Emma's Cottage #537

🌊 Historic Riverside Cabin | Walk to Flint Rock Swimming Hole | FREE Attraction Tickets

Looking for an authentic Smoky Mountain getaway without the luxury cabin price tag? This charming 100+ year-old riverside cabin offers a unique opportunity to experience a piece of local history while enjoying one of the area's most sought-after locations.

Nestled along the banks of the Little Pigeon River, this cozy 2-bedroom cabin combines rustic mountain character with thoughtful updates that provide the comforts you need for a relaxing stay. While it isn't a brand-new luxury cabin, it's clean, comfortable, full of charm, and priced accordingly—making it a fantastic value for families, couples, sports teams, and outdoor enthusiasts.

✨ Why Guests Love It

• Over 100 years of Smoky Mountain history
• Located directly on the Little Pigeon River
• Flint Rock Swimming Hole just steps away
• Emerts Cove Covered Bridge only 500 feet away
• Just 2.5 miles from Rocky Top Sports World
• Affordable alternative to high-priced luxury cabins
• Peaceful riverfront setting
• FREE attraction tickets included

🎟️ FREE Attraction Tickets Included

Every stay includes complimentary admission to many of the Smokies' most popular attractions, helping you save hundreds during your vacation. Attractions may include:

• Dollywood
• Anakeesta
• Dolly Parton's Stampede
• Pirates Voyage
• WonderWorks
• SkyLand Ranch
• Rocky Top Mountain Coaster
• And many more!

🏡 The Cabin

This cozy 2-bedroom cabin has welcomed guests for generations. Over the years, updates have been made to provide modern conveniences while preserving much of the cabin's original character and charm.

If you appreciate history, simplicity, and authentic mountain living, you'll feel right at home here.

Wake up to the sounds of the river, enjoy your morning coffee outdoors, and spend your days exploring everything the Smokies have to offer.

🌲 Riverfront Location

The location is what truly sets this property apart.

Step outside and enjoy easy access to the Little Pigeon River where you can:

• Fish
• Tube
• Swim
• Relax by the water
• Enjoy the peaceful sounds of the river

The popular Flint Rock Swimming Hole is just a short walk away and is a favorite spot for cooling off during the summer months.

The historic Emerts Cove Covered Bridge is only 500 feet from the cabin and provides a beautiful setting for photos, walks, and enjoying the area's rich history.

🏆 Perfect for Rocky Top Sports World Families

Visiting for a tournament? You'll love being only 2.5 miles from Rocky Top Sports World, making early games and practices quick and convenient while still enjoying a peaceful retreat away from the crowds.

💲 Historic Charm at an Affordable Price

This cabin is priced according to its age and historic character. Rather than paying premium prices for a luxury cabin, you'll enjoy an authentic Smoky Mountain experience in a one-of-a-kind riverfront setting at a budget-friendly rate.

Whether you're visiting for a sports tournament, a family vacation, a fishing trip, or simply looking to unwind by the river, this historic cabin offers comfort, charm, and unbeatable value in the heart of the Smokies.


The Reagan family, one of Gatlinburg's most historic families, began building cabins around 1925. At the time, Otha Reagan worked stripping tanning bark in the Sugarland’s area of what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and his wife, Emma, was a weaver at Arrowmont. In 1923, Otha and Emma had saved enough money $500 to be exact to purchase five acres of land on the Roaring Fork Creek where Brookside Resort is today. Just a few years later they began building small cabins and chicken coops on the property to rent to men who were in the area building the road from Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome. These cabins were built with timbers from the Roaring Fork School House and Church, and some were built from log homes moved straight out of the National Park. Many of the Reagan family’s ancestors were even born in these cabins!

In 1971, Gatlinburg Southern Building Code required the remodel of nearly all the buildings in the area to a Bavarian type of exterior, so the Reagan cabins were updated to conform. Not too long after that in 1980, all of the original cabins and chicken houses were moved to their present location in picturesque Emert’s Cove by a local river hangout called the Flint Rock Swimming Hole. To make a few larger cabins to accommodate larger families, two of the original cabins were placed on each side of a concrete slab to form a bedroom and a bathroom, and the middle was built to form a living area. Don't worry, though, the cabins haven’t lost any of their history. rumor has it that old chicken feed bags from the cabins earliest years have been found in their attics! Today's owners are proud to bring a little piece of their family’s Gatlinburg history to your Gatlinburg vacation!

Emma's Cottage, named after Emma Reagan, features two bedrooms, each with king-size bed. The Cottage also displays a full kitchen equipped with all your cooking necessities, and a comfortable living room with a futon and a flat screen television. The Cottage has two bathrooms as well as both front and back porches. This cabin can be reserved as part of a group of any of the other Brookside Resort Cabins to accommodate family reunions, corporate retreats, weddings, and other large gatherings.

3 miles from Rocky Top Sports World.

There is a $60 pet fee per pet. Pets must be on a leash when outside. No pets on furniture or beds and pet must be crated when leaving the property.