A couple of weeks ago, The Inn at Christmas place hosted me for a night’s stay in their lovely hotel. Having visited the Christmas Place store since I was a little girl, I was excited to check this place out! First, here’s some basic details:
The Inn At Christmas Place: Main website or call 1.888.465.9644
Location: The Inn can be found at traffic light 2A on the Pigeon Forge Parkway, right across the street from the Christmas Place shopping area.
Social Media: You can follow the Inn by “liking” their Facebook page or checking in on their blog.
I was excited from the moment I pulled into the parking lot and took in the gorgeous decor and the architecture of the building itself.
Just look at this fun entryway! I love the toy soldiers standing guard – reminds me of one of my favorite childhood movies, Babes in Toyland! As I approached the double doors etched with Christmas wreaths, a friendly doorman held open the doors for me and greeted me with a warm welcome. What a great way to start my visit!
When I walked into the lobby, I heard subtle Christmas music being piped into the area, and there were tasteful holiday decorations all around. There was also a pleasant smell in the air that reminded me of a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Of course there is a large, lovely Christmas tree, and for those of you who are long time patrons of the Christmas Place right across the street, there’s another Porter music box right next to the fireplace! I remember loving this thing when shopping with my parents as a child.
The lobby has a large cozy fireplace with comfortable seating and abundant decorations. There always seemed to be a small group of travelers conversing in the seating area. In fact, sometimes the Inn had more of a bed and breakfast feel than a hotel, which gave it a cozy family atmosphere!
Doesn’t it make you miss the holidays?
While checking in, I was given a free mini Christmas ornament, which I thought was a cool extra touch.
My room was nice and spacious and contained two Queen beds with a subtle holiday theme. I appreciated that the Christmas decor was present but not too overpowering.
This is the view standing in front of my balcony looking toward the door to the hallway and the door into the bathroom on the left.
Each room has a coffee maker, mini fridge, and a microwave. I can also assure you that the refrigerator will actually get and keep your food and drinks cold, which is usually a problem for hotel fridges. Not the case here!
More subtle decorations – the tree above the television actually has lights on it! Every room comes equipped with a DVD player, so you can bring your own or there are free Christmas rentals available from the front desk.
The bathroom was clean and roomy and the subtle holiday adornments carried on in here as well.
Looking back the other way at the tub/shower combo. I love the pull-out mirror attached to the wall above the hair dryer – so convenient when you have no vanity to use in the morning!
This was the view outside of my balcony, looking out at the parkway of Pigeon Forge and across the street at the Christmas Place shopping area. There’s lots of water features and a quaint little courtyard that wraps around to the hotel’s outdoor pool. There are even ducks waddling around!
A look in the other direction from my balcony. The little gazebo is actually a bird cage, but those feathered friends were currently hanging out in a warmer home in the main lobby this time of year.
There’s outdoor seating available both on the main level and the floor above it. The patio in this photo can be accessed by exiting through the lower lobby, and then a staircase can be taken down to the courtyard.
I went for a little stroll to see what I could find.
Looking up toward the back of the main building – so pretty!
Fire pit seating area and the windows into the LARGE 24-hour indoor pool. Yep, you heard me right. I’ll have a peek inside of the pool a little later on in this post! The outdoor pool was, of course, closed this time of year.
Another look…
While exploring the inside of the hotel, I noticed these themed displays popping up all over the place, particularly outside of the elevator doors on each floor. My absolute favorite had to be this Christmas Story spread – it was so detailed!
Just look at all of the teeny details, and I didn’t even photograph them all. There’s even the famous Chop Suy Palace (fa ra ra ra ra….). Love it.
I had fun walking around to find all of the different displays. Here, I found a more classic Santa and elves…
Icy polar bears and a more classic holiday theme…
How fun is this one? A full-on Grinch display that even plays the original animated movie on a loop. I bet the kids love this!
Little adorable details, all from the classic film.
Oh gosh, a peppermint and gingerbread house display!
So much color! I want this one in my house, it’s so happy and festive! I adored the little candy cane and peppermint lollipop trees, and all of the little gingerbread men inhabitants of the village. Buddy the Elf would get a kick out of this, for sure.
The lower lobby, just behind the elevators and down the staircase from the main lobby, offers comfortable seating and big multi-story windows. There’s a massive Christmas tree on one end, and on the other end is the famous glockenspiel setup. Made from European Beech from the Black Forest region of Germany as well as hand-cast bronze bells from the Verdin Company in Ohio, this glockenspiel (German for “play of bells” plays Christmas carols on the hour from 9 A.M. to 9P.M.
If your kids want to sent a letter to Santa, you can do so via the mailbox located in the lower lobby. You can even leave your email or mailing address if you’d like a response! This would be positively magical for a child to drop a letter into the enormous decorated mailbox – a direct line to the big guy himself!
Okay, here’s that photo of the fantastic indoor pool that I promised you! It is toasty warm in the pool area, so even in the dead of winter you can enjoy a comfortable swim. The pool is open 24 hours a day (um, awesome), and the water depths range from 3 to 5 feet. In the corner, not shown in this photo, is a large indoor hot tub nestled in a glassed in bay window area.
My stay at the Inn was on the cusp of the 14th annual Saddle Up event in Pigeon Forge, celebrating cowboy culture and the “wild wild West” through tales and poetry and authentic dining. The hotel was hosting their own little event exclusively for guests, which included a sampling of chuck wagon cuisine and live music right in the lower lobby.
Joyce Woodson and T. Scot Wilburn performed for guests while they noshed and nommed on the delicious samples provided by Kent & Shannon Rollins. Speaking of…
Spicy chicken-fried steak with white gravy was on the menu for the afternoon. Don’t you love the cast iron cauldron?
Why is classic white gravy so stinkin’ delicious? I never tire of it – I would eat it on practically anything! The chicken-fried steak was amazing, I could have polished off a full serving of it!
After exploring, I snuggled up to watch some Olympic coverage with my laptop and the free wi-fi provided by the hotel. This was the view outside of my window as the sun set.
From 8-10pm, the lobby hosts a fun lil’ event called Cookies for Santa. A selection of soft bakery cookies and hot spiced cider are set out in the main lobby for the guests to enjoy. The flavors available the night of my stay were snickerdoodle (a fav of mine!), oatmeal raisin, and of course, chocolate chip – delicious!! The hot cider was pretty amazing and instantly caused me to yearn for the holiday season – it was loaded with fragrant spices and really hit the spot.
Before you head out in the morning, don’t you dare miss the breakfast! The Inn has stepped up the idea of a continental hotel breakfast (though it has all of the choices you would expect from such a thing – pastries, toast and bagels, hot and cold cereal, yogurt, fruit, etc) with an attended hot buffet of freshly-prepared food. You can select from such things as scrambled eggs, soft biscuits and hot gravy, fried bologna, regular and turkey sausage, bacon, freshly-sliced ham, bacon, breakfast potatoes, Belgian waffles, and more! There’s even a separate custom omelet bar where you can choose your toppings and watch as it is cooked up right in front of you. Drink options include milk, juice selections, and four kinds of coffee. The breakfast is available daily from 7 A.M. until 10 A.M. – don’t miss it!
I was pleased with my entire stay at The Inn at Christmas Place. The staff was friendly, the property was lovely, the amenities were abundant, the rooms were comfy, and the food was yummy. I highly recommend this place to anyone spending some time in Pigeon Forge!
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