Q. Amanda B. from Texas is planning a trip to Tennessee with three kids under 15, and would like to find the most family-friendly hotels in the state.
A. Thanks for your request for information on an upcoming 8-day visit to Tennessee with three kids, ages 15, 8, and 4. We estimate it’s about a 500 mile drive from the center of your home state of Texas to Memphis, so we weren’t sure if your request for help includes stops along the way.
We’ll focus on your request for a resort in the state, but we’d also like to point out that there are many fun destinations you might want to see. Here’s a directory of what Tennessee has to offer families.
In addition to the outdoors fun along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are great cities such as Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga, where you could easily spend a few days.
Start at the area around the Dollywood Theme Park. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville are where most of the family resorts are, because this is the outskirts of the national park.
Check out this review of the Dollywood themepark for one hotel suggestion, or you might consider a newer hotel like the WestGate which has a waterpark built inside it.
The White Oak Lodge is another alternative; a collection of log cabins built around a central lodge with a pool and some activities.
In Nashville, families love the Opryland Resort, a large convention center with the country music theatre within its grounds, and a canal/boat system to get around the huge property. You can read more in this review of the Opryland Resort.
In Memphis, the Peabody Hotel with its famous duck parade through the lobby, is well worth staying at despite having a highter room rate than many of its neighbors. A duck parade? Priceless. Read more about Memphis family attractions and the Peabody.
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