. This was made evident by the posted signs viewable from the rear balconies whereby the neighbors indicated something about the need for guests to keep noise down and be respectful because people live here, etc. Well ... these same neighbors were plainly resentful of the fact that normal party music was played at the wedding reception (music that properly ended at 10:30 pm) and were intent on underscoring the point by BLARING loud outdoor radio music until 2:30 AM and then starting up again at 5:30 AM so as to disturb the guests' ability to sleep. Needless to say, my wife and I were happy to leave this establishment bright and early the next morning. I get it, and it should come to no one's surprise, there are a few "Hatfield and McCoy"-types up in 'dem 'der hills. However, I do believe the resort has some obligation to deal with this problem in a meaningful way, for the benefit of all prospective guests.

We did nine nights here and for the most part we like it. They are building more houses in the…read moreneighborhood so "bang bang" good morning but that doesn't bother me too much. Cabin is very clean but the washing machine is broken and was supposed to be fixed but nope. Could have used some towel cleaning since we are staying 9 days, still have some days to go so we will see. The hot tub is super fresh and clean and it has a Tv too, that's a big yes for me! My only problem is the kitchen. It's horrible... the worst appliances I ever used (ok almost). The knives are a joke, I can't cut anything, oh wait doesn't matter there is no cutting board. No extra paper towels or trash bags. Fine but you could have told us... the faucet comes loose every time you turn the water on and half of the cabinets need to be re-hinged. When cooking for 9 people the kitchen is kind of important. They have a pool and "game room" and a mini grill open on the property, it's not really for me but I could see people liking it. Cabin is supposed to have parking for 5 cars but that must be very small cars, I would say 4. The views are amazing and you are very close to the happenings. Dollywood is 20 mins away.

This place is not even worth one star, but the view was fantastic and honestly that is being…read moregenerous. God's creation should always receive 5+ stars, but places like this really ruin the experience. We rented Wet N' Wild mainly for the indoor pool and sauna. What a huge disappointment. The decorations were cute but for the love of Pete it looks like they have not dusted in years. If you are not going to clean, then do not have so many decorations. The dishes were dirty/dusty that we washed things before we even used them. Even though there are signs saying to keep the place nice, respect the visitors after you. What about us? I guess we did not matter. The hot tub was cold, the sauna had dead bugs, mold was on the wall in the indoor pool area. The privacy wall was broken by the hot tub, the railing on the deck on both levels is separating as well as a very loose railing going down the steps to the lower level. Safety issues you would think. On the first night we called and mentioned all these things and they came the next day and fixed the hot tub and dusted a picture that hung over the bed. (Eyeroll). We were gone for the day but when we returned it was 85 degrees in our cabin and the air stopped working and you cannot open the windows. So, I guess if we wanted a heated hot tub, we were not allowed to have air. We followed the directions to lower the temp only three degrees at a time, but nothing ever happened, so we called. She said that someone would call us and come fix the AC. We waited till about 1:00am. It was so hot it was worth staying up so we could sleep comfortably. No call no show. For the amount of money we paid for 2 nights with the $150 cleaning fee! What a Joke! I was never so glad to leave the next day. DO NOT RENT A CABIN HERE!

Our family just rented the Rushing Falls cabin for 4 days and loved it…read more Virtual Check-in was easy and very convenient. Once we entered the cabin we were presently surprised how clean the entire cabin was and impressed with how clean the bathrooms and kitchen were. Cabin was well equipped and we brought extra towels and cleaning supplies just in case but didn't need them. After being there for a day we got a follow up call from the rental agency checking to make sure all was good which was a nice touch. We very much enjoyed our stay and went in knowing this was a cabin in the woods and not our house which helped with our expectations. We would definitely stay here again.

Bug-Infested Rental House…read more Ayres rented us a house located at 1140 Lightning Bug Way called "Mountain House," outside Gatlinburg TN, from June 30 until July 7, 2022. When we arrived, everything looked fine. But by the next morning we started seeing hundreds of caterpillars creeping into the house from what appeared to be improperly sealed doors and windows. We vacuumed them up, thinking it might have been a one-time event. But the caterpillars kept coming by the thousands over the week we were there. We vacuumed them constantly, and they still kept coming and coming and coming. We complained to Ayres, first by using the form they sent for arriving renters. We received no response. We later began sending texts and making phone calls, also with no response or no return call. I finally sent a strongly worded text to the number we were given for issues after my grandnieces became frightened of all the bugs in the house. Ayres finally responded and said they would send someone immediately. The person they sent did nothing more than duct tape the edges of some, but not all, of the doors and windows and then left. This "remedy" did nothing to stop the bugs. So I complained yet again and sent several photographs showing the very large number of caterpillars inside the house. On our last full day of vacation, Ayres sent a pest control company that sprayed. This left hundreds of dead bugs inside the house. No one came to try to remove the carcasses. We never received an apology, much less an offer of any kind of refund. The purpose of this vacation trip was to reunite us with our nephew and his wife and our grandnieces after the pandemic. Instead of being a fun trip to the mountains, we were forced to live inside a bug-infested home with Ayres being at first unresponsive and then unwilling to take the full measure of steps to eliminate the insects infesting this home. In short, it was a nightmare for my grandnieces, whose parents decided to leave early rather than subject them to rooms full of bugs.

The real, true Momma Bear came to play! What an awesome experience for the kids. They have embraced…read morethe mountains and the true values of family while enjoying a vacation all in one swoop. They have disconnected from distractions and connected to the true meaning of family. This cabin is fully equipped for our family of five. Our son has the entire downstairs to himself, complete with a movie theater, a double queen-size bunk bed (yes, queen!), a refrigerator, games, and plenty of privacy--everything a teenager could want! The main floor features a spectacular kitchen, loaded with amenities and easily accessible kitchen utensils. My only complaint is that there is only one pot. Pray you don't need to boil two items, its not happening. They did a really good job decorating, be careful, there are bears here and they roam around at night. Do not take trash out after dark, you will see Yogi and boo-boo outside. Seeing as I have proved to be the one and only true Momma Bear, I kept my family safe, happy and having the time of their life! As always, thanks for reading!

Laughing Bear Cabin(Cabins Foy You): The cabin was hot…read moreand wouldn't cool down despite having two massive a/c units. There were a bunch of carpenter bees all over the deck and by the hot tub (rendering the hot tub unusable without some risk). The inside of the cabin was covered in tiny bugs. And even though we reported the issues, no one was ever sent to resolve any of the many problems.

Amazing experience! Excellent food.... I'd definitely go back! Worth the money and the time!read more

As a local content creator here in Gatlinburg The Gatlinburg Hussey on Facebook YouTube IG, I tell…read moreall of my subscribers to visit here!! Its off highway 321, locally owned and the vibe is very nice! . The locals like to visit too