Honey Bear Chalet

06/17/2024

12/25/2022

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Visitor centers in the park are closed today, December 25th, but will reopen on Monday, December 26th, at 9 AM.

For trip planning information, please visit nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit.

Photo by Warren Bielenberg

03/23/2021

Planning on visiting the Great Smoky Mountains in April? Spring is a truly beautiful time of year to see America's most visited national park!

Go Find Wildflowers
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nicknamed "the wildflower national park," is home to 1,500 varieties of flowering plants and boasts more flower diversity any other park in North America.
Visiting the Smoky Mountains during April is the perfect time to see this wondrous diversity of life vividly displayed in the form of beautiful wildflowers. During a stroll in the Smokies, you can see these gorgeous flowering plants.

Experience Outdoor Adventures
After a short break in the winter season, most outfitters are fully operational by April, so you can enjoy fun springtime activities like:
- Zip Lining
- Ropes Courses
- Mountain Biking
- Guided Horseback Rides
- Mountain Coasters

Best April Hikes in the Smokies
One of the best ways to explore the Smoky Mountains during the beautiful month of April is to go hiking in the national park.
Low elevation regions of the park are the perfect place to find beautiful wildflowers. Luckily, higher elevation hikes have their perks as well. Leaf color in the forests isn't fully grown in until May, so higher elevation hikes have lots of opportunities to see beautiful views.

10/18/2020

Experience the World-class Fall Colors of the Great Smoky Mountains

With fall just around the corner, it’s definitely time to start planning your leaf-peeping adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains! This magnificent range of the Southern Appalachians ranks among the great fall-color destinations in the country, making autumn—and particularly October/November—justifiably one of the most popular times to visit.
While we strongly advise anybody who’s able to do so to pursue some of this leaf-peeping from the hiking trail, there’s plenty of spectacular, fall-flaming vistas to see via auto-touring in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s worth noting this is a great way to pull off a socially distanced vacation, by the way!
Because the Great Smokies span so much elevation—from high ridges and peaks above 6,000 feet down to river valleys several hundred feet above sea level—the fall-color show here has quite the prolonged window.
You can start seeing leaves turning at the higher elevations beginning in mid-September, while lower elevations may not peak until early November. You’ll have your richest and most widespread opportunities to see blazing trees and shrubs in October. Keep in mind that the exact timing and the particular intensity of fall colors vary from year to year based on weather.

08/12/2020

Planning to visit Gatlinburg during the month of September?

You're in for a real treat! Though there's a lot to love about visiting Gatlinburg any time of year, a September vacation in the Smoky Mountains has its own unique charms.
There are several reasons to be excited about visiting Gatlinburg in September, but first and foremost, the weather is a big perk.
September is a warmer, dryer time of the year. The hottest days of summer are past and there's less rainfall as the fall season creeps closer. Towards late September, there is a chance you can see the first fall colors in the highest elevation areas of the Park.
With all this warm dry weather, September is a great month for going for a swim or enjoying one of Gatlinburg's many outdoor activities. Apart from great weather, there are other things to be excited about.
Since school starts back in August, many of the summer crowds have also subsided. This means less traffic, shorter waits in lines, and more time spent doing what you love in the Smokies!

05/30/2020

Ober Gatlinburg will reopen on Friday May 22, 2020.

All on mountain activities and The Aerial Tramway will be reopening at this time. We have implemented social distancing guidelines to protect our guest and employees as well as additional measures for our food service employees. Please check our Facebook, Instagram, and our website for more details on reopening.

05/28/2020

After this year’s lottery to see the synchronous fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was canceled due the coronavirus pandemic, a local nonprofit is stepping up to host the annual event virtually.

05/19/2020

Chalet Village Owners Club 2020 Operating Schedule

The Board of Directors of the Owners Club met on Wednesday, May 13th to determine the way we will operate this season. We will be opening the pools on Friday of Memorial Day weekend, first the South Baden pool located at 1319 South Baden Drive and the North Pool located at 705 Village Loop Road. The Alpine Pool located at 1151 Upper Alpine Way should follow the next week. All pool hours will be 9am to 9pm on the following schedule:
South Baden Open Wednesday thru Monday (CLOSED ON TUESDAY)
North Open Thursday thru Tuesday (CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY)
Alpine Open Thursday thru Monday (CLOSED ON TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY)
We will be operating at 50% of our normal capacity for guests on the pool deck (meaning if all seats are taken no one else will be admitted to the pool area). At the present time our gamerooms, exercise room, and playground area will NOT be open until further notice. (This policy will be reviewed by the Board of Directors at their next board meeting in late June.) Our tennis courts at the North Clubhouse are open all the time (Accessible from the back parking lot of the Clubhouse off of CHALET VILLAGE BLVD when the pool is closed.) The tennis courts at the South Baden Clubhouse are open only when the pool is open as they have to be accessed from the pool deck.

05/09/2020

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park will begin a phased reopening this weekend with some roads, trails and visitor centers still closed to the public. The park said…

01/19/2020

The Great Smoky Mountains area is an exceptional destination to experience the beauty, color, and rebirth of spring. As temperatures rise and the frost-covered ground thaws, hundreds of flowering plants begin to bloom and wildlife emerges from winter resting places. Spring is a wonderful time to experience a more serene Smoky Mountains, as the land starts to awaken before the busy summer tourist season arrives. During spring, you will find comfortable temperatures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offering much needed opportunities to experience the outdoors after the cold and restless days of winter. There are a variety of hiking trails for every skill level that offer beautiful wildflowers, mountains, and waterfall views. There are also a number of special spring events to choose from in the surrounding towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, ensuring your Smoky Mountains spring vacation is a fun and memorable trip. Here are our top picks for things to do during your Smoky Mountains spring vacation.

10/09/2019

Ober Gatlinburg is celebrating autumn with a fantastic festival featuring Bavarian-Style food, drink and music. Our 10th Annual OktOBERfest will be held from September 27-November 3.