Located in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, this state park is one of the most beautiful parks we have traveled to. It is very well-maintained, and the scenery is just spectacular. The park is pretty small, but there is plenty to do if you choose to stay there. The Visitor Center has a lot of souvenirs and gifts to choose from, a snake display, and information about the local animals. You can also sit out on the porch overlooking the river, or see the water wheel that used to be a part of the Peg Leg Mine. The river runs right by it, so you can go dip your feet in. The area by the river was such a pretty little area to just sit and enjoy nature. Up the road there is a playground, basketball/tennis court and large fields for all kinds of activities. There is a pool but it is not open anymore. We are really hoping for it to reopen because there is not a lot of swimming places in the area. This park has beautiful cabins (which I will review down below) as well as a campground. There is no service or wifi, but the park does offer a conference center/game room with WiFi. We spent a lot of time just sitting on the rocking chairs at the game room because once again, the whole area is just so pretty. It's the perfect place for a nice summer evening walk. The game room has a TV, pool table, and some claw machines, as well as several rocking chairs and couches and tables for you to sit and chill while you use the internet. Across from it are a couple of owls-Shiloh and Sunshine! You can walk up and see them anytime, and we actually caught an aviary demonstration where one of the rangers talked about the owls and fed them for us. There is not a whole lot out in town. We didn't come across many restaurants or grocery stores, so I would definitely bring whatever you need before you get there.
Before you go, you NEED to know that most cabins are 'cart your belongings in'. You cannot park at your cabin. We were very lucky that the cabin we got was right at the parking lot and we only had to carry our bags down a short walk. But some cabins have a walk of up to 200 yards. Wagons are provided for you, but it still can be some work. Our cabin had a beautiful field/grassy area in front of it that was perfect for the kids to run around. We also were located right by the 'playground' which was really just a swing set. Each cabin has its own grill, but there were no outside picnic tables or fire pits. There is one large fire pit in the cabin area for everyone to use. The cabins were very nice and we loved it. There was a downstairs bedroom as well as loft with two twin beds. There is no TV, which I would have really liked. The kitchen is not super stocked, so I would definitely consider bringing a few things of your own, as well as the plates being very small. But other than that, the cabins had everything we needed. They all have a porch with rocking chairs, and I love having a porch to sit on. Our bed was hard as a rock though. I woke up a few mornings hardly able to stand because my back was hurting so bad. That's a major problem for me because if I'm paying a lot of money to stay somewhere, the least I want is a good night's rest-especially after a day of walking, playing and just being active out in the park.
