Update -- Pigeon Forge/Gaitlinburg, TN - Just back!!!

[MinMouse]

Anybody been to this area? Where did you stay and was it a great family trip? We have a WDW trip scheduled for June and are looking for something fun to do in August for a week.

 

[minnie10]

I have lots of suggestions but the absolute best if you don't mind the very expensive price is the music road hotel or the music road inn-awesome place for swimming with mini water parks. Runs around 150.00/night during the busy season.

 

[MinMouse]

Thanks Minnie! I'd love to get hotel recommendations . . . they all look good online but you never know. We have six in our party so we might be interested in a suite or cabin rental that we could sleep everyone in.

 

[Katlyn]

The hubby and I go at least once a year. We usually stay at Cobbly Nob which is a several miles out of Gatlinburg but still convenient. There you would have access to a golf course and I think they have several pools spread around the cabin area. We stay at God's Little Acre but there are many cabins to choose from. www.cobblynob.com. We are going the last week of October and can hardly wait.

 

[cjstarr]

I have a SIL that is a district manager in Sevierville so we stayed at one of her hotels. There is a lot to do from Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge, ie…Dolly Wood, go-cart tracks, music shows and reviews, & shops everywhere. A must see are the Forbidden Cavern’s(out Hwy 411) outside of Sevierville and Cades Cove 7 miles (6 ½ miles up the mountain & ½ mile down to the valley) from Townsend. Make sure you have a good camera & camcorder as you will be taking a lot of pictures from both of these places. Also in Cades Cove there is a nice picnic area to have a lunch or cookout at.

Oh here is just one of the hundreds of photos that I have taken at the cove;

 

[MinMouse]

The hubby and I go at least once a year. We usually stay at Cobbly Nob which is a several miles out of Gatlinburg but still convenient. There you would have access to a golf course and I think they have several pools spread around the cabin area. We stay at God's Little Acre but there are many cabins to choose from. www.cobblynob.com. We are going the last week of October and can hardly wait.

I love "God's Little Acre" . . . so of course the one week it's already booked for August is the week we're going! I'm going to look through the rest though. Thanks for the link!

Mindy

 

[vegasnative]

Along with Cades Cove there is another motor route that I highly suggest you drive. It is called Roaring Fork, it is stunning, and we actually enjoyed this the best. We saw a baby bear cub climb down a tree and run across the road about 2 cars in front of us. It was amazing!
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/roaringfork.htm

 

[Muushka]

We stayed in Sevierville last Sept. I was STUNNED how hot that place was. I thought we were going to the mountains and it would be cool. Boy was I wrong! No offense to the people who live there, but I was not that fond of it. I wish we had gotten a cabin in the mountains. We stayed at the Fairfield or Wyndham Smokey Mountain resort. Nice place, lots of construction and HOT!

 

[MinMouse]

I have a SIL that is a district manager in Sevierville so we stayed at one of her hotels. There is a lot to do from Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge, ie…Dolly Wood, go-cart tracks, music shows and reviews, & shops everywhere. A must see are the Forbidden Cavern’s(out Hwy 411) outside of Sevierville and Cades Cove 7 miles (6 ½ miles up the mountain & ½ mile down to the valley) from Townsend. Make sure you have a good camera & camcorder as you will be taking a lot of pictures from both of these places. Also in Cades Cove there is a nice picnic area to have a lunch or cookout at.

Oh here is just one of the hundreds of photos that I have taken at the cove;

This is exactly the info I'm looking for. DH wants a relaxing vacation and I want to make sure there is enough to keep the DDs entertained. Your photo alone will have my DH hooked I'm sure. WOW! Thanks for sharing CJStarr

 

[MinMouse]

Along with Cades Cove there is another motor route that I highly suggest you drive. It is called Roaring Fork, it is stunning, and we actually enjoyed this the best. We saw a baby bear cub climb down a tree and run across the road about 2 cars in front of us. It was amazing!
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/roaringfork.htm

Thanks so much! I've added this website to my file of info!

 

[Katlyn]

I love "God's Little Acre" . . . so of course the one week it's already booked for August is the week we're going! I'm going to look through the rest though. Thanks for the link!

Mindy

You're welcome. Happy looking

 

[MinMouse]

We stayed in Sevierville last Sept. I was STUNNED how hot that place was. I thought we were going to the mountains and it would be cool. Boy was I wrong! No offense to the people who live there, but I was not that fond of it. I wish we had gotten a cabin in the mountains. We stayed at the Fairfield or Wyndham Smokey Mountain resort. Nice place, lots of construction and HOT!

The heat is probably my biggest concern. We've been to WDW in August and found it sweltering. So I'm hoping the mountains will be cooler! Thanks for the input!

 

[Katlyn]

Great pic of the deer at Cades Cove. We love that place so much we usually go twice when we are up there. Roaring Fork is also nice

 

[cjstarr]

I'm not sure about a relaxing vacation as we where always on the go. Here are a few more pictures to really get your DH going.

As you can see the crew had fun!!!
Still we are looking forward to going to Disney this year even though I'll miss my trip to the mountains.

I'll look forward to seeing some pictures when you guys get back!

 

[beachcomber701]

Glad to hear you're coming to the Smokies!! If you need some other cabin sites, I have a bunch that we have stayed with. Like the other poster said, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is fantastic!! We are going down there in two weeks to check out the wildflowers. Cades Cove is a wonderful area inbetween the mtns. where we have seen as many as 200 deer in one trip around the Cove as well as bear, coyotes, red foxes, and wild turkey! Hope you enjoy your trip!! Let me know if you need some more info on where to stay and I'l be happy to help!

 

[Lucky'sMom]

We went a couple of years ago, stayed in a cabin and had a fabulous time! Our kids still talk about this trip (even though they go to Disney almost every year). We stayed at Alpine Mountain Village (www.alpinemountainvillage.com). The location was perfect for us. It is right off the main "drag" in Pigeon Forge and very convenient to all the sights. But it still has that "in the woods" feel since it is in a log home community. Things we enjoyed doing: Dollywood, Cade's Cove, Black Bear Jamboree, Comedy Barn, Gatlinburg Acquarium and that sky ride to the top of the mountain (can't remember name). There are cute Christmas shops, fudge shops, outlets, etc. So much to do. I know we'll be back sometime. I highly recommend staying in a log cabin. There are many cabin rentals in the area, and it really adds to the atmosphere of the trip.

 

[mslclark]

We visit Gatlinburg/PF at least once a year. The best hotel we've found in Gatlinburg is the Hampton Inn. Location, location, location is very important in Gatlinburg, because you want to be where you can walk to all the shops and restaurants - there is no parking downtown. Most of the hotels in Gatlinburg are older, and they charge higher rates - location, location location again! The Hampton Inn has nice clean rooms, some overlook the river. Great complimentary hot breakfast! Right between TGI Friday's and Texas Roadhouse, and across from Bubba Gump's.

You'll find cheaper rates in Pigeon Forge. It depends on where you want to spend most of your time. I'd say a family would spend more time at PF. You can drive or ride the trolley into Gatlinburg. They're only about 5 miles apart.

In PF, we've gotten a good room at a good rate at the Quality Inn at Dollywood Lane. It's directly across from the Dixie Stampede. In walking distance to many restaurants including Denny's, Pizza Hut, Cracker Barrel, Kristy Kreme. The rooms aren't new, but they are clean. They have a complimentary breakfast, but it's not that great. We've stayed there twice and had no problems with our rooms whatsoever, and the staff is always friendly. The same owners own the Comfort Inn & Suites next door. It's newer and has interior corridors.

We've also stayed at the Park Grove Inn, it's closer to "Music Row" area of PF. This place was pretty nice too - nice, big rooms, clean. Complimentary breakfast was sub par. It's closer to Sevierville, where the best outlets are! There's a Disney outlet there too!

One thing to keep in mind is that Gatlinburg/PF is very busy in the fall, especially weekends. We were there the last weekend in September, and traffic on 441 was a standstill. Also, do some searching and make sure there isn't any car shows going on while you're going, because they will pack out PF and you won't be able to drive or go anywhere. I think Rod Run is the 1st weekend in Sept., not sure about that.

Weather - I've been in May and worn shorts, and I've seen snow! So it could be from one extreme to the other.

There's lots to do there, and lots of ways to spend your money - Dollywood, dinner shows, laser tag, go carts, mini golf, shopping, etc.

We go every May, as DH goes to a conference there every year, so if you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them if I can.

 

[lovetomow]

We leave our camper in PF on a seasonal spot each year so I spend most weekends from May - Sept in PF.

Some hotel recommendations from past experience:

Music Road Inn
Music Road Hotel
Christmas Inn
Mainstay Suites
Comfort Inn Apple Valley
Econo Lodge Riverside
Comfort Inn - (One across from Dollywood Lane)
Ramada Limited Suites - Dollywood Lane

 

[MinMouse]

We went a couple of years ago, stayed in a cabin and had a fabulous time! Our kids still talk about this trip (even though they go to Disney almost every year). We stayed at Alpine Mountain Village (www.alpinemountainvillage.com). The location was perfect for us. It is right off the main "drag" in Pigeon Forge and very convenient to all the sights. But it still has that "in the woods" feel since it is in a log home community. Things we enjoyed doing: Dollywood, Cade's Cove, Black Bear Jamboree, Comedy Barn, Gatlinburg Acquarium and that sky ride to the top of the mountain (can't remember name). There are cute Christmas shops, fudge shops, outlets, etc. So much to do. I know we'll be back sometime. I highly recommend staying in a log cabin. There are many cabin rentals in the area, and it really adds to the atmosphere of the trip.

Wow! More beautiful cabins to look at. Thanks for the site! Did you stay for a whole week? It's going to be about 10 hours for us to get there (we're in DE right outside Phila, PA). So we'd like to stay the whole week.

 

[MinMouse]

One thing to keep in mind is that Gatlinburg/PF is very busy in the fall, especially weekends. We were there the last weekend in September, and traffic on 441 was a standstill. Also, do some searching and make sure there isn't any car shows going on while you're going, because they will pack out PF and you won't be able to drive or go anywhere. I think Rod Run is the 1st weekend in Sept., not sure about that.

Thanks for the heads up. We're planning on going in mid-August but I check for racing events while we're there.