We visited during the off season, right after New Year's Day, and the waterpark wasn't open because…read moreit's an outdoor waterpark. So this review is for everything except the waterpark.
Country Cascades Waterpark Resort is an extremely family-friendly hotel in Pigeon Forge. From the moment we checked in until we left, we were surrounded by friendly people who made sure my family was comfortable and had lots of fun.
This hotel has themed suites for families! We stayed in one of their treehouse suites, which has two sets of themed twin bunk beds, as well as a king-sized bed in the main sleeping area. The twin bunk bed area had night lights and a TV in the treehouse nook. My kids were delighted to find a treasure hunt inside our room: a safe full of goodies that they could only unlock once they found all of the clues around the room.
We probably could have spent the whole day just having fun inside Country Cascades, even without the waterpark. Inside the resort, there is a bowling alley, arcade, rock climbing wall, gemstone mining, and a gift shop where you can build your own stuffed animal. Kids' activities happen throughout the day, so there's always something to participate in. Plus, the hotel has its own ice cream parlor, pizza restaurant, candy and popcorn shop, coffee shop and breakfast restaurant. Not to mention the waterpark, when you visit during the summer months. Country Cascades is an all-in-one place to stay and play.
Country Cascades has its own breakfast restaurant in-house called Granny Cluckets. There's no menu -- instead, the restaurant serves a "family-style" all-you-care-to-eat breakfast skillet, and the table shares all of the food. You're served a big skillet of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, country potatoes, waffles, and biscuits and gravy. Orange juice, water and coffee are also part of the breakfast. One serving is a lot of food for a family of four, but if you're very hungry, you can ask for more and they will give you more. We ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant each morning, and we all agreed that it was a good breakfast.
The room was very clean, and although they don't do a full room service, they do take out the trash and replace your towels each day without you having to ask.
The one thing that was irksome is that the gym in the hotel is just a treadmill, a stationary bike, and a weight machine. It's very small, and also, they don't allow access to the gym until 7 a.m. That's late for a person like me who needs to rise and grind before her family wakes up! Oh well. I made do, but it would have been nice to at least have an elliptical and 24-hour access.