On Top of the Smokies with Vacasa
Story by Tracy Troisi | Photography by Elizabeth Johnson
Up in the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN lies a vacation home among the trees fit for any adventure, activity, or vacation you’re seeking. Elizabeth Johnson and her family arrived at a home in a seemingly hidden oasis, snug in eastern Tennessee.
“I didn’t even know this place existed,” Johnson exclaimed. “We thought it looked like so much fun.” Unbeknownst to her, Gatlinburg, which is a gateway to the roughly 520,000-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was ranked the number one trending travel destination by TripAdvisor in 2021.
But before she and her husband and their two children could enjoy all of the sights Gatlinburg had to offer, they needed to check into their Vacasa home, which to them was a highlight on its own.
“The location of the home was fantastic, and it had everything that we could ever want. And to be able to sit out on the deck in the morning and just watch the sunrise was beautiful, especially because it was so peaceful there.”
As a modern vacation home manager, Vacasa makes these moments happen by caring for homes in over 100 key destinations across the U.S. Offering 24/7 support, comfortable linens, toiletries, and our convenient guest app, Vacasa makes vacationing even easier.
“Communication is huge when staying in a vacation home. We were notified by the local team the day before check-in of how to access the house. And I really love that the Vacasa app had all of the information that I needed for a smooth vacation.”
When visiting a vacation home, Johnson expects a certain level of care and cleanliness—and Vacasa did not disappoint.
“I would say the home was on par with a nice hotel in terms of expecting everything to be clean,” Johnson said. “I’m a Vacasa homeowner myself and am familiar with the level of service and quality of their vacation homes. While on our search for property managers, none of them really had the services we were looking for. We happily chose Vacasa because of their local team and the way they approached our vacation home, which was very proactive and instilled us with confidence that our home would be cared for in the way we wanted.”
“It was a no-brainer to choose a home that’s in the Vacasa network, because if I trust them to manage my vacation home, why would I not trust them to have a good selection of homes anywhere we want to travel?”
As for Gatlinburg itself, let’s just say she wouldn’t mind visiting the city again. “10 out of 10 I would absolutely recommend visiting Gatlinburg. It’s a gorgeous area with so much to do and Gatlinburg exceeded our expectations for sure.”
“For ideas on where to go in the area,” she continued. “Number one I would recommend going to the Anakeesta theme park and Rafting in the Smokies for whitewater rafting. It’s spectacular, and the kids had a great time. Another would be Laurel Falls if you like hiking. It’s a quick one, about a mile and a half—I did it in flip flops. There really is something for everyone, and the overall experience and time with my family made the vacation truly life-changing.”
Visit vacasa.com/smoky-mountains to see this and more vacation homes, or search our thousands of options all over the U.S.
865-412-4360 | vacasa.com/smoky-mountains