Sidney James Mountain Lodge - Downtown Gatlinburg

Sidney James Mountain Lodge sits right in downtown Gatlinburg, but it feels way more secluded than you'd expect for being 0.3 miles from the national park entrance. The family's owned this place since 1958, and you can tell — there's this creek running behind the main building with old stone steps carved out where we love to sit and decompress after battling the Parkway crowds.

The red trolley stops right at the hotel, which saves you from driving into that downtown chaos. We've stayed here with our kids multiple times, and honestly, the indoor pool gets more use than the seasonal outdoor ones — Tennessee weather can be unpredictable even in summer.

One thing though — they're closing all the pools and hot tub February 16-27 for maintenance, so avoid those dates if swimming is important to you. The rooms aren't fancy, but kids 12 and under stay free, and at $56 starting rates, it's hard to beat for downtown Gatlinburg.

Oh and if you're bringing your dog, call ahead with your booking confirmation number. They only allow dogs in certain rooms, max 35 pounds each, and it's an extra $25 per night. The Poolside Cafe is convenient for quick bites, but we usually walk the 7 minutes to the strip for dinner since there's so much variety.

Recent reviews are all over the place — some people love the quiet location off the main road, others think it needs updating. We fall into the first camp, especially since parking is included and you're still walking distance to everything.