My Family's Adventure at Gatlinburg Falls Resort

DISCLAIMER: I was provided with a complimentary stay at Gatlinburg Falls to facilitate this post, however all opinions are my own.

Vacation, getaway, Spring break, time off, leave of absence, sabbatical, sojourn, furlough. No matter what you call it, everybody needs a little break from the everyday drudgery that can be life. A few days to get away, clear your head, enjoy your family and recharge for the rest of your journey. My family got to do just that, a couple of weeks ago, at Gatlinburg Falls Resort.

Gatlinburg Falls is the largest cabin rental agency in the Smokies, boasting over 460 cabins, in various locations throughout Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Wears Valley. They were even voted #1 family resort in the Smokies, by "Southern Living" magazine. Whether you need lots of room for your kids to spread out or it's just you and your significant other, Gatlinburg Falls has you covered. They have everything from a cozy 1 bedroom cabin to a monstrous 18 bedroom Smoky Mountain mansion with a price point to suit every vactioner's wallet.

With cool features like arcade games, pool tables, foosball and air hockey to keep the kids entertained/out of your hair, you will have time to enjoy the other amenities, like an on site pool and a private hot tub (some units).

A cabin provides you a relaxed atmosphere that you just can't get with a traditional hotel and if the kids get on your nerves, you can always just send them to "their" room and go chill in the hot tub and forget they are even there... unless they are very young, then I advise you don't forget about your kids. Seriously though, can you imagine waking up to this view every morning, while sitting in a hot tub?! I can and did and it was AMAZING!!!

A photo posted by Niki Stutts (@midlifemommyadventures) on Oct 10, 2014 at 10:50am PDT

The short answer is no. The price of renting a cabin vs a traditional hotel, per day, per number of bedrooms is actually cheaper and did I mention that Gatlinburg Falls is pet friendly, so you won't have to leave Fido at home, even if he is kinda large, just pay the $50 deposit and make sure Fido is up to date on his shots, 'cause Tennessee has a very strict law about Rabies shots. 

Not to mention, with the amount of space a cabin has to offer, you can cut your costs in half, by inviting a friend or family member (that you wouldn't mind being with, for a week or so), making a cabin an even better value than a traditional hotel. Especially when you utilize the fully equipped kitchen, instead of eating out.

Since doing the math, on one of our previous trips to Gatlinburg, I have decided that cooking on vacation is a great way to save money on your food budget. Here, let me show you...

Eating all meals out scenario: A family of 5 will eat 3 meals a day at a minimum cost of $20 per meal times X number of days (for this, I will use 3 {the number of days we were at the cabin}). $20 x 3 meals a day x 3 days = $180, not counting snacks and drinks.

If you buy a few groceries scenario: You can look to spend around $100 for the same three days' meals and that's not eating only Beanie Weenies and Spam either. We had scrambled eggs and carne picada steak for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and quesadillas and homemade pizzas for dinner. So, If you plan accordingly, you can save around $80, just on meals alone, then you can put that money towards something fun, like mini golf or go-carts.
On the subject of entertainment, my best advice is; don't over schedule yourself. Plan to do one big thing per day, more than that will cause vacay burnout super quick. Remember:  vacation = relaxing, not chasing your kids all over town, all day.

There's never a shortage of stuff to do, while you're in town and the nice folks at Gatlinburg Falls will go out of their way to make sure you have fun. Not quite sure what you want to do? Let the staff put together a package for you. Whether you are looking for something romantic or more family fun oriented, they have you covered.  With tickets available to some of the Smokies best attractions, such as Dollywood,Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies or any of the other Ripley's attractions, you will have plenty to keep you busy.

The Ripley's Aquarium is so amazing and it is fun for all ages. With an awesome moving sidewalk thingy and their acrylic tunnel, you can relax and just watch the sharks and other cool creatures float right past you.

Oh, and the penguins... how could I forget the sweet little penguins?! They were Micah's favorite and for good reason, they are totally adorable and not very menacing, unlike the sharks.

After a day at the aquarium, you could spend the rest of the day enjoying nature at Roaring Fork Nature Trail. The winding roads throughout the nature trail are very narrow, but the views and the beautiful flowers & trees made it all worthwhile and there are tons of great backdrops and photo opps for family pictures. (and it's totally FREE)

No matter how you decide to spend the remainder of your vacation, make sure you make time for family. With all the crappy things we have to do on any given day, it's easy to lose sight of why we do all the "crap" in the first place; our family. They are loud, messy and can often get on our nerves to no end, but at the end of the day, they are what makes it all worthwhile, so take a weekend and get away, with your family, before they are grown and no longer want anything to do with you.