There’s something about the Smoky Mountains that stirs the soul. Maybe it’s the way the morning fog rolls down the ridges like a slow dance. Maybe it’s the rustle of the wind through the trees, or the hush that settles over town as dusk drapes the peaks in blue. Whatever it is, that magic has been calling to songwriters for generations—and nowhere does that call echo louder than at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn.
A Tune in the Walls
This isn’t just another hotel with mountain views. This place has a melody. The walls here have heard thousands of guitar strums, heartfelt verses, and lyrics scratched onto napkins late into the night. Most famously, it was right here at the Inn in 1967 that Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote “Rocky Top,” the beloved anthem of Tennessee. If you’ve ever heard a band break into it at a bar or seen 100,000 people shout the chorus in Neyland Stadium, you’ve felt the electricity of a song born in these very mountains.
A Front Porch That Plays Host to Legends
The music hasn’t stopped since. Every August, the Historic Gatlinburg Inn becomes ground zero for the Gatlinburg Songwriters Festival, a multi-day celebration of the craft. Hit songwriters and up-and-coming talent alike gather to perform, teach, collaborate, and simply enjoy being surrounded by others who speak the same language of chords and stories. You might catch Grammy-winner Jerry Salley leading a workshop, or the ever-creative Fish Fisher sharing a laugh and a lyric on the porch.
And that’s the thing about the Inn—it invites community. You’re just as likely to see a guest quietly strumming a guitar on the front porch as you are to hear a spontaneous jam session break out in the lobby. Music is always close by, and it’s not about spotlight or stage. It’s about connection, creativity, and letting the mountains do what they’ve always done best: inspire.
A Place Where Songs Are Still Being Written
Whether you’re a seasoned songwriter or someone who simply loves hearing a well-told story in three verses and a chorus, there’s something special about staying at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn. This is where new songs are born—sometimes by professionals in workshops, sometimes by a guest who just brought their guitar on vacation and found a little extra magic in the mountain air.
The Smokies have a way of opening up your heart. And here at the Inn, you’re never far from a song being written, a melody being hummed, or a moment that feels like it belongs in a lyric.
If you’re planning a visit to Gatlinburg and you love music, make the Historic Gatlinburg Inn your home base. You never know who you’ll meet—or what song you might find yourself humming long after you leave.
