City: Newport, TN

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (423) 623-6555, (800) 595-9441

Address: 1500 Pinnacles Way

Description: This regal inn is housed in a Federal-style mansion with a grand three-story vestibule that leads you into several common rooms. To the right are the library and a bar, and to the left are two dining rooms. The library has books, puzzles, periodicals, and comfortable chairs. But the best place to sit a spell is in one of the rocking chairs on the full-width front porch—the view of the mountains is simply stunning. The inn’s seven suites each have private bath, coffeemaker, stereo system, hair dryer, and snuggly terry robes. Mountain Sunrise is a cheery corner room with a brass queen bed and a garden outside. Camelot is a regal suite with a hand-carved mahogany king bed. The Roman Holiday suite features a double whirlpool. Breakfast is hearty country fare, and if you’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary, expect a little surprise. The grounds include a swimming pool, tennis court, gym, sauna, and kitchenette with soft drinks available anytime. A hiking trail takes off from the back of the property and goes up the side of English Mountain, where you might catch a glimpse of wild turkey, red fox, gray squirrels, or raccoons. Gatlinburg is about 45 minutes away, and Interstate 40 will take you back to Sevierville and Pigeon Forge in about the same time. The Cosby entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is 15 miles south on Tennessee Highway 32, the same road that leads to Gatlinburg. Christopher Place has won nearly every award available to a bed-and-breakfast and carries the highest designations offered by every rating service that has seen it. The elegance of the accommodations and the effortless grace of the staff are bound to impress. The inn can be tough to find. The key is to get to English Mountain Road on TN 32, and there are three approaches to that point: From I-40 East (like from Knoxville or Interstate 81S): Take exit 435 in Newport and turn south (right) 3 miles; English Mountain Road is on the right. From I-40 West (from North Carolina): Take exit 440 (US 321—Wilton Springs Road) 2 miles west to TN 32; turn right and go 3 1⁄2 miles to English Mountain Road on the left. From Gatlinburg: Take US 321 (East Parkway) to its terminus at TN 32 (about 17 miles from traffic light #3 in Gatlinburg). Turn left (north) on TN 32 and go about 10.3 miles to English Mountain Road on the left. Christopher Place tries to keep a directional sign at the intersection of TN 32 and English Mountain Road, although it sometimes gets “borrowed.” However, once you’re on English Mountain Road, follow it 2 miles (it’ll seem longer) through the rolling countryside of rural Cocke County. The next right turn is Pinnacles Way, and it winds less than a mile up the face of English Mountain to Christopher Place.