Pigeon Forge hotels

Dolly Parton is the Smokies’ most famous former resident. She built her Dollywood amusement park and resort to give her family and friends job opportunities in East Tennessee. DreamMore is the resort’s traditional hotel, featuring lots of her signature flourishes (butterfly décor is everywhere, for example, and there’s a wall of her album art).
Like most Pigeon Forge-area hotels, the resort is family-friendly, with s’mores by the campfire each night, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, shuttles to the amusement park, and lots of dining opportunities with kid-friendly meals.
But DreamMore, named for Dolly’s inspirational attitude, also does justice to the beauty of the mountain setting. Many rooms have views of the landscape and to me, there’s nothing like sitting on an Adirondack chair on the porch watching the sun set behind the mountain range to relax me at the end of a fun-filled day.

It looks like a fairly standard hotel, basically nondescript when you’re driving down the crowded Parkway. But when I parked, I noticed that the Inn on the River has several features that distinguish it from its neighbors.
One of my favorite little details is that to find your room, you’ll look for a room number that’s marked with a charming photo of a black bear. As its name suggests, the hotel sits on the banks of the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, and some rooms overlook it, buffering you from the sound of the Parkway.
Choose from rooms with in-room hot tubs and fireplaces, or those with sleeper sofas to accommodate extra kids. The hotel offers kid-centric amenities such as arts and crafts, sundae-making, and free breakfast. The central location makes it easy to get to many of Pigeon Forge’s amusements and attractions.

Music Road Resort Hotel & Inn is actually two hotels on one connected resort property. Stay in either building and you’ll have access to the small lazy river, water slides, indoor and outdoor pools, laundry facilities, and the arcades with game rooms.
Like many Pigeon Forge hotels, this resort is well-suited to families who want to enjoy the area’s theme parks and attractions. Conference center space also makes it a good pick for those traveling to the area for business meetings. The pool is open 24-hours, which makes for fun nighttime swims and a point of difference between Music Road and other area hotels.
Some rooms have views of the water park and others of the Little Pigeon River. The hotel is well-located to Pigeon Forge’s main attractions and to the Parkway and offers free parking. The lobby of the inn is charming and sets it apart from standard chain hotels.

Pigeon Forge loves a theme. From the restaurants to the shops, there’s always some kind of narrative thread to tell a story to keep kids and parents engaged. So, it’s no surprise that one of Pigeon Forge’s most popular hotels is Christmas-themed. That’s right: at The Inn at Christmas Place, it is as if December 25 comes 365 days a year. This is one of the more unique hotels in Pigeon Forge.
You get all the standard hotel amenities – a gym, Wi-Fi, and an outdoor pool. And you also get all that December holiday goodness, including year-round Christmas decorations inside and out (you’ll notice the hotel as you drive by), a singing Santa, Christmas carols, and even cookies before you go to bed (just like St. Nick).
In addition to the Yule-time theme, the hotel is well located on the Parkway, close to trolleys, shopping, restaurants, and other attractions.

Book a room at Black Fox Lodge and you’ll have a central home base for exploring the city’s attractions. The hotel is downtown, right on the Parkway that is lined with amusements (I love how this road is full of neon and a replica of the Titanic, and then eventually it is the road that also takes you into the national park).
The Parkway often backs up with traffic, so it is particularly nice that you can walk from Black Fox Lodge to the Island and other Pigeon Forge restaurants and attractions. Décor is befitting of a mountain lodge, with a stone fireplace in the lobby and a fire pit outside for enjoying mountain air.
The outdoor pool is decked out with a water slide and fountain so kids can cool off in the summer. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the Little Pigeon River.

People love Pigeon Forge’s Island, a downtown neighborhood with a Ferris wheel, restaurants, arcade games, a ropes course, and other attractions to keep the whole family entertained. Actually, staying on the Island, rather than walking or driving to it feels a little like staying in a resort, and you’re already located where everyone else wants to be.
Margaritaville Island Inn is one of two Margaritaville hotels on the Island. This one is the larger high-rise, with its own pool, free breakfasts, and other amenities, including free parking, which is an in-demand commodity on the Island (I’ve spent a lot of time just walking to my car from the Island). Most rooms have their own balconies, overlooking either the mountain landscape, the Island activity, or both.

The smaller of the two Margaritaville-themed hotels on the Island village, Margaritaville Island Hotel embraces Jimmy Buffett’s laid-back style, and combines it with some good ol’ Southern hospitality and a more upscale atmosphere than some other Pigeon Forge hotels.
While the Island location is all about activity, the hotel itself radiates calm – I appreciate the yin and the yang of them both. The décor in the rooms captures that beach vibe that Buffett made famous. I also appreciate the large room sizes, which are good for spreading out the luggage when you’ve overpacked, which I often do.
This hotel has a rooftop deck (great for views of the Island’s Ferris wheel) and a full-service spa, which is a welcome treat after hiking in the national park. Check out the in-room fireplaces in the winter.

This modern suite hotel is both a little bit off-the-beaten-Parkway and also in the center of all the action. You can walk to the baseball fields, the Island area, shopping, and other Pigeon Forge attractions, but aren’t right in the center of the Parkway traffic, as some other properties are.
I particularly like the proximity to The Listening Room, where I hear singer-songwriters play, and to REI, where I stock up on camping supplies before heading into the park. Each room has a kitchenette with a dishwasher and refrigerator, which is convenient when traveling with kids and in groups.
You can even barbecue downstairs at one of the communal grills and have a picnic outside. Take a dip in the indoor or outdoor pool, depending on the season. If you’ve had a day getting muddy in the national park, then the on-site laundry room will be particularly appreciated.

Thanks to strategic resort landscaping, the LeConte Hotel and Convention Center offers lovely grounds in which to stroll and to give you a break from the neon attractions of the Parkway. But when you want to jump back in to bumper cars and fudge shops, it’s just a short walk back to the Parkway.
But you’ll want to allocate lots of time to hanging out in the resort itself, with a lazy river to float in, outdoor pool, spa, gym and, yes, conference rooms if you have to do some work. The resort offers a complimentary breakfast and each room is a suite with its own kitchen and dining area, if you prefer to have a meal in the privacy of your own room. The laundry room is a welcome amenity for any family enjoying a long weekend of amusement park rides.

With its large, rock-accented lobby fireplace and outdoor fire pits, the Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center gives off exactly the feeling you want when you head to a resort in the mountains. Thanks to a long driveway, the Ramsey is both centrally located off the Parkway but feels like it has a little distance from the sights and sounds of the town’s attractions.
The 24-hour heated pool and hot tub offer welcome respite after a day exploring in the national park. While the hotel has a convention center and is perfect for business travelers, families and couples will enjoy it too, with perks like daily movie-and-popcorn nights and hot breakfast buffets. Ramsey Hotel is a convenient trolley line stop, too.