Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge fun things to do

[DawnM]

Hit me up with some activities to do while in the area, particularly things that I can't do other places.   😃

[alisoncooks]

We tend to be pretty touristy in PF/Gatlinburg and mostly stick around PF more (the traffic was atrocious in Gatlinburg last time we went in October. The worst ever!!)

We’ve been 5-6x in the past 15 years or so. We like Dollywood and the dinner shows (Dolly has a lumberjack show we liked - Dixie Stampede was a bit weird, lol.). We like the Ripley’s Aquarium, Wonderworks (kid science museum, hands on), the Christmas shop (name? it’s huge and we love wandering around…).  The Apple Barn is a fun eating/shopping experience but can get crowded.  “The Island” is a huge shopping area/experience — Paula Deen has a restaurant there (it’s okay).

Also, near there is is an old mill area (restaurants and little artisan shops). A river and ducks to feed. 

There really is just so, so much you could do. Lots of nature trails, if that’s your thing.

[Slache]

Grandfather clock store.

Zorbing.

Hatfield and McCoy dinner show (haven't been).

[WildflowerMom]

The rainforest adventure in pigeon forge is nice.    Wonder Works in PF.   The Island in PF has lots of stuff for all ages.  
the aquarium in Gatlinburg.   Go to the river near the sugarlands visitor center.  

[Rachel]

Mostly when I go it’s to rent a cabin in the mountains and hang out with friends, hike, or go backpacking in GSMNP. The crowds and traffic can be crazy!

Drive Tail of the Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles, passengers prone to car sickness should take Dramamine.

See one of Dolly’s shows. Hatfield and McCoy is more comedy, Dolly’s Stampede is more patriotic and I loved the showmanship with the horses. Food was better at Hatfield. I’ve heard her Pirate show is really good but I haven’t seen it. 

My kids love all the mini-golf, go carts, and Alpine coasters. They also love visiting Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Seiverville. 

I’ve heard Anakeesta is fun.

[Brittany1116]

Steps away from the Old Mill restaurant, there is a blacksmith where you can forge a knife from a nail or railroad spike (depending on age/size/strength). You have to make an appointment pretty far in advance. Then walk a few doors down to have the leather sheath stamped with your initials for a few bucks. 

[Brittany1116]

1 minute ago, Brittany1116 said:

Steps away from the Old Mill restaurant, there is a blacksmith where you can forge a knife from a nail or railroad spike (depending on age/size/strength). You have to make an appointment pretty far in advance. Then walk a few doors down to have the leather sheath stamped with your initials for a few bucks. 

It's Iron Mountain Metal Craft.

[Lisa]

54 minutes ago, Slache said:

Grandfather clock store.

Zorbing.

Hatfield and McCoy dinner show (haven't been).

What is zorbing? I never heard of it.

[Annie G]

5 minutes ago, Rachel said:

 

Drive Tail of the Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles, passengers prone to car sickness should take Dramamine.

Also, if you find yourself on Tail, and feel like you need to drive slowly, please take advantage of the pull offs that are along the way. They’re designed especially to let faster vehicles by so you don’t drive faster than you want. The first time I drove Tail in our Corvette I never exceeded 35 mph (it’s an intense 11 miles!) but the SUV in front of me never pulled over so I figured they were fine with my speed. Got to the bottom and we both pulled over and the SUV doors flew open and the woman passenger ran to barf in the grass. And got mad at me about it. In French.  
 

 

[Slache]

11 minutes ago, Lisa said:

What is zorbing? I never heard of it.

Rolling around in a ball like a giant hamster. 🐹

 

[Lisa]

6 minutes ago, Slache said:

Rolling around in a ball like a giant hamster. 🐹

 

OH that would make me sick!

[Sweets]

We are going to Gatlinburg tomorrow! We normally stay in Townsend, TN, which is on the back side of the park and a quiet alternative to the craziness of the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg crowd. We go about four or five times a year. Normally we avoid the summers but my MIL wants to go. My favorite things to do:

Cades Cove drive

The Titanic Museum 

Gatlinburg artist circle

In the fall, we love their crafts fairs. We are going to the Dixie Stampede this time. We haven't been there before. Normally, we just go and enjoy a couple of days to drive and shop and eat. We had hoped to retire to Townsend/Maryville, but prices are so high that we just stayed home in Nashville. There is a good mixture of touristy as well as artistic and outdoor activities. Have fun!

[DawnM]

Does anyone have any opinion on Anakeesta vs. SkyLift Park? 

I am trying to research.   It looks like Anakeesta is newer and has more to explore, including treehouses.   

They are about the same price and we will only do one.

Thanks

[DawnM]

4 hours ago, Sweets said:

We are going to Gatlinburg tomorrow! We normally stay in Townsend, TN, which is on the back side of the park and a quiet alternative to the craziness of the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg crowd. We go about four or five times a year. Normally we avoid the summers but my MIL wants to go. My favorite things to do:

Cades Cove drive

The Titanic Museum 

Gatlinburg artist circle

In the fall, we love their crafts fairs. We are going to the Dixie Stampede this time. We haven't been there before. Normally, we just go and enjoy a couple of days to drive and shop and eat. We had hoped to retire to Townsend/Maryville, but prices are so high that we just stayed home in Nashville. There is a good mixture of touristy as well as artistic and outdoor activities. Have fun!

Any recommendations on where to stay?

We have to go in the summer with all of us in school during the year.

[Rachel]

5 hours ago, Sweets said:

We are going to Gatlinburg tomorrow! We normally stay in Townsend, TN, which is on the back side of the park and a quiet alternative to the craziness of the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg crowd. We go about four or five times a year. Normally we avoid the summers but my MIL wants to go.

Yes to staying near Townsend! Most places to stay are VRBO. 
 

You can also get into the park without the bumper to bumper traffic. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Rachel

[alisoncooks]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Any recommendations on where to stay?

We have to go in the summer with all of us in school during the year.

We always rent a cabin/house. There are lots just outside of PF, even just a half mile or so away, that feel quiet/secluded but are actually quite close to town. This most recent trip we stayed at an RV park (drove the camper there). Once we stayed in a rental cabin community — it had community pools, which was nice for the kids. 

[Farrar]

I went ages ago with my mom and the kids and we had a good time. The things we really enjoyed...

The Cade's Cove drive

The Ripley's Aquarium (they used to have a great homeschool discount for anyone who needs it) - this was surprising to me because I enjoyed it and other than the mermaid show, which was cute, it was mostly just a traditional aquarium and pretty well done

Wonderworks - the kids had a great time there circa age 8 or 9

The mountain coaster - I think there are actually several now - it was really fun and I enjoyed it too - it's nice that you have a little brake and you get this big loopy ride but you're not way high off the ground - I understand this is sort of a thing in parts of Europe but they're not common in the states

The arts loop? There's a little loop drive of artist shops you can do that my mom and I enjoyed and the kids tolerated, lol.

[Spryte]

I can’t say much about the stuff to do, but I used to do a crazy 6 week long art show there every summer, so I ate at a lot of restaurants. If you have any interest in the most delicious yeast garlic knots, with an absolutely perfect plate of pasta with marinara — go to Best Italian. Looks like a dive, lots of locals, soooo good. I would even drive 40 miles out of the way to eat there, when driving cross country on 40! It was the very last place that I knowingly cheated and ate gluten after my Celiac diagnosis. I paid the price, but no regrets. 🤣

https://www.bestitalian.com/

(They should hire me for marketing, the Celiac who tells everyone going to Gatlinburg that they must eat there!)

Edited June 12, 2022 by Spryte

[Dmmetler]

L used to have a cheer competition at Wilderness in the Smokies every year. If you like water parks, it can be worth it to book a night in the hotel, since it includes the park for the entire family. L also loved Magiquest.  At this time of year, both the indoor and outdoor will be open. 

 

The National Park used to have really awesome, free classes and activities. L got to catch, weigh, identify and measure salamanders, as well as do other stuff there. The Junior Ranger program is awesome if you have kids in the right age. 

 

[DawnM]

Thank you all.   We leave later today but will be in another part of TN first and then to Pigeon Forge Monday.    We will be hiking to a waterfall with pools on Sunday in the other area, so probably won't do any outdoorsy hiking type things in PF.

So far on the list:

The Island and the Ferris wheel and probably dinner 

Anakeesta and the mountain coaster there

Zorbing

Titanic Museum (they have homeschool tickets for half price in case anyone needs to know that, you have to reserve by calling first and then bringing in proof)

Alcatraz Museum (teachers get in free and get 50% off for 4 more tickets)

Hard Rock Cafe (yeah, I know it is touristy and loud but my kids love it)

Not sure what else yet, but our cabin gets one free adult ticket to several places, one per day, so my introvert child may take advantage and do some things by himself.   It even includes Dollywood and Wonderworks.   

Trying to figure out other food options......we plan to eat breakfast in the cabin, eat snacks and sandwiches for lunch and eat out for dinners.  Hoping to stay under $20 per person......there will be SEVEN of us!   Yikes!

[Farrar]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Not sure what else yet, but our cabin gets one free adult ticket to several places, one per day, so my introvert child may take advantage and do some things by himself.   It even includes Dollywood and Wonderworks.   

 

We had that with our cabin ages ago. Before we picked it up, I was like, yeah, I'm sure this is a ripoff. But actually, it made the whole trip cheaper. I think if you were in a larger family, then it would just be a discount, but with just me and the kids, it was gold. When we went to the aquarium, my mom used the half off ticket and I used the homeschool discount so all I paid for was me at this ridiculously low rate and the kids were free. I remember my mom didn't join us for Wonderworks so I just paid for the kids and their tickets were really cheap.

[Rachel]

Great tip on the homeschool tickets at Titanic, I had no idea! We will probably take my in-laws again next year.

[JennyD]

Have a great time, OP! 

We are also heading to Pigeon Forge for a few days and I didn't see this thread so mistakenly started a new one.  If anyone has suggestions for great waterfall hikes in the area (or other outdoor water activities) I'd love to hear them!

[alisoncooks]

1 hour ago, JennyD said:

Have a great time, OP! 

We are also heading to Pigeon Forge for a few days and I didn't see this thread so mistakenly started a new one.  If anyone has suggestions for great waterfall hikes in the area (or other outdoor water activities) I'd love to hear them!

If you want to go big, Dollywood has a water park. 
https://www.dollywood.com/waterpark/

ETA: Laurel Falls is a pretty popular waterfall hike. https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/laurel-falls.htm
 

Edited June 17, 2022 by alisoncooks

[Rachel]

Laurel Falls is beautiful and an easy/short hike. I enjoy Abram Falls too, it’s about 6 miles round trip. 
The earlier in the day you go, the fewer people you will see. 

[kbutton]

Museum of Appalachia 

[itsheresomewhere]

Just left the area.  Found a great restaurant if anyone is looking for one-  Timberwood Grill.  It is in the Island near Paula Deen’s.  The food was fantastic, good portions and even the picky eater loved it.  

[itsheresomewhere]

On 6/17/2022 at 1:33 PM, JennyD said:

Have a great time, OP! 

We are also heading to Pigeon Forge for a few days and I didn't see this thread so mistakenly started a new one.  If anyone has suggestions for great waterfall hikes in the area (or other outdoor water activities) I'd love to hear them!

We did Splash Country.  It was a nice water park. 

[Indigo Blue]

We’re visiting the Titanic Museum! It will be later this summer. My younger ds says no to zorbing. We’re booking a hotel that has a lazy river. Older ds is obsessed with the Titanic. Might find one or two other things to do. Will keep the Timberwood Grill in mind for the boys. 

[Sweets]

On 6/11/2022 at 6:33 AM, DawnM said:

Any recommendations on where to stay?

We have to go in the summer with all of us in school during the year.

Hi, We always rent a VRBO house, but if you prefer camping, there are several campgrounds in Townsend, including a good KOA. For hotels, we always stay at Hiland Manor. It's a dated hotel but clean, and the original owners are lovely people. 

[Sweets]

Just returned from a week in Gatlinburg. I've been there many times. Some thoughts: 

1.  The Artist Circle is not going to last much longer I think. A lot of the old artisans have closed. We used to love to go there, and I still have a broom that I bought about 19 years ago! Now, it's all mass produced stuff, although still can find original pottery.

2.  An overwhelming amount of new moonshine and winery stores. 

3.  Townsend is still peaceful. We swam and tubed at the Little River. Fun and free!

4.  Went to Dolly Dixie Stampede. I did not like it at all, but my MIL and husband loved it. So, there you go.

5.  We saw a bear at Cades Cove - and a lady chasing it to get a picture! People are so insane.

6.  We always enjoy the Old Mill Restaurant and the Applewood Restaurant but portion sizes are huge!

We plan another trip in October to go to the crafts fair. It's just a fun place to go and relax and eat and look at mountains.

[Brittany1116]

On 6/17/2022 at 8:23 AM, DawnM said:

 

Trying to figure out other food options......we plan to eat breakfast in the cabin, eat snacks and sandwiches for lunch and eat out for dinners.  Hoping to stay under $20 per person......there will be SEVEN of us!   Yikes!

The Old Mill restaurant has HUGE portions. For 7 people, you could probably order 4-5 meals to split and be absolutely stuffed. 

We also eat at least once per trip at the Apple Barn's restaurants (there are 2, with slightly different but mostly overlapping menus).

Mel's Diner (tiny one behind the Publix, not the big one on the corner) is great but always packed. 

Old Dad's is good for sandwiches and such if you find yourself on the far side of Gatlinburg. It's a combo lunch counter and convenience/general store. 

 

[DawnM]

58 minutes ago, Sweets said:

Just returned from a week in Gatlinburg. I've been there many times. Some thoughts: 

1.  The Artist Circle is not going to last much longer I think. A lot of the old artisans have closed. We used to love to go there, and I still have a broom that I bought about 19 years ago! Now, it's all mass produced stuff, although still can find original pottery.

2.  An overwhelming amount of new moonshine and winery stores. 

3.  Townsend is still peaceful. We swam and tubed at the Little River. Fun and free!

4.  Went to Dolly Dixie Stampede. I did not like it at all, but my MIL and husband loved it. So, there you go.

5.  We saw a bear at Cades Cove - and a lady chasing it to get a picture! People are so insane.

6.  We always enjoy the Old Mill Restaurant and the Applewood Restaurant but portion sizes are huge!

We plan another trip in October to go to the crafts fair. It's just a fun place to go and relax and eat and look at mountains.

Do you rent tubes or did u bring your own?

[Spryte]

3 hours ago, Sweets said:

Just returned from a week in Gatlinburg. I've been there many times. Some thoughts: 

1.  The Artist Circle is not going to last much longer I think. A lot of the old artisans have closed. We used to love to go there, and I still have a broom that I bought about 19 years ago! Now, it's all mass produced stuff, although still can find original pottery.

2.  An overwhelming amount of new moonshine and winery stores. 

3.  Townsend is still peaceful. We swam and tubed at the Little River. Fun and free!

4.  Went to Dolly Dixie Stampede. I did not like it at all, but my MIL and husband loved it. So, there you go.

5.  We saw a bear at Cades Cove - and a lady chasing it to get a picture! People are so insane.

6.  We always enjoy the Old Mill Restaurant and the Applewood Restaurant but portion sizes are huge!

We plan another trip in October to go to the crafts fair. It's just a fun place to go and relax and eat and look at mountains.

That’s really sad about the artist’s circle. Are shops closing or what are you seeing? Long ago, I joined their artist’s guild for a group rate on insurance. I didn’t live there, but most artists could join with some sort of documentation. That was a long time ago, and there were a lot of older folks then. I’m sure many have retired. Hopefully more artists will come along. Covid has been really hard on artists. Many that I know opted to retire early. Maybe Berea College will churn some out.

I did their fall art and craft show a few times. The music still gets stuck in my head, it’s a long show. 🤣 

[Indigo Blue]

Has the Hatfields and McCoy dinner show been mentioned in this thread? Is it worth going to see? Ds wants to do that. It’s a two hour thing.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Indigo Blue

[itsheresomewhere]

3 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

Has the Hatfields and McCoy dinner show been mentioned in this thread? Is it worth going to see? Ds wants to do that. It’s a two hour thing.

We did that last week.  My kids (teens) were cracking up and smiling.  I was glad we did it. 

[Rachel]

3 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

Has the Hatfields and McCoy dinner show been mentioned in this thread? Is it worth going to see? Ds wants to do that. It’s a two hour thing.

My husband and I  went to Dolly’s Stampede last August and our family with my in-laws went to Hatfield & McCoy in early May. 
 

Stampede is more of a show. It’s around a huge horse arena. There are riding tricks and a bunch of different horses. Very Americana themed. It’s theater style seating. 
 

Hatfield & McCoy you sit at tables, the food was better. The show is more cheesy comedy. My 9 year old loved it. The rest of us liked it and were glad we did it, but aren’t raring to go back. 
 

Next time we plan to check out the Pirates show which is also owned by Dolly Parton. There are other shows too like the lumberjack show, but I don’t know much about those. 
 

We called to order tickets to get accessible seating. In doing so we learned there is a veterans discount. It was off all the tickets in our group not just the Vet, it saves us quite a bit. 

[Sweets]

9 hours ago, DawnM said:

Do you rent tubes or did u bring your own?

We bring our own but there are rental places there, usually $10 per day per tube.

[Terabith]

The Ripley's Aquarium there is one of my favorite aquariums ever.  It was perfect when my kids were small.  

[alisoncooks]

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

The Ripley's Aquarium there is one of my favorite aquariums ever.  It was perfect when my kids were small.  

We go every visit. My kids are teens and they still ask to go, lol. (Now it has a huge indoor playground/climbing structure that smaller kids would love!)

[DawnM]

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

The Ripley's Aquarium there is one of my favorite aquariums ever.  It was perfect when my kids were small.  

We went there when the kids were little.   I keep reading that in the summer, it is so crowded you can't really see everything.  

[DawnM]

We will not be going to a dinner show, with 7 of us, it is just too expensive.   And my kids still talk about the dinner show we did in Orlando that they didn't care for too much, if they really wanted to go, I would try to find a way, but since they don't seem interested, we will skip it.

We went hiking to a falls in Cookeville when we were visiting relatives.   It was a lot of fun, you can swim in the pool at the base of the falls and swim behind it.   And you can jump off of rocks.   Since we only have 4.5 days in PF, we will probably not hike here.

Today the two 18 year olds are going to Dollywood and the rest of us are going to Anakeesta.   

Wed. will most likely be Titanic and the old mill and Ferris wheel.   Wed night we have reservations at Hard Rock Cafe.  

Thur the two young adults will go to Dollywood and the rest of us will go Zorbing and then the 2 18 year olds will go to Anakeesta.

Fri is still not planned.   The boys are expressing interest in the 

And we will fit in a mountain coaster or two, putt putting, maybe Dixie's rope course and adventure park.   Not really sure yet.  I will bring up the tubing and see if they are interested.   

Last night we went to Mel's Diner.   It was just ok.   Tonight we are grilling steaks, making salad and potatoes and will probably have enough for Thur too.  If not, we will get something and bring it in.   We were eating out once per day but honestly, my digestive system can't handle it.   So we are going to make some food today.

[DawnM]

2 of them went to Dollywood on Tue.   I had my son get an annual pass to let the others in with his free pass (for Thur) but now that son is sick and has a fever, so that was wasted $$.

Today several are going Zorbing.   My 4 year old is too young so we will hang back.

I think I have hit my saturation point.   It is almost 100 degrees every day, I got heat exhaustion on Tue and almost passed out.

It has been fun, but I don't think this area is my favorite destination point.   We had visited relatives in the Cookeville area so we were trying to do something nearby.   I think next time we will go to Nashville and just take it easy doing stuff there.   Or stay on the lake somewhere.

Once every 10 years to Pigeon Forge is my limit apparently!