PRIVATE POOL! STUNNING VIEWS! PREMIER Family Lodge on 50 acres in the Smokies!

Welcome to Firefly Lodge - our third largest cabin on our 100-acre Smoky Mountain property. Our 7 cabins are collectively called Tuckaleechee Retreat Center (TRC).

Imagine a lush butterfly garden, cascading waterfall into a pond, and dreamy outdoor spaces with the most spectacular, sweeping, Smoky Mountain views.

Since we acquired it in 2021, Firefly Lodge has been a favorite among our guests. In the summer, you have your own PRIVATE POOL, and fireflies sparkle throughout the 48-acre property, from grass to treetops.

Firefly Lodge sits regally on our newest 48 acres and has plenty of wide-open yard space and land for running, playing, and exploring! While it does still have some sloping, it is also the “flattest” land on our property (flat for TN!). A volleyball net and cornhole are available for you to set up and use if you desire.

The 48 acres surrounding Firefly Lodge on are all yours to explore, with the exception of the Staff Cottage next door and the Chapel up the hill.

NEW! Firefly Lodge now has its own, private FIRE PIT AREA that is all yours!

Firefly Lodge is ideal for family vacations, small reunions, and smaller women's, men's, and youth retreats. For larger retreats, add some of our other cabins to your booking, and host up to 100 people. Churches nationwide have been calling our property "home away from home" for their retreats for decades.

Family Reunion? Our property is located in the ideal central location of east TN, only 35 minutes from the Knoxville airport (TYS). Families have returned to our property for decades to enjoy spending that annual quality time together in our peaceful and beautiful mountainside location.

Your stay here matters!
We are a Christian non-profit. Each and every stay supports the work of CBM (Children's Bible Ministries), which we are owned by. Revenue from TRC helps support our missions internship program, our pastor/missionary specials program, and so much more.

CBM's workers manage this property while also serving daily in the mission work of CBM. Most live on property, which makes customer service natural and available!

The layout:
-Firefly Lodge provides 4 bedrooms (see Sleeping Arrangements below for bed layouts) and 3.5 bathrooms.
-This 2-story, A-frame lodge has an open floor plan on the main floor for the kitchen, living room with 65" Roku TV/DVD, and dining room.
-2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms complete the main floor.
-2 additional bedrooms and 1 additional bathroom are on the lower level.
-Sliding glass doors open from the upstairs living room onto the covered balcony, where you can enjoy your morning coffee or have a great view of the family playing outside.
-Soak in the private hot tub, conveniently located on the patio by the pool - open year-round, prepared and heated for each arrival!
-Gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains from the bedrooms & main rooms, balcony, and pool area!

Other Firefly Lodge amenities:
-Parking for 6-8 cars or 4 passenger vans
-Free WIFI
-Amish-made wooden dining room table. With all leaves, it can seat 22 people at one time! Additional seating in the sunroom off the kitchen.
-All BED & BATH linens provided

Kitchen specifics:
-Island for food prep (also where sink and flat stovetop are)
-Keurig-style coffee maker + Bunn (industrial coffee maker) with pots
-Large closet-pantry for storing all of your groceries & supplies
-Dishwasher
-Microwave
-Refrigerator/freezer
-2 wall ovens
-Pots, pans, silverware, cooking-ware, bakeware, service ware, cups, mugs, plates, bowls, cookie sheets, crockpot, and so much more!

Downstairs living room specifics:
-Piano
-Books
-Sleeper sofa
-Sliding glass doors that access the hot tub, pool, & AMAZING views!
-55" Roku TV/DVD

Privacy:
When we travel, we like to know what's shared and what's all ours!
-At Firefly Lodge, everything is ALL YOURS! Nothing is shared except for the road.

Nearby area:
-Tuckaleechee Caverns is 1/4 mile from us - a very cool outing open March-November annually)
-Davy Crockett Riding Stables is 1/2 mile from us - take guided horseback rides
-Rent ATVs and more right in Townsend (1 mile from us)
-DON'T MISS tubing the Little River in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day)! It's busy, but so worth it. There are several tube rental locations, and they are all for the same river.
-There are plenty of river access spots down 321 that you can access on your own, any time!
-Check out the swinging bridge, across from Century 21 on 321.
-We also have the sweetest covered bridge, and you can fish in the river underneath! (Fishing passes available in town.)
-Plenty of places to buy souvenirs and fudge!
-Don't miss Townsend River Walk & Arboretum!
-Little River Railroad/Lumber Museum is FREE!
-If you enjoy history, the Heritage Museum is very cool.
-We are a festival town! Everything from Hot Air balloons to Bigfoot to Scottish Games...be sure to ask what's in town when you're planning to come!

Not Townsend, but still close, and worth the drive:
-The Island in Pigeon Forge is FREE admission and is awesome! Park & ride the free shuttle and enjoy sitting in the rockers around the dancing fountains, children's rides, high ropes course, mirror maze, great restaurants, Ferris Wheel, and so much more (activities have a la carte fees).
-Cherokee is about 1.5-hour drive away. You're sure to see elk grazing in the fields, especially on overcast, smoky days.
-Foothills Parkway is a beautiful drive! Access is available either heading towards Pigeon Forge (off Wears Valley Road) or heading towards Maryville (off 321).

Be sure to EXPLORE!
-Cades Cove, the beautiful, historic 11-mile driving loop filled with wildlife, hiking trails, awesome photo ops, old homesteads, churches, and cemeteries, is only a 15–20-minute drive from us. Cades Cove is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Parking passes are available once you arrive. Please note that on Wednesdays, Cades Cove is ONLY open to foot traffic and bicycles.
-We have so much hiking nearby, but there is a great hike that originates at the clay road right outside your door! Continue up nine switchbacks to the top of the mountain, and enjoy the panoramic views – GREAT photo op!
-Also check out Metcalf Bottoms for an awesome picnic area and river access.
-Elkmont, Laurel Falls, Sugarlands, Chimney Tops, and Alum Cave are about 30 minutes to an hour away as well.
-Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) is BEAUTIFUL, not only once you arrive and start hiking, but on the way there and back! Driving there takes about an hour.

Here on a Friday night?
Don't miss the local TN bluegrass culture at Rocky Branch Community Center, where locals get together and start pickin' at about 6:30pm and stop when they're done!

We LOVE our little town of Townsend, TN!
-Everything you need is on the main strip of 321/Lamar Alexander Parkway
-Our local grocer is IGA, located in the same plaza as Shell Gas Station
-Amoco has soft-serve ice cream, and great hot and cold lunch options you can purchase and enjoy eating on their deck overlooking Little River!
-Dollar General (of course we have one, are you a town if you don't?!) has all the rest of the basics.

Townsend restaurants we recommend:
-Peaceful Side Social is a favorite and has a play area for kids. Taco Truck there open seasonally. GREAT pizzas, bowls, half chicken, truffle fries, and sandwiches! They also have an attached Creamery, which is delicious.
-East Cuisine Cafe has awesome Asian food! Get your sushi fix or enjoy hibachi with a PITCHER of yum-yum sauce!
-Riverstone has good home-cooking.
-We love Apple Valley Cafe for breakfast and lunch, and there is shopping in the same plaza.
-We highly recommend TownsEnd for coffee, and there is also Dancing Bean, Artistic Bean, and others, all right in Townsend.

Other:
-Join hundreds of returning family reunions and groups, representing thousands of guests, who stay in Firefly Lodge (and our other cabins!) every year!

-Schedule a tour before you book, if you'd like!

-Discounts for first time bookings for CHURCH AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ARE AVAILABLE!

-Ask about our discounts for pastors and full-time ministry workers.
-Our policies do not allow us to host wedding ceremonies on our property.

-Exemptions for minimum-night stays are available if only one night is open between other groups. Please inquire with us if you see this and would like to book it!

-Guest will be required to sign Tuckaleechee Retreat Center's rental agreement after the booking is confirmed, which includes the rules and policies for our property, including our no pets and no alcohol policy.

THANK YOU! We look forward to hosting your family or small group here!