My Stay at Under Canvas Great Smoky Mountains:
For years I have dreamed about glamping near a National Park, and this summer my dream became a reality. Sleeping in a tent, stargazing, listening to the sounds of nature, watching the sunrise: sign me up! I'm truly obsessed with glamping now and can't wait to visit an Under the Canvas again!
Here's everything you need to know from location to activities, so you can decide if it's the right fit for your family.
Location
Under Canvas Great Smoky Mountains sits on 182 acres of wooded land just outside Pigeon Forge, Tennessee — about 10 miles from Gatlinburg and roughly a 20-minute drive to the national park entrance. The property is tucked behind the main Pigeon Forge strip, in a secluded area, which gives you the best of both worlds: quick access to Dollywood, Dolly Parton's Stampede, and the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg dining and shopping scene, but still enough distance to feel like you've escaped into the mountains. It was about a 15 minute drive for us from the Pirate Voyage show in Pigeon Forge.
One thing to plan around: cell service is spotty to nonexistent on the property, and there's no WiFi anywhere on site. This wasn't a problem for us as it was nice to disconnect for the night, but if you need to stay reachable, let people know in advance.
[Add Stay22 map widget here — Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area]
Lobby and Check-In
Check-in works a little differently than a typical hotel. You'll want to contact the property in advance of your stay (at least 24 hours ahead) to confirm arrival instructions, especially if you're arriving after 9 p.m. When you get there, a staff member greets you at the main lodge/reception area and walks you through everything about the property — how to use the room features (lanterns, fireplace, etc), where the bathhouses are, when meals are served, what the evening activities look like — so you're not left guessing. Standard check-in is 3 p.m.
You'll need a government-issued photo ID and a credit card at check-in, and there's typically a security deposit that's refunded after checkout, pending a property inspection.
Tents and Bathrooms
This is where Under Canvas really sets itself apart from regular camping. The Great Smoky Mountains property offers several tent categories, ranging from the more budget-friendly Safari tents (no in-tent bathroom — these are grouped near the shared bathhouses) up through Deluxe, Stargazer (with a skylight for star-watching from bed), and Suite tents, which add a sitting area with a queen sofa bed and can sleep up to four. There's even a Suite with Kids option — a private suite tent with an adjoining kids' tent that has two twin beds, sleeping six total, which is a great call if you're traveling with children who want their own space but you still want everyone close by.
Every tent has comfortable beds with plush linens, a wood-burning stove for chilly mountain nights, and a private deck. The higher tent categories include en-suite bathrooms with a flushing toilet, sink, and hot shower. If you book a Safari tent without a bathroom, you're a short walk from a communal bathhouse with hot showers, flushing toilets, and electrical outlets (a detail worth noting, since the tents themselves generally don't have outlets — bring a portable charger). We stayed in a Safari tent with 3 twin beds and used the communal bathhouse, which was clean and way better than I expected (I'm usually not one to use a bathhouse)!
Don't expect a TV or WiFi in the tent — unplugging is the intention. Reading in bed at night using the glow of my lantern while listening to the crickets was truly magical!
Dining
Meals are part of the experience here, not an afterthought. The on-site restaurant, Embers, serves a seasonal menu built around hot breakfasts, charcuterie boards, fresh salads, and kid-friendly options, with vegetarian and gluten-free choices available. Dinner has both a casual and a more elevated feel depending on the night, and there's a snack bar/deli for guests who want something lighter between meals. A nightly manager's reception is included, and the classic touch — complimentary s'mores by the fire — happens most evenings.
One practical note for families: outside food isn't allowed inside the tents (there's concern about wildlife), so plan to keep snacks in your locked vehicle.
We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and complimentary coffee before continuing our journey!
Service
The staff is AMAZING!!! From a genuinely informative check-in to attentive service at meals, the team seems to go out of its way to make first-time glampers feel comfortable. I had never glamped before and had tons of questions. The team at Under Canvas were patient, friendly, and truly made our experience memorable.
Activities
Evenings may include live music around the fire pit plus the nightly s'mores. Mornings sometimes bring sunrise yoga sessions on-site. Because the property borders Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hiking and cycling are easy add-ons, and the location puts you within easy striking distance of Gatlinburg's restaurants and craft distilleries for an evening out, or Dollywood and Dolly Parton's Stampede for a full family day.
We stayed here for 1 night as part of a college visit road trip so we didn't get to participate in any of the activities offered. Guess that means, I need to book another stay!
Other Under Canvas Locations
If this stay has you hooked on the glamping life, Under Canvas has more than a dozen properties across the country, nearly all positioned near major national parks, including:
Yellowstone (North Yellowstone-Paradise Valley and West Yellowstone), Montana
Glacier National Park, Montana
Zion National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Lake Powell–Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah
Moab, Utah
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Acadia National Park, Maine
Yosemite National Park, California
Columbia River Gorge, Washington
White Mountains, New Hampshire (newly opened)
Each location shares the same core style — safari-inspired tents, wood-burning stoves, en-suite bathrooms in the higher tiers — but camp size and the specific activities on offer vary by park. If Acadia is on your travel list too, keep an eye out for our upcoming post on spending a family-friendly day there.
Under the Canvas partners with Hyatt hotels so you can earn Hyatt points for your stay! There was a point promotion going on during our visit, so I was able to earn additional points for our stay.
