Pigeon Forge, TN

[JaxDad]

Hi! I'm considering a 3-4 day trip to Pigeon Forge, TN this summer with DS11 and DD8. The only "must-do" would be rafting. Has anyone been? If so, what would you recommend? Thank you!

 

[zlah31]

It depends on your interests but there are lots of great options. Cades cove is very pretty and fun to explore by bike, car or they have wagon rides. You can also keep going and explore the smoky mountains into Cherokee NC. Down Wears valley road has many mountain ziplining and trails. Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack feud are both great shows to enjoy. So many things to do from free to expensive.

 

[taymorel]

Glad you asked this since we are going to Pigeon Forge for the first time this summer too. So Iam interested to see what responses you get.

We have only planned Dollywood so far.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

We love to visit Dollywood when we got to Pigeon Forge.

 

[elsbit]

I love, love, love Ripley's aquarium! Every time we go to Gatlinburg/Seviervile/Pigeon Forge we always go there. My kids also enjoy the Wild Bear Falls indoor water park. The area has all types of quirky things to do. Definitely look for some coupon books. You can always find them.

 

[Stigsmom]

Last summer we did 3 nights/2days Dollywood and 2nights Cherokee. I would do it again, the kids ages 6, 4 and 1 at the time all enjoyed it. Cherokee has great museums, an outdoor drama and cute little roadside restaurants. My kids wanted to do Davy Crockett mini golf in Gatlinburg but we never got to because the traffic between Sevierville/Pigeon Forge and there is horrific. I recommend to choose one of those areas for your base and just be prepared for traffic if you try to drive to the other.

 

[KristinU]

We just got back from our first visit to Pigeon Forge. Our DS is 11 and not particularly in love with nature like DH and I are, so we balanced national park time with go karts and laser tag, etc. I will say that it was surprisingly expensive since everything is seperate. Alpine slides for 3: $42, a 5 activity pass for laser tag/go karts/indoor mini golf for 3: $105, Hatfield and McCoy Dinner show for 3: $150-ish (plust they nickel and dime you there for photos, alcoholic drinks, even a cow bell to ring during the show, that was $6), DS and DH had to do the Xtreme fast go karts: $60-ish for the 2 of them.

DH and I kept saying what a bargain Disney is when compared to these expensive activities that only last a few minutes each! We had fun, but it was definitely more expensive than anticipated.

A hot rod show was going on over the weekend and the traffic was horrendous. Mid week it was a breeze to zip around town, but starting Thursday night it started getting bad. By Friday afternoon we decided not to go anywhere on Friday night. We left town fairly early on Saturday morning.

The Smokies are beautiful and I'd love to go back and do more exploring. I think we'll check out Cherokee and Gatlinburg next time.

 

[ajwolfe]

My kids and us enjoyed doing some of the hiking trails and Cade's Cove in the area. My boys absoutely loved the Comedy Barn show - they cracked up the whole time and it was good, clean family fun. The Ripley's Aquarium was nice. We went white water rafting and that was enjoyed by the whole group. We went into Cherokee the last time we were there and was not impressed by the village they have set up. Definitely try to have a meal at the Old Mill - love that place.

I agree with a pp it does add up so quickly there! Both times we have taken the boys with us we have easily spent more than a Disney vacation.

 

[mom2t]

Alamo for a great steak and Cheddars for great food at a reasonable cost. I love the Indian village at Cherokee - very authentic and the outdoor drama is too. However, we love to visit historical sites.

 

[JaxDad]

Thank you everyone for all the great information!

 

[Cajun_country]

The Smokies are my favorite place and much cheaper than Disney in my opinion.
I actually planned a destination wedding there because I love it so much. I usually go there at least once a year and at one point in my life, I was going twice a year. If you can ever go in October for the fall colors it is beautiful! Last year we brought my 13 year old nephew and our kids in June. They had lot's of fun playing in the creeks (free). The water if freezing cold, but no one seems to mind that. The Greenbrier area is a favorite of mine to play in the creeks, but Townsend is also nice to stop and play in the creeks if you are headed to Cade's Cove. I love Cade's Cove. In Townsend there are places to tube as well. Some people get motion sickness from the winding roads. There are a lot of things that can cost you money, but we like exploring. Bring a cooler, and explore the park for at least a day. We loved hiking the Chimney Tops, but they have been working on the trail for well over a year now I believe (I don't think it's completed yet) and the Chimney's Trail is sometimes only open on certain days. The Alum Cave Bluffs is another trail we liked. One of our favorite waterfalls is near Cherokee, NC and called Mingo Falls (it is near a KOA campground, and I find there isn't much signage for it, and it's not as advertised as some of the other waterfalls).
My husband loves how small Dollywood is in comparison to Disney and all of the shaded areas because of the trees. I think we bought a 3 day pass, but if you are going for 3-4 days, I wouldn't waste them in Dollywood. There is also a waterpark, which we did on one day.
Some of my favorite restaurants are: Pancake Pantry (Gatlinburg), Bennett's BBQ (PF & Gatlinburg), The Best Italian (original location in Elks Plaza in Gatlinburg), The Cherokee Grill. A lot of people like the restaurants The Apple Barn & The Old Mill but they aren't my favorites. There is a place called Fanny Farkle that is near the Pancake pantry- I love to get the sausages they grill with onions, bell peppers and oregano. I like to ride the tram in Gatlinburg at Ober, and the Sky Lift is fun as well. I belong to the Great Smoky Mountains Association, and have a card that gives me a discount at Ober. The Ripley's Aquarium is nice for a rainy day but it is very expensive. There are many outlet malls, and also a lot of places to zip line at. We like to shop at the "Christmas Place" in Pigeon Forge and they have many Christmas ornaments that can be personalized...I love looking at all the Christmas decorations. I tend to try to do those things if it's a rainy day. There is an area called Cataloochee, that has Elk but it is a bit of a drive and kinda scary in my opinion. Clingman's Dome is a popular spot to drive and hike up an observation tow er. I read a lot on Trip Advisor in the early years of my travels to the Smokies. There are a ton of places to rent cabins and a ton of hotels. We often do the hotel because it's a lot cheaper and we don't usually cook on vacation. I like to get a hotel at the end of Pigeon Forge that is closest to Gatlinburg. There are two big Best Western's- we tend to stay at the one next to the Dixie Stampede. By staying at the end of the PF strip, you are located to plenty of restaurants still and not too far away from Gatlinburg. I like the Wears Valley RD and it is a shortcut kinda into Townsend/Cade's Cove. If you rent a cabin, it is a beautiful area. Our last cabin rental we decided to stay in Gatlinburg and we had a nightly visitor from a big bear.... and the roads in Gatlinburg were very steep. When you rent cabins you have to worry about the steep driveways/roads. I would also sign up on the groupon type websites and put Knoxville as a location because sometimes they will have deals for some of the amusement type places. If you go to Cade's Cove, stop at the campground store and get a ice cream (either in a cone or cup)...you will see everyone enjoying this treat. We also sometimes get the nachos.

In all the years i've gone, i've never been brave enough to do the rafting. We did a train ride in NC one year, that took us to an area, where the USA kayaking team has trials. I can't spell the river. Beware of all the timeshare people at gas stations, supermarkets, on the strip in Gatlinburg...they can easily waste away your time if you take them up on an offer.

 

[KristinU]

Cajun_country, FYI - Chimney Tops is completed, we hiked it on Friday The peak was wet from rain and was a little freaky for me with my fearless 11 year old, so we didn't make it too far up the rock, and I got the mean mom award (but at least I have a kid in one piece!) Thanks for the rest of your post...lots of great suggestions for next time!

 

[4formickey]

We are planning our summer vacation in Pigeon forge this year. It is a wonderful place to visit , to help lower your cost shop groupon for a good deal. We ordered season passes for a family of 4 totaling $350. A lot cheaper than any place in FL. Enjoy your trip and the have more than rafting for your boys.

 

[Angc77]

Cades Cove, Clingman's Dome, many easy hiking trails to some beautiful waterfalls-such as Laurel Falls, Ripley's Aquarium. Walking the main strip in Gatlinburg there are a ton of great shops.

 

[dpswift]

Cades Cove is great. We also enjoyed Dollywood. Just be aware that with the exceptions of the touristy spots the area is dry. I do not know if you are drinkers but if so I would pack a bottle to enjoy in the room.

 

[elaine amj]

When we spent a week in the Smokies last year, we ended up opting to spend most of our time on the Cherokee side of the mountains. We rented a cabin that overlooked Lake Fontana. We thought our vacation was excellent value for money. We spent $1k on a week for the 4 of us. (It did help that the bulk of our meals were cooked in our cabin).

We also moved to Pigeon Forge for our last night. (spent an entire day at Wonderworks and thought it was well worth it. The high ropes course was a highlight). We do want to go back and do go-karting as well.

These are some basic outlines of our costs (we did one major activity a day):
VRBO Cabin rental - $45/night (Split the $90/night with another family.the place was GORGEOUS, huge and had beds for 12 ppl)
Horse back riding - $30/hr
White water rafting - $17/adult & $12/kid (Our first time and we thought about having a guide. We went with unguided and it was completely comfortable and safe for our group as we are adventurous and enjoy outdoor activities)
Gem mining - $20 (all 4 of us split a bucket of dirt)
Tubing - $3/pp (crazy river! Awesome for folks looking for thrills for next-to-nothing)
Motorcycle rental - approx $100 (I think)
Pontoon boat rental - $150/4 hours for 8 ppl (had to cancel due to rain)
Trout pond - $4/lb (we are not fishermen but decided to take DS since the place supplied rods and everything. He had a blast)
Hike in the Smokies - free
Rope swing at Lake Fontana - free

For most activities I found the other side of the mountains cheaper than the Pigeon Forge side. To be expected since the tourists congregate on the Pigeon Forge side.

We are talking about returning in 2016.

 

[Cajun_country]

I forgot to mention to stop at a visitor center/or gas station to pick up the coupon booklets. Restaurant's like Bennett's and the Alamo usually have 10-15% off lunch, dinner or breakfast, and some of the amusement places will take a $1 off rides as well. We always like to have an Old Time Photo taken of our kids. If you are anywhere on the strip in Gatlinburg, you have to pay to park for most places, but there are places you can find free parking. There are trollies and buses in both Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. It used to be a quarter to ride, but I think it went up. If you dine at Calhoon's, Cherokee Grill, or the Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg, save your receipt for free parking, in their parking lot. At the original location for the Best Italian in the Elks Plaza, there is free parking but it is usually difficult to get in there. We often just park in the garage behind the aquarium.. I think the maximum to pay for parking is like $6 or $7 but I could be wrong. Some of the lots can be $10, which can add up if you have repeated trips. In Pigeon Forge, you don't have to worry about paying for parking. One cabin rental company did give up free parking passes. If you rent a cabin look for their specials, and sometimes you can get an even better deal if you call them. I really liked staying in hotels and seemed to be different from everyone in that, because I don't like worrying about cooking. Breakfast at most hotels, at least you can get cereal, waffles, milk and juices and fruits for kids. There are a ton of fudge and candy shops everywhere

 

[bbak30]

We just got back from our first visit to Pigeon Forge. Our DS is 11 and not particularly in love with nature like DH and I are, so we balanced national park time with go karts and laser tag, etc. I will say that it was surprisingly expensive since everything is seperate. Alpine slides for 3: $42, a 5 activity pass for laser tag/go karts/indoor mini golf for 3: $105, Hatfield and McCoy Dinner show for 3: $150-ish (plust they nickel and dime you there for photos, alcoholic drinks, even a cow bell to ring during the show, that was $6), DS and DH had to do the Xtreme fast go karts: $60-ish for the 2 of them.

DH and I kept saying what a bargain Disney is when compared to these expensive activities that only last a few minutes each! We had fun, but it was definitely more expensive than anticipated.

A hot rod show was going on over the weekend and the traffic was horrendous. Mid week it was a breeze to zip around town, but starting Thursday night it started getting bad. By Friday afternoon we decided not to go anywhere on Friday night. We left town fairly early on Saturday morning.

The Smokies are beautiful and I'd love to go back and do more exploring. I think we'll check out Cherokee and Gatlinburg next time.

I have to agree on how expensive it is. We spent Thanksgiving week there. We had a great time, but I felt it was more expensive than a Disney vacation and not as entertaining. You pay for every single like thing. We easily spent $3500 on food and entertainment for a week. Doesn't include lodging and travel.
We enjoyed the Dixie Stampede and Dollywood. Didn't do any hiking. Did do snow tubing at Ober Gatlinburg--but felt that the entire experience was a complete tourist trap. Lots of fun, but sooo expensive.

 

[THEDISNEYTHREE]

We enjoy vacationing in Pigeon Forge as well. Like others we love Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium, WonderWorks, Hatfield and McCoy show, the Comedy Barn, the magic show in WonderWorks, Dixie Stampede, and white water rafting. White water rafting is my favorite, so definitely keep it as a must do. However, whatever you do don't waste your money on the Jurassic Jungle Boat ride. My family and I still crack up over that to this day.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

We just went as well and found it to be quite reasonable compared to Disney. We missed all the traffic from the Spring Rod Run. We spent no where near $3500 for food and entertainment and bought season passes for 7 people to Dollywood and ate 2 sit-downs a day plus the Dixie Stampede. We were $4000 total including travel, lodging and many, many souvenirs.