The Appy Lodge — Attraction in Gatlinburg

We made a quick decision to take a week vacation to the Smokies, & this time we wanted to stay in Gatlinburg instead of Pigeon Forge. After searching some rates to other places I then decided to check on The Appy Lodge, a place we’ve passed many times before but never had booked…until now. And for future trips as long as current management runs the AL as it is now & rates remain very affordable, we will make this our home away from home in Gatlinburg.

As far as specifics, great location on the edge of town. You can get in and out of the hotel, or town very quickly. The on site Trolley Stop (Purple Route) was a major bonus that we didn’t even realize we were getting. Take advantage of it, even if you enjoy walking a lot, which we did several times to downtown & back as well. It’s a very quiet location as well, even Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini-Golf is on property (but separate) but not loud or a distraction at all. It’s very quiet behind the property with rooms on the back side giving views of the mountains above as the property backs right up to the foot of the mountains & a quiet stream.

You get the standard free breakfast with your stay. It was not anything exotic, but we weren’t at the hotel for that anyway. The thing about that is there is actually a Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin on property as well if you want to go all out for breakfast. Again it’s separate, but it is there if that’s more what you’re looking for.

Going back to the Trolley stop, you actually not only get free parking on site with your stay (with the occasion visit from the unofficial parking attendant Mr Black Bear wandering thru), BUT you’ll also want to take full advantage of the FREE parking vouchers you can ask for at the front desk for Downtown Gatlinburg. Everyone who’s been to Gburg knows parking can be tough to find, & expensive to find. But the Appy Lodge gives you a free parking pass for downtown upon request!

Rooms wise, beside free WIFI which we didn’t actually use this time because I personally carry my own hotspot around on all trips. We found the 2 Queen Rooms to be plenty spacious enough for all 4 of us. We had adjoining rooms on the 3rd floor on the backside and enjoyed the views out the windows. The beds were great! The bathrooms were very spacious including the bathrooms. The shower was large & even had a seat built in. The A/C was an older wall unit, but kept the rooms plenty cool. We found our room clean and anything we did need, the front staff were great about taking care of our requests.

Decor/Setting. The Appy Lodge is a very effectively themed lodge that is basically a museum to the entire Appalachian Trail from start to finish, including the rooms. You were immersed in pics, trail maps, & trail signs from the AT in every room, all hallways, & the lobby. Outside in the back there were a few picnic tables to enjoy your coffee or a quiet moment away overlooking the trees, vegetarian, & creek out back. In the front there were several rocking chairs & some fire pits to sit around & relax. There was also an outdoor pool with slides out front & an indoor pool to go along with a small workout room with a few machines. In the lobby is a small store with drink cooler, plenty of snacks & trail mixes, & also some great Appy Lodge, Great Smoky Mountains, or even Appalachian Trail merch for sale.

Overall we could not have been any more pleased with our decision to book at...

i got a letter under my door about the smoking policy while i was GONE. I had a child with me, and had nothing like that on me. I got a knock on my door around 10:00 while i was laying down, after 2 people from my party just got back from the pool, a lady in green (no names given) straight up accusing me of smoking in this room. Ofcourse my partner raised his voice afterwards, because no one wants to be accused of something they didnt do. She continued to run her mouth, told us to "please stop" & i reassured again i DID NOT smoke in this room. I went back down in hopes of talking things out and told her i put this hotel in my name, that i understood the policy & i have a child with me.. that we had just got back to the hotel to find the letter.. she continued to accuse me, told me i can leave and said since i have a minor with me shes sure i dont want her calling the cops. I was asked to leave so i got my stuff and got out. As stated, i DID NOT smoke in this room. I asked about getting my deposit back and she said i wasnt, i would be charged $150 whenever the cleaning team decides i smoked in there. I DO NOT APPRECIATE being WRONGFULLY accused or kicked out at 10PM after paying $200 for this hotel with a child! A hotel i wasnt even at for half the night! She accused me no matter how many times i told her i know the rules and did not smoke and was upset my partner raised his voice when YOU DONT JUST STRAIGHT UP ACCUSE SOMEONE of something like that. She claims she said something to me about it at check in which is a lie because she didnt even check me in nor was she up there! She also claims she went in the bathroom underneath our room and smelled it and has had "numerous guests complaining" I WASNT EVEN THERE! Also claims shes a recovering addict and "knows the smell." I know what i did in that room, and i very much followed the smoking policy's. VERY unprofessional on this hotels part, i am being charged for the nothing i did and DO NOT appreciate how i was treated at all. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL PEOPLE I DO NOT RECOMMEND STAYING HERE U will be kicked out for NO REASON & Scammed out of money for something that didnt even happen! *UPDATE: I spoke with management the next day, March 18th & management inspected the room, found noone smoked in there and sided with me & refunded my money. I was also promised a free stay i never received despite confirming my address with the manager Katie 3 times. When i reached out after a few weeks of receiving nothing, the home office tried to tell me my address was wrong so my free stay was returned to them and they would not send another out because i left this review AFTER speaking with management which was not the case - therefore i would not be getting the free stay promised to me for my horrible experience. I have sent numerous messages back with NO response & have now contacted the BBB on this place for being in violation of the consumer review fairness act! BUYER BEWARE! They will not stick to their "fixes" either. I have been treated like it was my fault i was done this way the ENTIRE time! I am a regular to Gatlinburg & will tell everyone i know to NEVER stay here! They DO NOT CARE about...

I had a room at a Marriott brand hotel in the area booked when I remembered seeing the Appy Lodge 4-5 years ago while in the area. I researched the property and was shocked to see the rates compared to the big corporate chain hotels.

The rates were very reasonable, and in fact, my family of 4 was able to get two adjoining rooms for the price of one room at a Marriott hotel. We enjoyed the extra space for the same price.

My initial concern was the lower rate and thought it was too good to be true. I read multiple reviews on Google and other travel sites. The majority of the reviews were favorable. Good sign. I researched several YouTube channels that review places in the area, and none of them expressed major concerns. Feeling even better.

Some didn’t love the selections at the FREE breakfast. It offered a couple of frozen biscuit options, cereals, milk, yogurt, pre-packaged pastries, juices, boiled eggs, breads, and coffee. For what you are paying, it is more than reasonable. If you weren’t happy, you need to pay more for hotel.

We wanted to visit Annakeesta, but we did not buy our tickets online in advance where we could get a slight discount. I was able to buy discounted tickets from the hotel on the day of the visit.

Upon request, the hotel will give you a voucher to use a parking deck near light #8, and this will put you within the heart of downtown Gatlinburg. Most parking lots were charging between $15-20 a day, so this was an excellent perk to staying at the Appy Lodge. Score!

Back to the hotel…the queen rooms without a balcony were not the biggest in the world, but we were getting two rooms for the price of one Marriott room. Great!

Overall, the property was clean. The staff was friendly. The location is a little outside walking distance (for some) of the heart of town, but if you use the parking pass, you are golden.

On each side of the property, you have a convenience store and an adult beverage store within easy walking distance.

We also looked at cabins in the area, but after all of the hidden fees for booking and cleaning, this was our best option for a family of four.

So many more good things I could say than negative.

Don’t overlook the The Appy Lodge. Our visit ended with an “Appy” ending.

Give it a serious look. I would stay here again, without question, if visiting...