The Inn at Christmas Place

he said…

I’m in love with an elf!

Dawn lives for Christmas joy, and carries it with her year round. Finding the Christmas Place was nothing short of a miracle. I was lucky to come across it when planning our Dollywood adventure, and instantly knew we had to stay.

The entire grand sized hotel is decked out in holly and bows, elves and tinsel, and popular holiday references everywhere! Admittedly, I feel Christmas is more for the kids and recently lost some of that spirit I so welcomed as a child. But, The Inn will most certainly send you back to days of youthful Christmas joy and anxious optimism of the visit from that jolly old soul.

Now don’t get me wrong folks, my intention here was to overwhelm my incredibly sexy partner and my love for very obvious reasons – I’m not going to lie. Fireplaces, hot tubs, king beds, and room service are all available in quality establishments to enhance romance. The Inn has these things, plus big red bows on the balcony, giant wreaths everywhere, and a beautifully decorated tree in every suite.

Santa himself must have had his hand in decorating this amazing hotel! In fact, Santa sings Christmas songs in the lobby all year! Milk and cookies always at the ready, possibly delivered by Buddy the elf. The Christmas spirit is strong in Pigeon Forge all year!

she said…

I was so excited to be in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It had been on my bucket list for some time! The Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood … and Tony had made reservations for us at the DreamMore Resort, Dolly Parton’s beautiful hotel that feels like a large-scale country home. But that was for tomorrow. I had no idea where we were staying the first night. He said he wanted to keep it a surprise, and he always has the BEST surprises.

We drove down Parkway (US 441S) and I couldn’t help calling out every sign and every place that I saw. I don’t know what I expected really, I think I thought it would be open forest with occasional log cabins on the way to Dollywood, but there were TONS of things to see and potential things to do. I was beginning to wish we were staying more than a few days.

Tony made a left and remember saying “wow! They’re decorating for Christmas already? It’s Halloween. Looks pretty though,” – and he turned into the parking lot. “Oh, The Inn at Christmas Place. It’s a Christmas hotel! Wait…” The twinkle in his eye confirmed my suspicion. Our reservation for our first night was here. “I bet they’ll have a Christmas tree!” I think I squealed, suddenly feeling like a little girl getting ready to go see Santa. There is this inexplicable joy for me at Christmas time, and my guy knows it, and that excitement was already starting to bubble up. All he said was, “oh, I’m sure there will be a Christmas tree.”

The uniformed doorman looked like an extra from the Hallmark Channel and he ushered us in with a tip of his cap and a “Howdy folks! Welcome!” I crossed the threshold into the magic of every Christmas movie I have ever seen. Was it my imagination that the smell of cinnamon was in the air, carried by the sound of Christmas music? The lobby was a large living room, complete with a fire in the fireplace, a baby grand piano, comfy sofas and chairs, and a fully-decorated-twenty-foot Christmas tree.

I was almost vibrating with excitement! I wanted to run around the hotel like I was six years old and look for the jolly man himself. Instead, I played it cool and followed my guy to the elevator. Every inch of this special inn was decorated in its festive best and our walk to our room was filled with beautifully themed displays.

I should have known that extraordinary things were afoot when he clicked the key card in the door, turned the handle, and then stepped back encouraging me to walk in first. And what to my wondering eyes should appear… ?

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Our very own Christmas King Suite, complete with a two-person jacuzzi tub … and our very own Christmas tree!!!! The 7ft slim spruce created a happy glow, nestled in the corner with it’s red and gold dressing. The bed was cozy with its homespun quilt, inviting rest with velvet “Silent Night” pillows, and the homey fireplace was across from the foot of it. As if the real fireplace weren’t enough, the television was on and tuned to the fire log channel, (you know the one – continuous video of a perfect fire, usually accompanied by a sleeping dog or playful puppies and kittens climbing in and out of stockings), complete with Christmas music playing, just like Christmas morning.

In an instant I was overwhelmed and that bubbling joy inside started leaking down my cheeks. I am rarely speechless but when I turned around to face the man who had done something so special for me, all I could do was hug him. Even my thank you came out as more more than a breath.

I couldn’t wait to go explore! I had to stop on every floor so we didn’t miss a thing.

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Before we give you a list of our favorite things, let me give you a little bit of background as to how this storybook place came to be…

Tony and I started a tradition of always buying a Christmas ornament for our tree when we visit new places. It is always fun to relive memories each year. For us, they are a lifetime souvenir. Well back in 1980, The Hurshel Family noticed that ornaments were always the first thing to sell in their Pigeon Forge Gift shop. So, they opened The Incredible Christmas Place, “the south’s largest Christmas store.” It was always their intention to add a themed hotel to the offerings to celebrate Christmas all year, and when the property across the street became available, their dream became a reality.

Hersey kisses – One of the quickest ways to our hearts is Hershey’s chocolate, and there were four little pieces of happiness in green and red foil waiting in our room for us when we arrived. It seems that Mr. Hurshel was known to carry Hershey kisses and hand them out to anyone that he thought could use a little pick-me-up. This 4-star luxury hotel keeps the tradition by leaving them daily for their guests. It’s a great story about a man who always looked to brighten someone’s day. And his beautiful hotel continues to to do just that.

Santa Suite – The most magical accommodations are provided in the one-of-a-kind Santa Suite. A well marked and beautifully decorated door greets visitors right off the elevator, and visions and imaginations of what must be behind it dance in their heads. Unfortunately the suite was occupied when we were there because we would have loved to see it with our very own eyes and snap some photos to share with you. But the wonderful pictures on their website give you a pretty good feel for what to expect…and like everywhere else in this five star holiday paradise, what you can expect is Christmas magic. Cozy up with the Big Man’s red and white fur or bake cookies like Mrs. Claus in the full sized kitchen! Or soak away the holiday stress in the 2 person whirlpool tub before snuggling up in the pillow top king size bed! The full sized sleeper sofa means there’s plenty of room for the whole family.

Cookies and milk – Not staying in the Santa Suite? No kitchen to make cookies like the Mrs? Have no fear! Because Santa shares his cookies and milk with you every night from 8:30-10:30. Or if you’re looking for a warm way to wash down the fresh baked goodness, warm apple cider is added to the coffee station that is offered twenty four hours a day, to get you to that warm, happy, place inside. You can even buy a pound of their Christmas blend coffee to take the magic with you.

Porter music box – In the main lobby, next to the Christmas tree, stands a beautifully nostalgic Porter Music Box. The Porter Music Box company began in 1974, improving the design of vintage disc music boxes. This wooden box with its ornate inlaid design is a site to behold with its large shiny disc. It’s music box sound is a tinkling song of heavenly peace.

Glockenspiel – is German for “play of bells.” This 25 ft bell tower with stone fireplace below plays every hour from 9am-8pm, with a grande finale each night at 9pm. The detailed woodworking on it was made across the street at the wood shop at The Incredible Christmas Place. With the fire always burning, it’s the best seat in the house. Each hour, the doors open and Santa Claus appears while elves strike out the hour. The fourteen hand cast bronze bells not only strike at the hour, but play two Christmas carols. If your lucky enough to catch the finale, you’ll hear four sweet carols.

Letters to Santa – Downstairs in the large lodge area, on the way to the glockenspiel, sits a little cherry writing desk and chair. It is a cozy little spot to write your deepest Christmas wishes to Santa Claus. When your finished making your notations on the special Santa Letter stationary, be sure to drop it into the decorated mailbox so Santa can pick it up during one of his performances.

Singing Santa – Did we say performances? Why yes we did. The Inn at Christmas Place is the only location that you can be entertained by some holly jolly fun with the merry old elf himself. Our impressions of Santa will be forever changed after hearing this guitar rockin’ Kris Kringle with the southern twang. Sing along! Dance in the in the aisles! Or buy your very Singing Santa CD from the front desk to take the joy of your stay with you.

Over and over this man finds a way to surprise and delight me. And each time I think he will never be able to top himself. And each and every time he does. I hope he realizes that he’s spoiling me. (I think he does 😉 )

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season from us and ours.