Being a mom of four means that I have a lot of specifics that I am looking for when I try to find a resort.  One of the things that I loved about our vacation to the Gatlinburg area was being able to stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies was that the resort really did meet all of my personal needs as well as those of my family.

I thought that I would share some of my favorite tips for choosing a resort or hotel.

Tips to Choose the Right Resort

• Find a resort that is going to offer entertainment for everyone.  The Wilderness at the Smokies offers four different water parks on their property.  While three are outdoors, one is indoors so it allows for gusts to enjoy a waterpark regardless of when they are traveling to the resort.

• Look for a resort that features the kinds of food that your family eats on site.  While I do not always eat the hotels/resorts where we stay having the option to eat there is great.  The worst is when you do not want to head out to eat but you have to because there is nothing to eat at the hotel or there is not something that everyone in your family will eat.  The Wilderness at the Smokies offers guests a number of different menus to choose from with eight dining options on site.

• Another thing that I always find to be a great service at hotels is comfortable accomodations.  You want to make sure that the rooms are accomodating to your and your family regardless of how many of you there are.  When we stayed at the Wilderness at the Smokies we had great accomodations that were perfect for our family of six.  This is not always the case since we are a family of six, a lot of hotels are not very easy for us to stay in together.

Things Every Parent Needs to Remember

Of course there are a few things that parents should remember when going to a resort.  Make sure that you know when you are able to check in an check out before you arrive.  It is not a good situation to arrive before check in and try to entertain your kids without having a room.  Pack a few things to entertain your children in your room and make sure that you have some healthy snacks with you as well.  Keeping your hotel room clean and picked up will help ease stress and make it simple for your children to find their things that they might be looking for.

It is possible for any family to choose the right resort and you will be glad that you took the time to make sure that the resort met your needs when you are staying there.

Get more about the Smoky Mountains in our February issue of Real Family Travel.