After reading all of the posts about my recent adventures in Sevierville, Tennessee, I bet you guys want to know about accommodations, right? Well, if you like old world southern charm and Gone With The Wind is a staple movie as far as you are concerned, then I have just the place for you.

Clarion Inn Willow River

Gone With The Wind is one of my favorite books and movies and I have my hardcover book proudly displayed on a shelf in my living room. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you pick up a copy asap and get to it. So, when I walked into the Clarion Inn Willow River in Sevierville, I was instantly in impressed. I mean, from the outside it is definitely a gorgeous hotel, but the inside… ah… I fell in love.

Gone With The Wind…
There was Gone With The Wind memorabilia everywhere. I took so many pictures it was ridiculous, lol. I felt like I was in a museum. I remember as a child visiting Atlanta and being so fascinated with a Turner Network store {or something like that, I was a child} that had a ton of Gone With The Wind stuff to buy. My fascination with the movie and characters has never stopped.

Hot Apple Cider…
I also really enjoyed the fact that there were free beverages in the lobby. Free hot cider! Yum! So, I arrived to the hotel early, but I was not bored. While I waited for the rest of the press group, I drank hot apple cider and gazed at all the Gone With The Wind pretties. They also had a nice selection of books for you to help yourself to. I didn’t read one, but I remember seeing, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” another book I enjoyed quite a lot. And Taye Diggs in the movie. 😉

The 24 Hour Pool…
Though I did not swim, I wanted to share that the pool and hot tub area is open 24 hours. 24 hours, people. I don’t recall ever seeing that at a hotel I have stayed at before. This sweet, young girl kept inviting me to swim with her but I had to apologize to her since I had not brought a bathing suit. Her dad told me that they live close and have been coming there for years, mostly to swim and just get away. And they just love the hotel. I love that. I think it says a lot about a place when someone will pay repeatedly to come stay with you even though they live in the area.

The Room…
I didn’t get the room number, but I was on the first floor, down the hall from the pool. As always, I love to talk about the coffee {if there is any}. There was a coffee setup in my room. Yay! Admittedly, I am not very hard to please as long as 1} the bed is comfy, 2} the wifi works relatively fast {this can be a problem in hotels as you fellow travelers are probably well aware}, 3} there is coffee and 4} the room is clean. All of these necessities were met. 🙂

The room was pretty spacious. As an often solo traveler, I LOVE having a huge room to myself. I had a huge, comfy bed, a TV, a couch, a coffee table, another table with chairs to work at and a balcony. The balcony was facing a parking lot, so if you want a nice view, you might want to move up a level. I like to be near my car when possible for easier packing and unpacking {and also to keep an eye on my car}, so that worked for me.

There were snack and ice machines on my floor as well as an easy entrance from the parking lot via keycard. This kept me from having to haul my luggage through the lobby area so I liked that a lot, too. I am all about convenience.

I have lots more pictures of the Clarion Inn Willow River. Be sure to check them out on Flickr.

Have You Stayed At The Clarion Inn Willow River?

What did you think? Planning a trip to Sevierville anytime soon? What are you planning to visit and/or do? Share your comments below.

Stay At The Clarion Inn Willow River