Some last-minute SPECIALS

We don't run special deals on Smoky Mountain Tower or All Decked Out very often. But we've got a couple that we have just announced. If your schedule permits, you can save some money.

First, Smoky Mountain Tower. We just got a rare last-minute cancellation because the guest has been invited to appear on the Oprah show! This has opened up 5 nights in early May. You can arrive on Saturday, April 30 and stay until Thursday, May 5 (5 nights) for only $104.25 per night (plus tax). That’s a discount of 25%! All the details are posted on our Web site - just click here. By the way, these are the only dates available at Smoky Mountain Tower until mid-August, except for a couple of weekends (June 18-19 and July 9-10).

At All Decked Out, we have a few more dates open. We're offering 15% off all available dates between now and the end of May. That lowers the price to just $118.15 per night (plus tax). Click here for available dates and details. May is a great time to come to Gatlinburg because the spring flowers are all in bloom and the crowds haven't arrived yet! After May, All Decked Out is full until the end of July except for a couple of mid-week dates in June.

We know it's tough to make last-minute plans. But if you're thinking about Gatlinburg before August, we hope you can take advantage of these special offers. Based on past experience, they won't last long!

Gatlinburg water treatment plant news

While this news doesn't have any direct implications for guests at Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out, it is something we think our friends should know about.

This morning, a tank collapsed at the Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, spilling up to 3 million gallons of sewage into the Little Pigeon River and possibly sweeping away two workers. The Treatment Plant is located right next to the Gatlinburg Welcome Center on Wiley Oakley, which is the road that leads up to our cabins.

Here's a picture showing the Plant in the center and the Welcome Center on the left (with the big parking lot behind it).


This picture comes from www.knoxnews.com, where you can see more pictures.

The main effect for us is in two areas. First, traffic is going to be really bad for the next couple of days, especially coming from Pigeon Forge toward Gatlinburg. Secondly, the 'trash compactor' where Ingrid takes our trash is located just to the right of the Treatment Plant, so she doesn't know how that's going to work out.

Of course, our real concern is for the two missing workers. Rescue crews are doing everything they can to find them, and we're praying that they will be okay.

Obviously, this is a very serious situation. You can get keep up with the news at The Mountain Press. As far as we know, both All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower came through last night's storm with no problem. But if you're heading to Gatlinburg in the next few days, please be aware that you might have some traffic issues to deal with. Thanks for your patience.

"It's so WELL TAKEN CARE OF!"

Earlier this year, we wrote a couple of posts about our great cleaning crew from Y-US Cleaning. Now we want to tell you about another vital member of our team - Mark Kalinowski.


Mark and his family moved to Sevier County from Michigan several years ago. He did maintenance work for us a long time ago, but then he got busy remodeling houses and we lost track of him. A couple of years ago, we literally spotted him in a parking lot and re-established contact - and he's been helping us ever since.

What does Mark do? Well, just about anything! In the picture above, he's getting ready to replace all the window mechanisms in the sunroom at Smoky Mountain Tower. Earlier this week, he replaced the toilet in the Tower half-bath. We think it might be leaking, but it was never "caught in the act." Rather than take a chance, we just asked Mark to replace it.

Mark has removed "popcorn" from ceilings and repaired them, done electrical work, and installed windows. He works both inside and outside. When you go to All Decked Out, take a look at the floors in the entryway, bathrooms and laundry room - that's all his handiwork. So, thank you, Mark, for being willing and VERY able to help us with so many of our maintenance problems! Mark is one of the major reasons why our guests comment on how well things work at both Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out.
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Happy Birthday, Angie

This post may seem a bit "off subject," but it isn't, really.

Today is our daughter, Angie Jones' birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGIE.

So what does that have to do with Gatlinburg? Everything!

When we had moved away from our management company in 2006, we just left Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out sit empty. But in the spring of 2007, we wondered if we could possibly rent our cabins ourselves, using the Internet for advertising and reservations. It was then that Angie came to us and said, "Yes, you can do this and I can help!" So even though she was a new Mom, and with the help and encouragement of her husband, Tim, Angie figured it out.

Angie worked with a friend (Josh) to design our first Web site - SmokiesRentDirect.com. She maintained it and still takes care of major design changes.

Angie figured out how we could accept credit cards for payment and set up the entire system.

Angie worked out the Quicken accounts to keep track of our income and expenses.

Angie put together the spreadsheets for managing our tax receipts and payments to the state and county.

Angie obtained our business license from the county.

Angie set up our first advertising on the Internet.

And today, Angie is still involved - backstopping us when we're traveling, fixing the inevitable glitches that come along, and providing her counsel when we run into a difficult situation. She does this while supporting Tim in all his work and caring for their two boys, Drake and Adam.

So, have a wonderful day, Angie - and THANK YOU for all you do to make All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower so enjoyable for our guests. We love you very much.

Spring in the Smokies

I've just spent most of the last 3 days working on my income tax. Finally, I got it ready to send to my accountant (yeah, it's too complicated for me to do, primarily because of Gatlinburg!).

But it reminded me that April 15 is not very far off. And that means SPRING is coming to the Smokies. In fact, the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage starts one month from today! You can get more information by clicking here.

It's not too late to make plans to enjoy Spring in the Smokies by staying at All Decked Out (sorry, Smoky Mountain Tower is completely booked for April and most of May). There are still 12 nights open at All Decked Out in April, and most of May is open. You can see the exact dates on our Availability Calendar, which is always up to date.

And here's a Blog/Facebook exclusive. If you will send me an email before March 31 with the dates you want to come (in April or May), I'll send you back instructions on how to make your reservation AND get a discount of up to 20%. I'm not making this deal available to the general public until April 1. So you MUST contact me by Thursday night, March 31. Just tell me you want the SPRING deal.

See you in Gatlinburg...

Bear tracks

Finally, a post about Smoky Mountain Tower (well, kinda).

People ask, "Do you really see bears?" The answer is "yes and no." We personally have seen one bear around our cabins in the past six years. But our guests tell us all the time they see bears. About 3 weeks ago, there was a note in our guest book that, "my husband went out for a walk and saw 4 bears!"

We know they're there. At Smoky Mountain Tower, our next door neighbor, Bob, called me over when we were there a couple of weeks ago. He said, "Look on the driveway between the cars."

So I did, and this is what I saw:


Now, considering that it had rained two days earlier, these tracks were pretty fresh. Go back and look at the first picture - you can make out the tracks.

So, in answer to the question, yes, there are bears! But generally, if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Don't let this keep you away. You will also enjoy wild turkey, chipmunks, and possibly even owls and hawks!

What happened to the couch?

In my last post, I told you I'd let you know what happened to the white leather sectional couch at All Decked Out. Remember seeing it in pieces?


Well, our friends from Hickory Cove Bible Camp - Luke and Nick - actually brought the new blue sectional couch over to us from Hickory, NC, and took the white couch back.


It was a rainy night when they left and they had an open trailer, but they wrapped it well in the plastic that was on the new blue sectional.


And they found a good home for the old couch - in the chapel building at Hickory Cove. By the way, do you recognize the table in front of the couch? It was a bedside table in the main bedroom at All Decked Out. The other bedside table got ruined when the carpet installers moved it, so we knew it was time for a change!


The chapel is being converted into a lounge and dorm. Camp has grown so much that chapel is now held in the big gym. For more information about Hickory Cove, visit www.HickoryCove.org.

Of course, the new couch is resting comfortably at All Decked Out, just waiting for you to come and enjoy it.


We'll see you there!