Maggie Valley & Smoky Mtns. Dollywood???

[Dedejf]

What are some of your favorite things to do or see in the Maggie Valley, NC area? Would you recommend Dollywood as a fun theme park or not worth the money? Some say see Vanderbilt and others say it's not worth the high price tag. I need some ideas because we leave for there on Saturday. The tour books aren't too objective so I need some good honest DIS-ers to help me out.

 

[LJC1861]

Maggie Valley is an adorable little town. Very homey. There are tons of Mom and Pop shops and restaurants and souvenir shops. As for things to do......

Pancakes. Joey's Pancake House on the Main drag in Maggie Valley has some of the very best pancakes ever. They are open daily from 7-12 and be prepared to wait. It is worth it.

Cherokee--a short drive away. You will find Unto These Hills, an open air play about the Cherokee people, the Museum of Native Peoples, Oconoluftee Village, tons of shops and other fun stuff. You will also find Harrah's Casino....but not for the kids.

Ghost Town--a new/old theme park in Maggie Valley. This park open in the 60's and closed for years, re-opened last year. It is small, somewhat simple and will probably not interest kids who have grown up on Disney, but worth mentioning as it is now the big attraction in town.

Waynesville--a cute little town not far from Maggie Valley. Great for shopping and it features lots of galleries.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.--there are parts of the park that are very close to Maggie Valley. Cataloochie is just a stones throw away and there you can see the Elk that roam that section of the park. Other sections of the park, and Gatlinburg Tennessee are about an hour and a half away and well worth the drive.

Asheville--45 minutes from Maggie Valley and home to me! The Biltmore Estate is well worth the money and during the summer kids are free. I am not sure when this promotion ends, but you can find out on www.Biltmore.com. You can tour the House, which is incredible, visit the farm, the Winery and the gardens. It is totally possible to spend an entire day in this beautiful place. I highly recommend it and suggest you purchase the audio tour as it gives you much more information about the rooms in the house, and makes the tour that much more interesting and enjoyable for kids.

I can tell you more if you want, just let me know. Feel free to PM me as well.

Linda

 

[Dedejf]

Thank you, Linda! We fly into Asheville and are renting a car and have rented a cabin in the mountains. We have friends who live in TN near Parrottsville so we plan to spend one of our seven days with them. You've given me many ideas for other visits. How about Dollywood? Familiar with it and, if so, would it be thumbs up or down for you?

 

[LJC1861]

Haven't been to Dollywood yet, but we are headed there next Saturday to see Dolly in concert!!!

I have heard that it is a great little park, with lots to offer. There is also a water park which has gotten great reviews from the locals.

I would say, go for it.

Linda

 

[tinatark]

Dollywood is great but about 2.5 hours (or more) from Maggie Valley. 1.5 from Asheville.

If you have kids, a day or more in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg would be worth the trip - tons of attractions, the national park, restaurants are all within a few minutes.

We (dh and I) enjoyed a day at Biltmore. Kids would be bored. Asheville is a very granola-crunchy town, aside from that.

My opinion of the Maggie Valley/Cherokee area is that it is dated, could use some "freshening". I would make the most of it by getting into the mountains more, hiking, exploring, etc.

 

[Dedejf]

Thanks again Tinatark and Linda. Do either of you know when the children return to school in NC and TN?

 

[LJC1861]

The kids here in Asheville go back August 14, and not a moment too soon.....(says the group home administrator who's 9 kids are going stir crazy)

Linda

 

[Dedejf]

Just looking for more opinions. Anyone?

 

[BellvilleDad]

You've gotten some great advice here. I go to Maggie 6 to 8 times a year, and I never get tired of it.

Dollywood is so worth the drive to Pigeon Forge to my family. We have season passes, which are the best thing to do if you go more than once in a a year (and we do). We like to leave early in the morning, getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside Maggie on Hwy 19 toward Cherokee, taking it to Cherokee, then going through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Gatlinburg (lots of fun here) and Pigeon Forge.

On the way home I usually take the new bypass from Dollywood to Hwy 411 (away from Gatlinburg) to I-40 back to Maggie. It's a much quicker ride back.

Also, try to find time to see the elk on your visit. They are almost always at the Cataloochee part of the State Park. From Maggie, take Hwy 276 (near the Maggie Valley Inn) toward I-40. Just before you get to the ramp for I-40, take Cove Creek Rd. to the left. It's a winding, one-lane road, so be careful. http://www.gsmnp.com/pages/cataloochee.html The elk are usually seen near daylight and dusk. Here's quick vid I took with my cell:

You could go horsback riding at Cataloochee Ranch. http://www.cataloocheeranch.com/horseback-riding.html

You could go tubing or rafting. This is a company we used a couple years ago. It was great! http://www.raftwithkids.com/

If you have any questions, just ask.

 

[live4christp1]

Joey's Pancakes!

Dollywood is fun too and if you visit on a week day it shouldn't be so crowded since a lot of schools in the tri-state area are starting back this week and the first part of next week.

Ghost Town - have great memories from many years ago. Definately need to take my kids there to experience it.

Unto These Hills - Have not been since they did the new production but the old one we loved!

Sugarlands visitor center and homestead. Nice little area to stop off and stretch your legs. Our kids like to wade in the creek.

Beautiful area all around! Have a fun and safe trip and enjoy the beautiful Smokey Mtns!

We are going next weekend!

 

[ChristaDeVil]

I LOVE Waynesville. Cutest little town in the world. Great shops, art galleries, and the like.

Also, the Biltmore Village next to the Biltmore is so much fun just to wander around. Great shopping.

I tend to gravitate towards the smaller towns in that area and steer clear of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. I've done all of that (except Dollywood), and I just like the easy pace of the smaller towns.

 

[FoggyToad]

You've given me lots of great recommendations. Thank you! I think it will be a fantastic vacation.

 

[BellvilleDad]

Dollywood is great but about 2.5 hours (or more) from Maggie Valley. 1.5 from Asheville.

If you have kids, a day or more in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg would be worth the trip - tons of attractions, the national park, restaurants are all within a few minutes.

We (dh and I) enjoyed a day at Biltmore. Kids would be bored. Asheville is a very granola-crunchy town, aside from that.

My opinion of the Maggie Valley/Cherokee area is that it is dated, could use some "freshening". I would make the most of it by getting into the mountains more, hiking, exploring, etc.

It takes me a little less than an hour and a half to get from the Dollywood parking lot to my place in Maggie Valley. Asheville is another 30 minutes from there. This is assuming no wrecks ahead of you to stop traffic.

Another benefit to Dollywood: If you visit after 3pm, the next day is free.

 

[bsnyder]

Granny's Chicken Palace, is at the 19/276 intersection (between Maggie Valley and Waynesville). Great homestyle restaurant, with fried chicken as the specialty.

If you don't want to go rafting (it's not an inexpensive outing) you could try tubing at Deep Creek, in Bryson City.

Downtown Waynesville has an evening event on Friday nights - I think it's every other Friday evening during the summer, where the shops and gallaries stay open late.

 

[DisneyTN]

Dollywood--One day admission costs around $50.00 for adults; children and seniors are cheaper. If you arrive after 3:00 in the afternoon, you get the next operating day for free. Ask any employee for more info on this. The park has three large coasters for big kids (TN Tornado, Mystery Mine, and Thunderhead). A country fair and treehouse play area designed for smaller children. Pleanty of other family activities and stage show productions for those wishing to remain ride-free. The theming inside the park is great, as many areas make you feel like you're visiting the mountain towns of the 1800's. Check out Craftman's Valley.

Gatlinburg--One of the town's most popular attractions is Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. You can allow as much time as you'd like to explore this place. Highight: The Shark Tunnel--a must see. They also have dive shows and a sting-ray petting area. Kids & adults will both enjoy this place. Admission for adults is approx $19.00.
Gatlinburg recently opened the Hollywood Wax Museum on the parkway near traffic light #8. A walk-through exhibit with lifelike stars playing some of their more famous movie roles.
Bubba Gumps seafood is now open on the corner at light #8 in downtown.

Maggie Valley-- I haven't been since the park reopened, but Ghost Town in the Sky is one of MV's highlight attractions. Smaller and less to do than Dollywood, but I always hear good reviews about the place from many of the visitors who stay at my motel.

Cherokee-- If you have really small children, they might enjoy a visit to Santa's Land. Also allow time to explore the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and the Ocanaluftee Village. Educational and fun at the same time.

Don't forget our main gem of the area; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Make sure you have pleanty of gas in your vehicle, because it is a 45-50 minute drive of just woods between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, NC. One of the most beautiful areas in the country (imo). A good area to stop and overlook the park is Newfound Gap, which sits on the NC/TN border.

Hope you all have a fun trip!

 

[Dedejf]

We have returned from NC and had a fabulous week. The weather was absolutely perfect for the whole time. Not too hot, not too cold, not too humid, and only about five minutes of light rain. Your recommendations were right on. Thank you, everyone, for your input. We enjoyed the National Park including Cade's Cove but we went there on a Sunday so it was very congested with traffic. We took the trolley tour in Asheville and learned so much of our fabulous driver who looked and talked pretty much like Ellen DeGeneres which made it a ton of fun. We decided to save the Biltmore for next time. My husband wasn't sure he'd enjoy it but I would still love to experience it. We went white water rafting just over the border in TN. The river was down but for the first time rafters like us, it was just fine. We visited Gatlinburg but it was very crowded and we decided it just wasn't our thing. We tried our luck at the casino in Cherokee. My husband did okay and I broke even so it was a win-win, right? We took the Smoky Mountain Railroad trip from Bryson City by Lake Fontana and into the NRC (Nantanhala which I finally learned how to pronounce!!) The stopover in the NRC gorge was fun. Drove the Blue Ridge Parkway drive which has amazing views also. Joey's Pancakes and Salty Dog's restaurants were are two favorites. We didn't even have to wait for a table at Joey's. The waitress said we picked the right day and time for breakfast. The blueberries pancakes were scrumptious! Waynesville was a great little town to visit. Seeing Maggie in Maggie Valley was cute. She just wanders the streets waving at everyone. Our cabin up in the mountains near Maggie Valley was cozy and comfortable and we enjoyed the hot tub on the deck every evening. All in all, it was a fabulous week in the Smokies. We'll visit the area again!

 

[bsnyder]

So glad you had a great time!

 

[Flanigan]

Glad you had a great time, I need to get out to the mountains more often, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is less than an hour away depending on traffic and the route we choose. One of our favorite things to do is to Hike up to Abram's Falls, that hike alone is an all day event for us. lol.

 

[Magalex]

We went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg(Dollywood incl.) this past June for vacation. LOVED IT! We had sooo much fun. I was nervous we would be bored. Not at all. Dollywood is a beautiful park. Everyone is very nice in the area. Big fans, we will return

 

[minniebeth]

I'm SO psyched that I found this thread! We live in Ohio but my DH has been travelling to the west coast for the past year +. We got to visit Disneyland and a little of SoCal, but I was looking forward to perhaps seeing the Pacific Northwest with him. Anyway, his area has just changed and he will now be travelling to NC and SC a lot. I love NC but in the area he will be travelling, I just didn't think there was a lot (so beautiful, just not a lot to do is what I thought...) But NOW I can't wait to put these awesome things on our wish list for next summer! Thanks so much! Beth