Are you and 91 of your closest friends ready to come on the vacation of a lifetime? Perhaps in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
Then have I got the place for you!
Is it a hotel? Emphatically, no!
It’s a cabin. This single 21-bedroom cabin sleeps nearly 100 people right in the heart of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Welcome to the Grand LeConte Lodge. This is one of the biggest rental cabins in the Eastern United States.
The cabin, which has 21 full bathrooms and one half bath, offers spectacular mountain views and its own elevator.
Each room – most of which are king-sized master bedroom types – comes with its own full bathroom and stone gas fireplace as well as a flat screen television with DVD player.
Essentially, you’re renting out an entire hotel for yourself.
Why would I need to rent such a large space?
I can think of a couple of reasons, including a large church or scouting group. Or maybe for an entire destination wedding party. Right in the middle of downtown Pigeon Forge, the place nearly sells itself.
In fact, let’s quote from the breathless PR paragraph that shows up across multiple booking sites.
“…located 5 minutes from Dollywood, downtown Pigeon Forge, The Cal Ripken Experience baseball, The Island and the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge! This won’t just be somewhere you sleep, it will be an EXPERIENCE!”
I tried to work in a Jimi Hendrix “Are you experienced or have you ever been experienced?” joke here because I love that line. But I couldn’t make it work. If you come up with one, share it in the comments. Honestly, it’s bugging me right now not having one.
Also, I think this cabin would be great if you’re a really big fan of “The Shining” and have a lot of disposable income and if the idea of having a massive mountain hotel-like complex to yourself is appealing.
“Come play with us, Danny!”
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What are some nearby attractions?
With a convenient location in the middle of Pigeon Forge, the cabin has easy access to several attractions. Honestly, I think the best answer for why people rent this place is hidden in the nearby attractions list.
For example, the aforementioned Ripken Experience baseball complex.
In truth, I’ve often wondered about the hassles of booking a hotel for a dozen or more travel team families for the Ripken Experience.
Having stayed in a variety of team hotels across the South, bringing a team into a traditional hotel setting can be difficult. For example, the kids can be a little too loud.
Or perhaps the other hotel guests can be a little “interesting” and having your kids interact with them is in nobody’s best interest.
Furthermore, having a cabin facility to yourself where a team of kids and their families can relax, have fun and enjoy the awesome video arcade and huge theater room without sharing common space with strangers does seem appealing.
What are some of the other amenities on-site?
The cabin has a lot of features, including:
- Hot tub or spa tub
- Pool table
- Two full kitchens (fully equipped)
- Laundry room
- Game room
- Gas grill
- Two electric car charging stations
- Huge covered decks with views of Mt. LeConte
There are 18 king bedrooms with king-sized beds and a futon for the little ones.
In addition to the master bedroom, there are two ADA compliant bedrooms that feature roll-in showers and sinks.
The bunk room features three sets of custom-made king-sized bunk beds that will sleep up to 12 adults.
That leaves so much more room for activities, such as aerobics or step class. Surely, it promises to be the “funnest” night ever. At least it was in the movie “Step Brothers” starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.
The cabin itself is the perfect staging area for popular attractions nearby. The list includes LeConte Center Pigeon Forge, Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country. And also pretty much every popular destination in downtown Pigeon Forge.
Read Also: Is DreamMore worth it? An honest review of Dollywood’s resort
Does the 21-bedroom Grand LeConte Lodge have a pool?
Are you kidding?
The private indoor swimming pool is pretty sweet with plenty of deck space to relax and take in the view of the mountains.
Is the 21-bedroom Grand LeConte Lodge pet-friendly?
No. The facility does not allow pets.
You can bring your ball team, but not your pets. It is also a smoke-free property.
Read Also: Best dog friendly cabins in the Smoky Mountains: Top 4 ranked [2022]
Where is the Grand LeConte Lodge located?
It’s located just off Veterans Parkway, aka the back route to Dollywood from Sevierville. In fact, you’re not far from the park itself. There’s also Dolly’s Stampede on the strip and the poorly named Gatlinburg Golf Course – which is in Pigeon Forge.
There’s also a trolley stop nearby. I would recommend going to the excellent Lil’ Bear Café for breakfast. However, that place is tiny and could not handle you and 91 of your friends.
“But John,” you might say, “I Googled LeConte Lodge and found a crude-looking shack in the national park that’s right next to something called the LeConte pit toilet.”
Yeah. The word “Grand” is surprisingly crucial here.
The Grand LeConte Lodge sleeps 92 people and is in Pigeon Forge. Conversely, LeConte Lodge is a Spartan overnight cabin experience.
And there are ghosts of hikers from the afterlife running around there. It’s for people who like eating hardtack and climbing mountains until their legs literally fall off. It’s for people that see the words “pit toilet” and book their stay anyway.
You can see the top of Mount LeConte from the Grand LeConte Lodge. The not-as-grand LeConte Lodge is on the top of Mount LeConte.
Otherwise, the two have nothing in common.
How much are we talking about for a night’s stay?
Well my friend, as you can imagine, this kind of large-scale luxury doesn’t come cheap. You’re looking at anywhere from just over $4,000 to just under $6,000 per night depending on the arrival date and the time of year.
Sure, that sounds like a lot, but it’s only about $200-$275 per room per night. So, if you’re spreading the cost around, that total reservation is not a lot more than staying at some of the better hotels in the region.
But you’re also getting a facility with exclusive access to the pool, arcade games, dining hall and a spacious living room where you and your guests can gather.
All right! We’re doing it. How can we book?
The cabin is available through a variety of vacation booking websites. We like booking with VRBO.
Have you and your friends stayed at Grand Mt. Leconte? Was it worth it? Let us know in the comments.
