Park Vista DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Gatlinburg Tennessee

So, just a month after going to Gatlinburg for a sweet, relaxing couples trip, we were able to go back to the area for another great, extended weekend trip!

AND, we took our niece with us!  This was her first trip to the area, and we wanted to cram in as much as possible with her!

For our last several visits, we have stayed at the super cozy B&B, the Berry Springs Lodge.  This is a great place, and we will be back there in the future...  but for this trip we wanted to stay somewhere closer to the main strip in Gatlinburg.  A more economical hotel closer to town was the way to go for this adventure.

Also, I've always wanted to stay at the Park Vista- it's a real landmark in Gatlinburg.  Its part of the skyline and you definitely notice it.  We were excited to get to stay here for this trip, and it ended up being a nice location for us.

Being a DoubleTree property, we were given cookies when we got there!  BONUS!

They had a small gift shop too...  and in it I found SIGNED copies of "Bear in the Back Seat" I & II for $13 each!  I LOVE these books, and I have loaned/given my copies away so I was thrilled to score signed copies here!  By the way, these would be great books to give a young person before their first trip to the area!

I had read that the Park Vista had done some renovations after the major 2016 fires.  I watched some of the horrifying youtube videos shot from the lobby at that time!  WOW!  It was obviously scary at that time....  and it was a bit eye opening to think about those videos while in the hotel.  I will have more to say about that fire later...  as we would have a long conversation with a couple who were there in town that day.

So, I didn't notice any major renovations, and the hotel is a bit dated, but it is kept up nicely.  It had a "built in the 70s but well maintained" feel.  Of course the fact that it is round and tall made me think of the legendary hotel in Owensboro- Gabe's Tower.

Let me clarify my use of the word "dated."  This hotel still has a REAL classic feel from decades earlier.  Get there soon and soak in some of that before someone "updates" it, and removes some of its charm.

We were on the top, 15th floor and we had great views from our window!  AND, there was a sliding glass balcony window so we could watch as the sun came up and went down each day.  I did love that.

My niece would note that she thought the Space Needle in town wasn't very tall.  She would make her point by pointing out, from our balcony, that we were looking down on the space needle.

Oh, there was a great bar and bartender we loved here too!  A large tea and coffee cost me $3.50!  Maybe they charge 1970s prices here!

The hotel is a bit of a walk from the strip (probably just under a mile) but it is uphill on the way back.  They do have the trolleys picking up and dropping off every half hour right in front though, so it is very convenient.