The BEST Campground in Bryson City, NC!
The best campground in Bryson City that’s incredibly peaceful and still close to downtown is definitely Grumpy Bear Campground!
Grumpy Bear Campground is a cozy little campground sitting on a beautiful running river that sounds better than a sound machine from Target. Y’all, this was such a peaceful and serene campsite. If you want to relax and enjoy nature, this is the campsite for you. We spent most of our time hanging in a hammock by the fire and painting the most perfect flat rocks we found along the river.
Half of the sites are situated along the river’s edge and the other half are directly across from the waterfront sites. No matter what site you have, you can see and hear the river. They also have cute little cabin rentals and the coolest of all… Grumpy Bear has tipi rentals! How awesome is that?!
I know it sounds like you won’t want to leave the campground, but you have to! That’s because it is literally is minutes away from downtown Bryson City! Bryson City is a gorgeous country town with super cute shops and yummy restaurants. We personally loved Anthony’s Restaurant, because the food and service was great along with the view of the Smoky Mountain train cruising by!
Speaking of the train, that’s the next adventure you must do while in Bryson City! The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad has a few different excursions you can take on their steam train with the whole family. This is a great excursion with little kids where they can learn a little history and geography while traveling around their scenic routes. (Homeschool bonus, am I right?)
We were also lucky enough to meet a few people from a local Native American tribe that visited us at the campground. They taught the kids about their beautiful culture and even taught them a song and dance. Another incredible homeschooling experience.
We loved our stay at Grumpy Bear & we hope you do, too!
Happy Camping!
-The Gore Family
Tips:
-If you’re feeling adventurous, book a tipi! They are incredibly beautiful & such a cool experience!
-The staff there is so incredibly kind. You can buy firewood and they deliver it right to your site.
-There’s a farm directly next to the campground that sometimes has events. We were lucky to be there during the fall season when they had an amazing autumn event. I suggest booking during a season when the they have these fun family events.
-If your kids are like mine, they’ll get in the river and in the mud. Bring lots of extra clothes in case they decide to be wild 😉