Affordable Things to Do in Bryson City During Your Smoky Mountains Vacation

Just because prices are rising doesn't mean you have to forego your family vacation!  Sky Ridge already has a built-in wow factor over a standard hotel, so when you book your stay with us, you've already locked in a memorable experience for you and your family.  We're priced fairly amongst our competitors, and we keep the value high for our guests, so if just getting here is all you do, you're winning.  But here are some great - and often free or close to free - ways we suggest keeping your stay in the Smoky Mountains affordable and fun:

Rent one of our yurts or cabins​ that has a full kitchen.

While all of our yurts have a way to prepare basic meals, five of them have complete kitchens just like you have at home and are fully stocked with appliances, dishes and cookware that makes it easy for you to pack in your groceries and control your meal costs while you're on vacation.  The extra money you'll spend for one of these larger units is far less than eating out each meal!

Get outside and hike.

The Smokies have no shortage of hiking opportunities, and all you need to enjoy that is a daypack, a map app and a good pair of shoes!  If you'd like to hike on any of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, all you'll need is a parking pass for your car.  These are $5 per day or $15 for a solid week.  And if you prefer not to pay to park, we suggest a hike to Wesser Bald Fire Tower.  This easy to moderate hike along the Appalachian Trail takes you up to a fire tower that offers a full 360-degree panoramic view of the majestic Smoky Mountains.  And when you descend on the fire road back to your car, you've made loop trail that takes about two hours to complete, depending on personal speed.  What's even better is that the road you'll drive to get to the trailhead is the same pathway that the Jeep tour companies use to display the beauty of the area.  You'll see all the same things along the way that they'll show you, just without the cost of the tour.  Plus, if you do it at sunrise or sunset, you'll elevate this experience to an entirely different place!

Get your whitewater fix at a fraction of the cost.

One of the biggest draws to our area is the thrill of rafting the Nantahala River.  And while it is exciting, it can be costly.  The average family of four will spend around $250 for a three-hour trip down the river.  We suggest instead spending a day tubing at the Deep Creek Waterfall area in the Bryson City entrance to the National Park.  Here, you can rent a tube, park your car near the picnic area, hike up an easy trail past three beautiful waterfalls and float back down the river to your car - all for about $5 per person.  You can rinse and repeat as many times as you'd like, as tube rental fees cover the entire day - if that isn't an affordable smoky mountains vacation hack - I don't know what is!

Visit Mother Nature's water park.

There's no need to pony up the fee at the water park in the Smokies.  Mother Nature has plenty of swimming options that are so much better than man-made counterfeits, you just need to know where to find them.  We've got a full list of the best ones here, so pack a towel and a lunch and spend the day swimming in the Smokies for free!

Spend some quality time around the campfire.

Every yurt or cabin at Sky Ridge is equipped with a private fire pit.  And, you'll never have to pack in wood for the fire!  We provide firewood for our guests free of charge, so it's a wonderful way to connect around the campfire - and it's free.  Pack in some hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores and you've got an evening the entire family will remember fondly!

These are just some a few ways you can make your stay at Sky Ridge both memorable and affordable. If you'd like this guide emailed to you, just click here and we'll send it to you for easy reference. The Smokies and all that Mother Nature has to offer has always been a place for friends and family to disconnect from the stresses of everyday life and plug in to the stillness and beauty of nature, and that's been low-cost for a long time. Come to the mountains and make some memories without breaking the bank.