Have you heard about the Gatlinburg gaming room mansion? A game mansion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and within easy driving distance from Greenville, SC? Oh yes, we were definitely up for a trip here when given the opportunity! We sent Kristina to get all the details on this unique lodge in Gatlinburg. An overnight stay was provided for us to do this review.

There is a 17-room mansion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, an easy sub-three-hour drive from Greenville, where every room is designed after a certain game, whether it’s Scrabble, Clue, LIFE, Chess, or Pac-Man. And you can rent out the entire house and have access to playing more than 300 games.

I saw photos of course beforehand of the Go Lodge but nothing – and I mean, nothing – could have prepared me for walking into this ultimate mansion of endless fun. My kids and I had the absolute best time playing as many games as we could manage and going to bed ridiculously late because we wanted to do all the things. 

The Go Lodge

The lodge is not even a three-hour drive from Greenville. It’s very easy to get to and is only a 14-minute drive from the main strip of downtown Gatlinburg and about 25 minutes from the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are restaurants, cafes, and shopping all nearby. But honestly, you probably won’t want to leave the Go Lodge once you arrive. 

The mansion itself is about 6,000 square feet on four-and-a-half acres and has 17 rooms, including seven game-themed bedrooms, five game-themed bathrooms, an entire sports den with an enormous television and the most comfortable sofa ever, a foyer with a pool/ping pong table, an outdoor game courtyard, three bonus game rooms, and a fantastic kitchen that has the old school Nintendo game setup (more on this in a bit). 

Like most mountain homes in Gatlinburg, you’ll have to get up some hills to get here, which isn’t an issue for most of the year. In snow or ice, however, you will need a 4×4. There are several steps to get to the front door but around the back is a little shorter (just five steps) if you have someone in your party that can’t get up all the front steps. 

The place is enormous. I can’t tell you how many times my kids and I got turned around (which was pretty fun actually). My kids said the Go Lodge would make an awesome house for playing hide-and-seek. They aren’t wrong but really, with 300 other games to play in the house, thankfully hide-and-seek got put on the back burner. 

Almost all of the rooms are on the main level, which wraps around an outdoor courtyard. The only rooms upstairs are the amazing Game Over bedroom, the Uno bathroom, and the Checkmate bedroom. 

Our Favorite Game Rooms

The house is one surprise after the other. After entering the main foyer, you can go up the stairs to the Game Over (I’ll call it the Pac-Man room) room. I loved, loved this room because Pac-Man is one of my very favorite games. This room has an old school Pac-Man game that I admittedly played for awhile and attempted to teach my kids how not to get eaten by ghosts. This room has four twin beds plus a sleeper sofa, massive TV with game controls, and a Legends game console. 

I tried to convince my kids to sleep in this room but I was unsuccessful because they wanted to sleep in the Brick room. This room has a big wall of LEGO bricks plus a LEGO table and two sets of triple bunk beds. Confession: I really like bunk beds so I slept in here with my kids and I absolutely loved it. Staying at this place really made my inner kid take over. 

The other favorite room of ours was the Stadium room because it had hunting games, a basketball game, and foosball table, plus an enormous soft (hence referred to above as the most comfortable sofa ever). We didn’t watch any games or movies but you could absolutely do so here. There is also a beautiful gas fireplace in this huge room. 

The nearest bathroom to where we ended up sleeping is the Boneyard bathroom, a domino-themed bathroom. I only mention this because they have a magnetic domino board next to the toilet seat so, you know, if you needed some entertainment while in there, play dominos.

Lastly, the Word Play room, a Scrabble-themed room, was super creative. There is a magnetic board on one of the walls to play Scrabble, which I helped my kids to use for spelling practice. They had fun, too, I promise.

The Power Up Kitchen

The kitchen is a whole other experience that gets its own section here. So it’s a Mario Brothers decorated kitchen with mushroom tables, red stools and walls, a double oven, full space for a pantry, full refrigerator and dishwasher, green floor tiles, and a Nintendo game console. I didn’t really play video games growing up but my friends had Nintendo and good luck trying to pull me away from Super Mario Brothers 3. And they have it at the Go Lodge! My excitement was uncontained. 

My kids and I pulled up some red stools and I tried to teach them how to play, which looked like me playing the entire time. I had such a good time and the kids caught on a bit and had a blast. Our loud laughing would have disturbed neighbors had there been any around. It was such a fun experience. 

The Nintendo console actually has 30 classic games but I just wanted to play Mario Brothers. 

All the other rooms

Exploring the Go Lodge was a blast (here is a short video tour). Every room is labeled and since the house is so huge, it’s like a surprise around every corner and in every room. Here is a list of all the other rooms: 

• High Roller Room – a play on Las Vegas, which has a card playing table and video slots console. 
• Free Parking Room – this is decorated like a Monopoly board. 
• Checkmate Room – a chess-themed room where you can play Chess on the wall. 
• Spin to Win room – this has a spinning wheel and is modeled after the game, LIFE. 
• Get a Clue room – this is the formal living room where you will a hundred percent feel like you are in the game of Clue. 
• Puzzled room – this is the dining room that has tons of puzzles and board games plus a magnetic wall where you can put together a puzzle. 

The five bathrooms are the Royal Flush room (it has a huge bathtub fit for a queen), the Trivia bathroom which has framed Trivial Pursuit cards, the Sink It bathroom modeled after the game Battleship, the Draw Two bathroom featuring decor from the game Uno, and the Boneyard bathroom modeled after dominos. 

More unique aspects

As if the Go Lodge could get any cooler, there is a 1970s looking intercom radio throughout the entire place. So you can talk to people anywhere in the house using that system. Also, use the map in the foyer to find your way around. It looks like a game board!

There are also facts about games and their history in the rooms and corridors. Anyone who really enjoys board games is going to love this aspect. All together, there are about 300 indoor and outdoor games at the mansion. There is no way you are going to be bored here. 

The Go Lodge only opened in August 2021 so improvements and additions are happening often. We have heard of some neat things they are adding and will update this story when that happens. As of 2024, they put in a brand new hot tub on the property!

Staying here

This would be an awesome place for a multi-family or multi-friends trip. It sleeps up to 20 people currently and you really wouldn’t need to leave the place as there is so much fun to be had right there. The house is very private, the driveway has space for multiple vehicles, and there is a grocery store just five minutes away. 

A staff retreat here for a small company (where presumably everyone likes each other), would be a blast. There is plenty of space and the outdoor courtyard or the stadium room would be perfect for a bigger group to get together. 

This is not a hotel so you cannot rent out each individual room. When you rent the Go Lodge, you rent the entire home.

Rates

You can book the Go Lodge directly through their website or through Airbnb. I’d recommend going their website to save money on the Airbnb fees. Pricing is dependent upon weekday/weekends/holidays/time of year but expect to pay around $500 a night at least – which, if you split it between a few families, would be a more affordable option. My two children are already scheming how they can get all their cousins here together!

Please note there is a $400 cleaning fee. After all, the house has 17 rooms to take care of. I found everything to be extremely clean and tidy and the beds were very comfortable. 

Check in is at 4 pm and check out is at 10 am. Don’t ask for an early check in or late check out since they do not allow it. You’ll receive check-in instructions close to your arrival date and the lodge is managed by an incredibly responsive and thorough company right there in Gatlinburg. I was extremely impressed with their communication and help with anything I needed. 

Honest mom review

I would go back here in a heartbeat. I try to be consistent with bedtimes for my kids but I threw it all out the window here and we all stayed up late playing games together and truly having an amazing time. I was blown away by the entire home, by the thoughtfulness put into each room, and by the management company. Every aspect of this house was geared towards making sure the guest would have a uniquely memorable experience. 

And the best part? Laughing so hard with my kids as they killed off their Mario and Luigi characters, hearing their excitement as they ran from room to room with unabashed delight, and sleeping on the bunk beds in the LEGO room. 

You really can’t go wrong booking the Go Lodge. I’m already trying to figure out how I can go back!

Go Lodge
Gatlinburg, TN
Go Lodge Gaming Mansion Website

Are you looking for more fun things to do in Gatlinburg, Tennessee? Check out our Kidding Around guide to Gatlinburg!