Amy loves Bud Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 We are looking at renting a cabin in the Gatlinburg area for a month this summer to escape the Texas heat. We originally wanted to go to Colorado, but waited too long and it's hard to find something that isn't booked for at least part of the month we are looking at. It looks like there is a lot to do, but I have to admit I find the concept of Dollywood really cheesy. Will we enjoy the area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 YES! Plus (or a minus, depending on how you view me) is that I am not far from there!!!!! We could play! The area is great. Dollywood is a lot of fun. Especially for kids the ages yours are. We just went for the first time a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. I will admit, we never went before due to the possible cheesy factor. But it was great there. There are lots of things to do and see in this neck of the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmomofboys Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I grew up about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg. I can't say that I would want to stay in Gatlinburg, maybe Townsend or Walden or the outskirts of Pigeon Forge, if you want to be out of the hubub. Gatlinburg is very "touristy" and loads of traffic, really even Pigeon Forge. Dollywood, on the other hand, is loads of fun. Even in the middle of summer, you will find shade and a place to sit and watch the crowds. Very family oriented. I have heard Splash Country is great as well. Restaurants that I would recommend would be the Apple Barn and The Old Mill Restaurant. Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praisefor3 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Even went to the elementary school right there on the Parkway (the Main street.) We moved before I finished elementary school but until this past January my dad owned a beautiful log home above Gatlinburg and we went back a couple times a year. We love it and will still go back to visit some though not as often. Mountain hiking, stream wading, history learning, we love it all. And yes, we do occasionally go to a show, ride go karts and even go to some of the stores. A lot of the cabins are not real private so do your homework. Many are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesek Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I love Gatlinburg! We have gone there in September the last 2 years and we love it. We are a little different though - we do not do the touristy things like Dollywood and the many shows that are there. We spend most of our time in the Smoky Mountain National Park. There is so much to do there. The hiking trails are great, your kids can complete the Jr. Ranger program, there are plenty of ranger sponsored activities. I could go on and on. I do agree about getting farther out of Gatlinburg. The traffic can get pretty bad there. We stayed in a chalet up in the mountains, and it was beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I stayed in a chalet up in the mountains there about 10 years ago. It was very nice. Like a pp said, we skipped most of the touristy things and spent most of our time in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was a nice vacation. One of the areas we didn't really get to explore was the North Carolina side of the mountains. If I remember correctly, they had a lot of Native American cultural sites there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Oh, thanks y'all! How about this place - is this far enough from the town, and is it high enough to be cool? Gatlingburg cabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesek Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I stayed in a chalet up in the mountains there about 10 years ago. It was very nice. Like a pp said, we skipped most of the touristy things and spent most of our time in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was a nice vacation. One of the areas we didn't really get to explore was the North Carolina side of the mountains. If I remember correctly, they had a lot of Native American cultural sites there. Yes, I had forgotten all about that. The Cherokee Indian Reservation is just over the mountain in NC. When we were there, we went to the Ocunaluftee (sp?) Indian Village, where they had recreated what a Cherokee village would have been like. It was so interesting. Also, there is a great outdoor drama there that tells the story of the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears. I would love to spend a month there. I think it would take that long to really explore everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 You might consider staying in the Townsend area. It is a bit quieter than Gatlinburg but still close enough to all the touristy stuff if you get in the mood for it. Don't skip Cade's Cove!!! Also there is a driving trail that starts in Gatlinburg (Roaring Forks or something like that?) that is just beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Oh, thanks y'all! How about this place - is this far enough from the town, and is it high enough to be cool? Gatlingburg cabin Gatlinburg Vacation Rental - Luxury Chalet within Gatlinburg - $100 weekly rentals if booked by May 24th Surely that's a typo on their site. Do they mean $1000 weekly rentals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Gatlinburg Vacation Rental - Luxury Chalet within Gatlinburg - $100 weekly rentals if booked by May 24th Surely that's a typo on their site. Do they mean $1000 weekly rentals? That's what I thought! I think it means $100 per night if you book an entire week. I'm pretty sure if it was $100 weekly there would be no availability! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 That's what I thought! I think it means $100 per night if you book an entire week. I'm pretty sure if it was $100 weekly there would be no availability! I was getting ready to pick up the phone and call right now even though we don't have plans to vacation in TN this summer. :D That looks like a great cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmomofboys Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 If you do want to venture over into NC and go to the Indian reservation, I highly the outdoor drama Unto These Hills. My ds(s) enjoyed it. The next day we did the museum and the village. Having seen the play, they got a lot out of these. There is also rafting. We went to one that specialized in kids. Safe and great fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 So, needless to say, we enjoyed it. ;) But, seriously, it's a beautiful area. Lovely hiking all around, horseback riding. I highly recommend the Log Cabin Pancake House. I think we had brunch there every day of our honeymoon. Mmmm. Also, in Pigeon Forge, there's this place right across from Dollywood that serves all-you-can-eat biscuits, chicken, etc. Mmmm. Pop's Catfish? Is that the name? There's some fun antique shops in the area, if you're into that sort of thing. I think there's miniature golf in Gatlinburg. It's not an action-packed kind of place, but the scenery is gorgeous. It's a great place to just sit on the porch of your cabin and read a book. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Heather Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 When we lived west of Asheville we would go there on weekends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Oh, you'll love it. We went last May. I have to say that Dollywood was one of my all-time favorite amusement parks. The atmosphere is just neat there. They put so much into the "feel" of the park. If it's supposed to be a 50s area, it has that feel; the mine area had this one guy who walked around and helped you find where you were going. His name was "Ole Coot" and he so looked the part. It was just fun. We loved it!! It is beautiful there. We didn't have enough time to do all the things we wanted to do. Have fun!! I want to go back. Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaby Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Yes, you will have fun! Don't forget to check out Ripley's Aquarium and the little old fashioned candy making store along the businesses there. There are some beautiful waterfalls at the area state parks also. We rented a cottage at Carr's Cottage. Our patio was next to a beautiful creek and we awakened to the sound of the waters each day. Everything was walking distance. We saved a ton by cooking in our kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 We used to have a house in Cobbly Nob (just north of Gatlinburg). It's a nice, peaceful neighborhood, safe, golf course, 2 pools, mountain views, cabins aren't on top of each other, and away from the 'craziness'. Several companies rent cabins there, just google it (Greenbrier is a good one). Some of the rental companies' houses aren't great, but I've been in many of the Cobbly Nob homes and they're all nice and unique. The Arts and Crafts loop is really nice too. Hope you find a place and have a great time! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 I grew up about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg. I can't say that I would want to stay in Gatlinburg, maybe Townsend or Walden or the outskirts of Pigeon Forge, if you want to be out of the hubub. Gatlinburg is very "touristy" and loads of traffic, really even Pigeon Forge. Dollywood, on the other hand, is loads of fun. Even in the middle of summer, you will find shade and a place to sit and watch the crowds. Very family oriented. I have heard Splash Country is great as well. Restaurants that I would recommend would be the Apple Barn and The Old Mill Restaurant. Have a great time! Would you recommend staying in NC? I found some nice cabins just across the NP from Gatlinburg. It seems like it might be a bit less busy, but we'd still have access to the touristy things if we want. What do you think? If we go, I'd love to meet some of you TN and NC girls in person! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof2kids Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 We just went to Dollywood last month! It's a nice amusement park if you like rides. Kids will love it. The atmosphere is really nice. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge downtown areas (they are close together) are cheesy. They are like Wisonsin Dells with streets and streets of stores and nonsense type stuff that costs a fortune. When we first drove into Piegon Forge we stopped at one of those tourist centers for some brochures. We take a vacations by the seat of our pants and never like to be committed to a hotel anywhere becasue we never know what we'll do or where we'll end up. So the guy there at the tourist center was trying to trap us into cabins and hotels with water parks for really cheap if we listen to a sales pitch for 3 hours the next day. Like I want to waste my vacation time on a sales pitch. So really these downtown areas are just icky IMO. Very tacky. But Dollywood is not cheesy!! It's just a nice amusement park. Really if you go to this area you have to go to Dollywood (IF amusement parks are your thing). If you go/stay in Asheville go to the Biltmore House. It's amazing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 We enjoy the Gatlinburg area. Yes, there is an insane amount of traffic and yes there is a lot of cheesiness, but it doesn't stop us from going to Townsend/Cade's Cove/Gatlinburg/ Pigeon Forge several times each year. We actually have season passes to Dollywood & Splash Country and we really have a great time. Generally we'll go to one park leave to eat and then hit the other park. Splash Country has water rides for all ages and my kids (5 & 7) love going. I can't recommend Cade's Cove enough... Kelli mentioned it as well. You can see more at http://www.cadescove.net/. Last time we visited (and we go to CC at least 4-6 times a year), they were having a Junior Ranger program (free). The kids got to learn about children growing up in pioneer times. They had some musicians with banjos and a blacksmith doing his thing. There is also a working mill on the property which my kids love to visit. Great picnic place and do NOT forget your camera. Sometimes you'll see 1 deer and sometimes you'll see hundreds. I've only ever seen a bear twice and neither was terribly close. This picture was a few years ago, but notice how close the deer is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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