Big Sky Lodge II

When traveling with a large group, you could reserve a block of rooms at a hotel. But it’s much more fun, convenient, and affordable to rent your own private lodge instead. Big Sky Lodge II, for instance, can sleep twenty-eight people and offers loads of amenities you won’t find in your typical hotel.

Take the two game rooms—yes, Big Sky Lodge II has two game rooms. The one on the top floor is home to Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade game and a Wheel of Fortune pinball machine, as well as a flat-screen TV (one of ten in the lodge) and a large wet bar. The downstairs game room features a pool table, air hockey and a pub table for playing rummy or Uno. Also downstairs is a home theater with a large projection screen and cinema-style seating for twelve.

A huge great room makes up most of the lodge’s main floor. Sumptuous leather seating, a stone-surround fireplace, and a flat-screen TV make the living area an inviting place to unwind. With three long tables and a breakfast bar, the dining area can seat your entire group at once—you don’t have to eat in shifts when you stay at Big Sky Lodge II. Nor do you have to cook in shifts. The large, open kitchen has two full-size refrigerator/freezers, two ovens, loads of other appliances, cookware, and tableware, generous counter space, and more than enough room for several people to cook at once.

The lodge’s seven bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms are spread out among the three floors. The top floor has three primary suites, each with a king-size bed, a TV, a towering sloped ceiling, and a private bathroom. One of these bedrooms has a queen-size sleeper sofa as well, making it a great choice for parents with little ones in your group. Two of the upstairs bedrooms open onto a balcony, so you can slip outside to watch the sunrise without waking any of the others.

The main floor’s bedroom also has a king-size bed, a TV, and a private bathroom—and this bathroom has its own jetted tub for an extra bit of pampering. The three remaining bedrooms, which are downstairs, share two full bathrooms, with a powder room for added convenience. Two of these bedrooms feature a set of queen-size bunk beds; the third bedroom has a pair of queen-size bunk beds so that it can sleep eight people in all. These bedrooms, like the others, have their own TVs. And if you have a few more guests, each of the game rooms has a twin-size pullout bed.

If you think the inside of Big Sky Lodge II is fantastic, wait till you check out its outdoor spaces. The lodge has multiple decks and balconies furnished with plenty of rockers so that everyone can kick back and take a deep breath of fresh mountain air while gazing out over the old-growth trees. One of the decks has a hot tub as well. There’s no better way to admire the star-studded sky than while luxuriating among steamy bubbles after a day on the go.

Big Sky Lodge II also boasts a large private gazebo. The gazebo’s roof and ceiling fan will keep you cool on even balmy summer days, and its picnic table is an especially inviting spot for enjoying a meal or a snack. Just outside the gazebo is a park-style charcoal grill, so you can cook as well as dine alfresco.

Because Big Sky Lodge II has so many luxuries and amenities, you could have a great time without leaving the property. But then you’d be missing out on all the local attractions less than ten minutes away: the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Gatlinburg Arts & Crafts Loop, Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area and Amusement Park, the Guinness World Records Museum, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, mini golf, thrill rides…

People say you can’t have it all. Obviously, those people never stayed at Big Sky Lodge II! Make your reservation today, and get ready for your best group getaway yet.