The Townsend KOA is located close to the entrance of Cades Cove. It has many rv, tent, and cabin sites. The sites on the river seem to be the best. They are out of the way and a little more spaced out. We had the pull thru patio site #61. The site itself is really nice. It has a big patio and fire pit. The major downside is it’s next the main in/out and basketball court. So cars are driving by and the basketball court was slightly annoying. Lots of screaming kids and bouncing balls all day until midnight the first night. Not very peaceful. It’s weird that they put one of the nicer sites next to the court. Other than the site location everything was nice. The playground is large and nice. There’s a great store on site. The people were really helpful. Cellphone and WiFi was very hit and miss. I would definitely stay again but not in that site.

The Ridge is really nice and fully paved. We went when the large top section was closed, so it wasn’t crowded, but I would think fully open it could seem crowded. The playground is small and crowded at times. One of the couples with us rented a Glamping Tent. It was a lot nicer than I imagined. Full kitchen and bathroom.

Honeysuckle Meadows is a small low key campground in Wears Valley between Pigeon Forge and Townsend. The sites a spaced out so you have privacy. We really enjoyed that it was not crowded and busy. The sites have full hookups and WiFi was excellent. There is a pool and pond. It does not have a bathhouse, laundry, or playground. I would not recommend for kids unless they don’t need the bells and whistles to be entertained.