Are you among the 11 million folks that will visit Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, this year? If so, you NEED to know about The Inn On The River!! We visited Pigeon Forge last week and were graciously hosted at The Inn On The River by General Manager Karl Thomas. He even gave us a sneak peek into what’s upcoming as far as their continuing renovations and improvements!
First off, The Inn On The River is an older property that is being redone from the ground up. It was a chain and now is privately owned. Can I just tell you how perfectly located this hotel is? It’s right on the banks of the Little Pigeon River at traffic light #2 (all of the directions given throughout Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg use directions from the closest main traffic light on US Highway 441 (known around town as “Parkway”)–much easier than learning street names in an unfamiliar area!). The Inn On The River is one of the very few hotels located on the banks of the river, giving it a peaceful and beautiful aspect that is unrivaled in the area.
And convenient! We were mere minutes away from all of the attractions on our agenda. If we had wanted to, we could have even left our car parked at the hotel and taken the multi-route trolley. It departs just a few steps from the Inn’s front door. (We didn’t this time, but will definitely do it next time! It looks so convenient and easy.)
As Mr. Thomas showed us around The Inn On The River, his pride in the all of the improvements being implemented was obvious. He told us of the new pool upgrades happening later in August/early September (properly timed after the summer rush is over). Note: The Inn On The River is one of the few hotels in the area to have both indoor and outdoor pools. The new color combinations are beautiful and attention has been paid to choose function too: the new flooring tiles have non-slip properties. And since the current pools are already so attractive, I can’t wait to see the new look! They’re going to be amazing!!
The guest rooms are all being remodeled and we enjoyed a newly-done spacious and lovely first floor room that faced onto the river. It was fun waking up to a family of ducks (and a few geese) in the morning!!
The guest rooms feature Serta pillow top mattresses–ours had two queen sized beds, but king sized beds are also available. We loved the in-room Keurig and thought the bathroom was gorgeous. The Bath & Body Works Stress Relief toiletries were a nice touch too.
From the moment we walked into The Inn On The River, we knew it was a special place. A popcorn machine is not normal hotel lobby decor!! But here, it makes evenings fun. Toss in some family board games (tucked away–but within little ones’ reach–in special bins in the lobby) and 24 hour complimentary coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate and you have some of the unique touches that make The Inn On The River so delightful. Oh, and there is a special “Vacation Starter Kit” for kids 10 and under. It includes such fun items as an arcade gift card, a deck of playing cards, stickers, and some other assorted toys. Such a sweet idea!
There’s a free breakfast buffet in the morning with all the expected standards and plenty of seating inside and out. I was impressed that an awning was being installed on the patio to turn it into more of a multi-season space. It’s a beautiful area next to the river, but full of sunlight… and in the summer, it gets hot quickly. So an awning makes perfect sense. In the fall, they’re going to add patio heaters and the space will become a warm, welcoming retreat. Perfect!
So, as you can tell, we thought The Inn On The River was perfectly located, quiet spot on the river but within reach of so many favorite spots…. but we also thought it was just perfect. We loved all the little extras that added up to one fantastic hotel. It’s #3 on TripAdvisor for a reason!!
Disclosure: We were invited by the folks at The Inn On The River to stay with them while we were in Pigeon Forge so we did receive a complimentary night’s stay in exchange for an honest review on our blog. ALL of the opinions in this post are completely our own.
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