The Riverhaven Cabin

Most ghost stories are creepy. They hint at some unhappy soul lurking just beyond reality waiting to do us harm. The Riverhaven cabin is haunted, but the ghosts there seem pleasant and inviting.

Riverhaven is a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN. It is described by the reality company as pleasant and comfortable. This historic log home is an antique Chestnut log approx. 200 years old built in 1800. It has unique wormy Chestnut paneling inside. The cabin was constructed in the National Park and was moved in the 1930's to its current location in downtown Gatlinburg. The Realtors website shows many pretty pictures of the cabin and if you rent it, when you enter you'll be pleasantly surprised by its comfort and warmth.

Every cabin in Gatlinburg has a log or journal for visitors to share their experiences in. Typically, these logs are filled with stories of family vacations. Every page has the same bland pleasantries. It is as if they came from a script. Guests tell about their family, what they did, and the great time they had in the cabin. Riverhaven's journal is different. Each guest tells about flickering lights, moving objects, vanishing items, and odd noises. Not every resident there concludes the cabin is haunted, but every page indicated there is something odd about this pleasant cabin nestled by the river.

I only stayed at Riverhaven for three nights and for the most part it was quiet. I stayed with my family and we complained to each other about the lack of linens in the cabin. We searched it from top to bottom, pulling it apart in a futile quest for a table cloth or anything to cover the splintery, ancient dining table. Finally, on the first night we gave up and ate on our laps. We went to bed and dead bolted the door and locked the door with the sliding lock that even someone with a key couldn't open. In the morning, we awoke to find every table set with table cloths and silverware. The cabin was clean and pretty and we certainly hadn't left it that way when we went to sleep. We often laugh about this cabin as we flounder to explain our experiences there, but when I think of the strange journal there and the consistency of all the stories, I have to assume it was haunted by ghosts that liked us.

I’ve posted this ghost story before and interestingly  I was contacted by the new owners of this lovely little cabin to tell us more about it. They loved the blog and invited us to return to the cabin, which they have completely renovated and made even more lovely. Sadly, we couldn’t return to the cabin because it isn’t pet friendly, but it was nice to hear the cabin is being loved and is even nicer. I’m sure the ghosts are happy to see the improvements

Reviewing The Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg

I have developed a strong love of Ghost Walks.   There is no better way to spend a crisp autumn night than wandering through the secret histories of old cities and learning about their secrets and ghosts.   This weekend I went to one of my favorite vacation spots.   I rented a cabin high in the mountains surrounded by the orange and red trees and the warm smell of campfire.  We made s'mores and walked in the woods and on Friday night we went on the Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg. 

I have been on many ghost walks and ghost tours.  Some have been  a disappointment.  Some tour guides have made me mad by spouting strange theories like they were facts set in stone by scientists.  Some I have loved and wanted to do twice.  The Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg was one of the ghost walks I loved.  It was a fabulous tour filled with the type of stories that keep you listening.   The tour started out poorly.   Apparently, their office is staffed by idiots.   They didn't have our reservation at all and they lost the other people we were travelling with's credit card information so they had to give it out over a cell phone, which made them very uncomfortable.  We expected the worst after this, but our tour guide, Ron, was fabulous.   As soon as he started talking, we knew we were going to have a good time.  Not only did he know the history of Gatlinburg very well, but he told his stories with verve and a unique sense of humor that made me laugh out loud on several occasions.  This tour also handed out EMF detectors so everyone on the tour could ghost hunt as they listened to the guide tell his haunting tales of blood and horror.

The tour started at the old White Oaks Flat Cemetery.  This cemetery is tucked behind a little shopping center filled with pancakes and souvenirs.   I never would have even suspected it was up there, pressed against mini-golf courses and and arcades, if it weren't for this ghost walk.  We went on this ghost walk with several young children and Ron really spent a lot of time making sure the walk was fun for them.  He joked with them and made them laugh so hard they say it was their favorite part of their Gatlinburg vacation.   Ron told many ghost stories I had never heard before and also loaded the quiet parts of the tour with fun facts and folklore.  

One of my favorite folklore stories Ron told was the story of a mountain witch.  This witch was captured by locals and killed.  She was buried face down, so that if she did try to escape her coffin after death she would dig down, towards hell rather than up towards humanity.   She was also buried beneath a crossroads so her power would be diminished and to make sure she was tormented even after death she was buried beneath a crosswalk so all the people walking over her grave would constantly torture her.

Over the next few days,  I will placing some of the stories Ron told with photographs on the blog.   I will of course, leave some out so that I don't ruin the fun and excitement for those who might go on this Ghost Walk in the future.  This is something I would highly recommend, because this really was one of the best ghost walks I have ever been on.

Lydia's Chocolate Suicide For Two

I spent last week in the mountains outside of Gatlinburg, Tn.   While I was travelling,  I had very few ways to keep in touch with the outside world.  The one thing that seemed to work for me was the twitter application on my iphone.   Thanks to this application and Chris Love, otherwise known as smokies_r_great on twitter,  I was able to find a wonderful haunted restaurant just off the main drag in Gatlinburg.  The Greenbriar Restaurant is on the top of a hill. The road to the restaurant creeps and curves through dark woods.   I almost thought I was lost and gave up.  GPS was no help in guiding me through the forest.  The restaurant was obscured by the mountain.  It was hidden from view  behind trees and nature.  I never would have found this secluded gem without help.  

The restaurant itself is in what looks like an old cabin and has an atmosphere that lends itself to ghost stories.  A mist hangs about the front door and clings to the old brown building.  The cabin was originally built in 1939 and then converted to a restaurant.  The restaurant doesn't hide from its ghostly history.  It wears it proudly.    In fact, one of its most popular deserts is Lydia's Chocolate Suicide for Two.   The staff all say the restaurant is haunted.  The haunting is as much a part of this extravagant dining experience as the logs that make up the building.

The story of Lydia, the ghost that haunts The Greenbriar, is a sad one.   According to legend,   Lydia was left at the altar on her wedding day by her one true love.  At the time,  Lydia was a resident of the cabin and ran home weeping.   She hung herself from the rafters of the old cabin.   A few days later the body of Lydia's true love was found mangled in the forest.  He hadn't left her at the altar.  He had been killed by a cougar.   The story grew and spread and the staff insists that Lydia's lonely ghost is still a frequent visitor.   Of course,  with deserts like Lydia's Chocolate Suicide for Two,  I may be a frequent visitor as well.

The Riverhaven Cabin Ghosts

Most ghost stories are creepy. They hint at some unhappy soul lurking just beyond reality waiting to do us harm. The Riverhaven cabin is haunted, but the ghosts there seem pleasant and inviting.  This was one of the first haunted places I wrote about, but I am revisiting it since I'm returning to Gatlinburg in a few weeks.   Alas, we can no longer stay at Riverhaven  because we have dogs now, but it was my favorite place in Gatlinburg and it has been remodeled since our last visit. 


Riverhaven is a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN. It is described by the reality company as pleasant and comfortable. This historic log home is an antique Chestnut log approx. 200 years old built in 1800. It has unique wormy Chestnut paneling inside. The cabin was constructed in the National Park and was moved in the 1930's to its current location in downtown Gatlinburg. The Realtors website shows many pretty pictures of the cabin and if you rent it, when you enter you'll be pleasantly surprised by it's comfort and warmth.

Every cabin in Gatlinburg has a log or journal for visitors to share their experiences in. Typically, these logs are filled with stories of family vacations. Every page has the same bland pleasantries. It is as if they came from a script. Guests tell about their family, what they did, and the great time they had in the cabin. Riverhaven's journal is different. Each guest tells about flickering lights, moving objects, vanishing items, and odd noises. Not every resident there concludes the cabin is haunted, but every page indicated there is something odd about this pleasant cabin nestled by the river.

I only stayed at Riverhaven for three nights and for the most part it was quiet. I stayed with my family and we complained to each other about the lack of linens in the cabin. We searched it from top to bottom, pulling it apart in a futile quest for a table cloth or anything to cover the splintery, ancient dining table. Finally, on the first night we gave up and ate on our laps. We went to bed and dead bolted the door and locked the door with the sliding lock that even someone with a key couldn't open. In the morning, we awoke to find every table set with table cloths and silverware. The cabin was clean and pretty and we certainly hadn't left it that way when we went to sleep. We often laugh about this cabin as we flounder to explain our experiences there, but when I think of the strange journal there and the consistency of all the stories, I have to assume it was haunted by ghosts that liked us.