arstephia Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) We are thinking of renting a cabin in the Pigeon Forge area in September. We have one picked out with good reviews, location and price. I would like to have a plan of things to do in the PF, Gatlinburg area, and are interested in heading over to Asheville, NC if there are things to do/see. We are not touristy people so we don't want to hit the typical tourist traps. We have heard of Cades Cove in the National Park, so that is on our list, but what kinds of places/things to do are there that aren't commerical/high ticket gimmicky places? We enjoy historic and natural things if that makes sense. Also, DH and I are great cooks so eating out isn't a big draw, which is why we got the cabin instead of a hotel. There will be DH and I and our kids 14, 12 and 8. We can take our bicycles if there are places to ride them (Cades?) Can anyone help us with our "frugal" vacation in the Smoky Mountains? Edited July 23, 2012 by arstephia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I live about an hour away. The Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is a big tourist area, filled with commercial, high ticket - gimmicky attractions. So, you will want to focus your time and attention within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are many many trails to hike and scenic drives to take. Stop at their info center and pick up some maps. White water rafting is a very popular activity in this area, as is horseback riding. Neither is inexpensive, though. It's not close, but if you are willing to drive or will be going by there on your way to or from Tennessee, the Museum of Appalachia is definitely worth a visit: http://museumofappalachia.com/ If anyone in the family is interested in aviation, the Tennessee Museum of Aviation is one very nice attraction that is off the beaten path in Sevierville: http://www.tnairmuseum.com/ If you decide to splurge on one expensive tourist excursion, I recommend either Dollywood (http://www.dollywood.com) or the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies (http://www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg/) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 The Biltmore House in Ashville is very historic. Carl Sandburg's houses is in Hendersonville. You could go hiking in the Pisgah National Forest. But I like going to the Dixie Stampeed and Dollywood:D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 We are thinking of renting a cabin in the Pigeon Forge area in September. We have one picked out with good reviews, location and price. I would like to have a plan of things to do in the PF, Gatlinburg area, and are interested in heading over to Asheville, NC if there are things to do/see. We are not touristy people so we don't want to hit the typical tourist traps. Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg are probably the most gimmicky tourist traps in the mountains. Since that doesn't appeal to you, I suggest you look elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) If you do Ripley's Aquriuam, bring proof that you are homeschoolers, and you get a awesome discount! As far as Asheville, I personally don't see it offering much else to do that Gatlinburg doesn't already offer, ie the hiking, trails, views, nature stuff. As a matter of fact, most of that is not IN Asheville itself, but on the outskirts. Otherwise, Asheville has amazing local restaurants, which you said wasn't a big draw for you, some local art galleries, and well, the nature stuff on the outskirts. Two things that WOULD be worth the drive to Asheville are: 1. Biltmore House: Amazing, just truly amazing for the time period it was built in. If you do this, splurge on the audio tour. We've done it twice, once without the audio, and it was nice, but the 2nd time, with the audio, and being to able hear and understand exactly what you were looking at and the significgance of it, made it SO much better. This isn't exactly cheap though...although sometimes they have deals, like Kids Free, etc. 2. Grove Park Inn: Another amazing place considered when it was built. Just stopping by if you were already in the Asheville area to walk around it nice, to know that several presidents have visited, etc. Other than that, having lived in Asheville and just visited Gatlinburg 3 weeks ago, besides those two places I mentioned, I don't see any reason why one would leave Gatlinburg to drive to Asheville. Although I also agree with what othes have posted...if you are not interested in tourist/gimmicky, Gatlinburg and ESPECIALLY Pigeon Forge is not the place for you. That is pretty much ALL Pigeon Forge is. Although if having a balance of being able to go out to the nature stuff, and then come back into town for some touristy stuff, then it's a good choice. Otherwise, if your main focus is going to be on outdoorsy, nature, why not head to Western North Carolina, the Bryson City area? It's much more about doing the nature stuff, and very little of the gimmicky tourist junk that Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg offer. Edited July 23, 2012 by Samiam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just returned from a trip to Asheville. Biltmore was really wonderful, and if our aging parents hadn't been with us, we would have enjoyed hiking and biking on the property. It's beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arstephia Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) Thanks! This is the input I was hoping for! We chose that area despite the tourist traps because it seemed centrally located. We don't mind snooping through shops and do want the convenience of grocery stores and things, but we wanted options. I didn't know about the aviation museum! That is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find. I have family that flew WWII planes, so this is something we will do for sure. I also called the Aquarium and yes they give GREAT discounts for homeschoolers - I just have to have my paperwork with me, so that is a huge savings to us and will tie in nicely with our science studies this year. Thanks for the input on Asheville. For the drive, it doesn't sound worth it, so we will pass on that. Keep the ideas coming! I was afraid this trip would be a bust, but it is looking quite promising now! Edited July 23, 2012 by arstephia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 The Biltmore is a fantastic place, we loved the audio tour and walking around the area. Gatlinburg is bleh but Cade's Cove is awesome. I second the museum recommendations, rafting and water activities in the area are fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 You can easily spend 1-3 selecting different parts of the park itself to explore- Cades Cove can take a full day if you stop at all the heritage centers. There's another museum at one of the visitor centers in the park that is nice, and the grist mill. In Townsend there's a nice museum with standing barns and cabins- the train museum in Townsend is very small but offers some interesting information about how industry impacted the region. There are carriage and horse riding tours available at Cades Cove. I really wanted to make it to the Cherokee museum but it closed in the early afternoon/evening and we had taken to long to drive across the mountains and didn't make it. Note- there are several places claiming to be "museums" on that side of the mountain, you want the real deal. On the outskirts of Gatlinburg there's a public park with a "fishing" river for the kids- you can allow the children to play in the water there but the mosquitos were heavy when we went. In Gatlinburg itself there in an artists' school that allows you to tour freely. It's not a huge deal, but my DD is an artist so I wanted her to see that there were schools for people like her. :001_smile: There are several natural caves in the area that you could tour- we had kids in car issues so we didn't drive quite that far. Oh--- there's a mineral museum somewhere nearby in NC, I really wanted to get there. If I remember correctly there was also a place where you could go on a train ride. Buy a detailed area map as soon as you get into town- one that shows city streets for Gatlinburg. Use it to find the roads that by-pass the main strips in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg so you don't spend all your time stuck in traffic. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) I highly recommend the Chimney Tops Picnic area near Gatlinburg, it has a great spot for playing in the river on the rocks. The Roaring Forks Motor Trail is pretty. I love going early in the morning while it is still a little foggy. Norris Dam State Park is near the Museum of Appalachia. There is a museum there that is fun to go through: http://www.cityofnorris.com/id61.html I agree, the area is pretty gimmicky, but there are a lot of beautiful places to see :) Oh, and if you do end up in the Norris/Anderson County area, you may want to check out The American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. There is a lot of history there about the Manhattan Project. Edited July 23, 2012 by Apryl H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 One thing we did to cut down on the touristy stuff when we went to that area was to rent a cabin on the other side of the park, in Townsend. Further from the 'strip' of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville, but close enough if we'd wanted to go there. You can bike IN the Cades Cove area, but you'll probably want to drive TO it, as the way to get there is narrow, winding roads full of tourists not paying attention. Here's the link of stuff to do in the park. http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/things2do.htm We enjoy finding a part of the Appalachian Trail to day hike when we're in that area (we usually spend some time further up, as my parents live north of there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelsMommy Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Our homeschool group went on a field trip to the Heritage Center in Townsend last year and it was a lot of fun. Here's the website - http://gsmheritagecenter.org/ They showed a video about the history of the area, we got to explore different cabins and barns from the time period. We love Cades Cove too, but unlike Cades Cove, the cabins at the Heritage Center were furnished so you could really get a feel for how little they had and how they lived. Also, this may have just been part of the field trip, but you can ask if they do demonstrations on certain days. Our kids got to try their hand at churning butter, playing with toys from the time period, etc. It was a lot of fun and my son still talks about it. It wasn't very expensive either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Buy a detailed area map as soon as you get into town- one that shows city streets for Gatlinburg. Use it to find the roads that by-pass the main strips in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg so you don't spend all your time stuck in traffic. ;) These maps are free!! No need to buy one...they are everywhere in Gatlinburg...we got one from our front desk at our campsite, and picked up several more while we were out and about...not sure why, but ended up with 4-5 when we finally got home. We did use it quite extensively to zip down the back roads to get from point A to point B without having to sit in traffic on the main drag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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