The Most Haunted Hotels in Gatlinburg

Posted: 04.29.2025 | Updated: 04.29.2025

While many people go to Gatlinburg for the trails, shopping, and great food, others arrive looking to see one of the many spirits who haunt the historic town at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While ghosts can be seen all around town, many congregate at the different inns and hotels. While some of them took their final breath in these inns, others seem to just enjoy the surroundings and don’t feel compelled to move on. 

Nestled among the haunted inns and bed and breakfasts are other spectral-heavy locations in town. This includes a cemetery that houses the original founder of Gatlinburg and a church whose priests continue to hang around after death. To see these sites and more for yourself, book a ghost tour with Gatlinburg Haunts tonight. 

What are the most haunted hotels in Gatlinburg?

While Gatlinburg may not be a huge town, it has more than one haunted hotel around. From a lodge that continues to host a former caretaker to a convention space where a little girl fell to her death, there are several creepy places to stay while you’re in town. 

For our list of the most haunted hotels in Gatlinburg, we included: 

• LeConte Lodge, a remote inn only accessible by difficult trails
• Historic Rocky Waters Inn, where clocks will spin backwards
• Edgewater Hotel and Conference Center, where a little girl was wronged by her parents 

LeConte Lodge

While many people associate LeConte Lodge with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the lodge is actually older than the park itself. The establishment was first constructed as a tent village way back in 1925. This tent base was used to house visiting politicians from Washington, D.C., who were deciding if the area would be chosen as a national park. 

The tents were strategically placed atop Mount LeConte, the third-highest peak in the entire national park. At 6,593 feet, the area offered gorgeous views of the vast landscape, helping support the locals’ case to protect the land as a national park. 

An actual constructed lodge was built in 1926 by Jack Huff. Jack, his wife Pauline, and their family ran the lodge until 1960, when they sold it to additional owners. 

Because of its remote location, the lodge didn’t have a road going up to it when it was first built — and it still doesn’t to this day. Instead, horses and mules were used to bring supplies up, while people would trek up one of five strenuous hikes to the cabins. In the ‘60s, horses were replaced with llamas for supply runs. The llamas still remain at the lodge and are a favorite among visitors. 

The other favorite? The friendly spirits who haunt the lodge. 

The Little Girl of LeConte Lodge

One of the most commonly seen ghosts at LeConte Lodge is a little girl spirit. She’s often spotted at the end of a guest’s bed at exactly 3:33 a.m. At other times, she is spotted sitting at the end of the bed. When guests see her, they often blink several times, wondering if they’re still asleep. 

By the time they have their wits about them, the little girl has vanished. It seems she only wants to observe guests, as no one has experienced a negative feeling from her. 

The other ghost of LeConte is one of the original caretakers of the lodge. After decades of looking after the land and the lodge’s tenants, the caretaker decided to never leave. Guests will often say they feel a presence when they’re completely alone on the nearby trails. Sometimes they will hear footsteps behind them when no one is there. 

Historic Rocky Waters Inn

The Rocky River Hotel was one of the first official hotels to be built after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created. Opened in 1936, it has been operating continuously ever since, though it has changed owners several times. Today, the hotel is known as the Historic Rocky Waters Inn. 

The 36 rooms within the inn offer a wide variety of beautiful views of the nature that surrounds the hotel. Many rooms open up directly to the babbling Cliff Branch Creek that runs alongside the hotel. 

While this hotel offers plenty of opportunities for relaxation and rest, it also has many ghostly possibilities for spectral enthusiasts. 

The Otherworldly Activity within the Historic Rocky Waters Inn

Guests who stay at the Historic Rocky Waters Inn come for different lengths of time. Some will stay for a night, while others will come for weeks or a month to enjoy the sights and sounds of the national park. 

During these stays, guests have experienced some very strange phenomena. One guest heard a loud, hard knock at their door. Alarmed, they went to check — only to find no one there. No one was staying near them either, so it didn’t seem like a “ding-dong ditch” type of situation. 

Later in their stay, the guest noticed that the clock had begun running counterclockwise. Another time, they saw a bright orb fly through their room in the middle of the night. After all this activity, they ended up checking out. 

Another guest at the hotel had an even more frightening experience. While lounging in their room, the guest saw a woman crawl out from the doorway of their bathroom. When they screamed, the woman crawled right back to where she came from without a peep. 

Edgewater Hotel and Conference Center

The origin of the ghost of the Edgewater Hotel and Conference Center is particularly tragic because it involves the death of a child. 

In 1972, a family had come to Gatlinburg on vacation. Surrounded by other families enjoying themselves, the scene took a horrific turn when someone was seen falling from a high balcony. The victim turned out to be a seven-year-old. 

While it was presumed to be an accident at first, police started growing suspicious of the parents of the little girl. After further questioning, it seemed like the father may have been involved in the incident. After raising alarms, the parents decided to flee. 

While being pursued, the parents sped down the twisted roads around Gatlinburg and ultimately took a curve too fast. Their car tumbled into the Little Pigeon River, and the parents were never seen again. 

The Ghost of the Lost Child

While the child was neglected in life, it seems she doesn’t want the staff to forget what happened to her at the hotel. So, every year on the anniversary of her death, the child can be seen standing in the stream below the hotel, pointing up at the exact balcony she fell from so many years ago. 

Haunted Gatlinburg

If you’re looking to have an otherworldly experience as you sleep in your accommodations, you have several great options to choose from in Gatlinburg. If you want to experience spooky events outside of where you sleep, Gatlinburg Haunts has you covered. 

With true stories of the darkest escapades that have taken place around town, our ghost tour guides will share the city’s secrets with you as you see the haunted locations for yourself. Book a ghost tour tonight and discover what phantoms you may see lurking around town. 

Curious about other haunted hotels around the U.S.? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to learn about some of the spookiest stays around. For more information about local haunted Gatlinburg sites, be sure to check out our blog. 

Sources:

• https://www.southernspiritguide.org/tragedies-in-a-tourist-town-gatlinburg-tn/
• https://gatlinburghaunts.com/
• https://www.lecontelodge.com/about/
• https://www.gatlinburg.com/blog/post/ghosts-of-gatlinburg-10-haunted-places-to-visit-this-fall/
• https://www.rockywatersinn.com/
• https://www.tennesseehauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/rocky-river-motel.html
• https://gatlinburghaunts.com/rocky-river-motel/