Fun and cheap things to do in Pigeon Forge?

[cjnix29]

We are going to have two days in Pigeon Forge on the way home from Florida. We are going on DCL two months later, so I want to do fun and CHEAP things in PF, to save for the big vacation! Any suggestions?

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

We love to go to the Smoky Mountains. We like the Sugar Lands visitor center, they have a movie and a small room showing animals that can be found in the park. You can go on Ranger lead hikes or take a hike. Great picnic areas - all are free.

 

[*3*Mouseketeers]

You can visit Cade's Cove. It's an 11 mile one way loop through that you can drive. There are several places to pull over and take pictures. There are several old buildings (homesteads and churches) and a cemetery. You see lots of wildlife (deer, black bear, coyotes, etc.) It's my husband's favorite place to go in the Smokies.

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

I agree with DisneyCrazy about spending time in the national park. It is beautiful and cheap!

The Sugarlands Visitor center is fun with the movie. Clingman's Dome is a short (but steep hike) to the highest point and has a lookout tower. Any of the waterfall hikes are a blast, but my girl's favorite is Grotto Falls where you actually go behind the falls. We always do a picnic at Chimney Tops -- it's a great picnic area with a grill next to each parking spot and the whole area is right on the river/creek and you can spend hours climbing the rocks and splashing in the water. Cades Cove is wonderful for looking at buildings and learning about the history of the area. And wildlife watching is always fun -- we usually see at least one bear per visit. And the ranger program in the summer is awesome with at least 6 free ranger led activities a day. Just check out the National Park Service site http://www.nps.gov/grsm/

The second day I would go tubing! It's so much fun and it's not too pricy. There are two main areas I would suggest, depending on how much work you want to do. Near Townsend there are several companies that will rent you an inner tube, life jacket and shuttle you (unlimited) to the drop off points. We used River Rage and were very happy at $9 a person for the whole day. Any rapids on that river are very minor -- fun bubble rapids, but with enough flow that you don't do any work. Now on the other side of the park in the Deep Creek area you can rent tubes for $5, the company ties them to your car, and you go into the park. You hike up the trail and go down a fun, rapidy stretch, take out and hike back up again. The tubes are big and while I would love to try that stretch I don't want to carry my tube. If it's hot the tubing is great fun!

I hope you enjoy your trip! We go to that area about once a year and love it -- but we do stay clear of the "Strip" for the most part.