The Wonderland - Great Smoky Mountains - DanTraveling

[thecrimsonarcher2010]

When I was a little girl, my parents took me on a hiking trip to Husky Branch Falls. I can recall us going through Elkmont on a rainy day and seeing all those old buildings. Off in the distance, I can remember seeing the Wonderland Hotel, sad and falling in on itself. To realize this 15 years later is sobering--to know that I saw this once majestic hotel in its last years is a great honor. I'm going back there tomorrow--the first time in nearly 16 years.

[dmccoig]

@thecrimsonarcher2010 How was your trip back to the Smokies?

[thecrimsonarcher2010]

@dmccoig When I went back to Elkmont, I was very surprised at how different it looked. I can remember being 5 or 6 years old and seeing a lot of those old buildings everywhere. There was an older couple we seen that was exploring many of the old houses. I overheard the older lady's husband ask if she had stayed there as a child. She walked up to one of the houses and answered that this particular house was the one she stayed in as a little girl. She looked like she was about to cry.

[thecrimsonarcher2010]

@dmccoig I really wished I talked to that woman. Apparently, she used to live there when she was younger because she told her husband stories of each and every building that was still standing. I had taken pictures and video of nearly every building in Elkmont. I have a video taken of the area where the Wonderland Hotel ruins are, along with the Wonderland Club. All that remains of the hotel is a fireplace, part of the floor, and stairs.

[GoldenEyeJack]

I was lucky enough to stay there as a kid with my family.  My sister and I played ping pong many times while we waited on our dinner. The Elkmont area cabin are actually being restored now and the main club house has been completely restored and can now be reserved for various functions.

[melann999]

I spent all my summers at Elkmont growing up, and am proud that I got to see The Wonderland Hotel in all its glory. We'd walk over to the hotel a couple of nights a week and sit on the porch, play ping pong in the game room and eat the best cobbler in the dining room. It's sad to see that the hotel is no more.

[ispi05]

i lived in place east coast and wish it could be restored. course tenants are not ever mentioned and its turning to something like this wonder hotel

[SaraSuper95]

I wonder if you could tell me how to get there. We went yesterday and found the cemetery and one old house but that was it. We couldn't find the rest of the houses and cottages or the site of the Wonderland Club. THANKS!

[DwighttFrye]

Stayed there once,think it was in 1979.Campground was full,and didnt feel like running around looking for another place.Was nice,but was in middle of the summer,and was stiflingly hot.Also ate there a couple times,and walked there a couple times from campground for a bottle of sodie pop.Dont know why they would close it,was barely noticable,and was a nice historical site.

[JamesRobertSmith]

Yep! The rotting hulk is mostly gone, now! Soon most of the formerly private homes will be gone, too. It's so good to see them rot!

[TheMountainhiker]

Dan, thanks for the video. I have been going to the Smokies for 16 years and this was a piece of history that I never knew. I think that all things that were there before the park was established is history. This is sad that they let it go. Keep the tape running I enjoy it.

[TheMountainhiker]

Dan thanks for the video. I would never have known alot of what you have made videos on and I have been going to the Smokies for 16 years. This is sad. Thanks and do not stop. Keep filming.

[dburr13]

Very interesting video...I don't think i've seen this one before...It predates the other Elkmont video you made...It's good to take a look back to see the way things were before all traces fade away...Humanity is a part of Smoky Mountain history too.

[mhopper1000]

Wow JamesRobertSmith, it must be nice to be such a close-minded prick. "Can't walk, oh well" WTF is that? Some people don't have the choice, why can't they go to the Parks as well?

[foxyrudemom]

Wow, how extraordinary this hotel must have been. I would have loved to see it. I hate to hear that they are getting rid of more of the structures in Elkmont!

[TheMemphisSlim]

I was up there spring of 2008 on a biz visit, with a partner in Gatlinburg to meet about rebuilding the Wonderland, right from old photos of it.. You could build one for $2.0 million or less, and you know the place would run full almost year round. Look what happened at Mt. LeConte lodge, it books 18 months out.

I was not at all pleased by our reception by the NPS, particularly Ditmason, new new guy up there who hopefully will find a transfer in the very near future.

[IrishLincoln]

Yeah, well I can tell you they don't hire local folks who know the history about the park and have blood in that park. They hire folks they know who are from Washington, New York, and Colorado. Apparently they don't want us hillbillies working in our own back yard. Sorry you didn't get a warm welcome. Apparently you didn't meet any REAL locals.

[JamesRobertSmith]

I hear banjo music. RUN!

[IrishLincoln]

Are you obsessed with being an asshole?

[gospelmusiclover48]

Once again James, you are a JERK

[mhopper1000]

I can understand people wanting the park to go back to nature, but you gotta remember, some parts of the park aren't handi-capped accessible, and places like the hotel helped people who might not be able to see certain parts of the park see the beauty and majesty of what God has given us.

[JamesRobertSmith]

Them's th' breaks, as they say. Can't walk? Oh, well. There are already far too many roads in the park. They need to start tearing a lot of them apart to limit the negative influence of crowds on the park.

[gospelmusiclover48]

@JamesRobertSmith

And yet again, you are a JERK

[JamesRobertSmith]

LOL! I can see you now! Red face like a baboon!

LOL!

[annettehope]

My grandma and grandpa, Helen & John Wolfe actually managed this hotel for several years. Many of my aunts and uncles, as well as my Mom and Dad worked for the hotel as well leaving my cousins and I free to explore this WONDERFUL place for many summers. So many fond memories I can't even begin to count, but one in particular was a black bear in the horseshoe pit not to mention the square dances on Saturday night. This video brought tears to my eyes. I had hoped to one day bring my family.Thanks

[hananhbelle73]

I was just walking around the front yard of the hotel 1 week ago.  What was the round stone pit in front of the footing of the main building? Was it a cistern? I loved the story that our trolley driver told about Elkmont. I couldn't wait to come home & hit the internet for info.

Thanks

MemphisMam

[annettehope]

How wonderful for you to able to visit.

The place you are speaking of was actually a fountain that at one time had colored lights...perhaps fish, I can't recall exactly but I do remember the colored lights vividly. On the left side were horse shoe pits and on either side of the stone staircase were V shaped trails leading down to the road and the river.

Thanks

Annette

[Bertkey]

Hello, Hananbelle, that was originally a fountain, which never worked well, and all the years I knew 1961-1993 it was a flower bed. If you look closely, within the concrete sidewalk leading up to the planter, was " Wonderland Hotel" of white quartz from the stream. Grew up there in the summertime. I miss it!

[SaraSuper95]

@hananhbelle73

I wonder if you could tell me how to get there. We went yesterday and found the cemetery and one old house but that was it. We couldn't find the rest of the houses and cottages or the site of the Wonderland Club. THANKS!

[Tsarevna303]

Awesome video, a labor of love.

[JamesRobertSmith]

It's good to see the Wonderland falling to pieces and rotting. It will be better when it's completely vanished.

The Wonderland had its day--from a time when the public had a very primitive attitude considering the exploitation of our National Parks. A place like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is no place for a hotel. There are quite enough of those ringing the borders of the park.

Here's to the day when the Wonderland will finally be dust!

[annettehope]

What a sad view of the world you must have. Did you ever actually visit this hotel or are you just speaking out of turn?

[JamesRobertSmith]

Yeah I stayed there just before the end when we heard they were closing it down. It was nice. But it's best not to have this kind of thing in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It's not as if there's a shortage of places to stay overnight in those twin ratholes of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

[IrishLincoln]

Well, if you actually studied your history you would have known that Wonderland hotel was built BEFORE the national park was formed.

[JamesRobertSmith]

I know all about the history of The Wonderland. I even stayed there once. It had no place within the park. It is good that it's no longer there. I applaud the Park Service decision to allow all of the structures within Elkmont to rot back into the earth.

[gospelmusiclover48]

Why the heck do they need even more "Natural State?" Th park is HUGE, and that building had so much character. You are an idiot for you views.

[JamesRobertSmith]

LOL! You need to learn how to spell!

[gospelmusiclover48]

@JamesRobertSmith

You need to learn to come up with a good comeback retard! The "Spelling" comeback is so easy and cheap!

I'm the one laughing retard

[JamesRobertSmith]

LOL! You are hilarious!

[Chick6517]

Hmm interesting video I might say. haha cool video. you should make more. try adding more effects?

[lawnside82]

wow that place looks like it was nice!! the park should bring it back!!

[newyorkdiner]

Well Yellowstone also had those issues. There, I believe, Were at least 3 hotels that were older than Lake hotel or Old Faithful inn. And they were left to rot or damaged and not repared. You can still see the old pictures yet they are gone. Its a shame. Check it out. The old picturea are really amazing. Have you ever been to yellowstone? Pretty damn cool where I live.

cheers

[timifrco1]

uʍop ǝpısdn ƃuıʇʇıɹʍ ɹoɟ ǝqıɹɔsqns ¡¡lǝuuɐɥɔ ʎɯ oʇ ǝqıɹɔsqns ʎpoqʎɹǝʌǝ ʎǝɥ

[orangemonkey92]

uʍop ǝpısdn ƃuıʇʇıɹʍ ɹoɟ ǝqıɹɔsqns ¡¡lǝuuɐɥɔ ʎɯ oʇ ǝqıɹɔsqns ʎpoqʎɹǝʌǝ ʎǝɥ

[icast4majors]

This is great, I've traveled through all that country down there and  love it's majestic beauty and all it's kind people! Thanks for sharing this!

[donkit98]

that is awesome!! jus got one thing to say tho they build tuns of hotels in vages every day!!! ayy

[GloBojDesign]

Thank for beautiful video ^-^

[higashi24]

man it's that one hotel from shining isn't it?

[CHEVYHED]

sounds like what is happenin here in the gsmnp.

north carolina side . government done fucked our people

[GoogleAndCream]

I am telling you! I fell in love with a hotdog!

[UniqueExposures]

Tenn is a beautiful place. If you get the chance to visit? I strongly suggest you do. The Smokey Mtns are awesome!

[tomanyasses]

we need some real goverenment people for the people of the real ameircan people and restore our history, scum are sending money out of america to help other countrys. so corporations can get in chain businesss

[CliftonPhotographer]

Happy to do the same thing in New Jersey, the government is currently fighting with a Historical Society over a place here called Waterloo Village. They have eliminated funding to the place and locked it up,but even the items that were donated to Waterloo Village are not allowed to be moved. So currently all of the items are rotting in these unmaintained buildings. Very Shameful!

[zakoolos]

Remington Draper have no right and wrong in your decision that you have a. . . . Jesus suffered for us to save us from death. . . . and people still did not wake up (It is best you have Jesus in your life) Jesus says: I am the way truth and life, nobody comes to the Father except through Me.

[tomanyasses]

since jesus came nothing has changed through out the world

[WilliamHBonney55]

It is wonderful to hear about someone coming to the Lord.

It seems these days that few people believe. Christians commonly get attacked on youtube. I seem to know more people that do not believe then people that do believe.

As far as The Wonderland - Great Smoky Mountains it is sad that heritage isn't preserved like it should be. Often times government doesn't seem to want to spend the money.

[Kamatzu]

Fail.

[crazysaruki]

beautiful video :)

it is so sad though that ''wonderland is no more''

[jimriggins]

Great video, you know people go abroad in these times when there are treasures all over our countyr, even in our own backyards. We live by Mt. St. Helens and go up to the monument several times a year, and love it. The Parks Dept. should have never let this happen, something else must be going on that will benifit them not the people.

[locke363]

My Grandparents told me stories of what it was like there. They had the chance to stay there a few times, and this video made them so happy. Thank you for this

[2nicks]

I really liked your documentary...Nice work! It could have been a bit longer...but really liked it. Thanks for producing it!

[kthankxbye]

No, it was long enough.

[HIFKhockey90]

shut up aaron

[NishPNA]

Uhhh, okay...

I don't think this video is for ME, so thanks, w/e...

(Cause I don't really get it.) Maybe it's just me. *shrug*

Anyways, 5/5.

- Nim

[Fabulwesen]

HAHAHA you are soo funny... keep on doing these videos BRAVO

OMG i just cant stop laughing HAHA dumb trees-.-

[dean11081988]

as a english man i can only dream of things like this and trust me i do alot the shear buety of it all and the peice that peaple would have found there is something to remember alough the hotel is gone naw please try and keep the cabins one day i will get to see them and if the numbers come up at the weakend i would bye the lot good luck and keep fighting

[robbielynn79]

Thank you for sharing your video! My boyfriend and I plan to visit what's left of the summer cabins up that way at the first part of April this year. I can't wait! Before now, I've only seen photos of the remains that once was The Wonderland Hotel. Thanks again!

[Addiction747]

It looks so terribly sad now. Why'd you go there it'd kill you of depression lol

[sidmac48]

The contract for the Wonderland Hotel was awarded to my uncle, U. G. Trivett, in 1972.

I worked and lived in the Wonderland for 3 years, from the summer of 1978 to the late fall of 1981. The Wonderland was open from the 1st of May to the end of November. I now live in Knoxville and have visited the Wonderland on several occasions. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Elkmont. The only thing left of the hotel is the long circular driveway up.

Thank you for the wonderful memory.

[dmccoig]

Hi sidmac, We received your most wonderful e-mail! Janet always dreamed of staying at the Wonderland and she was very sad when it closed. Your e-mail gave us (her) a taste of what it was like.

Thank you

[ezonthebeans]

Great video. Thanks. We also watched it fall apart year after year. Our most vivid memory of the Elkmont area was Lem Ownby's cabin shortly after he died. The door was standing open, cereal was on the table along with bowl. It looked like he had just stepped out for a minute.

[dmccoig]

I know it is so strange to see how quickly people left and left behind "stuff"

[PeakeBalla23]

We hiked the Smokey's in June 2006 with our sons aged 21 and 13 and this was one place that we will never forget. We went thru the whole area and it just seemed like people disappeared from some of these cabins. You could see furniture and belongings thru the windos. One door was open and we saw a 1992 phone book open to a page. We were shocked that the entire place was abandoned by the Park Service. It seems they should use volunteers to at least preserve the area if not to improve it.

[dmccoig]

That is so interesting. My wife remembers seeing folks vacationing there with beach towels hanging over the railings.

[chazrania]

National Parks preserve natural areas, crying over an old hotel or a bunch of cheaply built summer cabins is at best a ridiculous effort. The "quote natural state" as he puts it includes trees, ferns, bears, turkeys, and coons, not these cabins and most of the controversy is in this guys imagination and his group of adherents. The effort of preservation at Pocahontas, VA is much more redeeming in light of it's historical significance.

[dmccoig]

Thank you for the comments Chazrania,

I think that the tears are for the memories of family and friends that are invoked by such places. Personally this area is where my family is from and our only purpose is to have a video record, that hopefully, will outlast us both. So we'll let the people of future generations decide how or even if any of this is important.

[Bertkey]

Typical government bureaucratic BS allowed for the demise of this beautiful structure. I spent summers in the Wonderland Hotel's "annex", from age my first memories to my 30s. If squeaky hardwood floors, giant stone fireplaces framed by 12'foot poplar rough sawn mantles, wavy-glass windows, clawfoot tubs and thousands of square foot porches incicate cheap construction, you must love Motel 6. This structure should have been converted into a museum. The epitomy of Gov't waste at it's finest.

[JamesRobertSmith]

Hardly. The park needs to revert as much as possible to its natural state. The Wonderland had no place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

[TennesseeShelties]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it doesn't hurt at all to be courteous. I think your comment is rude, chazrania, and it was very kind of Dan to upload his video on youtube because now the Elkmont area is being restored.  Thank you, Dan for your coverage of the neglect. We learn from our history and Elkmont is an important part of our history.

[chazrania]

your entitled to your opinion but calling me rude is a very immature response, there is nothing rude about it. You on the other hand are quite rude.

[wifeofdantraveling]

The history of Elkmont is very complex. The area was once a logging town with a post office and train service. Those structures are replaced by a paved camping area. There are cemeteries in Elkmont, it has been an occupied area long before the NPS took it over. I thought our video was rather unbiased, didn't realize we took a stand one way or another. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted our intentions and were offended. We are just trying to visually preserve our history before it is gone.

[phenixwryter]

I have to admit your video made me cry. We always stayed at the Wonderland when we went to the Smoky Mts. I have some very precious memories and photos that I treasure. One of the limited edition prints they sold of a painting done of the hotel (806/1000), a post card purchased there, an old newsletter (Vol. 2, #1) and a #12 room key and fob (the room we always reserved) all hang on my wall in a special display-that should tell you how much I loved your well done video. Thank you so much!

[DanTraveling]

Oh My,

We loved the old hotel as well, My wife always wanted to stay there, but to no avail.

thank you so much for the heartfelt message

Dan

[phenixwryter]

I showed your video to my daughter and the pics of the remaining steps and fireplace. She was 6 when it closed. She said she remembers the hotel, especially the dining room, the visits of the raccoons and the day she ran up & down the front steps while her Dad & I tried to get her to stand still long enough for him to take her picture! (He passed on a few yrs ago.) She asked me to tell you thanks for making this video. : )

[Addiction747]

God bless your husband :)

[phenixwryter]

Thank you, Addiction747. You are very kind. : )

[martinsuper73]

I really enjoy your videos. Every since I was a kid I was very interested in abonded buildings and communities. I spent a lot of time walking through and exploring and I wish I had footage. South Haven, MI where I grew up have about 6 vacant resorts I explored as a kid, they are all gone now.

[MariaFashionHistory]

Thank you for giving me an insight to your part of the world. How fascinating, I love the social history of it all, a very well made film.

[ChgoChef]

Another message thread?

Your from the democratic underground right?

[evilborg]

It's a shame that the US Gov does such stupid things with our American Heritage and gets away with it.

[dmccoig]

Thank You Evilborg,

This was a shame, I really wished I had been able to stay at such a cool old HOtel in the mountains..

[evilborg]

Just shows the extremes the Gov will do..... I one hand they are willing to rape historic towns and land and the other hand fight hard to save entire countries. And they get away with this..

Americans have forgotten what built this country.

[evilborg]

Forgot to say that at least you got the last video of it before the Gov let it die.

Historically you should keep those types of videos in a safe place.

Keep showing more -- I love the places you have shown so far.

[JamesRobertSmith]

It's a great thing that the Park Service made the right decision to allow Mother Nature to dismantle this pesthole of a place.

[evilborg]

Must be a lobbyist or someone that hates history because they are ignorant.

[timrs2001]

This is so familiar it almost makes me cry.

Great film again sir.

[dmccoig]

Again, Thank You Tim.

Or do you say "thanks eh."

I have Canadian Hockey friends down here and thats they way they say thanks to me.

[nebula402]

Aww.. this makes me so sad. I live in Sevierville and whenever my parents took us to the mountains, we would always stop and have breakfast at the Wonderland. We even stayed there a couple of times. The new Wonderland Hotel just doesn't compare.

[dmccoig]

Wow how cool is that. Do you have pictures of the old Wonderland? would you consider writing something for our webpage? Nothing fancy just a memory or two?

Thanks

Dan

[emjer]

reminds me of Ghost Town Mall in Oak Ridge - see FORSecretCity Maddie's Movie

[dmccoig]

I've been to that mall!

Thanks