The Great Smoky Mountains attract people for so many amazing reasons! For lovers of the outdoors, fun in the Smokies often means camping. However, what if you could enjoy the great outdoors without all the hassle? Imagine camping without the need to haul and set up tents and equipment. Picture a camping experience with high-end accommodations and amenities—like a hot shower and a kitchen, at the very least. Envision a camping experience that’s pure GLAM. Glamping is becoming more popular in the mountains and some campgrounds have gotten the memo. Here’s where to go in the Smokies to elevate your next camping trip.
Sky Ridge Yurts
The first on the list of glam is Sky Ridge Yurts in beautiful Bryson City, NC. This destination is “glamping at its finest” and won USA Today’s Ten Best Glamping Spots. Seven well-appointed yurts and two spacious guest houses await you for a relaxing and comfortable experience, with views from their mountain ridgeline that will leave you happily breathless. Sky Ridge Yurts will have you Yurtin it up in the grandest glamping style. Warning – regular camping may be at risk of being just “regular” now, and forevermore.
Rivers Edge Treehouse Resort
Maybe you were (or still are) that kid who loved a treehouse and if so, you are in such luck! In Robbinsville, NC, in Graham County, is Rivers Edge Treehouse Resort, where you can make your treehouse dreams come true. These hideaways among the trees are beautiful inside and out and will have you feeling quite pampered and spritely in the woods.
Magical Mountains Resorts Enchanted Forest Campground
If you have kids in your glamping crew, this resort may be just the place to make their dreams come true – Magical Mountain Resorts Enchanted Forest Campground in Hayesville, NC. The grounds and cabins of this 11-acre campground in the Nantahala National Forest, themed after well-known and loved fairy tales and stories, will whisk you away to the land of imagination with this glamping experience like no other in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Southern Belles Glampground
In case you want to glamp with zero youngins running around, the Southern Belles Glampground in Franklin, NC, in Macon County, is where you should go. They offer their lovingly restored vintage trailers to adults and their 4-legged companions only. You are promised charm and peaceful ambiance and private hammocks. Get set, ready, RELAX.
Moonshine Creek Campground
If you’re feeling old school, as in indulging in a true campground experience, but would still like resort level facilities and services, we have you covered with a trip to Moonshine Creek Campground in Sylva, NC. Creekside campsites, or in cabins, this is definitely the place to go if you have a large group or gathering. There’s a heated bathhouse and camp store, so all you need for a real good time is close at hand.
The Glamping Collective
The Glamping Collective in Clyde, NC, nestled on its 160-acres of private mountaintop, offers Luxe Geodesic Domes and Glass Cabins, where the barrier between you and nature safely disappears. Mountain views, privacy, hot tubs, fire pits and so many outdoor on-property activities will have you feeling like you’re living a dream. And for your stay, enjoy that dream. And take lots of photos.
My Mountain Escape
And last, but not least, in Cherokee County, near Murphy, NC, is My Mountain Escape. Choose one of three fully-appointed log cabins that best fits your needs – the couple’s getaway, the family vacation stay or the retreat where you can treat yourself to a very private glamping adventure (because streaming a movie while on the couch beside the fireplace is very much the definition of glamping!). And fair warning, you may not want to go home.
Looking for some other options? Here are other campgrounds and RV sites available in the Smokies.