I am planning my family's first vacation TN. We want to go to the Pigeon Forge area. Any suggestions on places to consider for lodging, food, attractions, best route to drive there, etc?
We went out there to get married, we drove straight out 40. Our cabin was rented through Fireside Chalets, they were recommended by our wedding coordinator. It was a log cabin with a hot tub, pool table, great view, it was up a windy road into the mountain area. http://www.firesidechalets.com/index.html We didn't go to Dollywood, but most people do that when they go out there. We were busy honeymooning... but we did find a nice place to do a horseback trail ride. We also spent a nice afternoon driving through an old area in the Great Smokey Mountains, it is called Cades Cove, its a 20-30 mile loop of a road with a lot of historical buildings from a settlement that is no longer populated. Alot of old churches, cemeteries, houses, barns... it was neat. Gatlinburg is also just the next county over, theres lots to do over in Gatlinburg.
Our daughter and son-in-law went there several years ago and rented a cabin from www.sugarmaplecabins.com They loved it and their cabin was in Sevierville. They visited Pigeon Forge as well.
Haven't been in years, but the 'Oak Tree Lodge' , between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville was always our favorite place to stay. It has built up around there, like everything else, but it is still one of the most charming places! I don't remember if ALL rooms have it, but make sure you get a room with a private balcony...sit out back of your room and watch the horses from the stables beside the hotel! Don't know if you have little ones, but apparently they have added a new play area to the pool. And for Mom...the outlets are right across the street! May have to go back myself! :lol: Here's the website: http://www.theoaktreelodge.com/ **Just went back and looked, on the bottom of the "Home" page, click on current specials. Offers 2-night, extra 15% off or 3 or more nights, extra 20% off!!
Gatlinburg I've always enjoyed staying in gatlinburg. Many things within walking distance. You can drive over to pigeon forge and there is more parking there. If you stay in PF and drive to gatlinburg it is harder to find parking. Motels in Gatlinburg. Twin Islands, The Gillette, Smokyland. Food There is a great pancake house in town. Line starts by 730. The Peddler steak house . Lots to do. Shop till you drop. Aquarium, wax museum, putt putt golf, Arcades, did I mention shopping You can always drive to Pigeon Forge if there is something you want to do over there.
Driving Route I40 to exit 27 Hwy 74/23 to Hwy 19 To cherokee NC To Hwy 441 To Gatlinburg . Lots of scenery
Dollywood is great we had a blast going there, I also recommend doing the white water rafting, its lots of fun. If you are not scared of heights also do a helicopter tour just a short one is a lot of fun and a great scenic view We have stayed several places so not even sure where to tell ya to go, just go and have fun so much to do!!
I'm not sure when you're going to be in TN, but the Blue Plum Festival is in Johnson City, TN this coming weekend. My dad is taking my kids. They went last year and said it was a lot of fun. http://www.blueplum.org/
Alamo steakhouse!!! Personally, I like the one in Gatlinburg better tahn the one in PF. Look in the little books and flyers for a coupon. Prices are way better at lunch than dinner, and the crowds are smaller. Calhoun's is a great restaurant, too. We ate at the bigger one in north PF. There is a smaller one in Gatlinburg. I think that's the original one. I did not want to brave the lines at the Pancake Pantry, so we ate at Flapjacks. There are several; the one we ate at was on 321 outside Gatlinburg headed towards the Arts and Crafts Loop. Yummy!!!!! Our last stay, we rented a cabin off vrbo.com. We stayed in the Arts & Crafts Loop, away from the crowds. yeah, you have to drive everywhere, but when we wanted to go into downtown Gatlinburg we took the bus/trolley. We would park at the visitors center on 321 and catch it there. The Arts & Crafts Loop is neat! Here's their website: http://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/ If you look at the map on the left side close up, you will see Glades Arts and Crafts Center and a side road, King Road. We stayed in a little area of cabins right behind it. Very steep, and the parking was awful!!! Fortunately, the place next to us was vacant, so I was able to park in font of it on the street. Cabin was cute, though, and we got a great deal because the people were hurting for bookings. If you don;t wnat to brave the crowds at Cades Cove, you cna go to the Roaring Forks Motor Trail in Gatlinburg. Not much in the way of animals, but the views are great! Be sure to head down to the Smokies National Park Entrance outside Gatlinburg, and into the park itself. We went to Laurel Falls. Very easy hike. Lots of people, though. http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm Have a great trip! I hope to make it back some day.
I second Cades Cove, beautiful day trip, lots of on the way sight seeing, a wonderful way to spend the day. You must eat at the Old Mill, it's right on the strip in Pigeon Forge. Really good home cooked meals with large portions at fair prices. We usually go to TN twice a year, and these are my must do's. I also do the winery tours. There are about 6 between Gatlinburg and PF.
I went to Bristol one year for a race and stopped in a convenient store for some beer. After hearing a few of us talk the cashier asked "where yall from?" to which we replied "North Carolina....why?" The cashier said "I knew yall sounded like yankees." ***
We love going to the Apple Barn to shop and eat whenever we go, and they have a delicious breakfast: http://www.applebarncidermill.com/ Our kids love going on the Alpine Slide (they have ice-skating too) at Ober Gatlinburg: http://www.obergatlinburg.com/ Nice view from the tram. Also lots of fun, river tubing, especially if it is really hot. It's fairly cheap and lots of fun, and can be relaxing if you can float far enough away from the children :lol: Here is a link to one company but there are quite a few I think: http://www.smokymtnriverrat.com/
I'm glad you started this thread, as we are traveling up that way also for vacation this year! If you're a 'groupon' person, sign up to get the deals for that area also. I just bought 1/2 price tickets for the River Rat river tubing as this was something we'd talked about doing. I had already looked at their site, also checked it on tripadvisor and all reviews were good, so I'm excited to save some $$$! :hurray: If you don't already use groupons, just go to groupon.com and register! Oh, I just realized this place had been recommended by the previous poster too!
Affordable Cabins in the Smokies – Pigeon Forge Two-Night Cabin Rental and Four Variety-Show Tickets from Affordable Cabins in the Smokies http://www.groupon.com/deals/afford...6565c4035c47c0400174c62ff51bb65ca755b969ffd29 http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/atl...6/?utm_source=top20_us&utm_medium=email_top20
