Hi all!
I plan to attend the Fall event. It will be my first time and I’d like a nice room or cabin. It’s also my birthday weekend. I find the Fontana website lacking in photos, rates and other pertinent information. I know I will get a variety of responses but that’s what I’m looking for. In your opinion, what are the best accommodations and why.

 

At Fontana, I've only stayed in cabins. One bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom. The ones I've stayed in could do with some renovations and updates- I did see this year some cabins had new siding. JVF1 and I always cook my own breakfast. The location is ideal. Costs have escalated of late, however.

darcy

 

I go to Fontana for a different event, I was just recently there back in April.

Fontana cabins can be hit or miss. Some have been renovated but many have not. You pay the same rate regardless. Their rates have got up quite a lot in the last few years.

We had lots and lots of complaints from long time attendees about the state of their cabins this year. Many didn't even have shower curtains, many arrived to cabins that had not been cleaned, many arrived to find their cabin not ready until very late in the evening. When I arrived they didn't have a key for mine.

If there were another option this other event would have already moved but that's the one thing Fontana has going for it.

 

Hi Plankfarm, I thought I'd give my input as a "newer" attendee to the Rock the Dragon/Dragon Fall Run events

We've been coming to Fontana since DFR 2022. We attended a concert in Charlotte that Friday night so didn't get to Fontana until 3AM. We got our cabin assignment and keys from the front desk, drove over and found it (confusing layout in the pitch dark if never been before) and our cabin hadn't been cleaned. Dishes in the sink, towels bundled up on the bathroom floor and bed unmade. Drove back up to the front desk and they put us in a nicer big 2br house/cabin - it had a hot tub in the living room or something weird like that I'm trying to remember the details.

Anyway, we've stayed in multiple cabins since then - they are definitely outdated and honestly a bit ratty. Each year we told ourselves it's part of being in the mountains - it's "rustic". This last trip last week we left Thursday after work and arrived around midnight only to realize no coffee maker (always had one) and no front desk until 9AM. Ended up spending like $12 including the tip on 2 coffees at the restaurant which was frustrating since we usually split a full pot. Finally got the front desk after 9 and after arriving back from Friday drives - still no coffee maker. Had to call again and they were able to track one down with a mismatched carafe that barely fit. Someone at the desk said they were supposed to all get new ones soon.

The wifi is terrible - I started bringing a wifi extender for a more sustained signal in the cabin and that has worked pretty well although the speed is 30-40mb. They changed out the tv to a weird roku-like box and the cheapest, smallest RCA you can buy. You have to sign into Google to use it - I made a burner acct just for that and once logged in, we could not play a youtube video or netflix for more than maybe 2 or 3 minutes and it would buffer and sometimes kick out of what we were watching. We always bring our own Roku but couldn't use the HDMI connection because there wasn't room to plug it in - gotta get an extender. At least we were able to use our phones to access the internet for weather and communicating with people. There is zero cell service at Fontana so you really must rely on their wifi which has always been an issue. We were noticing how bad the rockers look now on the porches and just needs maybe some paint.

It is definitely an experience that we've just rolled with but the novelty is starting to wear off with many people in the group. They have poured a ton of money to make the point of sale everywhere super nice and kitschy in the general store, the restaurant, the gas station etc. They definitely want to sell you shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, etc. I wish they would've used some of that to make the cabin experience a little better. You might like the lodge rooms more as those have been renovated and look really nice but if I recall those are priced more than the 1 and 2 bedroom cabins that we stay in.

Their website has always been weird - you have to "Book Now" and you enter your dates and it'll give you all the options. You then scroll down to the type of cabin and scroll left to right - maybe 3 or 4 pics and you can click to full size. Not the best but will give you an idea - and yes they look ok in these but the older cabins the furniture is pretty rough. Some of the others that have been renovated are nice but wow they are charging quite a bit for them now.. For example Dogwood cabins are really nice but Best Available rate - Cabins $515.77 Avg/Night. That is some insanity right there. Even AAA is $470 a night. So those will definitely be the nicer options but pretty pricey.

When we were there last weekend it was the emptiest I've seen at Fontana - typically most of the cabins are full and the lodge parking lot is packed with everyone staying there. Every morning you'd hear the roar of the Aston Martin group or the Skyline.GTR group or whatever was there rolling out in the morning. This year it was completely quiet each morning - maybe a couple cars here and there (and our S2000 group). It reminded me of visiting a college campus over the summer and all the students have gone home. The main issue is there are not too many options for a car group to stay together in the area but I'm wondering if others are starting to stay in Robbinsville or maybe somewhere in Tennessee now. My wife and I have enjoyed staying at Fontana all these trips and my dad too who comes down for a fall trip each year - but this October I booked an Air BNB to try something else for Classic Hondas weekend.