For the Love of Gatlinburg: S1, E14 — From Ohio to Gatlinburg

Kelly Haas's Gatlinburg story began the way so many do — with a family wedding. In 1994, Kelly served as maid of honor at her twin sister's wedding in Gatlinburg, and she and her husband Matt, both first-timers to the area, fell instantly in love. What followed were 30 years of annual (sometimes twice-yearly) visits with their daughters, anchored by staples like horseback riding, Cades Cove, hiking Laurel Falls, and dinner at the Peddler Steakhouse, the very restaurant that hosted her sister's wedding reception.

The 2016 wildfires marked a turning point. Kelly and Matt were staying at Mountain Laurel Chalets' Above Laurelwood cabin the very week the fires broke out — in fact, Kelly had hiked the Chimney Tops Trail (where the fire originated) just two days before, and later provided her own photos to investigators looking into the fire's cause. Rather than pulling away from the devastated town, the couple returned that February to see the damage firsthand, purchased a lot in Chalet Village, and eventually built their first cabin. When Matt was offered an early retirement buyout from his company, the couple built a second home in a residential neighborhood — and once it was finished, Kelly walked into Mountain Laurel Chalets to drop off her resume, launching a new career built on the same hospitality she'd experienced as a guest for over a decade.

The conversation touches on the practical realities of relocating — from the surprising difficulty of finding a new vet or hairdresser to the important distinction between Gatlinburg's tourist rental zones and its protected residential neighborhoods — alongside Kelly's reflections on 30 years of change, from the old single-chair Skylift to today's SkyBridge, and long-gone favorites like the Burning Bush restaurant and the original Little Log Cabin wedding chapel (now part of Santa's Claus-et).

• A destination wedding started it all. Kelly first visited Gatlinburg in 1994 as maid of honor at her twin sister's wedding, and the couple returned annually — sometimes twice a year — for the next three decades.
• A front-row seat to the 2016 fires. Kelly and her husband hiked the Chimney Tops Trail just two days before the wildfire that started there, and left Gatlinburg the Saturday before the fire reached town; she later provided her own trail and parking-lot photos to investigators looking into the fire's origin.
• Devastation turned into commitment. Rather than being deterred, Kelly and Matt returned to Gatlinburg that February to see the damage firsthand, bought a lot in Chalet Village, and eventually built their first cabin there.
• An early retirement made the move possible. When Matt's company offered relocation to California or a buyout, the couple took the buyout, built a second home in a residential neighborhood, and Kelly walked into Mountain Laurel Chalets to submit her resume once it was finished.
• Thirty years of visible change. Kelly recalls a Gatlinburg without Anakeesta or the aquarium, when the Skylift was just a single chair ride with a photo op at the top — now transformed by the SkyBridge, and marked by the loss of beloved spots like the Burning Bush restaurant and the original Little Log Cabin wedding chapel (now part of Santa's Claus-et).
• Relocating brought unexpected challenges. Kelly cites finding a new hairdresser and veterinarian — after 25 and nearly 30 years with the same ones back in Ohio, respectively — as some of the most surprisingly difficult parts of settling into a tourism-driven local economy.
• Tourist zones and residential neighborhoods are worlds apart. Kelly's first lot was in Chalet Village, a short-term-rental-permitted area; her family's actual home sits in a protected residential neighborhood where overnight rentals aren't allowed — a distinction she encourages anyone considering a move to understand clearly.
• A Great Dane named LaRusso rounds out the family — and Kelly notes Gatlinburg's many pet-friendly trails, restaurant patios, and downtown shops make it an easy place to bring a dog along for vacation.