Americana

With its porch rockers and swing looking out across the treetops toward the Great Smoky Mountains, its wood-planked floors and walls, and its vaulted ceiling, Americana looks like a mountain cabin you might see in the movies. In fact, the 2-bedroom, dog-friendly house is even better: It includes an outdoor hot tub, a billiard table, and access to the resort pool area in the summer.

Because Americana has 2 en-suite primary bedrooms, one on each floor, it can accommodate 2 couples vacationing together as comfortably as it can a family. Each bedroom has a king-size bed you’ll look forward to snuggling into at night (and might find difficult to tear yourself away from in the morning!), a flat-panel TV, plenty of storage, and its own bathroom. The main floor’s bathroom even includes a jetted tub—what a treat after a day on the hiking trails or the ski slopes!

You can soak outdoors too, in the lower deck’s hot tub. As if the steamy bubbles weren’t relaxing enough, here you can enjoy them while watching eagles and falcons soar above the mountains as a fresh breeze whispers through the trees. Afterward, relax on the porch swing or one of the rockers with a cool drink as you listen to warblers and sparrows in the morning or whip-poor-wills and owls at night. You won’t find better entertainment anywhere else!

You can relish the stunning vistas from indoors as well. The main floor’s great room includes a double-height wall of windows and French doors that open to the upper deck. Whether you’re lazing on the sofa with your tablet surfing the web or curled up in the recliner watching a movie on the flat-panel TV with Blu-ray player, you can glance out at the woodlands and the sky. The dining table, which seats 4, is perfectly positioned by the windows too—you can’t beat dinner with a view!

Americana’s kitchen is impressively well equipped with appliances, cookware, and tableware. Whether you want to create a Top Chef-worthy feast or simply brew a cup of coffee in the Keurig system, the kitchen has everything you need except food—and you can get that at the supermarket just down the road. If you have a hankering for barbecue, take advantage of the large gas grill on the deck.

After dinner, head downstairs to the game room, where you’ll find something to entertain everyone. In addition to the full-size pool table, there’s a large flat-screen TV, a Wii gaming system, and even board games—we’ve thought of everything!

In the summer you also have the option of heading to the nearby pool area for a swim. Because Americana is part of Gatlinburg’s Black Bear Falls community, you’ll have free access to its heated adult and kids’ pools and spacious poolside patio. The kids will really love the sprinkler fountain!

Americana’s location is as convenient as it is beautiful. Downtown Gatlinburg is just 5 minutes away; there you can visit an aquarium, play mini golf, and dig into a stack of hotcakes at Tennessee’s oldest pancake house, among other delights. Also nearby is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with its hiking trails, historic cabins, waterfalls, and wildlife. At Ober Gatlinburg Amusement Park you can ski and snowboard in winter and ice-skate year-round; another year-round activity is exploring the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Loop, an 8-mile trail of more than 100 galleries, studios, and shops. Even Dollywood and the shows and outlet shopping of Pigeon Forge are only a half-hour away.

When you stay at Americana, your biggest dilemma may be deciding how you’re going to manage to do everything you want in the amount of time you have. You just might have to make a return visit! First, though, you have to book your initial stay. So what are you waiting for?