Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa

The resort is off the main road that leads into Gatlinburg but is tucked away on 255 acres of its own secluded mountain wilderness. The peace and quiet ends there, though, with 55 of those acres essentially developed into a theme park, bustling with activity from 765 rooms full of guests. Uniformed employees (dressed like park rangers) are everywhere, showing new guests around or shuttling people around the hilly landscape in golf carts. The lobby has a lounge area with a stone tile floor, large fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows, and plush leather living room furniture, but most of the space is devoted to a front desk check-in area that's set up for long lines.

The Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort is between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge off the 441 Parkway that connects the two towns. Gatlinburg is a resort town bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, known for its scenic mountain views and outdoor activities. From the resort, it's an easy four-minute drive into the downtown area that's packed with restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions. The entrance to the national park is an eight-minute drive away, but tourist traffic through town can greatly add to the time. Pigeon Forge and its popular Dollywood theme park is about a 20-minute drive in the opposite direction. Knoxville is less than an hour away, and Nashville is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from the resort.

The condo-style rooms are large and almost uniformly decorated, with shiny over-size living room furniture, gray carpets, and a great deal of wood molding. Some are in better condition than others. They range from studios to massive five-bedroom units that can be as large as 3,600 square feet. The furnishings vary: Some units have crated log furniture instead of metal-lattice chairs, and the wall paint varies from condo to condo. Some units have fireplaces. Each has a fully equipped kitchen or a kitchenette, and separate living/dining areas with queen sleeper sofas. All rooms (save studios) have private balconies, many with great mountain views, but others look over a parking lot. Deluxe rooms have much larger balconies of timber construction.

The main event is the mountain-themed water park totaling 60,000 square feet of pools, hot tubs, interactive playgrounds, waterslides and a lazy river. The Westgate also has a retractable roof for year-round use. But access to the water park requires a separate fee. There are two other heated outdoor pools, both of which have sundecks/lounge areas and small hot tubs. To keep kids busy on dry land, there's also a large arcade with a variety of games, and an outdoor playground. A picnic area with umbrella-covered tables, grills, and a fire pit is an added plus. The spa is on the small side, with a tiny sauna and the usual services, including massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures.

A large marketplace is on-site with snacks, limited groceries, and gifts. Three eateries consist of the Westgate Smokehouse Grill serving American standards, the Mason Jar Lounge with pizza and bar food, and the Roaring Fork Snack Bar. There's also a little ice-cream shop. The 24-hour fitness center has treadmills, stationary bikes, circuit machines, and free weights. Free parking is available, and staff in golf carts will shuttle guests around the resort, though the waiting times can be long.