It's time!
to start planning the next East TN HERF....
Im thinking we need to go a little bigger this year... and am looking for some inputs from the group...
We can get a large (5-6 bedroom) cabin in the Smoky Mountains for about $400 a night (weekend rates).. most of these places will sleep 7-8 people... plus plenty of room on the floor for anyone that wanted to bring an air mattress, sleeping bag, or whatever...
We had about 10 people come in from out of town last year and rent hotel rooms.. at anywhere from $80-$150 a night...
Instead of doing that... what if I reserved us a cabin... and split the rental cost between beds... on a first come, first serve basis? Im guessing beds would end up being about $50 a night if I can find us a nice place at a decent rate (I plan on starting the search tomorrow morning)..
Everyone that doesnt get a bed or chooses not to overnight... throws in $10 per day ($20 total)... and we use that money to buy all the food, booze, etc.. the group can handle.. and, if you so choose.. you can take up floor space with your sleeping bag/air matress/whatever at no additional cost..
Going this route, the out of towners end up with a cheaper place to stay... all of us (locals or out of towners) get a nicer place to HERF (most of these cabins are super nice, plenty of covered and screened in porches/patios for smoking space.. wi-fi, big screen tv's, full kitchens, etc..etc..).. and we can turn it into a weekend long event (crank it up Friday evening as people arrive... and finish it up Sunday at checkout time)...
Whose in?
Assuming I can find a couple of decent options tomorrow... Im thinking the weekend of April 17-19.. the weather will be nice (should be back up into the high 50's by then).. and its the off season for the national park/gatlinburg... so lots to do.. without huge crowds to deal with (most of the cabins are within a 10 minute drive of all the local tourist attractions if anyone wants to go to a local smoke shop, race some go-karts, hit the amusement park, hike the Appalachian Trail, hike a mountain (we have small mountains here..), or just visit the national park for a while..
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