Townsend, TN - The Peaceful Side of the Smokies!
Townsend, TN is absolutely beautiful! It sits away from the hustle and bustle of Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, TN - though only a short 30 minute drive through the beautiful Wears Valley will get you there, if you would like to experience both the peaceful side and the more touristy side of the smokies like we did!
For our stay in Townsend, TN - we chose The Strawberry Patch Inn, right on the Little River! It was the perfect rustic retreat and only 4 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance.
The Strawberry Patch Inn
7509 West Old Highway 73
Townsend, TN 37882
Airbnb:
The Strawberry Patch Inn has 12 different Units available to stay in - we stayed in Unit 4 as it is their biggest Unit available to accommodate a family of our size!
Watch the video below for a peaceful view from our balcony! I loved coming out here to have my morning coffee - listening to the sounds of the river flowing, and the birds chirping too!
Forget your book? They've got you covered!
Above shot showing just how close to the river you are when you stay at the Strawberry Patch Inn
Day 1 - Sunday, June 26th:
We are on our way!! Tim surprised me by handing me a card before we left signed by everyone thanking me for planning and coordinating this trip for all of us - SO sweet!! Side note, I'm a little OCD when it comes to packing - anybody else the same way with their lists?
We pulled into Townsend, TN on day one around 6am (we are the crazies who like to drive through the night - avoids traffic, and there are fewer - zero stops for food and potty breaks for the kiddos! It's a win in our books even if we are a little sleepier on day 1!) We were able to catch an hour or two of sleep in the van though while we waited for the breakfast spots to start opening up. We chose The Riverstone Restaurant for breakfast and it was very tasty! Nice home-cooked meals - the staff was friendly, and speedy service as well! Just what we needed in order to recharge after our long drive!
The Riverstone Restaurant
8503 TN-73, Townsend, TN 37882
After breakfast, we headed back over to The Strawberry Patch Inn to capture some of our outdoor shots of the grounds! We loved being next to the river - so beautiful and very peaceful!
Check out our video below!
While we waited for the rentals we would be featuring on Day 1 of our stay to open up, we killed some time by visiting the Little River Railroad Museum! The kids all of course loved the gift shop area, and the adults all really loved learning about the history of the railroad!
Little River Railroad Museum
7747 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Townsend, TN 37882
Check out our visit below!
After visiting the museum we drove around for a bit and just took in some of the beautiful mountain scenery. We had 3 different units that we photographed and videoed - and then we called it an early night - still a bit sleepy from driving through the previous night!
Day 2 - Monday, June 27th:
First up, coffee!!
The Dancing Bean Coffee House is a great place to sit and relax, and they even have some spiked coffee options as well for those over 21, of course - and those dining in as you can't take those to go unfortunately, haha! I tried the spiked dinner mint coffee with a raspberry scone, and the kids all wanted to try their big chocolate muffins - all were so very yummy!! After we enjoyed our coffees and goodies, we headed over to their general store in Apple Valley Mountain Village (just across the parking lot from the Dancing Bean Coffee House) to shop for souvenirs!
Apple Valley Mountain Village & Cafe
7138 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Townsend, TN 37882
Watch our video below to hear and see more about the Dancing Bean Coffee House, and the general store - all located within Apple Valley Mountain Village!
After browsing for souvenirs we headed over to walk across the Swinging Bridge. We all really enjoyed this! The views were so beautiful and it was just so peaceful... we were the only ones there at the time, so we could really take our time crossing and looking all around!
Swinging Bridge
7802 W Old Hwy 73, Townsend, TN 37882
Check out our visit to the Swinging Bridge here:
On Day 2 we had another 3 rentals at the Strawberry Patch Inn that we needed to capture - after we finished those up we headed to The Island in Pigeon Forge, only a short 30 minute drive from Townsend, TN.
The Island in Pigeon Forge
131 The Island Dr, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
We took full advantage of the unlimited rides passes that we bought for the kiddos - they cost $35 per child, but are valid for 48 hours from time of purchase. So we were able to use these passes some on Monday evening (we got there around 5pm), and Wednesday morning/afternoon - since the passes were good till 5pm on Wednesday. The unlimited passes made much more sense to us, as each individual ride would have cost $5 each per child - so getting to ride the rides multiple times on two separate days really got our moneys worth! You can follow the link below for more information and ways to purchase the passes!
Watch our video below to see all of the fun we had on the island on Monday and Wednesday! :)
Day 3 - Tuesday, June 28th:
On Day 3 we had another 3 rentals at The Strawberry Patch Inn to capture - we did 2 of those in the morning before we headed out on our river floating adventure with River Rat Tubing Adventures. We had SO much fun - this was a first time experience for the kids, and they all loved it! At first they were a bit antsy because they just wanted to get in and swim, but thankfully the river has a lot of shallow areas for walking/splashing/and rock finding - as well as some deeper areas for swimming too! Our favorite was their designated jumping rock that they had along the river - even our 3 year old braved the jump and loved it!!
Smoky Mountain River Rat Main Tubing Outpost
205 Wears Valley Rd, Townsend, TN 37882
Check out our Tubing adventures below!
Once we got back from tubing we finished up with the last rental feature of the day and then we had some lunch at the Little River Pub and Deli. SO yummy, and best of all - it is right on site at The Strawberry Patch Inn! The food was great, and so were the drinks - we even ordered a couple of extra drinks that we were allowed to take to go back to our room since we were staying on site. If you are only coming to eat you are not allowed to take your drinks to go. They mentioned they often have guests come to eat that end up then staying at The Strawberry Patch Inn as well - call it the charm, or call it the yummy drinks catching up to them, haha - either way it's a win win!
Little River Pub and Deli
7503 W Old Hwy 73, Townsend, TN 37882
Check out our video below:
Since we still had our swimsuits on from river floating, we decided to go wade and play in the river right in the backyard of The Strawberry Patch Inn! Perfect for the kiddos!!
Check out our video below!
Day 4 - Wednesday, June 29th:
As I mentioned previously, we spent some of our morning/afternoon at The Island in Pigeon Forge. The kids were all able to ride some of the rides again, and then we introduced them to their first ever Dicks Last Resort experience, haha!
After lunch, and lots of laughs, we headed back to The Strawberry Patch Inn to complete the rental unit for the day. We then all got ready for our dinner reservations at the Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro! I planned our dinner reservations in advance to ensure that we would have the option for outdoor dining, as well as availability during the beautiful hours just before and as the sun sets. Surrounded by trees - the sunlight peeks through in all of the right ways as the sun begins to set. They have strung lights throughout their outdoor dining creating the perfect evening vibe with all of their rustic mountain charm touches to their Appalachian Bistro! Aside from the ambiance that they offer - the food... the food is just absolutely incredible!! Everything we had was divine - their menu can change monthly as to what they offer, but a consistent appetizer for sharing is their,
APPALACHIAN LUNCHABLE
Benne Seed Bacon, Beef Tartare, Castelvetrano Olives, Pimento Cheese, Smoked Salmon Rillette, Cheshire Salami, Benton’s Country Ham, Pickled Vegetables, Buckwheat Crackers
SO very yummy!!
After dinner they even had all of the ingredients available to make s'mores around their bonfire - this was such a nice touch, and the perfect treat for all of us after dinner!
Don't just take our word for it though, check out how many times they have been featured here for being the best of the best in the press!
Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro
137 Apple Valley Way, Townsend, TN 37882
Watch our dining experience below:
Day 5 - Thursday, June 30th:
Thursday was our big eventful day that we packed a lot of action into because it was our only day that we didn't need to be available to feature any of the rental units at the Strawberry Patch Inn.
First up - up bright and early before, and as the sun was rising to get into Cades Cove! Townsend, TN has the closest entrance to Cades Cove of any town near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. So if you are looking to visit Cades Cove, the Strawberry Patch Inn located in Townsend, TN is great choice for your stay! The best times to see wildlife in Cades Cove is late spring and early fall, especially if you're looking for bears. Since we were there in late June, our best chances of seeing some bears were if we went early morning (6 – 10 a.m.) or late afternoon ( 3 – 7 p.m.) We chose early morning since we had other plans later in the day - and oh my goodness am I glad we did!! The views alone were breathtaking - the morning dew and fog below the mountains as the sun began to touch them... just wow!! AND we saw so many bears!! They even walked right beside and behind our van!! The kids were thrilled!! We also saw deer, and a turkey too! The best part however was right towards the end of our loop around - we saw a Mama bear, and her 3 baby cubs!! Trip made!! We were all so excited - and loved watching them!!
Check out our video below for some Cades Cove highlights:
After Cades Cove we headed over to Pigeon Forge next - check out our 4 sleepy bears that took a nice little 30 minute nap on the way over! I guess that before sunrise wake up call mixed with the excitement of seeing the bears got to them all!
We stopped for a quick coffee pick me up and some donuts at Dunkin Donuts - then we were on our way to get checked in at the Titanic Museum!
The Titanic Museum was something that we were all able to really enjoy! Though it doesn't seem like something the little ones could enjoy, they really enjoyed it because they were able to have their own listening device just like us. The museum even offers special numbers just for the kids to put in and listen to - these recordings explained the events of the Titanic in a more kid friendly manner in order for them to learn and understand about it all too! There was also a kid interaction room where they could press buttons, put together puzzles, and even try to steer and turn the ship in time to not hit the iceberg, straight ahead! It was very interesting to listen, read, and see all of the artifacts in the museum. Our favorite and most shocking part of the tour was entering the room that was set to the exact temperature the night that the Titanic sank, 39°F (4°C) in the air - and then we got to stick our hands in a tank of water set to 28°F (-2°C) which was the temperature in the water the night the Titanic sank. It was unbelievably cold... and we just couldn't imagine trying to survive in those conditions! Absolutely heartbreaking all that they had to endure!
TITANIC Museum Attraction
2134 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
You aren't allow to take pictures throughout the museum, except for at the grand staircase - so this is all we have for our video:
After the Titanic Museum we grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch at Cracker Barrel before heading to do our first ever mountain roller coaster! Everybody had so much fun!! Our little thrill seekers wanted to go faster and faster!!
We saved some money on our tickets by purchasing them ahead of time on Tripster:
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster
2940 Veterans Blvd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
Check out our pictures from our mountain thrills!
I know, you are probably thinking - "surly they are done for the day now, right?" Nope! Next we headed to Gatlinburg, TN - only a short 22 minute drive. When we booked our tickets for the Titanic Museum we booked through Tripster and opted for the ticket combo option that included both the Titanic Museum and Anakeesta. We all absolutely loved our visit to Anakeesta! We chose to do Anakeesta as our last stop of the day because we knew we wanted to be able to take in the mountain views atop Anavista Tower at sunset - and I am so glad that we did! Incredible views, and all while feeling like you are up in the sky in the mountains too! The kids loved the rope course playgrounds, and the musical instruments available to play on too! We ended our night on the mountain by braving the treetop skywalk. This was really neat to do as the sun was setting because it was still bright enough outside to see how high up we were in the trees - but dark enough that their lights along the bridges were turned on too. It made it feel so magical!!
Anakeesta
576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Combo tickets through Tripster:
Check out our video from our visit below:
Day 6 - Friday, July 1st:
Sadly, our last morning in Townsend, TN. This morning only consisted of drinking my morning coffee out on the balcony, listening to the river flow and the birds chirping... and then we packed up the van, and did our last 2 rental unit features for the Strawberry Patch Inn before heading to Nashville, TN next!
We all really enjoyed our week in the Smoky Mountains! Our stay at the Strawberry Patch Inn was perfect and just what we needed for a family our size! We will definitely be back again, and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the Great Smoky Mountains! Such a great family vacation!!
We are very thankful for having had the opportunity to get to work with and feature the Strawberry Patch Inn! When you book your stay, make sure you mention that Covered in Sunshine sent you! :)
Take a look at our videos we put together of each of their rental units below! You'll see the pictures we took on their website, and airbnb listings!
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