Gatlinburg/Pigon Forge Budget ideas

[Donaldswife]

I can recommend my two favorite restaurants.

The Pancake Pantry http://pancakepantry.com/

The Peddler http://www.peddlergatlinburg.com/

The two best we have been to in Gatlinburg. Yummy!

 

[INDISMOM]

We just went in June and LOVED Pancake Pantry and Blaines. You do need to get there early for Pancake Pantry and if you are there early and will be out of there before 9am you can park on the street for free.

You may want to check out what you are interested in doing there and see if you can get a discount to purchase tickets before you get there. I know if you go to the Titanic Museum they have a family pass that is cheaper than buying individual tickets -- I had to ask for it as they weren't mentioning it to people buying tickets, they were just giving them the individual price.

Try Smokymountainnavigator.com for coupons or just search for gatlinburg/smoky mountain coupons -- there are a lot out there.

Have fun!!

 

[tissakay]

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!

We have kids with celiac and in the park we were able to order delicious baked potatoes and twice baked potatoes in the Lumberjack camp.

 

[Bell30012]

This one won't help you because you already have your accommodations. For some reason Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are the only places where hotel operators have figured out that an empty room is worth nothing.

The prices of the hotel rooms go down as the hour gets later! One trip we got a suite about 7:30 PM at NATIONAL PARKS RESORT LODGE, the price? $42, we also got a $45 deal at the Clarion. Of course, the first time that we went there we paid almost double those rates because we reserved early.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

My boys loved the activities and ranger lead hikes in the National Park. They received a free pamphlet at the rangers desk in the Sugarlands visitor center (they also sale a book in the gift shop) They became Jr. Rangers and my DH and I were made not-so Jr. Rangers. Take a cooler and snacks when you go to Cade Cove - it is a long drive and there is only on stop that has a gift shop. The park is very large and we have learned to take snack with us everytime we go, it can be a long grumpy drive back in to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge for food.

 

[crazelion]

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.

My everyone love Huck Finn's in my family

 

[ceecee]

We love Apple Barn as well, the Old Mill (PF) is now our favorite, we ate there twice on our last visit. We also like Ober Gatlinburg. Downtown, we bought a ticket for laser tag, mini golf, blacklight golf and several other things you could buy like 4, 5 or 6 activities and it was good for three days. Reasonably priced too and lots of fun.

 

[mrssmith06]

Bubba Gump! One of our favorite restaurants there!!!
The Pancake Pantry is pretty good too! Our kids loved breakfast there!
We ate at The Peddler once and thought it was horrible, we couldn't understand why everyone seems to love it. Maybe it was just a bad day? The Alamo is much better!! It's where we had our wedding reception...

Some our favorite attractions are Ripley's aquarium, Hollywood Wax Museum, & Titanic Museum.

Check all of the websites for these places, sometimes you can find coupons there, or google search coupons for them!

Have fun!!!!

 

[Bell30012]

We visited Cades Cove when my daughter was only about four or five. It was starting to get dark and my daughter was looking for the light switches.

You should have seen the look on her face when I told her there were no cable outlets or Internet connections.

 

[swilshire]

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...

Corkys is a small chain that started in Memphis. The food there is WONDERFUL! (At least it was the last time I visited several years ago.)We only tried the one in Gatlinburg once years ago and I don't remember being impressed. They had a restaurant in Knoxville for a while, but I think it closed.

Sheila

 

[Juliee8]

We are leaving tonight Does anyone know if there are any discounts at the McDonalds or Wendy's down there for Dollywood or Splash Country this year?

 

[disneyfab]

We are leaving tonight Does anyone know if there are any discounts at the McDonalds or Wendy's down there for Dollywood or Splash Country this year?

Just got back from there and the McDonalds has a $5 off coupon on the large drinks and sweet teas.

 

[gower525]

I don't think that anyone has mentioned "Wonderworks". It is sort of a souped up science museum. It is pricey, but lots of fun - especially on a rainy day.

 

[julieamedeiros]

So glad I found this thread!

We are going at the end of August....our kids don't start school until after labor day. We rented a cabin in PF so some of our meals will be cooked there but when I am on vacation I don't want to cook alot! There are 8 of us so we are looking for some good dinning deals too!

There also are some deals at http://www.restaurant.com/ . Restaurant.com is offering their $25 gift certificates for just $2 when you use the code SAVE at checkout. It is good until July 31st. I have used them in Disney/Orlando area and have had some great deals.

I found that buying the Splash and Play ticket for Dollywood was a better deal than buying one ticket for Dollywood and then one ticket for Splash Country. (If you plan on going to both parks). And it gives you a third day to do whatever park you want again.

http://www.dollywood.com/dollywood-q10158-c10011-Tickets.aspx

Would love to hear your reviews when you get back! Have a great time!

 

[tamcase]

I can't believe that the Log Cabin Pancake House hasn't been mentioned. They have the most amazing French Toast Royale or Pancake Royale. It is done with a rich cream cheese sauce (they are very secretive about the ingredients) and bananas. OMG! We have to have this when we go. Have been going to Gatlinburg for about 10 years now. We have a timeshare there and LOVE it!