Just in case you don't believe the Smokies downturn...
Most Popular Reply
Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votesQuote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
so for that neck of the woods if folks are not going there where are they going.. or are they just not taking any vacation time.. or are they maybe exploring new areas and not going back to the same places year after year.. or maybe they are taking a cruise instead or some other trip like to Europe or down to the carib ?? be interesting to know if habits have changed.
I know for myself we do all sorts of different things the only thing we do as repeats is fly fishing in Montana but even at that I go to different places pretty much every year.
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ??
20 Replies
- 1yCollin HaysBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
- Investor · FL · Member since 2016 · 332 posts · 388 votes1yThe NPS has done a poor job in letting people know Cosby Campground is back open after the road repairs. We send a lot of guests there to hike and the updates on the NPS site as of 10 days ago still made it look like the Campground access was closed due to the road repairs with no timeline of completion, so anyone planning ahead probably went elsewhere.
Quote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
- 1yJay HinrichsBusiness MemberReal Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
Quote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
so for that neck of the woods if folks are not going there where are they going.. or are they just not taking any vacation time.. or are they maybe exploring new areas and not going back to the same places year after year.. or maybe they are taking a cruise instead or some other trip like to Europe or down to the carib ?? be interesting to know if habits have changed.
I know for myself we do all sorts of different things the only thing we do as repeats is fly fishing in Montana but even at that I go to different places pretty much every year.
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ?? - Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1yI think that is 100% what happened.
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ?? - Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes1y
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:
Quote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
so for that neck of the woods if folks are not going there where are they going.. or are they just not taking any vacation time.. or are they maybe exploring new areas and not going back to the same places year after year.. or maybe they are taking a cruise instead or some other trip like to Europe or down to the carib ?? be interesting to know if habits have changed.
I know for myself we do all sorts of different things the only thing we do as repeats is fly fishing in Montana but even at that I go to different places pretty much every year.
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ??massive $7 trillion or 40% increase in the money supply will do that
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes1y
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:
Quote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
so for that neck of the woods if folks are not going there where are they going.. or are they just not taking any vacation time.. or are they maybe exploring new areas and not going back to the same places year after year.. or maybe they are taking a cruise instead or some other trip like to Europe or down to the carib ?? be interesting to know if habits have changed.
I know for myself we do all sorts of different things the only thing we do as repeats is fly fishing in Montana but even at that I go to different places pretty much every year.
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ??I honestly think we have peaked as far as GSMNP traffic. PF/Sville/Gburg will still be a draw for the shopping and touristy stuff but lots of people are simply too fat or uninterested to hike around in the Smokies. If you like to fish or hike, GSMNP is great but if you're not into either of those things then it's tourist shopping in the outlet stores and Dollywood. I think everything has its saturation point and if you go anywhere in that area in the up seasons it's like being at Disneyworld at high season, and people that like to hike or fish can find lots of other places not so crowded to go do those things. I avoid the area like a plague any more, which is a shame because there's a few things I do like down there like the car museum and the aquarium and there's a great custard ice cream place, but I'm not going to drive an hour and then fight the ridiculous traffic for that stuff.
Skyline Properties - 1yCollin HaysBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
Quote from @JD Martin:
I honestly think we have peaked as far as GSMNP traffic. PF/Sville/Gburg will still be a draw for the shopping and touristy stuff but lots of people are simply too fat or uninterested to hike around in the Smokies. If you like to fish or hike, GSMNP is great but if you're not into either of those things then it's tourist shopping in the outlet stores and Dollywood. I think everything has its saturation point and if you go anywhere in that area in the up seasons it's like being at Disneyworld at high season, and people that like to hike or fish can find lots of other places not so crowded to go do those things. I avoid the area like a plague any more, which is a shame because there's a few things I do like down there like the car museum and the aquarium and there's a great custard ice cream place, but I'm not going to drive an hour and then fight the ridiculous traffic for that stuff.
I disagree with your prediction, but you do make some valid points. Many tourists don't know what to do in a national park anymore. If they can't get three plugs of ice cream and a t-shirt, then what's the point? The GSMNP covers over 500,000 acres. Of the millions that "visit" the park, the majority drive barely into the park, stop at the Visitors Center, poke around a little, hit the restrooms, and drive back one mile back into town. It's been that way for a very long time.
I am a fly fisherman, and I actually love this phenomenon, because it leaves the other 475,000 acres to me. Other than the Elmont and Cades Cove areas, I rarely run into another fly fisherman.
- Real Estate Agent · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2015 · 67 posts · 70 votes1yJD: My wife and I hiked to Mt Leconte via Trillium on Memorial Day. We were able to find a parking spot right in front of the Grotto Falls trailhead at 8:05am. Once we passed Grotto Falls we didn't see anyone other than two people coming down from Leconte after spending the night at the Lodge. Once at the top there were only three (non Leconte lodge employee) people up there. I've never seen so few people up at Leconte except when we've went in the winter with heavy snow. Granted, it wasn't a clear day (no views), with some rain forecasted, and it was on actual Memorial Day when many people were likely headed out of town. But still, I expected many more people to be up there via Alum. You're right about a large portion of the folks traveling to our area not exploring the National Park and a significant portion of those that do won't spend more than 10 minutes outside their vehicle (maybe taking a look around Newfound Gap for example).
Quote from @JD Martin:
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:
Quote from @Collin Hays:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I had 3 of my cabins shut down this week leading into Memorial Day Weekend for a number of projects and upgrades. Guests started checking in tonight and I still needed to get something for one of the cabins. I let the guests know I would be back to drop something off and they were cool. I ran up to the new Target in Sevierville. At 8pm on the Friday night leading into Memorial Day Weekend, without doing maybe 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit, I made it from Target all the way to Walmart. There was that little traffic. I was fully expecting things to be backed up on Winfield Dunn from in front of Lowes southward and already planned on taking the back way. Didn't need to. It's crazy.
I was there this week.There was ONE overnight camper in Cosby campground last night, though the park ranger was expecting 20 campers tonight (still not many).
I ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg at 9am today with no wait. That’s a big deal.
It’s slow for sure.
so for that neck of the woods if folks are not going there where are they going.. or are they just not taking any vacation time.. or are they maybe exploring new areas and not going back to the same places year after year.. or maybe they are taking a cruise instead or some other trip like to Europe or down to the carib ?? be interesting to know if habits have changed.
I know for myself we do all sorts of different things the only thing we do as repeats is fly fishing in Montana but even at that I go to different places pretty much every year.
I wonder if covid gave and then has taken away.. by gave I mean created a false market and now we are back to normal and you had a big run on STR investments and inventory that would not have been therer if covid never happened.. ??I honestly think we have peaked as far as GSMNP traffic. PF/Sville/Gburg will still be a draw for the shopping and touristy stuff but lots of people are simply too fat or uninterested to hike around in the Smokies. If you like to fish or hike, GSMNP is great but if you're not into either of those things then it's tourist shopping in the outlet stores and Dollywood. I think everything has its saturation point and if you go anywhere in that area in the up seasons it's like being at Disneyworld at high season, and people that like to hike or fish can find lots of other places not so crowded to go do those things. I avoid the area like a plague any more, which is a shame because there's a few things I do like down there like the car museum and the aquarium and there's a great custard ice cream place, but I'm not going to drive an hour and then fight the ridiculous traffic for that stuff.
- 1yMichael BaumPro MemberOlympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
Amazing. Hopefully things will pickup later this summer!
- 1yJohn UnderwoodPro MemberInvestor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
Those are not good signs for sure.
We have a packed June and July.
We are going to Wears Valley and stay at our cabin starting Monday. I need to get some quotes to do work to our front deck while I'm there. I need a paint or stain that is more durable and I'm also looking at the cost to go to Trex.
- Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
Quote from @John Underwood:
Those are not good signs for sure.
We have a packed June and July.
We are going to Wears Valley and stay at our cabin starting Monday. I need to get some quotes to do work to our front deck while I'm there. I need a paint or stain that is more durable and I'm also looking at the cost to go to Trex.
Yea I wish I had trex. I just had one of my cabin's restained this week. If you do stick with the stain, there is a product they can mix in that is supposed to help with the carpenter bees. It's called BEE gone. They mix it into the stain. I had them add it to mine this time so we will see if it works.
- 1yJohn UnderwoodPro MemberInvestor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
Quote from @Ken Boone:
Quote from @John Underwood:
Those are not good signs for sure.
We have a packed June and July.
We are going to Wears Valley and stay at our cabin starting Monday. I need to get some quotes to do work to our front deck while I'm there. I need a paint or stain that is more durable and I'm also looking at the cost to go to Trex.
Yea I wish I had trex. I just had one of my cabin's restained this week. If you do stick with the stain, there is a product they can mix in that is supposed to help with the carpenter bees. It's called BEE gone. They mix it into the stain. I had them add it to mine this time so we will see if it works.
That's interesting. We pay for a borer bee treatment every spring.
- Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
Quote from @John Underwood:
Quote from @Ken Boone:
Quote from @John Underwood:
Those are not good signs for sure.
We have a packed June and July.
We are going to Wears Valley and stay at our cabin starting Monday. I need to get some quotes to do work to our front deck while I'm there. I need a paint or stain that is more durable and I'm also looking at the cost to go to Trex.
Yea I wish I had trex. I just had one of my cabin's restained this week. If you do stick with the stain, there is a product they can mix in that is supposed to help with the carpenter bees. It's called BEE gone. They mix it into the stain. I had them add it to mine this time so we will see if it works.
That's interesting. We pay for a borer bee treatment every spring.
Yea we do the same but that just seems to cut down on them vs actually stopping them completely. At least that has been our experience over the years. Those things are non stop. It was only like $43 a bottle so figured I would give it a try.
- 1yMike GrudzienPro MemberLender · Eugene, OR · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
It's the economy...
- 1yAndrew SteffensBusiness MemberTampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
yikes
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews - 1yDan H.Pro MemberInvestor · Poway, CA · Member since 2015 · 7k+ posts · 8k+ votes
I was at the #2 visited national park (Zion) Thursday and Friday and it was extremely crowded. I somehow was unaware that this weekend was Memorial Day weekend. In addition 3 of my 4 San Diego STRs are doing well (one very well as it is at virtual full book into August). So the slow down is not everywhere
Also lots of signs of the cuts. One entrance lane on way we took in. The bathroom at the employee building was closed. Probably most important of all was water refill stations were shutdown with signage indicated closed for winter; late May is not winter. The water is key because 1) people are expecting them to be operable and may not bring enough water for their outing 2) it was hot. I have a lot of hiking experience and virtually never run out of water but I did ~13 miles on Wednesday and ran out of water (2 quarts, official temps in mid 80s but sun temps in the 90s) with a mile left. I do not need water for a mile (maybe excluding extreme temps) but the temps caused me to use a bit more water than planned. Less experienced hikers could get into dangerous situations.
- Investor · Costa Mesa, CA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
“The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.” It’s the taketh part I don’t like.
- Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
Quote from @Eric Gerakos:
“The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.” It’s the taketh part I don’t like.
Yea I think most people feel the same about that part. ;) Unless of course He is taking away something you don't like!
- Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
Well for an update. Friday night was extremely slow, but Saturday the crowd roared into town and everything was packed yesterday and today when I left. My daughter and I rode the Goat Coaster mid week and we basically walked up and chatted with the folks running the place and they let me mount my Insta360 x5 to the front brace of the coaster so I could do a video. No lines no nothing. This morning about 10:15am there were at least 150 people in line.
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