We loved this restaurant so much that we went back two nights in a row. It is easy to miss as you drive down the street it is located on, but Tomatillos is so worth the trip. The kids loved watching the homemade tortillas being made, the staff was so friendly, and the food was amazing. The best part is that the kid's menu was easy on the wallet. The prices for most of the meals are reasonable but we loved the Highchair option (don't worry...your child doesn't have to be in a highchair to order this) where for only $2 you get a huge plate of rice and beans and all the tortillas you can eat!

We decided since we were in the land of Dolly Parton we had to at least see the statue of a very young Dolly Parton. The statue is located in front of the Courthouse (if I am remembering correctly!) and was kind of difficult to find because it was set behind some buildings and we were expecting it to be on the main road. The statue was neat to see but we didn't even get the kids out of the car.

This is one of the more kid-friendly zoos we have ever been to! The exhibits have signs that encourage the children to think about and question what they are seeing. There is a discovery center where the kids can play. They can crawl out into the middle of the prairie dog exhibit. There is a small petting zoo where you can actually go into the pens of the animals. The zoo is shaded well.

We spent two exciting and fun-filled nights at Wilderness at the Smokies with my 3 year old daughter and 5 year old son. My son is already begging to go back to the “water park sleep place” and my daughter wants to know why we don’t have a water slide in our backyard. Except for the minor snafu of waiting in the wrong check in area, the rest of our two day stay was a dream. A note to the wise: be sure to check which lodge you are staying in before you get everyone out of the car!

Cheerful, kind, and helpful staff -
From the minute we walked in the doors of our lodge, everyone was so friendly. Every employee we encountered (with the exception of two that must have been having a bad day), from the front desk staff to the water park staff and lifeguards, was cheery, kind and helpful.

Rooms are comfortable -
The hotel room that we stayed in was your typical two queen bed hotel room with a table and two chairs, another more comfy lounge chair, a TV, bathroom, refrigerator, microwave, and trashcan. Oooooh…the trashcan. How can a trashcan be such an amazing part of a hotel room? This trashcan was a full size trashcan. Not one of those silly little hotel trashcans that hold three crumpled up pieces of paper and is suddenly full. The kids especially loved the balcony overlooking the parking lot! The temperature in the room is controlled on the unit and we were able to make it as warm (after the water play) or as cool (during the hot southern evenings) as we wanted. The room and bathroom were both clean and still had that new hotel room smell.

Good location a short drive from many attractions -
The hotel is located in the mountains of Sevierville in the Smoky Mountains. It is near many touristy shops and restaurants and is a short drive from Downtown Sevierville. It is only about 15-20 minutes from Gatlinburg, but if you are planning to head to Gatlinburg budget time into your itinerary for the awful traffic that you will encounter. It did not help that there was lots of construction on the roads that you take. The hotel is not near any public transportation that we could see but there is a shuttle that runs back forth to each side of the resort. We never had to wait for a shuttle for more than three minutes at a time.

On property restaurants a little pricey -
We stayed in the Stone Hill Lodge and there was one restaurant available. The restaurant was a bit pricey for our tastes so we took our dining business to the other side of the resort. We had dinner at the Thirsty Miner which offers lots of choices ranging from pizza, sandwiches, and a buffet. Kids eat free with each adult entrée purchased. Since the buffet was VERY pricey (17.95 a person) we chose to order a pizza. The pizza tasted good but it took about 35 minutes to come out during a time when the restaurant had only a handful of people dining. We ordered an ice cream dessert and twenty minutes later the dessert had not come out so we cancelled the order. If we ate at the restaurant again, we would probably spend the extra money to eat at the buffet so that we weren’t waiting. There are several family options for takeout as well. There are also snack shops available at both water park areas that sell things like sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken at a decent price. This is a great option if you don’t want to leave the water park area for lunch. There are several dining options off of the hotel premises as well including fast food, a diner, and Cracker Barrel.

Good security -
As far as security goes, there is a safe in each room and the parking lots are well lit at night. At one point, my husband had gone downstairs with the kids while I stayed in the room. When I was ready to go, I ran out the door without my camera and a room key of my own. The maid staff was working right next door so I asked if they could let me back in to the room so that I could grab my camera. They apologized profusely but said that they could not let me in the room and I needed to head down to the front desk (or find my husband with the key). In retrospect, I realize it would have been inappropriate for them to let me in even though they saw me walk out of the room just a few seconds before.

We would definitely stay here again. The website often runs specials for the hotel. When looking at the hotel cost, remember that you are also getting water park admission for your whole family.

*This review is based on a complimentary stay at Wilderness in the Smokies and Water park. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view

Wilderness at the Smokies has three separate water park areas. We spent the majority of our time at the Salamander Springs and the Wild Water Dome. Overall, each of the water parks are taken care of and properly staffed. You must be a guest of the hotels at Wilderness at the Smokies to visit the water parks.

Salamander Springs -
When we found out that we were staying in the Stone Hill Lodge across the street from the larger indoor waterpark, we were extremely disappointed UNTIL we saw where our hotel room was located! If you have smaller children, I highly recommend that you stay in the Stone Hill Lodge because it is just an elevator ride to Salamander Springs. Salamander Springs is over 40,000 square feet of water slides, pools, and play structures perfect for the kids ages 0 and up! There is a toddler area where the bigger children are not allowed so your children can play safely. We spent hours and hours just in Salamander Springs. The kids loved that they were big enough to go down both of the large slides and mom and dad loved that we could lounge for a few minutes and keep an eye on them with no problem! We probably would have played here the whole weekend if it weren’t for the fact that we were trying out everything around the hotel!

Wild Water Dome Indoor Waterpark
The Wild Water Dome Indoor Waterpark is 60,000 square feet and is open year round. It felt like it was a big space because it wasn’t very crowded. However, I could imagine that if there were big crowds it could feel claustrophobic. The ceiling is made of Foil Tech glass that allows you to get a tan even if it is cold outside so make sure that you bring the sunscreen. There are one time use lockers available for rent if you bring valuables over from the other side of the resort. If you plan on opening the locker more than once, bring several dollars. There are change machines near the lockers. My 5 year old was able to ride most of the larger slides with dad so I kept the 3 year old occupied with the Washout Mountain were she went down the slide no less than 50 times! The whole family loved hanging out in the wave pool. If you don’t have a strong swimmer, I recommend using one of the life jackets available. I really liked the fact that the life jackets we saw were well kept and clean. My husband and son both tried their hand at the Smokies Surf Rider. Big S was thrilled when he found out that you had to be 44in to try it and he was exactly 44in tall!

Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark
Outside of the Wild Water Dome Indoor Waterpark you will find the Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark where we made several round trips on the Cataloochee Creek lazy river. In all of the water parks we have visited, we have not seen inner tubes like the ones here. There are your typical single and double inner tubes, but there is an additional double inner tube where the front seat is closed to the water in the bottom. My 3 year old was able to enjoy the ride and splash about and I did not have to worry about her falling through the inner tube. As you cruise down the lazy river, you can pull off at the Washout Wilderness Rapids. This wave pool is smaller than the one indoors. The river surrounds the new miniature golf course which is 6 dollars an adult, and 4 dollars a child to play.

We like that the waterparks provide towels poolside. It is convenient to be able to just walk in to the waterpark empty handed and know that a towel will be waiting for you. That being said, the towel was not like my big fluffy beach towels that were sitting in our room!
Although Wilderness at the Smokies is not as large as some of the waterparks we have been to coming from Florida, I was certainly able to keep my children entertained for 36 fabulous hours, get a suntan, and enjoy some family time. We are already planning a vacation up there next year. It is about 8 hours north of me and 8 hours south of my sister so it is the perfect meeting place!

*This review is based on a complimentary visit to Wilderness at the Smokies. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view