We are not a family that vacations. My husband is an outdoorsman and will travel for fishing and hunting, but he would rather stay in the comfort of our home than venture out on the road. I came from a road-trip family and love nothing more than setting out to seek a little adventure.
We didn’t take a lot of traditional vacations growing up. It was mostly to visit family or to meet up with family members somewhere, but there is one trip that my sisters and I always talk about as a favorite. We stayed at an iconic spot in the Western North Carolina mountains, in a cabin playing board games, reading, exploring the woods, and our favorite — my mom built us little fairy houses in the woods and made up stories about them.
When I saw that my friend Natalie from Knoxville Moms visited a cute cabin in East Tennessee, I thought, This is the perfect place for us to go as a family. The Smokies were calling my name, and I wanted my kids and my husband to see a part of the country that’s so dear to me because of the time I spent there when I went to the University of Tennessee.
We escaped to the mountains after Christmas for New Year’s Eve in hopes of seeing snow. We didn’t get that, but we encountered the true winter weather that we Floridians are not used to, and we had the most magical time: Roamstead ended up being the absolute perfect destination for my family!
Nestled adjacent to the Smoky Mountains in Cosby, Tennessee, Roamstead is just a short drive from busy Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. It was created via a family RV trip across the country, whereby the founders decided to “reinvent roughing it in a way that could welcome all adventurers to experience the magic of the great outdoors.” And they have done just that.
READ: On the Road: Jax to the Smoky Mountains
Roamstead offers something for everyone — different-sized cabins, lodge rooms, yurts, tent sites, as well as RV sites, and there’s even an Airstream! We stayed in a Maple Cabin, which was perfect for our family. The modern design and open-concept living space was beautiful, its tall ceilings and huge windows really making it feel more spacious.
Located downstairs was a queen-size bed, some space, and a kitchenette that included an electric cooktop, a refrigerator, and various essentials. The upstairs loft had twin beds, so the kids had their own space. The full bathroom was stocked with plush towels and spa-like bathroom products. It was definitely not your typical campground situation, and we were beyond impressed!
We loved hanging out in the Main Lodge and getting to know the staff: specifically, our whole family fell in love with Cypress. She went out of her way to greet everyone by name and come up with fun activities. We also enjoyed meeting the other guests, both by engaging in some of the planned activities and relaxing near the lodge campfire. We met new friends from Pittsburgh and St. Louis, as well as Atlanta — and we even met some neighbors from St. Augustine!
The Lodge offers complimentary drip coffee and granola in the morning, but it also has espresso drinks and breakfast sandwiches available for purchase. It has a nice lounge, dining and workspace areas, and a camp store. They also offer other dining items later in the day — we became HUGE fans of their pizza — and you can grab a cocktail or a craft beer to enjoy by the fire. There are some cute nearby spots to eat in town, but we especially loved staying on-site, enjoying a fire outside the cabin where we could grill, or ordering food from the Lodge, particularly those delicious pizzas!
We took advantage of ready access to the Smokies’ Maddron Bald Trail right from the campground, but we could also take a drive to other nearby trails and activities. For example, we decided to go ziplining through the Smokies on New Year’s Day with CLIMB Works, which was just a quick five-minute drive up the road. I guess no one else was crazy enough to get up early on New Year’s Day, when it was 30 degrees outside, to zipline through the mountains, so we ended up having a private tour and we had the best time — even Mike, who’s afraid of heights, enjoyed it!
In a world where we’re all constantly going in one hundred different directions, this vacation was so much fun for all four of us. It was good to slow down and enjoy some old-school fun. We explored the outdoors together, played games, built a fire, and loved being together without the normal distractions. The founders have clearly created something magical in Roamstead, and our family can’t wait to get back to our own little fairy cabin in the Great Smoky Mountain woods.
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Thank you to Roamstead for hosting us!
LOOVE this! I think it’s calling my name also!