Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge-Father's Day weekend?

[3boymthr]

We did white water rafting last summer. Paid @ $150 for 5 people. We used USA Raft. They did a great job. The guides were great.

Also for a cheap activity you can rent bicycles and tour Cades Cove by bike. Lots of fun - but tiring, very tiring.

For hiking I can recommend a couple of moderate hikes - hiking up to the top of Clingman's dome is very doable by anyone as long as you have good knees. The hike is short but up a very very steep paved path. The view at the top is spectacular. There is also the Andrew's Bald hike. My husband and kids hiked there and back in an afternoon last summer. The hike leaves from the same parking lot as the Clingman's Dome hike.

 

[DisneyDiana]

If you plan on doing the National Park during most days I would recommend staying in Gatlinburg. Traffic can be awful.

Calhouns is one of our favorite restaurants. It's not really a steakhouse but has a great variety of foods.

Mini Golf- Ripleys Davy Crockett course is our absolute favorite! Every pancake house has coupons for it.
Hillbilly Golf is a novelty riding up the side of the mountain to get to the course but it is not as nice as Davy Crockett.

My favorite trails for inexperienced hikers are Laurel Falls( get there before 9:00 am if possible), and the nature trail to Cataract Falls At the Sugarlands Nature Center. The movie and exhibits at Sugarlands are a definite must.

Gatlinburg and the Smokeys are my absolute favorite vacation spot outside of WDW. Been 10+ times!

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks 3boymthr! I really appreciate the rafting recommendation. I also like the idea of renting bikes. I had Clingman's Dome on my list, and will take a look at Andrew's Bald.

Thanks DD! I think your review of the mini-golf may have been the final push to get the Ripley's attraction pass. I also greatly appreciate the trail recommendations.

We went to Boone/Blowing Rock for Christmas 2013 and did the Glen Burney Trail. I recommend that for a beginner/moderate hike, and it's right in town. Going all the way to the bottom of the falls and back was about as hard as I wanted to push the kids at that time (plus that was in pretty chilly temperatures for us Florida folk).

Thanks again!

 

[nugov2]

We stayed at Norris Lake last summer, but also spent a few days in the area. What I would recommend :

Smokey Mountain zip lines. They were great with the kids and really fun.

Dollywood, get the qbot. Worth every penny when it is busy. The kids were able to ride and reride so much.

Waterpark renting a retreat was huge. It can get crowded and having your own space is nice. we also did the qbot ( not called that) and it also made the day more relaxing.

The kids wanted to do the lumberjack fued. The food was not great, but the kids thought it was fun. I wouldn't go if I didn't have kids, but recommend it if you do.

We had fun walking around the strip. Lots of cute shops. It was crowded, but nothing crazy. We enjoyed our time there.

 

[akaDaddy]

Welcome to East Tennessee!!! Since this is on the budget board, let me add a few savings tips as well.

If you are driving around always take Veteran Parkway to get from Sevierville to Pigeon Forge and by pass a lot of traffic. Use the bypass in Gatlinburg if you want to go to the park from Pigeon Forge and you'll save a lot of time and enjoy the beautiful drive as well.

As has been mentioned before, Dollywood is a great Experience and one you will enjoy. Saturday's are the busiest, but the crowds die down around 5:00 pm. Sunday afternoon's are the best time to visit. Best meal for the price is Miss Lillian's Chicken House. The menu ia a rotating buffet of four meats (fried and grilled chicken are always on the menu) while pulled ham, chicken fried steak, BBQ and other options change each day. Also, if you buy the refillable mugs, you get a slight discount if you purchase them with your meal. If you are looking for a great snack, try the cinnamon rolls or cookies at the Old Mill inside the park. If you plan to visit for more than 1 day or come back before 2016, be sure to upgrade to a season pass, super value.

Cade's Cove is a nice drive, but can be very congested. The earlier in the day you go the better, if not, you might be in traffic for a while.

If it's all about Dad, visit the Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville. It's part store, part museum and at least an hour of looking around. Knives, tools and man stuff.

If you like the outdoor, the best store is NOC located just outside the National Park enterance.

Two easy hike with great site are Laurel Falls and Elkmont.

Someone also mentioned Calhouns, great BBQ. It's not on every Calhouns menu, but they offer a feeds 5 or Feeds 10 take out box at all the Smoky Mt locations and is the perfect picnic to take with you to the mountains. The location in Gatlinburg is right outside the National Park enterance so it's easy to grab one and go to the mountains.

Let me give you three restaurants loved by locals and some tourists, but don't tell anybody, OK....

Best BBQ is at Tony Gore's in Sevierville. It's a hole in the wall restaurant, but has made Southern Livings top BBQ honors in the past. They even offer a buffet on Sunday's from time to time. Great ribs and brisket.

The Peddler in Gatlinburg is a great steak house, but has a nice menu and a salad bar that is the best. My wife loves the trout. The tourist have really caught on to this place, so there is usually a long wait. Trick is call ahead beginning at 4:30 the day of your visit and they'll add your name to the waiting list and estimate your time. Ask for a creek side table, they might accomidate.

Last but not least is Best Italian Restaurant. Here is the real secret, there are two of them. One is located on the middle of Gatlinburg, right in the middle of the shopping and crowds. Don't go to that one. It's the decoy. Only there for the tourist. The locals go to the original, located at the east end of Gatlinburg in the Elks Village. It's another hole in the wall. Decorated in 1970, but the food is great! You have to try the garlic butter rolls.

Hope you have a great time.

 

[Cajun_country]

We love the Best Italian- and definitely as previous poster mentioned, go to the original location. Elk's Plaza is across from the Texas Roadhouse (kinda) and has free parking but the parking lot is somewhat difficult to get into, and often the parking lot has no spaces because it is tiny. I love the rolls there!!!! The waiters/waitresses aren't the best from our experience- kinda hit & miss. I think they will let you order from the lunch menu at dinner but i'm not positive about that- we usually go at lunch for the cheaper lunch menu.. Everyone gets a basket of these yummy garlic rolls at their table. You could also order food to go from here.
If you eat at the Gatlinburg Calhoun's or any of the restaurants in that particular shopping center (Smoky Mountain Brewery, Cherokee Grill), save your receipt for free parking. We like the Cherokee Grill (I like the prosperity steak), and in all my years of going to to TN. We like Bennett's BBQ, which like a lot of restaurants has a location in both Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge. We sometimes will order Bennett's BBQ to go and just bring it back to hotel room or cabin. I do not like the people who are outside of the locations trying to sale timeshares though...They also hang out at the Alamo Steakhouse, so i'm assuming the owners of these restaurants must have some deal with the timeshare people...

I think both locations of the Smoky Mountain Brewery run lunch specials (at least on the weekdays). I think one day is burgers, and one day is pizza- each day is something different. I have a friend who lives in the area, and she likes to go there for lunch.
In Gatlinburg, we like to park in the city's parking garage that is behind the aquarium, if we are planning on spending a lot of time on the main strip in Gatlinburg. I want to think it cost $6 or $7 for the whole day to park; whereas other parking lots are at least $10+. We pick up the coupon booklets at gas stations or visitor centers in Pigeon Fore or Sevierville and use those booklets to save a little money at some of the restaurants and attractions. There are also trolleys/buses you can ride in both Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg. I would look at the weather forecast when you are there and if it's a rainy day do the stuff like the aquarium. The Peddler is a very nice restaurant and one of the more expensive ones as well. We went there for our honeymoon. I loved the salad bar! You definitely should make a reservation if you want to go there. I personally wouldn't bring my kids there though. We love Pancake Pantry (Gatlinburg) but not a fan of only being able to pay cash- I know there are a ton of pancake places but it is still my favorite.. We are usually late at waking up, so the line usually isn't too bad by the time we make it there. When we eat at Pancake Pantry it's usually kinda like a brunch for us, and we'll wall across the street to the Karmelkorn Shop for a big box of popcorn, and bring it into the park with us. We also have snacks and drinks in the car.
I love riding on the tram at Ober Gatlinburg for the view, and supposedly you can ride it for two days in a row
If you stop at the Sugarland Visitor Center, it has plenty of maps, and park information, and there is a short easy hike to Cataract Falls. Take the Gatlinburg by-pass if you don't plan on going into the city of Gatlinburg, or to to bypass traffic. You can also take Wear's Valley Road in Pigeon Forge area to get to Cade's Cove without having to go thru Gatlinburg. Townsend has places that rents tubes if i'm not mistaken. We also like the Greenbrier area to play in the creeks (opposite end )
I love this waterfall called Mingo Falls and it is out toward's Cherokee. Sometimes we will see elk on our drive to there. I find it to be kinda easy (if you don't have issue with your knees). . Fanny Farkle is another place on the strip in Gatlinburg that is always a must for us and I always have to get the grilled smoked sausage sub with all the grilled onions, pepper and oregano. Sometimes, we will have them cut it in half, and share it (I usually have to stop at this place at least twice on vacation, haha)
There is a place called Cataloochee that is in NC but kinda like Cade's Cove. There are elk here (they are tagged). I find it to be a scary ride though. I'd pack dramamine for the curvy roads in case you have someone who might get car sick. I've had several people tell me they get sick driving in the mountains. At Cade's Cove, there is a campground store and we always stop their (usually before) going around the loop...they have some yummy Mayfield ice cream you can get on a cone or in a cup.. They also have drinks, nachos and I think hot dogs too. They have nice covered area with benches you can eat at and also a restroom, and bikes to rent. We always have a cooler with our own drinks but can't resist the ice cream (and nachos too).

We usually stay at a Best Western that is really right next door to the Dixie Stampede. We like to walk their and look at the horses in their (free to look). I like to stay on that end of town because it is near Gatlinburg, and plenty of places to eat. It's nothing fancy but has indoor and outdoor pools and kiddie pools. Sometimes we will stay in a cabin which are nice but honestly a waste of money for us because we usually aren't staying in the cabin but to sleep and sometimes eat.

 

[JaxDad]

I wanted to thank the more recent posters for all the great information. It is very helpful!

I've started to actually plan the days more and even make some reservations. I also added a day to the trip, based on all the feedback here. We arrive on a Saturday, after a full day of driving, and will probably plan on just checking in and scoping things out. I was looking at The Island, and it seems like a fun (but probably jam-packed) place to spend a few hours that first night. We would likely return again on at least one weeknight during he trip.

I was planning on hitting the National Park early Sunday. I'm not sure if Cades Cove will be too crowded on a weekend. If it is, we will do one or two of the hikes that have been recommended here. Sunday night I was planning our first dinner show. We will probably do 2-3 of these. I know they are pricey and touristy, AND not the best food in town, but it seems like a fun way to spend part of the evenings. I plan to do Dixie Stampede and Comedy Barn for sure. We will add either the Mystery one, Hatfield-McCoys, Lumberjack Feud, or WonderWorks (we did the WonderWorks magic comedy show in Orlando and loved it). Any strong recommendations?

Monday we will head back to the Park for Cades Cove/hiking/more driving around. This may also be the day we spend more time in Gatlinburg. Monday night will be another dinner show.

Tuesday is our rafting day. I noticed the rafting is all up in the Hartford area. Is there anything else up there to do afterwards? We may add ziplining, but will likely return to Pigeon Forge to play tourist. We may also visit Goats on the Roof or some other activity like alpine coaster. These get very mixed reviews.

Wednesday is our last full day. If the kids want more Park time, we will go there again to do a hike and maybe add tubing. I saw they have it in the Townsend area(?). We may substitute Dollywood/Splash Country instead, if it seems worth it. We may do one last dinner show Wednesday evening.

Thursday is our long drive home.

I appreciate any further recommendations. I like to plan one or two definite things during any particular day, but also leave room for spontaneity. Thanks again!

 

[Marie17]

We just returned from there actually with some family members - but will be returning again before the end of summer too.

Things we did this trip.

Dollywood & Splash Country - 3 days
Kids really wanted to go more and were not in the least bit disappointed. We still have lots of different shows to see and will return later in the summer as a family vacation.
The BUBBLE show was awesome and all the kids including those over 50 years old loved it.
The cast of Dreamland diner was good too!
Splash Country was not extremely busy on Wednesday and after about 4pm the crowds really go away.
Thursday at Dollywood was very uncrowded - all we had to do was walk up the flights of stairs to walk-on to the next Wild Eagle ride...at about 4pm - so definitely not crowded that day.

We did do Goats on the Roof alpine coaster. Remember to save your ticket stub so that you can get a 2nd ride down for just $5.00. The kids liked putting the food into the cups and peddling it up to the goats who always came to eat. The other alphine coaster right down the road was a bit longer ride and just a bit more expensive -- both were done at nightime and were both liked -- and again save the stubs to get a discount on another attraction.

The Island - they do a water fountain show in the evening. Lots of rocking chairs to sit on and relax there. Quite a few shops in there - rustic furniture, candy/sweet shoppe, games/puzzles, monogramming (only $5 if you buy there), Paula Deen's restaurant, Margaritaville, an Escape room (has a 15% military discount), very much air-conditioned arcade, lots of stores and more, the ferris wheel, a ropes course, food vendors -- sort of like all the shops on the Gatlinburg strip except newer and fresher. Free parking in the rear with shuttle service to the central location by the fountain.

Rafting was provided by Rafting in the Smokies (we didn't do it but other members did) and ran about $30.

Some took the train ride out of Bryson City (?), NC -- they liked it but beware some people will sit facing backwards and some forward -- a party of 4 will sit 2 forward/2 backward (facing everyone else in your party). The stop over was about an hour but could have used more time as you needed more according to the people who went on this.

Definitely use alternative ways than the strip/parkway. And if using exit 407 to get onto the interstate there is construction going on so it was backed up a bit when trying to get back on.

Shows seen - Country Tonite those members who saw it liked it.
Lumberjack show - also seem to be enjoyed as well.

Gatlinburg strip - Arrowmont school.

Things still needed to be done or re-done when we go back.
Splash Country - need a couple more days for this. All the stairs and heat/sun tires us out so really after about 3 to 4 hours we are finished. To have a shaded area without having to pay for a cabana then go to the area by the locker rentals/restrooms to the left hand side of the entrance area to the lazy river. There were a lot of chaise loungers but were all taken when we got there but it was an extremely hot day we were there but it seemed tolerable when I went to check it out for the next trip.
The magnetic water coaster was fun.
The lazy river was most enjoyable in the last 45 minutes that the park was open.
Dollywood - again another 2 days needed to enjoy.
Calhoun's, Best Italian (I actually asked someone walking in if it really was and they said they were locals who always came in to eat) and Hatfield/McCoys
Cades Cove/Hiking
Titantic and Ripley's
Couldn't do everything we wanted to do in the 5 days we were there but should later in the summer with more planning and with much more realistic time allotments.

We had a great time. And if you are military ALWAYS ask for a discount - we found most places have one.

Hope people keep posting to the thread so I can make the most of the next trip too.

 

[JaxDad]

Thanks for the quick trip report Marie! I am military, so thanks for the reminder to ask for discounts.

It's funny you mentioned Escape Room. I have that on my short list.

 

[JaxDad]

Hi! We are leaving for Pigeon Forge this coming weekend. I wanted to bump this thread for any recent reports or last minute advice. Thanks!

 

[cjnix29]

how is the weather the beginning of April? We are looking at Gatlinburg as a short spring break trip, but are worried about what the roads will be like in the mountains. Some of the roads will be closed, right? Any advice will be appreciated!!!