Best Cabin Camping near Afton, TN

I found this campground through airbnb. They have tent camping as well as two cottages. The cottages are titled "Paddlers Paradise- Camp Driftwood Cottage" and have cable TV, a laptop friendly work space, heating, air conditioning, and a private entrance. The tent camping sites are titled "Camp Site- Camp Driftwood" and have fire rings, picnic tables, and access to a shared bathhouse and common area. Both of these have free parking and are located right on the French Broad River. The water is easily accessible and tubing is frequently seen along the bank. The entrance to the area is directly off the road, but has a VERY steep decline immediately following. Be cautious in driving too far up the bank as the path becomes soft, especially after a good rain. Overall, a small and personable camping option that is worth a visit!

This is the first time I have stayed in a yurt, and it was definitely a learning experience. First of all, it is a cross between a tent and a cabin, and it has no electricity, bathroom, or running water. This was not so bad since the campground bath house was only a couple of hundred feet away. However, the temperatures were in the lower 90s outside, and once we walked inside the yurt, it was like walking into an oven. The temperature had to be somewhere around 110 degrees inside. Immediately after opening the door, opening the window and opening the canvas window coverings, we could feel the heat pouring out of the yurt. Fortunately, I had two 100-foot extension cords and a fan in our car. I plugged into the closest campsite and ran the cord to the yurt. There is no way we could have stayed in the yurt without the fan, so if you decide to stay in a yurt at this park during the summer, make sure to take extension cords and at least one fan. One thing that my wife and I found strange was that there were handrails along the three steps to the deck around the yurt, but there were no handrails beside the rougher steps leading to the yurt. Once we got the yurt cooled off to a decent temperature(high 70s), it wasn’t too bad. It had a queen bed and a trundle bed, which our grandson stayed on. A couch, side tables, and a dining table was also inside. The overall appearance inside the yurt was pleasant, and there was a picnic table and rocking chairs on the outside on the deck. There was also a fire pit, another picnic table, and a lantern hanger included with this yurt on the ground outside of the deck area. You will have to take your own linens for the beds—a queen and a single. There are two campgrounds in this state park, and each one is quite different. The Lover’s Leap campground has space for larger RVs and appears to be the newer of the two campgrounds. Although there are playgrounds, a swimming complex, an amphitheater, and much more, some of these venues are closed for the season due to the pandemic. The one thing I was really looking forward to(the chairlift) is only open on weekends. However, we were able to hike a couple of trails and see the natural tunnel. There are also cabins in the campground and they have a variety of sleeping arrangements of up to sixteen people in one cabin. The historical background of the state park is varied and extensive, so there are a lot of things to see within the park and surrounding the park. My wife and I decided we really want to come back and camp here again when we have more time. Overall, the campground has a lot of opportunities for different types of camping, and a lot to do, but if you stay in a yurt, be prepared.

 Greenbriar campground is located in Pittman Center, west of Gatlinburg, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains. The campground is certainly one of the nicest camping spots I’ve n the area. The campground is very large, and has multiple camping options. They have tent and rv spots, as well as cabins, but I also saw some teepee style tent cabins. The campground is very wooded, so you feel like you are getting a legitimate Smoky Mountain camping experience. The pigeon river runs through the campground, and is great for fishing, or swimming/tubing in summer. There is a dog park also, and the campground is pet friendly. This campground has so many things to do, and it is very popular, so if you want to camp here, I would suggest booking early, because spots are booked months in advance. The campground is very quiet at night, with just the sounds of nature. There is a camp store, with firewood, and you’ll want to enjoy a campfire, even in the middle of summer. I Highly recommend Greenbriar Campground for camping in the Smokies.

Really cute campground just a short jaunt to the beautiful multi-level Catawba Falls hike in the Pisgah National Forest. We stayed in a tent site VERY close to a rushing creek of cool water. The sound definitely helped put me to sleep!

The tent sites all have a tent pad, camp ring, trash can, and picnic table provided. This site had a bit more privacy than others we saw and was on the other side of the property from the RV area, which also included a playground, bathrooms, showers, and small store. There are also small tiny cabins to rent out which is great if you had a large group and not everyone was down for roughin' it. Some tent sites were also close to shared pavilions which were very nice to use during the rainy weekend we experienced! We appreciated the hot showers since we were outside hiking all day but wanted to hit up some sights in Asheville that evening without looking too worn out.

The people who run the camp were extremely nice and helpful -- we arrived later than expected in a downpour thunderstorm and they were able to accommodate us and transfer us and our bags from the car to the site via golf cart.

 This campground is in Gatlinburg, but is almost all the way to Cosby. The campground has RV sites, tent sites, cabin rentals, and rv rentals as well. There are several riverfront sites. The campground is large and has several amenities, such as a game room, pool, alpine water slide, fishing pond, and playground. This is a great campground for kids, but is also very quiet at night, even when the campground is full. There is a camp store, that sells camping essentials and souvenirs, and ice cream. There was a shaved ice truck there on the weekend also. We stayed in site 213, which is a riverfront site, however there were campers on the other side of the river. I would recommend staying in one of the riverfront sites on the other side of the park, they would be a little more private. My brother and family stayed in one of the rental campers, and it was nice, however not very clean, despite being charged a cleaning fee. The campground is near the Greenbriar area of the Smokies, and there’s great hiking and fishing nearby. Overall a great spot.

We had a mountaintop site- not with the deck, but still up top. The campground is really beautiful and well maintained. The bathhouse up top seemed to be brand new. It had two full bathrooms with toilet, sink, and zero entry large shower. There was also a laundry room adjacent. There’s a mountaintop community deck with rocking chairs, and a wonderful swing sort of on the edge of the mountain- which was a lovely place to watch sunsets!

We camp in an a-frame pop up, and this campground definitely seems more for the bigger rig crowd. You can’t have any shelters outside since you can’t stake anything down. We usually cook entirely outdoors, and without being able to bring our cooking equipment, we couldn’t cook most things. No big deal, Asheville has some amazing restaurants. I also figure they don’t want people leaving cooking equip out since there’s a bear in the area.

We visited in the summer, and it was insanely hot on top of the mountain. Without being able to put up our canopy or screen room, there was no reprieve from the sun- not really the campground’s fault obviously, but something to consider!

When we were checking in, there was a sign at the front desk saying we couldn’t leave our dog in our camper, which was a surprise. They need to post this rule on their website and in the terms and conditions they make you accept prior to arrival. It complicated things for us, since now we couldn’t cook really at camp, and had to find dog friendly restaurants (which there are plenty in Asheville) and sit outside in the intense August heat. We usually leave our dog in the camper for maybe an hour when we go to meals with temperature monitored.

It didn’t affect us as we don’t use one, but we were also informed upon arrival that you cannot put up a dog pen/fence. Again, this was not on their website, and I think it should be as many people do use them.

The site we were on, 42, was right on top of the adjacent site. A lot of the sites seemed really packed in tight. The only ones that didn’t were the top tier premium sites with a deck.

Overall, if you don’t need to set up anything outside or expect to be able to leave your pet in your camper, this is a beautiful campground. We probably won’t be back as it’s just not our jam.

PROS 

Discounted camp fee with senior pass 

Reserved 169 days prior to arriving 

Friendly and helpful gate attendant 

Nearly 100% shade at each site 

Excellent dark sky viewing 

Private sites with large space along with vegetation between sites 

Very quiet 

Asphalt parking pad surrounded with bean size gravel 

Concrete picnic table 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

2 hook lantern pole 

Electric at water connection for heated water hose connection 

Recycle bins in campground loop 

Trash dumpsters immediately out of campground loop 

Firewood for sale but gate attendant told us to buy at Ingles (grocery store) where it is $3 bundle cheaper and we did! 

Next to North Carolina Arboretum 

Close to Asheville Outlet Mall and Camping World 

CONS 

3 bear sitings a day prior to our arrival in campground, according to gate attendant 

No overnight gate closure even tho RULES proved at check-in stated gates closed at 10pm, but no open hours in RULES

 Lakeview site 38 not level 

Up hill sewer connection at Lakeview site 38 

Fire ring not cleared of ash upon our arrival 

Non-moveable concrete picnic table and beyond camper awning 

2 toilets and 2 showers for entire Lakeview Loop (21 campsites). There were lines! 

Low hanging tree branches over roadways and roadside tree branches over roadways so it was a maneuvering obstacle challenge to not scrape camper roof and sides Campground roads narrow with tight curves along with roadway asphalt dropped off to steep shoulders; could be challenging to novice rig drivers (as we witnessed that more than once) 

Two-and- a-half-mile drive on a twisty hilly road through residential neighborhood to get to the campground 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon