Yes. If you can handle a moderately difficult, yet short…read morehike...do this. Charit Creek Lodge (CCL) is located only a few hours away from Nashville in a section of Big South Fork. Via I-40, a couple of highways, and some gravel roads, park your vehicle in the trailhead lot and hike 1.1 miles down into the valley where CCL sits. (Note: There's a porta-potty in the trailhead parking lot. Bring toilet paper in case the park supplied roll is out, and hand sanitizer since there's not a sink.) Early in the descent, the set of "stairs" on the hiking trail are rather scary for dogs. I'm shocked how incredibly deceptive my photos are; these "stairs" are WAY more steep than they appear in the camera's eye. I'd call it a ladder, really. My dog (who is too squirmy and almost too big to carry) took a total leap of faith from the "stairs"...literally. I think my heart stopped. Thankfully, this did not end in injury. But I won't take him down those "stairs" again without a better plan in place. The bridge across the creek freaked him out a little since it sways when you walk on it, but nowhere near the danger those "stairs" were. I knew there would be a barricade at the entrance since they were only permitting overnight guests with reservations at that time due to the pandemic. The staff greeted us and gave a quick rundown of the layout, rules, and directed us to our cabin. CCL's layout is rather unique. In a nutshell, there are multiple buildings: one small building is the kitchen...kinda the heartbeat of the place. Directly across from the tiny kitchen is the largest building which houses two "attached" cabins available for rent, the dining hall, and the Manager's Quarters. Here you will also find the site's potable water and rocking chairs on a lovely wooden porch. If you're facing the kitchen, there are two buildings on the hill to the right that house the restrooms and the showers. I'll go into more detail about those later. As you walk past the stairs to the restrooms and showers, two detached cabins appear - both available for rent and can house many people. From there, turning your gaze slightly to your right, there is another small building called the "Corn Crib", which can house up to three people. Looking sharply to the left, waaaaay off in the distance, is the horse barn, which can house both people AND horses. Restrooms and Showers: Up two flights of stairs, you first come to the restrooms; one side for women and the other for men. The women's restrooms offer two sinks, two mirrors, and three stalls, each with a toilet and a curtain for privacy. Hand soap, paper towels, and toilet paper are all provided, so no need to bring your own. There are windows and a skylight for lighting during the day, but no lighting at night, so be sure to bring your own! There was also a bottle of bleach water and hand sanitizer on the counter for use too to make it a bit more safe during the pandemic. From the restrooms, there's a small stone path that leads up to the shower house: one side for women and the other for men. The women's showers offer two stalls. Each stall has a dressing area with a shower area connected to it. There are plenty of hooks and bars to hang bags, towels, etc. The water wasn't incredibly hot, but still warm and enjoyable -- definitely NOT cold. Be sure to bring your own soap and a towel. Like the restrooms, there is a window for natural light, but that's it. So be sure to shower during the day or take water resistant supplemental light! I'm running out of characters, so I'll end with the food. It was superb. Delicious. Fantastic. Plentiful. Far too much food to consume in one sitting. Go here if you're physically able. More than worth it.

Our family had the most incredible stay at Charit Creek Lodge. It is one of those rare places that…read morefeels like a deep breath for the soul. From the moment we arrived, everything felt peaceful, welcoming, and thoughtfully cared for. The food alone deserves its own five stars! Breakfast, dinner, and the packed lunches were absolutely delicious. Every meal tasted comforting, homemade, and full of flavor. We loved it so much that we bought the cookbook so we could bring a little bit of that magic home with us. One of the biggest highlights was Gregg and his staff! You can feel the heart in every corner of this place. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed, and it is clear that he and his staff have poured so much love, care, and pride into creating this experience. Their hospitality made our stay feel personal and incredibly special. Evenings were unforgettable. We ended each night around the fire, looking up to see every star in the sky and even the Milky Way stretching overhead. It was the kind of beauty that stays with you. Then we returned to our cozy cabins, warmed ourselves by the wood burning stoves, and settled in for the most peaceful sleep. The cabin was spotless, charming, and perfectly designed for rest. Between the hikes, views, the atmosphere, the incredible meals, and the sense of quiet, our stay felt truly restorative. It was so meaningful to us that we are already planning to gift family members their own stay so they can experience this place the way we did. If you are considering booking, DO IT! Charit Creek Lodge is a true gem, and we cannot wait to return.

The facilities were very nice and the location is beautiful. Each meal served in the dining hall…read morewas very good and there was plenty of food as well as a dessert. The rooms get a little warm at night but they each have a ceiling fan which helps.

Though you don't have to a Christian group to utilize this retreat center, there is no mistake that…read moreChrist is the focus of Eagle Rock Retreat! The drive up to Eagle Rock isn't bad until the last 2.5 miles which is steep and full of switchbacks. Luckily the traffic tends to be light so you shouldn't meet too many other vehicles along the way. Eagle Rock isn't even at the "top"...the Top of the World is (but that's another check in). The retreat itself is rather small, property wise. There is a lodge, a barn, a small camp store, a bunk house, and the lodge. The greatest part if this site is the view. It's stunning! I had the opportunity to go into the lodge which is gorgeous, clean, and inviting. Grab a seat and if your are blessed, your room will be in this building instead of in the bunk house which is more open and more like a hostel. The front porch had rockers to enjoy but sit on the ones on the back porch! This is where the views are breathtaking. The devotional amphitheater is also remarkable. Honestly I hope to get a chance to stay here one day instead of stopping in as a guest speaker at someone else's retreat.

Horrible experience. Almost ruined our trip. Had to rebook and stay at a higher priced motel…read more Owner verbally promised 3 times to refund the nights we cancelled and later refused. Felt like we were at the Bates Motel. The pictures posted were not of any of the room we were in. Would not recommend this place to any one!

Motel open & under new management and very nice upgraded rooms. Hard wood floors flat screen TVs…read more Best price around. Very Clean.

We used to stay here before switching to another hotel closer to the attractions we come for, but…read morethis trip we were coming in late and booked on the way. It was super reasonable for one night to bed down before moving on to our other destinations. This hotel is clean, has enough room, and is all you could want in a place to stay. It's located up above the island area and is near the baseball thing. I don't know what it's called but you'll hear your fair share of walk up songs bright and early if you stay on the backside of the hotel. The beds were very comfortable in my opinion. I have an achy hip and leg most days and even my own bed kills me. This bed had me sleeping like a baby, even with my four year old beside me. We arrived at almost 11pm and the staff was nice and welcoming and there was tea and coffee available in the lobby. They do provide a breakfast in the lobby in the morning and have games and seating areas for families. Would definitely recommend staying here!

I am not sure why there are so many negative reviews for this hotel…read more The hotel is pristine. Staff were very accommodating, They checked in with us daily. I am a gold member, so I got all the usual perks, including drinks, snacks, and regular check-in to see if anything was needed. They brought me extra blankets, extra hangers, extra toilet paper... fast and friendly wouth each request The housekeepers were fantastic. The check-in and checkout were easy. They have a beautifully kept inside pool and a shared pool outside. The kids were loving this place. They have a beautiful observation deck upstairs. True by Hilton is known for being a no-frills less expensive Hilton experience, but our room had a small refrigerator and it was well outfitted . My only complaint.. .zero dressers for storage space. Which made it a little messy, but did not stop staff from picking up after and somehow they made it look fine. Our room was clean and comfortable. AC was pumping and the lobby was clean. Breakfast was and they had a lot of things to do.

I came here on a car gathering event for the Tail of the Dragon. I stayed here for 2 nights. I…read morewill say this place is located conveniently close to the Dragon and Fontana Dam. I booked a room in the Lodge and check in was super far where the Lodge was. You have to drive all the way down to the front. Follow the signs!! It was alittle confusing at first. The Lodge room is like a hotel so that's why I picked it. I did not want a cabin or mini house in the area as they offer other kinds of rooms. The room was nice. It's a tiny outdated with the a/c but that's okay. There were ton of small tiny bugs in the room and also the lounge area on the first floor. There are no microwaves inside the room but there is a refrigerator. There is a tiny microwave on the first floor lounge area. Room service is alittle lacking as they don't make the bedsheets. This place can work on their house keeping and cleanliness of the lobby area. They keep their front doors and all doors open so it doesn't not have the best security. So definitely keep your room doors locked. There is a restaurant called Hazel's which I did not try but will next time I stay here. I can't wait to come back again!

June 2026: Front…read moredesk and customer service are wonderful! We stayed in cabin 909 which was a one bedroom. It was clean and cozy. It had a full kitchen with stove, oven microwave refrigerator, and sink. The AC was fantastic! The furniture was extremely comfortable, including the bed. Great shower and warm/hot water. There are hills and curves throughout the entire property. We were able to see Lightning bugs every night and it was a calm and relaxing stay. There is parking for trailers near the general store. We brought our motorcycle on a trailer. We parked the car and motorcycle at the cabin and the trailer at the parking next to the general store. We went to Quill's Cantina and enjoyed their food. They have souvenirs, coffee, and a Christmas store next to Quill's Cantina. We never made it to Hazel's restaurant. The pool was closed during our stay, unfortunately but there was a playground area available. You could also rent golf carts if you wanted to. We were minutes away from the Fontana Dam and the Marina. They have a gas station near the General Store too! This is a good place to stay and relax. There are motorcycle enthusiasts and car enthusiasts due to the roads in the area. 30 minutes to Robbinsville (nearest town) and 40 minutes to Bryson City.

For $40 in the offseason, a pretty good deal…read more There is free parking, and the lot is right next to the river (maybe a 30 yard hike). Free wifi, at a pretty fast speed. "Breakfast" is all carbs and awful coffee. Skip it and eat in town. The location is about a 1/2 mile from the strip up a big hill. Don't stay here if you plant to walk around and aren't steady on your feet. Mostly clean, but the bathroom vent was covered in either mold or lint. Either way, don't look up!

There aren't any bells and whistles but it was perfect for what we needed. Best of all we had our…read morefirst babies with us and they were happy. Last but definitely not least. Pretty darn cleaned. Was very surprised and pleased.

This was my first time here and nerve-wrecking, but we were here for the birthday girl's 50th…read morebirthday wish. Half of us ladies had never done white water rafting before. There were 2 guides for our crew with 2 different rafts. Jeremy helped trained us on how to raft and what to do if we or someone were to fall. Our raft had Jeremy and our friends had the other guide, Dale (an older gentleman). Jeremy was awesome! He helped give us a brief history of all the landmarks and even popped a few corny jokes here and there. I felt like we were the fun raft b/c the other raft seemed very quiet. Heard from the other ladies later on that they didn't have any brief history commentaries and Dale didn't really converse with them unless he was asked a question. So glad we got Jeremy...stating so, we were extra super glad we had him b/c our friend fell off the raft!!! She couldn't swim either and due to the way the currents were, she had to glide down with the water while we quickly move the raft to where she was. Everything we learned went out the door. Jeremy dropped her once or twice while the rest of us were hit with thick tree branches, breaking them with our backs, heads, and ears...it was scary, but Jeremy saved the day and was able to safely pull our friend back into the raft. It was very scary and honestly, I will never white water raft again even though our guide was a professional and awesome. I never wanted to do it and this would be the last time. With our last "bump" before the end of the river, I fell off my seat into the raft and couldn't even get back up. Yep, no more for me, but thank you to Jeremy and Carolina Outfitters for an experience never to forget! You're a cutie, but nope, not for me :P

**Rafting review** I…read moremade the reservation online which was super simple to do. When we got there, it was easy to check-in. You then get a quick review about how to raft, plus you get fitted with a personal flotation device, and get a paddle We did a guided ride down the 2-3 lower rapids since we had 4 kids with us. Our guide was Cookie and I HIGHLY, like VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND you ask for if you go on a guided ride. He was amazing which I will get to in a bit. The bus ride to the top of the water a quick one. Every helps carry the raft down to the water's edge. Cookie was our guide. He was amazing! Seriously he let the kids "take the lead" and they really enjoyed all of the conversations with him. We were all laughing on the trip. He taught us how to do spins in the tube and really tried to get the kids wet since you know that's what they wanted. The kids even wanted him to hang out with us afterwards. We did a Friday afternoon which was great because the water wasn't too busy. When we drove by on Saturday, the parking lot was PACKED! You are going to want to wear shoes that can get wet and comfy clothes. Don't worry about bringing your phone. You won't have time to use it. Bring money to TIP the bus driver and your guide. They deserve it!! We will definitely be doing this trip again during our next visit.

Mixed bag staying at Westgate. The grounds are lovely and there are bears there. The naturalist is…read morea lovely human that shared knowledge kindly and enthusiastically. The location is close to Smokey Mountain park. We stayed for a wedding that was happening offsite. Since we arrived later than planned, we were not pressured for a timeshare presentation. Check-in was rushed. We had not stayed at Westgate prior and were not told the rooms were not serviced by housekeeping so that was a surprise. We were told there would be parking in front of our building but there wasn't any. The most serious flaw is the lack of ada enabled and ground entry rooms. Our building, which they called a cabin was a three level walk up, not senior or disability friendly at all. The booking site does not address this. You share an entryway with another room with a washing machine in between. Thankfully our neighbors were quiet. We were told at check in the restaurant closes at 9pm and when we called the front desk and asked if the bar had food, they said no. Again this was not true the bar has food until 10pm. The coffee does not open until 9am! Pizza can be delivered until 9:45. The room was cramped. It says sleeps four but that's two people on the small pull out. The room was clean. The tv was pretty bad, colors were off. The coffee pot was cheap and leaked. The lower level pool bathrooms were out of service for 3 or 4 days. This is just too long to be acceptable. The other pools were super packed. The shuttle bus drivers were super helpful with information and dropping us at our building. Maintenance workers were friendly as well.

**Strongly reconsider before buying at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa**…read more We understood going into this that purchasing a timeshare comes with risks. At the time of purchase, however, the benefits and promises presented made those risks feel reasonable. Unfortunately, our recent experiences have made it clear that those expectations are not being met. The condition of our room was unacceptable. We encountered dead bugs, hair in the sink, fingerprints covering the mirror, a broken fan, a broken closet door and overall filth . Even more concerning was the overwhelming smell of marijuana and cigarettes in what is advertised as a non-smoking facility. When we brought these issues forward, the response we received was not only unhelpful, but unprofessional. An employee named Brad Reed was dismissive, condescending, and openly sarcastic, at one point stating, "Well apparently we won't ever see you again." Rather than addressing the situation, we were told the resort was completely full and that the only option was to send housekeeping. In the same conversation, we were also told that purchasing an upgraded room would "ensure we wouldn't have any more problems." The implication was difficult to ignore. After declining to spend additional money, our concerns were effectively dismissed. However, when we escalated the situation to a front desk manager, we were immediately moved to another room without issue, directly contradicting what we were told about availability. This raises serious concerns about how guest issues are handled. It appears that responsiveness may depend less on the validity of the concern and more on a willingness to spend more money. This experience reflects poorly not only on the condition of the property, but on the integrity of the service model. Cleanliness, honesty, and basic professionalism should not be conditional. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend this resort. Travelers should carefully consider other options in the area that prioritize transparency, accountability, and guest care.

This place was disgusting. The furniture all looked like it belonged in a college dorm room. The…read morecurtains didn't extend all the way across the windows, so people walking by could peek in if they really wanted to. The room was very damp and musty. The worst part though? There were flies everywhere, both dead and living. All over the walls. All over the floor. On the bathroom ceiling. In the shower. I tried to cancel my reservation before I got there after reading some reviews outside of this platform, and nobody from the motel responded to Expedia about it. Overall...just not a good place to stay. If you're looking for a good economical place to stay in Gatlinburg...there are probably way better ones out there. This one should just flat out be condemned.

I was surprised to see that this place had such high reviews. My bf and I were looking for a…read morerelatively inexpensive place to stay for a couple nights in Gatlinburg and unfortunately we booked our stay here at the Work and Travel Lodge. We arrived after a long day at around 2:30 (even though check in was at 4pm) and were surprised that the reception office was closed and locked. When we called about checking in, the woman on the phone seemed very surprised and said "but check in is at 4! It's not 4." It was so strange. Anyway, then they said they would text me the check in details. I got a few long text messages that gave me the code to the door. We eventually met a woman seemingly wandering around the parking lot who worked there, otherwise we have not seen any employees. Our room reeks of mold. It's hard to stay in the room too long and it's so gross whenever we come back to the room that we open the door and are hit with a wall of mold stench. Also, I forget whether we booked a king or a queen bed, but what we got was a couple twin beds pushed together with a sheet on top played off as one bed. It's super uncomfortable. We had this moment after arriving in our room where we had to figure out whether or not we wanted to stay and or find somewhere else and try to get our money back. We ultimately stayed, but everything about this place is pretty dumpy and I just wouldn't recommend anyone stay here.