Gatlinburg/Pigon Forge Budget ideas

[Juliee8]

We are taking our first trip to the Gatlinburg/Pigon Forge area in a few weeks and was wondering if there was any budget saving tips or tricks that any of you who have been here can give me. I already have our hotel booked, I used some of our frequent stay points from our Choice hotels card and got 2 of our 4 nights free! I know that we want to go to the Smoky Mountain National Park and the kids would like to go to Ripley's Aquarium but other than that we are open to ideas. What are the must see/do things and where should we eat??

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

I live very close to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. Unlike other national parks, there is no charge to get into Great Smoky Mtn. national park. There are some great trails to hike. Laurel Falls trail is an easy one with a pretty waterfall at the end. Cades Cove is also very popular. Take a picnic pretty early to grab a picnic table by the creek. Take extra shoes & let your kids play in the creek, which is also a great way to cool off in the almost 100 degree weather we're having. After your picnic, drive around the Cades Cove loop, where you may see bears, deer, turkeys, etc... in an old Appalachian community.

Do a Google search for Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies discounts before you go. I haven't heard one advertise on the radio this summer, but there are often discounts associated with a fast food restaurant, Food City, or Coke products. It really is a great aquarium; I prefer it to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Be sure to look for Lucy the sea turtle - she can be rather elusive!

The Apple Barn is a great place for lunch or dinner. Homemade apple fritters, apple julip, and apple butter are included with every meal. YUM!!

If your family likes baseball, our minor league team, the TN Smokies, have their stadium at exit 407 on the interstate (same exit for Sevierville, Pigeon Forge). This summer they have BOGO if you bring a Kraft singles package wrapper. I think they have fireworks just about every Friday too. They have a website as well to check out before you leave home.

There are A LOT of tourist trap dinner shows, museums, etc... in that area. You can blow as much money there as you would at Disney World! But you can spend hours in the park, just enjoying nature for free.

 

[tavettava]

We want to go to the Titanic Museum.

 

[pal-mickey]

When we went to Dollywood last year we did the go in after 3pm get the next day free. This helped because the kids were able to see which rides they wanted to go on the next day. Plus we went at the end of august, and the park was empty. My kids were able to ride the coasters several times in a row with little wait. Rpleys has a combo ticket that saves alittle money if you plan on going to more than one of their attractions. I don't remember the price, but we did mini golf, the aquarium, and the believe it or not museum that way.

 

[pal-mickey]

I loved the titanic museum! You can't take any pictures while you're in there. And it's interesting to learn about some of the real people who were on the ship

 

[lunalibre]

Our family goes to the Smokies for a family reunion every year. We don't eat out because the family is too big, so I can't help you with restaurant suggestions.

The Ripley's Aquarium, if you're a family of wildlife lovers, is worth every penny. We've gone every year, and it's something my kids really look forward to. They've got something for everyone. It's hard to find discounts for it, but see about buying tickets online. I think you save slightly over buying at the gate. The closest place to park is a paid parking garage, but we've never looked for free parking.

For budget activities, it's hard to beat going to the park. Park entrance is free! You don't say what age kids you have. On our next trip we're planning to do some scenic hikes. Also, the Cades Cove area (near Townsend) is an 11-mile loop that closes to vehicle traffic on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in the summer. We're going to try renting bikes and biking the loop. If you go early morning there's supposed to be a lot of wildlife to see -- maybe even bears!

You don't say what age your kids are. My kids are 11 and 14, and honestly, as long as they're outside, they find a way to keep themselves occupied. Go check out the Smokey Mountain National Park forum on Tripadvisor and look up some hikes and scenic picnic areas. There are also places to go fishing if your family is into that, and tubing should also be an economical activity. For us it's nice to go swim and/or watch movies in the evenings.

Good luck! If you really want to stick to a budget, stay out of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville! You will pass place after place for arcades, mini-golf, go-karts, Tshirts, "As Seen on TV"...and any number of other attractive places to kids that are a drain on your wallet.

 

[Stan's MaggieMouse]

The bears are out in the evening also. Not just in the early morning. that really is a great ride.


Maggie

 

[ilovejack02]

We love Gatlinburg... or lets say we love to stay in Gatlinburg and spend most of our time in the park. Cant beat free entertainment!!

Roaring Fork in early morning or about two hours before dark is a great time to see animals . Cades cove same time, early and late is good for seeing animals, check times before you leave. Wed mornings and I think Saturday morning it is closed to traffic, it is for bike riders and walkers only.
Mynatt park is a favorite place of ours to picnic and play in the stream, easy to get down to the water and very shady.

We avoid the 'strip " of Gatlinburg... for the most part horrible little shops selling junk. We only venture on it to ride the sky lift, which is really just a nostalgic thing for me lol. Been doing it for 30 years now.
We were pleasantly surprised at Ripleys aquarium and this last time paid extra for DS8 to have a penguin encounter. Think it was 25.00 /

If your kids are older preteens and teenagers they might like the Believe it or not museusm. We took my 8 year old this last trip and he ran through it, really need to be older to appreciate and take the time to explore.

Food in Gatlinburg is mostly EHH . THe only places we eat is Pancake pantry .. go very early or late morning during week to avoid line out door. I pick up donuts once during trip every time from Donut Friar. You can park on the strip for free before 9 am , so it makes it easy to run in and out. Their cake donuts are YUMMMY and I don't like cake donuts lol. I hear Log Cabin pancakes house is good too. Apple Barn isn't bad, its in Townsend and we have eaten at Alamo steakhouse a few times, its not bad . Other than that we eat in, not to save money so much but to avoid lines and mediocore food.

We like Dollywood, but we always go on off times. I can't imagine doing it during high season and in the heat.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

There is a free shuttle that runs from the Gatlinburg Visitors' Center (on the right between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg) to the strip. You park at the Visitors' Center to catch the shuttle. On of the stops is very close to the aquarium. It's free and it helps avoid the headache of trying to find parking in Gatlinburg.

 

[mom2t]

The Alamo is the best restaurant for steaks - We love The Old Mill Restaurant for any meal. Cades Cove is great to go to. We go late afternoon early evening and take a picnic. You will see lots of animals coming out to feed. Just drive your car over the entire loop there is a picnic area before you enter. My son love the Rainforest Adventure - go online for a discount coupon.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We had fun at
http://www.obergatlinburg.com/

enjoyed the ski lift ride up hill. And the view from there was great.

 

[My3kiddos]

We live about 3 hours away so this year we bought season tickets to Dollywood and Dollywood Splash. We were there all last week and went to both parks, drove over to Cherokee (it's a beautiful drive), and went to Gatlinburg for the Fourth of July midnight parade. We didn't do Cades Cove this time because it was too hot, but it really is a neat free thing to do. Last year bears blocked the road and I swear I thought the park ranger was going to get eaten when he threw a stick at them. The only place my kids always ask to eat at is Huck Finns. It's really good, good portions (enough for leftovers or sharing), and very reasonably priced. The gator tail is delicious.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We love Gatlinburg! I agree with the others that Cades Cove is a great way to spend most of the day. It's a good little drive to get to it but it's worth it.

We also enjoy Dollywood. I agree with others that it would be worth it to check for coupons and also to go after three the day before to get a few extra hours in. They shows are wonderful and I find that a better value than seeing some shows out of the parks. With a family, it's a win-win!

We also enjoy the Aquarium!

Most of the time we stay in Gatlinburg because we enjoy walking the strip at night. We always buy fudge too. The kids enjoy playing putt-putt at night as well. They enjoy the space needle too as well as the chair lift. We tend to skip Ober Gatlinburg because we were a little disappointed with that, but everyone should do it once I guess.

We have some favorite places to eat too. One of our favorite places for pizza or Italian food is http://www.bestitalian.com/ in Gatlinburg. It's a hidden gem. They have the best food there and the garlic rolls are amazing!

We also love Calhouns! http://thegreatsmokeymountainsparkway.com/_attracti/gatlcalh.htm
We have never had a bad meal!!

Blaines is also a pretty good place.
http://www.blainesgatlinburg.com/

Some of our favorites in PF are the Apple Barn, The Chop House, The Old Mill and so many more.

Have a GREAT trip!

 

[Cibahwewah]

Not to hijack this thread but we're going in October, for Columbus Day wknd.
Thanks for all the tips and starting the thread OP! One question: we'll have 4 adults including a vegetarian and someone with Celiac disease (gluten-free diet), and 5 kids: ages 2,4,5,6, and 8. I had planned on cooking all our meals in the cabin, but seeing all these restaurant recommendations, are there any that stand out for being kid-friendly, veggie-friendly, with gluten-free options? Or am I just daydreaming? Thanks!

 

[ilovejack02]

We have some favorite places to eat too. One of our favorite places for pizza or Italian food is http://www.bestitalian.com/ in Gatlinburg. It's a hidden gem. They have the best food there and the garlic rolls are amazing!



!

Have not eaten there, but I heard really good things from my inlaws who are the pickest eaters I know and my SIL, she is a trained chef : ) .

 

[crazy4theworld]

We enjoyed an Italian place called Guarino's. Just a bit out of the way and got a certificate on restaurant.com. The worst dining experience I've ever had was in Gatlinburg at a place called Corky's (right on the strip). The food was disgusting and took forever to get to our table, despite an empty restaurant. Guess I should have figured it out by that one...

 

[oobidoo]

The Apple Barn, hands down! We go there at least a couple of times a year and have not been disappointed yet. Also love Wilderness at the Smokies. That lazy river is priceless!!

 

[bored]

There is a free shuttle that runs from the Gatlinburg Visitors' Center (on the right between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg) to the strip. You park at the Visitors' Center to catch the shuttle. On of the stops is very close to the aquarium. It's free and it helps avoid the headache of trying to find parking in Gatlinburg.

Highly second this tip. Parking in Gatlinburg is hard to find and expensive when you find it.

 

[Straitlover]

If you eat at Alamo, go for lunch instead of dinner. The menu is mostly the same, but it's cheaper. If memory serves, my steak was about half the price it would have been at dinner; I ordered the one in the Lunch Platters section. Also, look in the coupon books that are found everywhere. We found a coupon for Alamo that you could use for lunch (most said after 4 PM only).

I have eaten at both locations. I liked the Gatlinburg one better, atmosphere-wise. The PF one kinda reminded me of a Chic-Chi's. LOL. Food was good at both, though!

http://www.alamosteakhouse.com/menu.html

 

[Straitlover]

Highly second this tip. Parking in Gatlinburg is hard to find and expensive when you find it.

Once you get into Gatlinburg, there are other shuttles that can take you places other than the downtown area, too. Our last trip, we stayed in a cabin on the Arts and Crafts loop. They had shuttles that ran that far out. You'd just need to pan for them.

One thing I liked about their shuttles is at the transfer station outside the aquarium, they had the digital signs that told you how soon the the buses would be arriving. Sure wish WDW had that technology, LOL!

EDIT; forgot to say that we had a yummy breakfast at Flapjacks. Not as long a wait as pancake Panty and just as good IMO. There are several locations. We ate at the one on Hwy 321 between downtown Gatlinburg and the Arts and Crafts loop.