Wilderness at the Smokies

This place is a horrible venue for the conference center. They get you at $ 5 + PER DAY to park… like there is a choice where to park when the event is at their location. Then, you pay huge to get in the event $ 8+ per day. The facility is dirty and the restrooms seem seldem cleaned. Why are people still having events at this dump? Rude employees and not very helpful. Avoid!

I spent the weekend at the hotel for a tournament that was hosted at the convention center.
The hotel rooms are old and dated, very dark with poor lighting, there are very little food choices with only one restaurant for dinner offering a $ 18.99 a person for a unhealthy buffet, and if you want a glass of wine or beer be prepared to pay — and this is for Budweiser and Yellow Tail wine. Although the water park was fun for the kids it is over rated.
After a long day at the tournament we returned to our room to see that housekeeping had taken our used towels but did NOT make the beds, vacuum, replace the towels, or do any for of cleaning. When we told the front desk his only solution was that we could talk to the manager but housekeeping was gone for the day and that the manager was somewhere else on the resort.
Seems like a lot of money for an old hotel with bad service

Had to cancel due to a storm.
They agreed to send us a gift card for the next trip. 30 minutes later they called and said they could not do the gift card.
On top of that they were charging is the higher rate as a cancelation fee. The cancelation fee should be over $ 110.00 less than what they charged.

Just got home from a long weekend at river lodge. I was surprised at how crowded it was, but it was mlk holiday weekend, so it seemed like every parking space was full.
I took my two boys, 4 & 5 with me, and they loved it. There was plenty to do for the little ones. It was 15 degrees on average, so we only played in the indoor water park.
The ONLY complaint I have is a pretty big one. We had a great experience except for one thing: the noise. After the first day I gave up trying to give the boys naps during the day. There were kids running down the halls, and our upstairs neighbors were probably sumo wrestling in their bedroom floor. I called for a noise complaint twice… And I am absolutely not the call-​about-​a-​noise-​complaint kind of person. It just sounded like the ceiling was going to fall in… Loud booms and yelling, to the point of scaring my kids (much less letting them sleep). The front desk said they would send security, but the noises continued until after midnight (many hours later). I took my boys upstairs and showed the people that they were keeping the boys up, and they apologized and were quiet after that. They were probably also a little afraid of the crazy lady in the robe and zit cream…
I personally need to sleep on any kind of trip, much less one that I’m solely in charge of two preschoolers. The beds were seriously lacking comfort, but I could have gotten over that if it weren’t for the noise. I would suggest a security officer or even signs (I was looking and didn’t see any). Also, the «quiet time» was after 11pm… If everything closes at 9, make that when the quiet time starts too! If not, take it seriously when a room gets multiple noise complaints. I didn’t pay $ 250 a night to stay up and watch full house with my kids. Mama need her sleep…

This place has really gone down hill. The water park is dirty and run down. No towels available for a few hours? The one restaurant that is open is horrible. The rooms are still functional but strange smells are around every corner. I’d be pretty upset if I was a Wyndam Resort owner. I doubt there’s another property/​attraction like this within a thousand miles but this one has seen better days. Buyer beware.

It’s a huge resort. Apparently half is a time share company. We went thanksgiving week thinking it would not be busy. Wrong. It was packed. But since the place is huge, you really didn’t notice. The only thing I have a problem with was the indoor water park. They advertise that it stays 86 degrees year round. The air is warm in there. The water is a different story. It was cold. And I don’t meant lukewarm to most people and cold to me. I mean ice cold to everyone with feeling in their skin. They have a hot tub area which had hot water. So I’m not sure why they can’t get the rest of the park’s water a bearable temp. The food was kind of pricey but it’s a resort so it’s expected. All in all we had a great time and will probably return. Maybe in summer unless they get the water warmer in fall/​winter.

This morning while having breakfast with my 8 year old daughter and 12 year old nephew at the Wilderness of the Smokies– Waterpark restaurant I was approached twice by a waitress and then the manager and I was asked to take my 8 year old daughter to the room to put a shirt on her because one of the guests in the restaurant that my child’s one piece, dry, My Little Pony bathing suit (and those of others) was «distracting» to him. I declined to take her to change since the waitress said sign at the entrance read «shoes & shirt». I pointed out that her dress met the definition of both and asked if they intended to address the adults wearing bathing suit tops and tube tops– and I was told no– that no one had complained about the adults. We were not the only family approached for violating this non-​policy. The entire restaurant is surrounded by windows to view the indoor Waterpark. So if you sensitivities (or perversions) are offended by bathing suits, or children in them, then perhaps a casual restaurant located right in the windowed center of a children’s waterpark. This has been my first and last trip here. I also went back to see what the sign said. There actually was nothing posted about dress code.

a lot of fun for everybody, the only thing we have bad thing to say a bout the rooms are not that clean, carpet getting old spots on it all over, dust on night stand beside your head, and the worst was a dead cockroach on the floor??? and that is not a great standard for a room for 315 .00 dollar a night with taxes???

We got lucky, saw this place off the side of the road with a huge waterpark and had to check it out. It was a Sunday afternoon and we were able to check in and get a room 14 010 right beside the main water park. For $ 317/​night it was a bargain because the waterpark was included, and even though we had to check out by 11 the next day we could still use the waterpark for the entire day. The room was spacious utilizing a Murphy bed and a pullout couch. We also had a full kitchen. There is a Krogers less than five minutes away and I would highly recommend getting your food and snacks there. The only thing to watch out for is the time share sales. They will try to get you to do a tour but we passed on that because the 8 days they offer you are not for coming back to that same resort. I would highly recommend this resort for families with kids!

We’re suppose to check in tomorrow — July 02, Thursday. Wife called to confirm and said they don’t have us coming in till July 03, Friday. She had called 2 weeks ago, which was to move the reservation from arriving on the 3^rd to the 2^nd. Well, they never changed it apparently.
To top it off, they have horrible customer service over the phone. They talk while you talk and they definitely haven’t been trained to speak to customers. They wouldn’t transfer me to the front office because I didn’t have a name for the person who changed our itinerary (which never changed!).
They’re pretty much calling me and my wife a liar. Yup, we made up this whole thing to arrive a day early and enjoy our vacation.
Thanks Correne and the other lady (didn’t get her name cause she kept talking over me and had me furious) that helped me accomplish nothing over the phone! You’re Welcome!
Worst part? Haven’t even arrived yet!
Don’t worry, I’m just a disabled veteran so I’m used to the poor treatment.
*** This place was great for a vacation, minus the horrible customer service (My rant above). Place had lots to do, but won’t be back. We stayed at the Margaritaville Resort just 15 min down the road for the first night. I WON’T be coming back to the Wilderness at the Smokies, granted the indoor waterpark was amazing. Margaritaville Resort had great customer service and even more to do with all the shops, kid/​adult rides, and restaurants. Plus you’re surrounded by a great atmosphere!

My family really enjoyed our stay. We had great service from check in until check out. All of the pool areas where clean and orderly.
I do recommend going into town for food. A mini fridge and microwave is in each room. So you could have stuff for sandwiches and such. The food issue is the reason for 4 stars.

Had heard so much about this place… Finally here with my 2 kids… Glad I’m only here for one night. We were given the handicapped room– only reason i didn’t complain was because it was right by the main lobby and water park entrance. Time for bed and we found 2 centipede type creepy crawlies! Had to move. They moved us but there were absolutely no apologies. The water play area is great though! Kids had fun but I don’t think we are comi

False advertisement is most likely the reason why this place will never receive that fifth star on Trip Advisor… however the food could be another :/​I particularly chose this place with the capability to achieve completion of my work assignments using their WiFi, and to fulfill the fun ideas my kids had in mind for their spring break activities. Unfortunately, the expectations were far less than met. My 13 year old boys were excited to ride their water slide Vortex, which upon our arrival was closed due to maintenance. We also purchased 4 of their Adventure Forest All Stay passes and expected to enjoy the Daredevil Drop spring ride… also closed with a «Sorry for the Inconvenience» notice. Most of the outdoor water slides were also closed, which was quite disappointing. Therefore, the boys pretty much stayed in the indoor water area, and luckily it doesn’t take much to get their spirits back up again. When it came time to eat, the food was mediocre at best, and that’s all that needs to be said. As for me, I was unable to get any work done in my $ 329 per night room because, as their manager Brett stated, «He has no control over the property’s WiFi being at 100% use with other guests streaming on the same line.» I explained my reasoning for specifically choosing his property over others, and that another associates suggestion of going to the lobby to possibly achieve a better signal was unacceptable. However Brett continued with, «The WiFi in my office is working just fine, and I can’t accommodate you for a service you aren’t actually being charged for anyway.» — (REALLY?!?) He did however offer the best he could do of a «late check-​out» at noon…1hour later from the required 11am checkout :/​
The only plus was staying in the Riverlodge building and being able to walk to the lobby in order to write this review during checkout. However, if you’re in any of their other buildings, you’ll need to ride the shuttle back over here to get a WiFi signal, check email, or write your horrible Trip Advisor review. Checking out now, and don’t plan to ever check back in. Thanks Brett!
Visited April 6^th 2015

Small, but clean room; DVD player requires batteries to work but were none & movies for room are from Redbox in the lobby. Friendly, but uninformative staff. Food options sorely lacking– think basic kid fare or park food (unless there is a restaurant on property I haven’t heard/​read about). Beware of the one concierge desk: front for timeshare sales. Property is ok if you have kids who like to swim at water parks. Prices for services not listed– fee for cabanas (nice, w/​tv, drink & food service, towels, reserved seating & shade!) was $ 125 non-​refundable but not indicated in any of the literature nor on any visible signage; ask cost upfront. Has that wanna-​be feeling: wanna-​be resort, wanna-​be slightly Disney kitsch, totally succeeded falling short.
(One small update– we stayed a couple of years ago, but apparently the review didn’t post. Hopefully things have gotten better since our stay)

Nice place to stay golf corse next door will do it again. If you haven’t been here before you should try it out.

I’d love to give them 5 stars. I really wanted to prove some of the previous reviews wrong because this was an enjoyable stay but I must be fair. I travel for work about once/​month so I stay in a lot of hotel/​motel/​resorts and experience a lot in my travels. I came here (Stone Hill Lodge) for a trade show during the first week of November. The front desk staff was so helpful each time I talked with them as I kept having door card issues. The house keeping personnel almost always said hello as I passed them in the hallway which is rare and nice to experience.
The room was in great shape and loved having a window that I could actually open for fresh air. All of the fun things provided appeared fun such as mini golf, water park and more. The food at The Hidden Trail was great and served super fast. I had the mushroom cheese burger one night and the chicken quesadilla the next. To both I added a house salad for $ 1.99 extra which was easily a $ 4 salad anywhere else. Another night, I just had a few drinks and participated in karaōke. I will mention that every bartender that took my order just didn’t seem to enjoy working with customers. No smile, no extra effort, just the minimum expected. I felt more like a burden. At one point, I waited over 10 minutes to be acknowledged so I could get another drink. That would be understood if there were more than 5 customers but in fact, there were only 3, including myself. The bartender was by the kitchen chatting with a server and playing on her phone. I experienced 2 or 3 young female bartenders and all of them were just lacking in people skills.
The Wi-​Fi is another reason they are missing that extra star. My laptop kept dropping its signal in the middle of a page loading. Good thing I wasn’t working on anything time sensitive for work or I’d possibly lose a lot of work due to a dropped signal mid transfer.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting some getaway time as there’s a nice looking golf links next door, indoor/​outdoor water park, tons of stuff for kids to do as well as adults.

I honestly only come back because my in-​laws or Mom pay for it. The first time we came was during Christmas and I thought maybe the lacking performance was because of that, but it wasn’t; when we went back with the in-​laws and post-​expansion (a year or so later) it wasn’t anything more to write home about. We are about to go back up this weekend (someone could make bank putting in a decent indoor/​outdoor water park between Michigan and Georgia along I75) and I called to find out how much a cabana rental is for Saturday, you know, 4 days away. The guest «services» agent couldn’t tell me, said I have to go to the cabana stand Saturday morning to find out, which, I now remember, is the typical «you couldn’t have stayed someplace else?» college-​kid service I came to expect. I kept going and she said they might not be open. Okay, fine, 73 degrees with a 20% chance of showers but okay, they might not be open, but on the off chance they are, what am I looking to spend? The cabana hostess sets the price. She *what*?! That’s some kind of business you got going on there! Wish I could set my price and get away with it but honestly, can’t I get a *range* of cabana-​going costs? Finally I got my answer: cabana rentals are anywhere between $ 75 and $ 275 depending.
Since it’s just the annual celebration of a risen deity weekend, I am hoping the cost isn’t on the upper end of that, I mean, it’s not annual summer celebration of a document signing the country’s independence into effect or anything. Still, I am not setting the bar high for this trip as I feel I’d be disappointed based on past experience.
Oh, tips:
*if you want to get any kind of seating space, be ready to wake early and lay a bag and a few towels out
*they don’t check said bags so drinks and snacks, despite signage, are okay (I mean, don’t be blatant about having Doritos out or anything but…)
*the snack bar food is your typical fare– expensive, greasy, and lacking imagination.
*If you’re staying in the hotel (vs. the resort), DO NOT hit your foot/​shins on the edge of the bed. I am surprised we aren’t still limping from this experience
Really, if you can help it, stay on the resort side. Sure you have to go without daily room service, but it’s so much more worth it.

Check in: I entered the check-​in line at 3:35 and there were approximately 20 customers in front of me, but the line looked longer as kids were standing in the line too. They had three Customer Service Representatives (CSR) working the desk at times then would reduce to two, and one occasional «floater» but the check-​in line continued to grow. They clearly needed 8 CSRs considering it was a spring break week and which they elevated if not doubled their prices. 50 minutes later I was checking in, but the CSR agents also had to answer the phones, so another 15 minutes or an hour and five minutes later, I had our room keys.
Rooms: The rooms are designed to look rustic and they did. We opted for the room with a bunk bed for the kids. It’s an adventure for them. Our room was very clean. It had a mini-​fridge, small microwave oven, and bar sink. They could use shelves above this alcove, and shelves throughout the room, but other wise the accommodations were fine. Also, each room has a safe large enough to accommodate laptops, iPads, etc.
WiFi. The wireless though out the resort was average to poor, and in our room, dismal. I used my iPhones capabilities to sync with my laptop for our needs.
Pools: The pool areas are mostly set-​up for kids but they do offer slides for parents to enjoy too. I give kudos to two of the slides. The one in-​doors is called the Storm Chaser. It can seat up to 4 people as long as the weight doesn’t exceed 700lbs. Yes, you are required to stand on a scale (ladies). It’s a fun thrill ride. The second is the outdoor «blue» slide, called the Wild Vortex. This slide is NOT for the faint of hearts. Again, a scale to step on and if you don’t weigh enough, you can’t ride it. This slide should be called the Bullet, ’cause it feels like you’re being shot out of a gun. You stand and lean back in a «pod» and at the count of 3, the floor drops out from under you. My suggestion is too just go with it. It was pure exhilaration! Forewarning: even if you plan to stay in the inside water park area, apply sunscreen or prepared to get burned.
Indoor Games: The indoor gaming area was OK but look «up». They have a ropes course called the Tree Top Towers. I HIGHLY suggest you buy a day pass and have your kids go up and explore. Our kids were up there for 5 hours. They had the time of their lives!
Adults: If you like libations they do think of us parents as they have bars throughout the park; one at the outdoor pool area, one at the indoor pool area and one in the gaming area. All the bars have a happy hour 3 – 6, 2 for 1s on everything.
Food. This is the damper on the resort. If you read other reviews about the poor quality of food, then all I can add is they’re correct. They do sell Starbucks coffee in the market and it’s priced reasonable. Note: nothing opens up until 7 a.m., so if you’re an early riser, leave the property, drive south on 66 about 1.5 miles and Dunkin’ Donuts is on your right. The drive thru is open ²⁴⁄₇. If you want to sit down and relax as the family sleeps, two buildings past DD is a Waffle House.
More Food. Like above, drive south on 66 and continue to towards Pigeon Forge. There are restaurants galore and can satisfy most cravings.
Attractions. There are many attractions in this area, too numerous to list. One we loved was the Titanic Museum; a recommended stop on your vacation.
Overall. This was a good vacation for the family. It’s between 3 – 4 stars but due to the issues above it’s just not a 4 Star Resort. It could have been but management needs to address the check-​in procedures (2 thumbs down), poor WiFi in the property, and lousy food quality.

The water dome was great. My 9 year old had a blast. We also enjoyed the water slides. Our check-​in packet said the water dome opens at 9:00 am on Fridays. After standing around the entrance until 9:10 I walked around to find an employee who told me it would not open until 10:00.
The room was an average hotel room. The mattresses were a little too firm and the water pressure in the shower was not that great. The only reason we stayed here was for my 9 year old to get to enjoy the water park. We stayed 1 night and moved on to a condo in Gatlinburg. That allowed us to get to enjoy the water dome for a day and then move on to stuff for the rest of the family. If I come back, which will depend on how much my 9 year old can influence me, I will probably do the same thing.

Very family-​friendly and if you love water parks, this place is for you. We went during the Christmas holidays and when you’re in the indoor water park, you really forget you’re in Pigeon Forge and it’s winter! The rooms were nice and their staff impressed me the most — everyone from Reservations to the Front Desk to Housekeeping were super nice. FYI you must stay at their property to use the water parks.
RESERVATIONS
Rates do change and I think the rates were slightly lower when I called on a Monday. No AAA discounts — just discounts for military and «55 & older» which are better than the special promotions on Facebook. However if you’re not military or senior, then like them on Facebook to get good deals. My reservations experience was very positive — every agent I talked to was very nice, knowledgeable, always happy to answer my questions, never pushed me to make a reservation … and they’re US-​based :)
4pm check-​in, 11am check-​out.
RIVER LODGE VS. STONE HILL
Stayed at River Lodge b/​c we wanted a full kitchen and adjoining rooms. Plus the indoor water park is located inside River Lodge. If you don’t need the kitchen, stay at Stone Hill — it’s more like a hotel room (vs. condo) and therefore cheaper but it’s in the back of the property so you’ll need to take the shuttle bus to River Lodge /​indoor water park (but buses run frequently). FYI, outdoor water parks are located on both properties.
RIVER LODGE ROOMS
For our family of 6, we got the «One Bedroom Deluxe» which includes:
1) one room w/​2 queens, 1 twin bunk, 1 full bath … also two flatscreen TVs w/​DVD players, microwave, mini-​fridge, coffeemaker (incl. coffee), and iron /​board.
2) adjoining room had full kitchen, living room w/​1 murphy queen & 1 sofa bed, fireplace, flatscreen TV w/​DVD player, and 1 full bath. Kitchen included fridge, stove/​oven, microwave, coffeemaker (incl. coffee), toaster, sink, dishwasher (incl. soap), pots /​pans /​dishes /​mugs /​cups /​bowls /​utensils /​knives.
Rooms aren’t cleaned daily like hotel rooms — but Housekeeping does knock on your door daily and will replace towels. By the way, they also have free WIFI.
INDOOR WATER PARK
You’ll get plastic bracelets and towel cards at check-​in. Bring towel cards to the water park and exchange for towels — make sure you return the towels and get your towel cards back otherwise you’ll pay a fine. Wear your bracelets to use the water park — and keep them on during your entire stay. However if you happen to remove them, just bring the «destroyed» bracelet back to the water park or front desk to get a replacement.
All kinds of fun stuff to do. If you’ve been to the indoor water park at Massanutten Resort in Shenandoah Valley, this one seems smaller but still entertaining regardless:
— Water playground
— Wave pool
— Hot tub (which also extends outside which was cool)
— 4 diff. waterslides
— Body surfing rider
— Swimming pool incl. water basketball court
FYI they also have other indoor activities like arcade, playground, bowling and glow-​in-​the-​dark putt-​putt.
LOCATION, FOOD OPTIONS
Good location and just a 10-​min drive into Pigeon Forge /​Tanger Outlets. CVS and Kroger are nearby. Closest offsite dining is Golden Corral, Ryan’s and Shoney’s. Most of the times we ate in the room since we had a full kitchen. When we did eat out, we went to Chop House and Calhoun’s — both very good. Didn’t try any of the onsite dining options b/​c the reviews weren’t good. FYI they do have Starbucks and Krispy Kreme donuts in the candy and ice cream shop.
Overall we had a great stay and look forward to coming back when my «under 42-​inch» nephew is tall enough to try the big kid rides :)