Retreat centers in the Smokies for church and team groups
Camps and retreat centers in the Smokies foothills that host church, youth and work groups. Capacity, meals and meeting space as each operator states them.
These are different from big rental cabins. Expect bunks and shared bathhouses at many of them, but also dining halls, meeting rooms, staff, and lower prices per person. Most are run by churches or nonprofits, and some have rules on alcohol and conduct, so ask.
| Place | Town | Capacity | Meals | Meeting space | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center | Newport | sleeps 400 across buildings | 200-seat dining room; meals are mostly buffet style, with plate service by arrangement; special diets handled when you reserve. | Lodge meeting room opens to one 64 x 40 ft room for 250 theater style or splits into 8 smaller rooms; the stone Stokely Chapel seats about… | Ask for a quote |
| Camp Smoky | Sevierville | sleeps 150 across buildings | Not stated | Large worship center; seat count not given. | Ask for a quote |
| Montvale Springs (former Camp Montvale) | Maryville | sleeps 145 across buildings | Renovated dining hall that also serves as indoor meeting space; meal service not stated | Dining hall doubles as meeting space; lodge, covered open-air pavilions, outdoor chapel | Ask for a quote |
| Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (school and group residential programs) | Townsend | sleeps 135 across buildings | Kitchen staff serve three hot meals a day in the dining hall; dinners are family style | Activity center meeting room for up to 200 and an upstairs room for up to 40; open-air Council House for up to 100; classrooms, a science… | School programs start at $300 per student; aid, scholarships and discounts available |
| Camp Arrowwood (Wears Valley Ranch campus) | Sevierville (Wears Valley area) | sleeps 80 across buildings | Not stated | Indoor and outdoor meeting spaces; sizes not given. | Ask for a quote |
| Camp BaYoCa | Sevierville | largest building sleeps 80 | Food service can be added. Bunkhouse groups can use the dining hall for meals and meetings. | Lodge main floor has a dining or meeting area; the dining hall doubles as meeting space. | Retreats August through May: $23 per person per night (self-catering); rustic camping $14 per person per night |
| BridgeMont Camp | Sevierville | sleeps 56 across buildings | Meals are provided by camp staff in retreat packages (the sample package has 5 meals over 2 nights). | The Lodge is used for meetings, games and meals, with a sound system, projector and screen; staff set tables and chairs to your plan. | Sample retreat package (2 nights, 5 meals, 2 late-night snacks): $185 per person for groups of 20 to 39, $165… |
| Camp Wesley Woods | Townsend | largest building sleeps 52 | The lodging page (written for 2024) says food service was unavailable during 2024; current meal service is not confirmed. | Nickle Lodge has a common room; seat counts are not given. | Ask for a quote |
| Tuckaleechee Retreat Center and Cabins | Townsend | largest building sleeps 40 | Groups cook for themselves. Elk Lodge dining room seats 40-50; Bear Lodge dining room seats 24. | Elk Lodge has a 1,500 sq ft upstairs common room with projector screen, whiteboard and conference chairs and tables, plus a downstairs… | Ask for a quote |
Which one fits your group
Want meals cooked for you
Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, BridgeMont Camp. Carson Springs serves mostly buffet meals in a 200-seat dining room, and BridgeMont builds meals into its retreat packages.
Want to cook and keep costs down
Camp BaYoCa, Tuckaleechee Retreat Center and Cabins. BaYoCa lists self-catering retreats from August through May at $23 per person per night. Tuckaleechee groups cook in lodge kitchens.
Need one big meeting room
Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, Tuckaleechee Retreat Center and Cabins. Carson Springs' main room seats 250 theater style, and its chapel about 400. Tuckaleechee's Elk Lodge has a 1,500-square-foot upstairs common room with a projector screen.
A youth group of 100 or more
Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, Camp Smoky, Montvale Springs (former Camp Montvale). These state room for well over 100. Camp Smoky has dorm rooms that split a group by gender, plus bus parking.
A staff or leadership retreat
Camp Arrowwood (Wears Valley Ranch campus), BridgeMont Camp. Camp Arrowwood runs custom team-building programs. BridgeMont sets up its lodge with a projector and sound system.
A school or college group
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (school and group residential programs). Tremont houses groups that sign up for its own guided education programs, not plain rentals.
When a big cabin is the better choice
For a small church staff or a women's retreat of 25 to 40, a large cabin can work better than a camp: private bathrooms, a theater room for sessions, and no shared campus. See Smokies cabins that sleep 30 or more, and check each cabin's rules on events and chaperones first.
Before you call, read the questions to ask, or browse every place that names church retreats.