Find The Best Places To Stay In Townsend: Our Recommended Hotels, Cabins, and Campgrounds
For those trying to decide where to stay when visiting the Smokies, we always recommend staying in Townsend, TN. Its location is minutes to the park entrance and convenient to some of the most popular areas in the Smokies:
- Cades Cove (38 minutes)
- Sugarlands Visitor Center (35 minutes)
- The Townsend Wye (6 minutes)
- Metcalf Bottoms area (21 minutes)
- Dollywood and Pigeon Forge (40 minutes)
Townsend seems delightfully stuck in time, which is a good thing especially when compared to the commercial and traffic-filled, more well known gateway towns in the Tennessee side of the Smokies, e.g. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg.
Located 45 minutes from downtown Knoxville, TN and just minutes from the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend serves as a great base camp and gateway to the Smokies.
Living in Maryville, TN which is located just 30 minutes from the entrance to the Smokies, we have spent plenty of time in Townsend, TN and recommend it to friends and families who are visiting the Smokies.
This is our personal list of places that we have stayed in previously, have been recommended by friends we trust, or we have bookmarked as possibilities for future visits.
Need help planning your trip to the Smokies? Check out our Smokies page to see all of our favorite places in the park we love so much – best hikes, favorite campgrounds, biking Cades Cove, and more. Lodging recommendations, where to eat, favorite hikes, fun activities, and more!
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Townsend Is One Of The Best Places To Stay In The Great Smoky Mountains
Places To Stay In Townsend, TN
For a small gateway town at the base of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend offers a variety of lodging options. There are no big trade offs to a stay in Townsend.
You can enjoy the quiet and absence of traffic after a busy day exploring the Smokies, have a really delicious meal at a local restaurant, enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine on an outdoor patio overlooking the Little River, and delight in the fact that the town has only one stop light.
Our Top Recommendations At A Glance
Best Campground– Little Arrow Outdoor Resort
Best Hotels– Either The Best Western Cades Cove Inn or Highland Manor Inn
Best Upscale Lodging– Dancing Bear Lodge
Best Area To Rent A Cabin– VRBO Listings in Townsend, TN or Wears Valley VRBO Listings
Continue reading below for more specific descriptions and reviews of each.
Campgrounds In Townsend, TN
We recommend Little Arrow Outdoor Resort. This new resort offers cabins, RV sites, tiny homes, and glamping tents along with a riverside location at the entrance to the park. This is not your typical campground.
There’s a reason they call it a “resort” with amenities like a 24/7 coffee lounge, infinity swimming pool, onsite massage service, a community fire pit, and a variety of activities like “movie nights”.
There’s plenty to do here, and kids will love it too with games to borrow, a nice playground, basketball and pickleball courts, onsite trails to explore, and more. Better yet, it’s literally minutes to the entrance of the Smokies and close enough to walk to several of Townsend’s restaurants.
The tiny homes at Little Arrow Resort look particularly amazing, and the sound of the Little River creates a peaceful retreat.
Although I’m not sure I’d pitch a tent here as the sites are small and open, I would definitely recommend the glamping tents and would love to stay in one of the tiny houses.
I’m not an RV-er but the RV sites looked pretty tight and some were quite open without much tree coverage as opposed to other areas of the resort. The sites along the river are definitely the most popular.
Hotels In Townsend, TN
Compared to Pigeon Forge, Townsend offers just a few hotels to choose from and you won’t find anything fancy here. It has a number of “mom and pop” motels and one chain hotel, The Best Western Cades Cove Inn.
But if you’re looking for a good value and are satisfied with basic accommodations, these two hotels listed below should work just fine. As a bonus, both are located on the Townsend Historical Trail (see our blog), a greenway that runs the length of the town.
You can walk or bike to restaurants and even the grocery store from your hotel which is a bonus.
Read our blog about the Townsend Historical Trail and 12 Best Things To Do In Townsend, TN.
These are the hotels in Townsend that we recommend:
The Best Western Cades Cove Inn. This basic hotel is your best bet for hotel lodging in Townsend. The location is great, the rooms have been recently renovated, and it offers a hot breakfast and outdoor pool for the kiddos.
The hotel has also recently undergone some renovations, so you’ll see some updates.
Highland Manor Inn. Owned and operated by the same couple who built the hotel back in 1982, Highland Manor is a cute motel that has been well- maintained over the years.
The rooms are fairly spacious and the inn is a good value, gets good reviews for cleanliness, has a nice setting on a hill which allows you to be a bit off the main road.
Additional amenities include a seasonal outdoor pool, kids playground, and included continental breakfast.
The Best Upscale Lodging In Townsend, TN
Dancing Bear Lodge. Dancing Bear Lodge would definitely be my top pick for a luxury stay. It offers upscale 1 and 2 bedroom cabins on their gorgeous 36 acre property complete with fine dining in their award winning restaurant, The Appalachian Bistro.
The setting is tucked away off of the busy road, and it offers a rustic and cozy setting nestled in the woods with outdoor fire pits to roast s’mores and a grand patio to enjoy a drink from the bar. No roughing it here for sure.
Cabin Rentals In Townsend, TN
You’ll find a number of cabins to rent in the Townsend area. Some of the nicer lodging we’ve found has been near the Laurel Valley Golf Course which is tucked away but still convenient to Townsend’s restaurants and activities.
Cabins along the Little River are always a treat, and the mountain views from many of the cabins found in Wears Valley are fantastic.
Cozy cabin with mtn view and an awesome media room in charming Townsend.VRBO 4076613 is an excellent example of a conveniently located cabin in Townsend with a screened in porch, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 6.
Time Well Wasted – A Mountain Woodland Retreat. VRBO 1158214. 2 br/2 bath cabin in Laurel Valley Resort. Lots of trees and huge windows creates a lovely indoor/outdoor setting.
Some of the cabin rentals can be fairly remote, so I would make sure to find out how long it takes to reach the national park entrance from the property. Also be on the lookout for steep roads up to the property or any that say 4 wheel drive is needed.
Cabins On The River In Townsend, TN
If you want riverside relaxation, Townsend has several cabins perched right on the Little River. Relax, fish, and watch the tubers float by!
2BR “Riverside” Cabin Overlooking the “Little River” in Townsend,TN Family Owned. VRBO 2240511. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 5. Just two miles from the entrance to the national park. Come home and relax on your patio situated right on the river. Looks amazing.
Cabin Rentals in Wears Valley, TN
Located near Townsend, TN and nestled against the Smokies, Wears Valley is another terrific place for cabin rentals that are known for their amazing views.
Most of the cabins listed here have mountain views and will be within about a 15 minute drive of Townsend’s restaurants and amenities yet close to the entrance to the Smokies.
Romantic Luxurious Cabin Amazing Mountains View/Hot Tub/Pool Table—1 bedroom Wears Valley cabin with extra murphy bed and mountain views. Sleeps 4.
Private-Panoramic Views of the Great Smoky Mountains-FREE Mountain Air- 3br/2ba. Sleeps 8. A fairly private cabin with great unobstructed views. Pac Man video game and a pool table. Score!
See more Wears Valley VRBO Cabin Listings
Wears Valley also offers convenient access to the Pigeon Forge side of the Smokies.
Tip: Wears Valley is home to a lesser known entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that leads to the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area. However, you can still access the park from the Townsend entrance depending on your park destination.
Things To Do, Places To Eat In Townsend, TN
To inspire your next trip to the Smokies and learn more about what Townsend has to offer, see our additional blogs:
No Time To Plan Your Vacation to the Smokies? Check Out Our 5 Day Itinerary
Our Smokies page lists all of our favorite places in the park we love so much – best hikes, favorite campgrounds, biking Cades Cove, lodging recommendations, where to eat, favorite hikes, fun activities, and more!
Also check out A Detailed Great Smoky Mountains National Park Itinerary for a complete itinerary for your next vacation in the Smokies.
Happy Trails! – Amy
