Love to stay with John and Charlene at Ironhorse but you certainly should call ahead and not just drop in, it's a popular spot.

 

I growed up in the area. Maggie Valley is great of you want to ride everywhere you want to go. Townsend is also a nice place but the same deal. Downtown Galtinburg can be "touristy", but, you can park the bike at your hotel and walk to restaurants and bars.

I've stayed at the Hampton Inn in Gatlinburg recently. It's near the entrance to the GSMNP, is near restaurants and some friendly adult beverage establishments, and when I stayed there, offered buckets with micro fiber towels and cleaner for your bike. I asked the nice lady behind the counter why they were so nice to bikers. And she said, "cause y'all are so much more well behaved than them NASCAR lunies". Really, she said that.

You have lots of choices. Figure out what you want to do when your not riding and stay where you can do that too.

Enjoy!

 

we are going there the first week of august .

 

Going the first week in Sept. The whole area is nice. From Asheville, NC to Sevierville, TN.

 

http://www.tanglewoodmotelandcabins.com/

http://www.abbeyinn.com/

Beware the $50 room, you will find the bed way too soft and the shower won’t maintain a constant temp.

The Abbey Inn is outside of town, very quiet, great owners. They are about $10 per night cheaper than Tanglewood; great views and the owners will deal with you on price if you are going to be there for a few days. The rooms are clean but smaller than Tanglewood.

Tanglewood will run you $70 on week nights and $80 on Friday and Saturday. Nice owners, clean rooms, closer to town.

 

How about some restaurant suggestions?

 

Depends what you are going for. We have been several times to this area (just got back last week) and we always stay in Gatlinburg. Everything in Gatlinburg is within walking distance, which is good because you don't wanna try to get through town in the evening traffic. It's much more Rustic with it's quaint 2-lane main street, than say, Pigeon Forge, which is 4 lane, Waaay spread out and packed much like an amusement park. The night life in Gatlinburg will be hustle bustle untill about 10:30-11:00pm then it will die off and quiet down. As soon as you leave city limits in either direction, you will be riding in the Smokey Mountain Park (beautiful).
Any ride you want is easily accessible from any town in the area, just depends on what night life you want. We always leave the hotel around 8-9am and ride till 7-8pm, then park the bikes at the hotel in Gatlinburg and walk to supper and hit the night life.
The only thing is, you probably will pay more in Gatlinburg for a room and will probably have to book in advance. Expect $75-$100 a night

 

Hard Rock Cafe is Over rated, Overpriced and always has a long wait. Corky's BBQ is Very good, and they have other stuff besides BBQ. It's next to the Hard Rock Cafe. If you Ride to Ghost Town Harley Davidson in Waynesville, NC which is about 50-60 mile ride from Gatlinburg I can HIGHLY recomend a little restauraunt called Clyde's. It's the exit before you get to the HD exit (don't remember the town). Ask them at the Dealership they recomended it to us. It was, Hands Down, the Best food and service we had on our whole trip and very reasonable. Just a little hole in the wall place but Awesome food!

 

Maggie Valley is next to Waynesville, Crevice on the main drag in the Historic District is nice. Downtown Asheville has a lot of very nice small restraints clustered in the same area. Ask at the front desk for directions to the downtown restaurant district.

Try the Jerusalem Garden Café on Patton Ave or the Indian place on N. Lexington. The area just north of the Jerusalem is loaded with good places to eat.

If you take I 40 past West Asheville and follow the exit signs for downtown you will come in on Patton Ave.

 

If you like seafood, you have to eat at Maggie's Galley! Be careful though because it looks like an old run down barn off the main strip/street. It has a stop light right outside the front door. If its green that means GO GO GO...IT'S OPEN!! haha..
http://www.wncmagazine.com/restauran...ley_oyster_bar

Headlights Bar and Grill in downtown Waynesville has excellent burgers, etc. It's a cool little place with old school hot rods and girls pictures hanging, etc. Here is the menu:
http://headlightsbarandgrill.com/menuHeadlights.pdf

O'Malley's Pub and Grill is also in downtown Waynesville. Ask the bartender/cook with the dreadlock hair to cook you the special hot hamburger. He purates peppers, jalapenos and spices and blend it in with the meat, adds pepperjack cheese and walla. It melts in your mouth. Best damn hamburger I have ever had but I do like spicy stuff....anyways..here is their regular menu.

http://dininginthesmokies.com/_waynesv/dwomalle.htm