The "ANIMAL HOUSE CABIN" is in the LAUREL VALLEY gated community adjoining the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, Tennessee. It is on a wooded hillside with a treetop front deck overlooking the valley below. We have a two bedroom two bath rustic log cabin for rent in Townsend, TN. The cabin is located in the beautiful, gated Laurel Valley community which adjoins the Great Smoky Mountains National park. There is a public access golf course with swimming pool and club house in the middle of Laurel Valley Community. The cabin has an open living room and kitchen and two bedrooms. The large enclosed master bedroom has a king bed and is on the main level. The second bedroom is an open loft overlooking the Great Room and has one full bed and one queen bed and an adjoining bathroom. There are large windows overlooking the valley and treetops in front. The cabin has internet/ WIFI, TV served by antenna (no cable), a DVD/VCR, electric central air and heat, a wood burning fireplace(we don’t supply firewood), pool table, and foosball table. There is a pool table in the basement. The cabin has two large decks overlooking the surrounding trees and the valley in front and feels very secluded although there are other cabins nearby. Parking is limited to 2 cars (carefully parked) with a steep curved driveway. No Trailers-- no parking space or turnaround for trailers. There are three flights of stairs to get to the front door. This cabin is not a good choice if you are averse to climbing stairs or panicked by steep mountain roads; the driveway is steep and there really are lots of stairs to the front door. But after climbing the stairs to the top deck you gain a feeling of being in a tree house. I love to sit on the deck and be amongst the tops of the trees. Townsend is located at the west entrance of the Great Smoky Mt. National Park in TN. It is approximately 17 miles from Pigeon Forge and about 25 miles from Gatlinburg. Little River exits the Park and runs through Townsend and is known for fishing, biking and for tubing. There is a paved greenway the length of Townsend for walking or biking. Townsend also has an IGA grocery store, several restaurants and some unique shops. In summer several vendors offer tube rentals on Little River with day-long shuttle service to tubing launch spots and pick up points. Playing and swimming in Little River is available at a couple of Townsend public access areas and numerous spots in the nearby Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We are pet friendly. All visiting dogs should be included in the original request for rental. A pet fee is charged F0R EACH DOG which includes a $25 base fee and $5 a day. Airbnb does not accommodate a specific animal charge so this should be paid separately by additional charge through AIRBNB or by check. This pet fee applies to those who book after July 13, 2021. There is a pet door to accommodate a small dog. The top porch stairs can be blocked to keep a dog on the main level porch if you want to leave the dog on the porch while gone. (Do not leave an uncrated dog in the cabin alone). We DO NOT welcome untrained dogs that do their business in the house and/ or damage the cabin and furnishings or leave excessive hair deposits. Damage to the cabin and/ or furnishings and excessive residual dog hair will necessitate a supplemental damage claim through AIRBNB. The cabin is rustic and is on well water which has iron and may cause a brown tint to the tub and sink. There is no issue for using the water other than drinking (it has an iron taste) and possible staining when washing clothes. I suggest you bring drinking water for your own use since we don’t supply it. There is a charcoal grill for your use. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is about a mile distant by crow flight or 6.7 miles distant by car. It is voted the most popular National Park in the US and entry is free, but now has instituted a parking fee. The Cabin has a keypad for entry and a lock box as back up. The code will be supplied before you arrive. We live in Townsend part time and may be available to meet you while you are here. We will make arrangements with you in advance if we plan to drop by. Close to the time of rental, we will provide the code to the key lock box next to the front door. There is also a combination deadbolt on the front door. The same combination code works on both locks. The front door is locked with either the key or entering the same code into the deadbolt. I am happy to answer whatever questions renters or potential renters may have about the cabin or area. Extensive current information relating to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is available on the National Park website and at the Townsend welcome center. The cabin is on a dead end road -- with three more cabins between Animal House and the dead end; meaning there is very little traffic. When the summer leaves are out, there are no other close-by cabins visible from the main deck. Townsend has a bike path and Little River running through it. There are several tubing businesses and a fishing outfitter in Townsend, as well as restaurants and shops. Stop at the Visitor Center for local and park information. We are about 20 miles from the Knoxville airport. Bicycles are available for rent in Townsend and Cades Cove. Pigeon Forge, Dollywood and Gatlinburg, are within a 30-minute drive. Townsend has a medium sized grocery store (IGA) and a winery. 1. Entry into Laurel Valley is via either of two controlled access gates, which are typically open in daylight hours. Entry codes are required for late night entry. 2, While pet friendly, if you plan to bring pets please review our pet policy in Cabin description, identify planned pets to bring and be prepared to pay our pet fee.