Midtown Lodge started out as White Oak Flats Motel as this postcard shows. The postcard shows the motel had a restaurant as many of the motel's did back then called the Sky Room Restaurant.
This postcard that shows an overview of Christus Gardens and the Sky Lift shows the back of the White Oak Flats Motel. It also shows that there appears to be a house and some other structure at the back of the property.
This postcard shows that at some point the Davy Crockett Shop was on the edge of the property that eventually became Midtown Lodge next to the Sky Lift
White Oak Flats Motel eventually was torn down or renovated into TraveLodge as this postcard shows. This is what the 1968 Gatlinburg Directory Guide (which can be viewed on the vintage pamphlet page) says about Gatlinburg Downtown Travelodge: Within walking distance of everything. One block Civic Auditorium, post office and churches. 60 units of native stone, tiled baths, tub-shower combination, electric heat, baby beds, wall-to-wall carpet, guest lounge, private heated pool, TV and Air-conditioning. Rates begin at $6.00 per person. 805 Parkway. A lot of interesting things to notice looking at this photo. The lobby, the tower in front of the lobby, and the left and back side units stayed the same as did the parking lot in front of the back units, but everything else soon changed. Notice there are no townhouses on the right side, no bridge and the ground is flat. No Downtown Traders Mall down below. Further more, the pool is in a different spot, in the area where the townhouses would be built and there is nothing but grass in the area where the pool would eventually end up. In fact, there is vitually no concrete or tile at all, just grass. It appears that there is a snack bar on the right side of the pool and someone is standing there. Also interesting to note: it appears that you could access the stairs of the tower from deck above the office. It must not have cost a dime to walk up back then, which of course eventually was locked up.
This postcard shows that Travelodge has become Midtown Lodge. It shows that the townhouses have been added on the right site and The Downtown Traders has been dug below. Vintage picture of Downtown Traders can be viewed on the Downtown Traders Mall page.
View of Midtown Lodge from the Parkway
View of Midtown Lodge from the Parkway
The photo on the left is a view of the Midtown Lodge courtyard back when the original Ripley's was across the street. This photo shows a rare view of the spiral stairs outside the office that went to the second floor. The stair were removed in the early to mid 90's when the constructed the accessible ramp. The photo on the right shows the construction when they removed the original stairs.
The photo on the right shows the Hammer Dulcimer player that sometimes played in the Midtown Lodge courtyard.
The photo on the left is looking out towards the Midtown Lodge courtyard at dark and the photo on the right looks on towards Ripley's
