Wilderness at the Smokies
Wilderness at the Smokies
Wilderness at the Smokies
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
600 reviews
Excellent
259
Very good
152
Average
85
Poor
50
Terrible
54
Jason K
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
Well first off the room is ok , clean , that’s the only decent part. Then you get deeper inside , the food absolutely Freakin SUCKS !!! And the price of it SUCKS even worse , it’s freaking Disney land prices. I eat breakfast buffet ALONE and it was $22 and yes it sucked too. So you get into the inside pool area it’s so hot , stuffy it’s hard to breath they need fresh air blowing it’s awful. Now trying to eat in that area is awful too people have there crap on all the tables and are nowhere to be found, that area should be to eat and that’s it , so you have to stand Up to eat sometimes. Next there are not enough chairs in the place to set period unless you come out at 9am and put all your crap in a seat to save it good luck finding seats (2 or more). All staff was nice and they have plenty of lifeguards which is a positive thing. Look I know they won’t be able to make everyone happy and most people probably are (including me most of the time) but if they would change that shi**y food, put some fresh air in that pool area and figure out more seating like make a 2 story setting area and they have the room to do that it would be a huge improvement.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LucidLuniz
Stuarts Draft, VA10 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
My kids love water parks so reading that this was the largest indoor water park in Tennessee, we were hopeful it would be something special.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case.
There are only 4 slides, two of which are basic and disappointing. The other two are group slides that were fun the one time we got to ride them but a chain on the lift that carries the rafts to the top of the slides broke early on and they were closed the rest of the day. I asked an employee about it and they said this happens regularly.
The wave pool is extremely small and offers very little in the way of supervision as the lifeguards were busy having fun.
The kids play area was the smallest of its kind that I've come across.
The wave rider was perhaps the most disappointing. At other parks the staff will help you get the most out of the experience, showing you how to do various moves and giving you instructional tips. They also typically have a red/green light so each rider knows when their turn is over. There were no such lights here so the amount of time each rider got came down to how greedy/ungreedy they were with the others waiting in line. The end result was that some riders got less than 10 seconds while others rode for 2+ minutes.
Overall it was a very underwhelming experience. We will go to a different water park next time.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case.
There are only 4 slides, two of which are basic and disappointing. The other two are group slides that were fun the one time we got to ride them but a chain on the lift that carries the rafts to the top of the slides broke early on and they were closed the rest of the day. I asked an employee about it and they said this happens regularly.
The wave pool is extremely small and offers very little in the way of supervision as the lifeguards were busy having fun.
The kids play area was the smallest of its kind that I've come across.
The wave rider was perhaps the most disappointing. At other parks the staff will help you get the most out of the experience, showing you how to do various moves and giving you instructional tips. They also typically have a red/green light so each rider knows when their turn is over. There were no such lights here so the amount of time each rider got came down to how greedy/ungreedy they were with the others waiting in line. The end result was that some riders got less than 10 seconds while others rode for 2+ minutes.
Overall it was a very underwhelming experience. We will go to a different water park next time.
Written 24 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rockstar89
Pegram, TN871 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This was probably our 5th visit and by far, the worst. First off, the wait to check in exceeded one hour. In their defense, it was all hands on deck and they were trying, but that is WAY too long of a wait for a room. There has to be a way to make it a faster process even if (ESPECIALLY IF) there is an event going on. So, after waiting an hour to get keys, we got to our room to find that...drum roll please...there were no beds. Only pull out couch & Murphy bed. I can’t even believe that is an option. Basically it was the kitchen/living room of a suite that hadn’t been sold and we were told it was all that was left on property. I never would have agreed to this, especially at the price point. It might have been acceptable for children, but neither was comfortable enough for a good nights sleep for an adult and made for a long weekend. Promised rides every 10 minutes to the convention center were a nice addition (and appreciated) option, but they should probably be quoted as every 15-20 minutes as that was more realistic.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven B
1 contribution
Dec 2019
Ours kids loved it, but I was expecting a larger indoor area. Seats are hard to come by so you need to go down at 9 am to reserve chairs. Arcade is expensive. A ton of games, just pricey. Food was expensive and not that great. I would suggest going outside of the resort for food. It will be better and cheaper.
Written 15 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shawana G
14 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We decided to come here for a family vacation over winter break. The check in process was fairly simple and the gentleman that checked us in was friendly and helpful as was the other staff we encountered.
We decided to save money and stay in the Stone Hill Lodge. Which ended up working out because it was just a short shuttle ride to the main building and shuttles run every 15 min. Our hotel room was pretty standard, 2 queen beds. There’s plenty for families to do here. My family really enjoyed the water park, there’s something for kids of all ages. Plus a nice bar and indoor/outdoor hot tub for adults.
My complaints:
Our room was dusty, and there was some sort of bug crawling on one of the beds when we arrived.
We ate at Hidden Trails restaurant on our first night. My waitress said kids eat for free, she failed to mention that I had to order an “entree” for my child to eat free. I ordered other food items off the menu that ended up costing more than entree, and they still did not let my child eat free. I was so irritated by that experience that I didn’t eat at any other establishment onsite.
Overall I would stay here again, I would like to come back when the outdoor waterparks are open.
We decided to save money and stay in the Stone Hill Lodge. Which ended up working out because it was just a short shuttle ride to the main building and shuttles run every 15 min. Our hotel room was pretty standard, 2 queen beds. There’s plenty for families to do here. My family really enjoyed the water park, there’s something for kids of all ages. Plus a nice bar and indoor/outdoor hot tub for adults.
My complaints:
Our room was dusty, and there was some sort of bug crawling on one of the beds when we arrived.
We ate at Hidden Trails restaurant on our first night. My waitress said kids eat for free, she failed to mention that I had to order an “entree” for my child to eat free. I ordered other food items off the menu that ended up costing more than entree, and they still did not let my child eat free. I was so irritated by that experience that I didn’t eat at any other establishment onsite.
Overall I would stay here again, I would like to come back when the outdoor waterparks are open.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary H
Fruit Cove, FL124 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
First time visit! Beyond our expectations! We stayed at the Wyndham resort next door so had easy access. The kids were beyond excited! Great range of water activities for all ages with varying degrees of height and difficulty. I loved the lazy River while the rest of our crew embraced the bigger water slides on a family float.
Plenty of lounge chairs both in and out of the sun. I was very impressed with the number of lifeguards on duty and their diligence in watching over everyone.
Multiple food options and delightful, tropical adult beverages available to enjoy.
Great first visit, doubt it will be our last.
Plenty of lounge chairs both in and out of the sun. I was very impressed with the number of lifeguards on duty and their diligence in watching over everyone.
Multiple food options and delightful, tropical adult beverages available to enjoy.
Great first visit, doubt it will be our last.
Written 1 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Woj001
Miami, FL38 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
We heard everything from the room above us all night and the rooms were lackluster. There was nobody enforcing their COVID protocols as a majority of the staff didn’t wear masks. Also on the waterslides there were no space markers as people jammed in next together. I felt extremely uncomfortable the entire time I was there.
Written 23 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann M
Bluffton, SC129 contributions
Nov 2020 • Family
I had high hopes but was not impressed...at all. First, it was so hot every where we went in the resort and with masks it made it that much worse so it was difficult to have fun when you’re sweating so badly.
Overall everything felt really dirty, and most of the hand sanitizer stations were empty. The indoor water park left a lot to be desired. There isn’t much for older kids to do, there is one slide and the surf rider. The chlorine was so strong it was burning our skin. It may be better in the summer b/c it looks like there is a lot more to do in the outdoor water parks. It seemed like there were several arcade games that were down. The rooms were decent and the beds comfortable. The most fun was the pottery painting but again, super hot.
Not sure we would come back again.
Overall everything felt really dirty, and most of the hand sanitizer stations were empty. The indoor water park left a lot to be desired. There isn’t much for older kids to do, there is one slide and the surf rider. The chlorine was so strong it was burning our skin. It may be better in the summer b/c it looks like there is a lot more to do in the outdoor water parks. It seemed like there were several arcade games that were down. The rooms were decent and the beds comfortable. The most fun was the pottery painting but again, super hot.
Not sure we would come back again.
Written 26 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gretta W
Mount Washington, KY1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Family
We stayed at the wilderness in the smokies in villa 114 for the weekend of feb28-March 1st. Check in was long, and we were given hardly any info on the villas. The only info we were told was where the villas are and were told to check out just press 9 on the “phone”. Once at the villa, everything “appeared clean” but later did we notice that the sheets were not changed, dishwasher was not working, all the dishes were dirty. We spent just a small amount of time at the water park. It was just disgusting. No lockers available, all tables covered with cups and trash, and the ground had old fruit and cups all over it. It was horribly crowded, and nobody really watching for safety. We attempted to find the hot tub and when we did, I just appalled.It was SO crowded that it was standing room only, full of teens under age drinking and even women with small babies. No staff was near by to even watch the hot tub. On the way out, I slipped on an dirty orange peel that was on the ground. I expected more from this place, but it’s quite clear that they just want to make a buck, and no limits to the amount of people crammed into that park and their safety. There was no “phone” in our villa to check out, therefore I stood in a line for over an hour for them to say “we don’t really know either, because we just took over ownership of them”.
Written 16 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT140 contributions
May 2021 • Family
We went in the off season of early may, there were crowds but not as bad as summer crowds. The rates are good and food excellent. Our room clean n cozy. The arcade and dome indoor waterpark was not that big, it was one of the smaller resort waterparks for thr indoor portion. but great for the spring crowd. Mid afternoon the wait times at many slides became long at 20 to 30 minutes. I couldnt say I would want to visit in the summer because I think the crowd would be unbearable. Although the outdoor water parks open late may and that would disperse the crowd.
Written 14 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have been trying to lose weight and am coming to the resort very soon. What are some healthy foods offered by your dining services?
Written 16 May 2024
If we stay at stone hill, does that include getting to get into the river lodge indoor slide park in the price?
Written 17 June 2023
Is there a hot tub at the River Lodge Suites
Written 25 May 2023
Janet W
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
If I’m staying at the Wyndham do you get wristbands to go to the water park at the wilderness?
Written 26 June 2022
Does the executive king suite have a kitchenette of any type? Or just the small fridge and microwave?
Written 23 May 2020
If you stay at stone hill do you still get the same adventure package as the river lodge?
Written 2 July 2019
How far is this hotel from the convention center? Daughter has a volleyball tournament there .
Written 10 January 2019
The indoor water park is inside River Lodge correct? Any recommendations for good, cheaper restaurants close that would be good for toddlers? Thanks
Written 15 November 2018
We found a Shoney's and other restaurants in the area that have a better variety than what the waterpark has to offer. Hope this helps.
Written 15 November 2018
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