Gracehill - A Bed & Breakfast
in the Heart of the Smoky Mountains

Gracehill Bed and Breakfast, a Townsend, TN, B&B, with a 360-degree view, is the highest home in Blount County and borders the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We've won awards for gardens, fall foliage, breakfast recipes, and three years in a row "Best Scenic View from a B&B in the United States." Your privacy is second only to the view.

Activities set the stage, nature steals the show. In the middle of a triangle formed by Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Townsend, we are only minutes from all three. In Townsend, the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies", you have the natural beauty and serenity of the Cades Cove entrance to the Smoky Mountains National Park. Spend a day at leisure and feel you have stepped back in time, or, there is auto touring, hiking, biking, fly-fishing, tubing, kayaking, caving, strolling the bike trail, and touring the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center and Museum!

Gracehill won Arrington's Inn Traveler's First-Place award for the
"Best Scenic View From a B&B in the United States" three years in a row.

Heading in the other direction, Gracehill is only eleven miles from a "shop till you drop" experience in Pigeon Forge. Music theaters, outlet malls, and Dollywood are but 20 minutes away. Take a little-used entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and drive gorgeous River Road to Gatlinburg, 15 miles away. Fine restaurants, shopping, the aquarium, the arts and crafts community, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail are the best Gatlinburg, TN has to offer. Flying in? Knoxville's McGee Tyson Airport is 35 minutes away and a private airfield is 15 miles from the B&B in Sevierville. Maryville College is a 30 minute drive, The Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont 15 minutes, and the University of Tennessee 50 minutes.

A beautiful sunrise, an elegant breakfast, a day spent doing nothing or everything and the romance of watching the sun go down over the mountain ranges of the Great Smokies, an intimate setting in a place of grandeur. Our photos, all taken on the property, speak a thousand words...

Gracehill, two and half years in the making, was newly opened Thanksgiving of 2000. Imaginative and innovative Gracehill is a luxury, romantic accommodation. Without using a lot of adjectives we are hopeful the facilities will meet and hopefully exceed your expectations.

The exterior is cedar shake siding and 200 tons of mountain dry stack stone. The interior is light filled with floor to ceiling windows. Gracehill is decorated with an eclectic blend of antiques and contains tin ceilings, stacked stone, stained glass, original art, and 12 foot high ceilings are found through out.

The patios are local tumbled marble. The landscaping starts on the approach, winding up the side of Little Round Top Mountain. Other than the 80 bush formal rose garden, the landscaping and water features are natural and blend into the woods.

Gracehill has enough covered verandas (2000 sq ft), patios, and gardens for each guest to sit and contemplate life in solitude. The privacy is second only to the view. Although we are in the country there is nothing "country" about upscale Gracehill! Black Tie Class with Blue Jean Comfort...

Amenities

• Wi-Fi wireless internet access
• A computer for guest use along with a FAX and copy machine
• Private baths each with a whirlpool tub, some with separate shower or steam shower
• Most rooms with fireplaces
• In room satellite TV's, some with HD flat screens with VCR
• Fitness & Massage Center
• Library and games
• Smokeless interior, smoking outside on the verandas permitted
• Sorry, pets cannot be accommodated, kennel nearby
• Free U.S. long distance phone service
• Complimentary stocked snack area including a refrigerator,
  ice maker, microwave, coffee pot, toaster oven, and blender
• King or twin accommodations
• Hair dryers, bathrobes, and toiletries
• Outdoor hot tub
• Iron, ironing board, and laundry facilities
• All rooms have outside entrances onto verandas, balconies, or patios
• Children age 10 and older welcome, unless taking 3 rooms or more, then any age

Every season is spectacular. Sit in front of one of the fireplaces and watch the snow fall. Two months later breathe the scent of mountain laurel blooming all over the mountain. Mid summer? Watch the bears eating blackberries on the road coming up the mountain, or come fall kick a path through the crimson and gold leaves on the ground. Most mornings have you looking down on the clouds covering the valleys below and there is no better vantage point for watching the weather "roll in."

Both Key Largo and Casablanca have a direct view of the sunset. The view from Spellbound is on a slight angle to the sunset overlooking a waterfall. Roman Holiday has windows on all four sides if you count the bathroom which is where the sun sets, the bedroom is forest and rear garden patio.

Gracehill Bed and Breakfast
is the Perfect Four Season Getaway!

Elegant dining starts with your choice of location: the rear patio under the pergola draped with wisteria and climbing roses, the morning room with a blazing fire, the formal dining room overlooking Townsend, or the covered front veranda at tree top level. We use different china, stemware, silver, and flower/candle arrangements each day of your stay. Our place settings compliment the menu down to the napkin folds. That is a story in itself...

Breakfast continues with:

• Fresh ground coffee, herbal teas, and juice
• Fresh baked coffee cake or pastry
• Different fresh or baked fruit plates each morning
• And a different main course each morning

With notice prior to your arrival, picnic lunches are available. See the specials page for descriptions. For dinner you have an array of over 100 restaurants from 5 to 22 miles away. Or, again with prior notice, choose one of our two appetizer trays. You are always welcome to bring snacks or feel free to bring your own steak and salad and help yourself to the grill on the back patio. When possible, we use fresh herbs from our garden or greenhouse.

We have a spacious Fitness Center with a broad array of equipment. For additional exercise, take a walk down the road to the mailbox, one mile, change in elevation 1000 ft! With a short drive you may also pick up a national park trail or simply “work” lifting the binoculars or swiveling the telescope to watch the birds. Wind up your exercise with a dip in the hot tub, on the veranda, or a soak in your private whirlpool.

Do yourself a favor, and follow these directions, NOT those provided by Map Quest or some GPS Units unless you are a glutton for punishment! This is a trust me factor… The directions on our website are the most accurate coming from any direction. Please print them off. Coming from points west or south they often send you all the way to Knoxville instead of getting you off at the closest exit. Coming from the north they often send you through Pigeon Forge traffic instead of coming via Maryville which can add 2 hours or more onto your time. The directions on my brochure are almost as good as those on my website. The I-40 closure for construction in downtown Knoxville shouldn’t affect anyone coming long distance. If you would rather bond with your spouse sitting in traffic using your new GPS, okay. I’ll tell you what the sunset looked like when you do arrive. Confusing? Call 866-448-3070.

From Nashville on I-40 EB:
Exit 364 onto Hwy 321. Turn right at the top of the ramp and go a few miles; you will cross over I-75. Proceed another 39 miles thru Lenoir City and Maryville/Alcoa into Townsend. At intersection #13, the 0nly stop light in town by the Marathon station, Wears Valley Road/Hwy 321, turns left towards Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge. Turn left there and proceed 3.4 miles. Just past the riding stables on the left, you will see Little Round Top Rd. on the right. Turn right, proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left (you’ll see a Gracehill sign.) Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top.

From West Knoxville on I-40 EB:
Take the Pellissippi Parkway I-140 to Hwy 129 or on I-40 EB exit 376B onto Hwy 129 towards Maryville and McGhee Tyson Airport. Once past the airport, stay left and follow the signs into Maryville for Townsend, turning left onto 321. Proceed about 15 miles into Townsend. At intersection #13, the only stop light in town by the Marathon station, Wears Valley Road/Hwy 321, turns left towards Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge. Turn left there and proceed 3.4 miles. Just past the riding stables on the left, you will see Little Round Top Rd. on the right. Turn right, proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left (you’ll see a Gracehill sign.) Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top.

From North Knoxville (or Cincinnati, OH; or KY) I-75 SB:
I-75 turns into I-275 SB. Ignore any signs that say take the I-640 bypass to Nashville, it can be a little confusing, just get on I-275 for a few miles to I-40 WB Nashville. You will only be on I-40 for less than a mile when you exit at 386B onto Hwy 129 towards Maryville and McGhee Tyson Airport. Once past the airport stay left and follow the signs into Maryville for Townsend, turning left onto 321. Proceed about 15 miles into Townsend. At intersection #13, the only stop light in town by the Marathon station, Wears Valley Road/Hwy 321, turns left towards Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge. Turn left there and proceed 3.4 miles. Just past the riding stables on the left, you will see Little Round Top Rd. on the right. Turn right, proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left (you’ll see a Gracehill sign.) Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top.

From Chattanooga on I-75 NB:
Exit 81 on Hwy 321, turn right at the top of the ramp. Proceed 39 miles thru Lenoir City and Maryville/Alcoa into Townsend. At intersection #13, the only stop light in town by the Marathon station, Wears Valley Road/Hwy 321, turns left towards Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge. Turn left there and proceed 3.4 miles. Just past the riding stables on the left, you will see Little Round Top Rd. on the right. Turn right, proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left (you’ll see a Gracehill sign.) Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top.

From Bristol TN, VA, and points NE of here on I-81 SB:
I-81 SB merges into I-40 WB. Take Exit 407 on Rt. 66, turn left at the top of the ramp. Proceed 8.1 miles into Sevierville, cross over Hwy 411 and the road you are on turns into Hwy 441. Stay on Hwy 441 4.4 miles into Pigeon Forge. At stop light 3 turn right towards Wears Valley and Townsend. Proceed 11 miles, and immediately after crossing over the county line from Sevier County to Blount County on your left, turn into Little Round Top Rd. Proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left (you’ll see a Gracehill sign.) Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top. Those of you coming in from this direction, please check with the innkeeper on her take of the traffic situation. Sometimes it pays to go past exit 407 and proceed into Knoxville and approach Townsend from the Maryville side if Pigeon Forge is having a special events weekend or it is a holiday.

From Asheville, NC:
There are several ways you could approach. You could come through Cherokee and up over the mountain on 441 to Hwy 73 for a beautiful scenic drive. Or you take I-40 WB to exit 407 in Sevierville, but traffic can be heavy once you get off the expressway. My favorite is a combination of a little scenery and less traffic (except the 3 miles coming through Gatlinburg) and is usually the fastest. Take I-40WB to the Foothills Parkway exit. Get off at that exit and take it for about 6 miles. It empties out onto Hwy 321 in Cosby. Turn left and go about 1.7 miles and at the stop sign 321 turns right towards Gatlinburg. After about 18 miles 321 hits the main drag in Gatlinburg, a “T” intersection. You want to take a left on Hwy 441 going towards Cherokee. You will have about 3 miles of traffic until just past stop light number 10 you enter the National Park. Ignore the signs that ask you if want to go to Pigeon Forge. After a couple of miles in the park you turn right onto Hwy 73 towards Townsend. You will pass the Visitor Center on the right. Clock off 9.4 miles then turn right into Metacalf Bottoms Picnic area. Cross over the river, and proceed 2.8 miles. You will hit a “T” intersection, Hwy 321 again, turn left and proceed 2.2 miles. As you cross over the county line from Sevier County to Blount County, on your left turn into Little Round Top Rd. Proceed 4/10ths of a mile and turn left at the second left. Proceed 3/10ths of a mile and the road turns into concrete. Come up the concrete another 3/10ths of a mile to the top.