SEVIERVILLE TOPS TRIPADVISOR’S LIST OF BEST HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS IN THE U.S.
(Psst. Don’t Think Of Sevierville As A Once-In-A-Lifetime Escape. It’s Also A Great Place For A Romantic Getaway After The Honeymoon Is Over.)
By Hope S. Philbrick
The popular travel review website TripAdvisor recently released its “15 Best Honeymoon Destinations in the U.S. According to TripAdvisor Reviewers” and Sevierville, Tennessee tops the list.
To identify honeymoon places with the highest-rated rentals, TripAdvisor’s algorithm analyzed every property review on TripAdvisor Rentals and found travelers praised Sevierville for its sweeping vistas, outdoor adventures, and cozy cabin appeal.
Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevierville offers a wide selection of mountain cabin rentals from rustic to luxurious, cozy to cavernous. Many of these hideaways offer spacious porches, private hot tubs, gas fireplaces, game rooms and full kitchens. Choose a cabin that suits your style and budget and you can plan to spend lots of quality time alone together in a remote setting yet still be near attractions, adventure and shopping if and when you decide to venture out.
When it comes to personal love nests, it’s hard to beat a mountain cabin—and many Sevierville cabins bear creative names that beckon honeymooners such as “Always & Forever,” “A View For Two,” “Love Shack,” “Hidden Haven,” and “Mountain Cove Hideaway.” Nestled inside your chosen cabin, you and your new spouse might cuddle in front of the fireplace. Hold hands in side-by-side rocking chairs. Share a stone shower. Slip into a private hot tub on the secluded back deck to luxuriate in swirling warm water. A honeymoon is an opportunity to enjoy quality time as newlyweds and its most simple joy is being in one another's company.
Romance sizzles in Sevierville in every season, in any weather. You and your sweetheart might snuggle to the tune of rain dancing on the roof. Watch sunlight filter through blossoming leaves. Breathe crisp air as refreshing as true love. Spy fireflies dart across the darkening forest. Listen to owls hoot, woodpeckers tap, thrushes sing. Awaken to a blanket of fresh-fallen snow. Stroll through fields of wildflowers or fresh-fallen leaves. See the sun rise and then, after a day spent creating shared memories, watch it set behind a neighboring peak.
Whatever your interests as a couple, the spectacular mountain views will make your hearts leap. Sevierville is located in the foothills of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the No. 1 most visited national park in the U.S. Appreciate this natural beauty from your cabin’s deck or get out and explore it by walking a trail, bicycling the Cades Cove Loop Road, horseback riding backcountry trails, or even driving Newfound Gap Road (US 441). Stop for a picnic, take a souvenir photo at an overlook, or peruse museums and gift shops at one of the National Park visitor centers. Several hikes lead to romantic waterfalls, including the Laurel Falls trail (the park’s longest paved trail, a total of 2.6 miles round-trip). You could also set foot on the famed Appalachian Trail that threads 70 miles through the park; a two-mile stretch is accessible near the Newfound Gap parking lot.
Take your love to new heights with an aerial tour of the Smoky Mountains. Scenic Helicopter Tours soar up to 1,200-feet for an eagle’s eye view of the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding farms, fields, waters, and other natural and manmade sights.
For a lifelong keepsake, head to the Robert A. Tino Gallery. Watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings inspired by the Smoky Mountains are available in a range of schemes, sizes and prices. Working as an artist since the 1980s, Robert is best known for his landscapes, some of which include barns or houses. His works embrace a diverse range of styles including abstraction, impression and realism. Purchase a painting and you can bring a piece of Sevier County home with you since many works showcase the local area.
Share a relaxing spa treatment, such as the side-by-side “Almost Heaven” couple’s massage at The Spa at Oak Haven. Skilled therapists release tension using a proven combination of flowing strokes, gentle kneading and targeting pressure points. By the end of the blissful treatment you’ll both feel like you’re floating on clouds.
Before raising glasses to toast your new commitment, fill them with a local wine or spirit. The Rocky Top Wine Trail offers six sip-worthy stops with more than 70 unique pours. Start at any stop to pick up the free passport, get a stamp at each location you visit, and receive a gift after visiting three locations plus another gift after completing the trail. Among the stops is the area’s newest winery, Hillside Winery, which offers sparkling and Italian-style wines made using Tennessee grapes and ranging from dry to sweet, white to red. The Apple Barn Winery offers sweet dessert wines. If spirits are more your style, head to one of the local distilleries such as the award-winning Old Tennessee Distilling Co., which produces an assortment of corn whiskey, rum, rye, flavored moonshine, vodka and limited edition bourbon. Buy a bottle or more of whatever you like best before heading back to your cabin to enjoy more quality time together.
Sometimes staying in is more romantic than hitting the town. Other times, you’re in no mood to cook. Dining options abound, so whether you crave traditional Southern barbecue, spicy Pad Thai, a stuffed burrito, or even a doughnut sundae, you can satisfy cravings in Sevierville. For romantic dinners, both The Chop House and Holston’s Kitchen offer private booths and menus with abundant mouthwatering temptations from fresh seafood to thick steaks, crisp salads to decadent desserts. Seasons 101 also offers an intimate outdoor dining experience in the heart of downtown Sevierville on the ground floor of the Historic Central Hotel. On Thursday and Friday nights, head up to the rooftop for drinks and live music at Sky Lounge 101. Also located in Downtown Sevierville, The Appalachian is an upscale restaurant featuring traditional Appalachian recipes with a contemporary spin. From blue crab spoon fritters to glazed duck with grits, fried chicken skins to dry-aged steaks, sweet potato gnocchi to artisan cocktails, every creation is scrumptious.
Sevierville makes it easy to tailor a honeymoon that’s as personal as your relationship. Be as active or laid-back as suits your mood and mutual interests, whether it’s canoodling between the sheets, watching live entertainment, zip-lining through treetops, shopping at outlets, touring museums, or gazing up at the stars. What matters most is the time you spend together building memories.
