? re: family trip to Gatlinburg.

[Momma2Mia]

Sadly a repeat Disney trip during spring break is not in the cards for us this year, but we are thinking of goint to Gatlinburg for 3-4 days during the last week of March.

It has been over 15 years since I have been there. I have found a place called Elk Springs Resort that seems to have some really nice cabins.

Anyone have any tips or experience here and have any recommendations of places to stay?

Also any must do attractions that you enjoyed. My children are 10 and 8.

Thanks so much in advance for your insight and help!!

Kristie

 

[ceecee]

We did a 5 day second vacation last summer and it cost $1500 less than our Disney stay! Ober Gatlinburg offers a ticket for all day so plan on spending the day if you go, it was really fun. The best time we had was at a Putt Putt/Laser tag/etc place. We bought a ticket for like $35 and got to choose 4 different things to do and it was good for several days so you can spread it out. We hadn't been in 8 years and had a hard time finding a decent hotel (the ones we stayed at before had new owners who don't believe in updating or spending any $ on the property. We went to Pigeon Forge Holiday Inn and stayed the rest of our stay. We don't do Cabins but there are family owned places that may be your best bet.

 

[teachingtrudy1]

Dollywood will be open limited days/hours at the end of March. There is also an aquarium in Gatlinburg. We were there last year in mid-March. Loved driving through the mountains and seeing snow (don't get to see much in south Mississippi.) Some of the roads to the highest points were still closed. Cade's Cove in the national park was closed then for road repairs, but reopened in the summer. It's a good place to see wildlife. There are also horseback rides and hay rides.

 

[teachingtrudy1]

We stayed at a Days Inn in the heart of Pigeon Forge. It cost under $50.

 

[wsblank2000]

We really liked the Christmas Inn at Pigeon Forge --- very reasonable, breakfast included, and great location. My girls (9 & 12) really liked MagiQuest and Wonderworks. Be careful, there are lots of attractions and they are all fairly expensive so it adds up quick. Depending on the weather, Cades Cove is a great place to rent bikes (or you can drive) and explore.

 

[momof1princess]

we went to gatlinburg for spring break in mid-april 2008....between the cabin and the money we spent on food and activities, we could've gone to wdw! our cabin was about $600, and every activity we did was no less than $65.00 for the 3 of us. having been to the tennessee aquarium twice, we were underwhelmed by the one in gatlinburg, but if you've never been to a bigger one, you'll likely enjoy it.
we went to a place called "fort fun" in downtown gatlinburg, and had a great time-for a set price, you get to do a few different activities: blacklight mini golf, bumper cars, a 3D movie and lazer tag (this was AWESOME!). we also drove to cherokee, NC, to see the museum of the cherokee indian, because DH's great-grandmother was a cherokee princess, and the admission was very reasonable: $8 per person, and the museum is lovely. the mountain road to get there was treacherous in spots, because they still had snow, but we had no problems.
we also went horseback riding, which we really enjoyed, and we went to the 3 bears gift shop in gatlinburg so DD could do the "gem mining" in a $15 bucket of dirt - we came away with a 1 carat sapphire and a 2 carat emerald!

 

[2Tiggers]

We stayed in Pigeon Forge at Music Road Hotel. We really loved it. Sorry, no advice on any cabins but we liked the hotel we stayed in. It had a view of pigeon river and it is located at traffic light #1. And we had a nice breakfast each morning.

As far as activities, the whole family loved the dixey stampede. We also enjoyed black bear jamboree.

We did the aquarium but I didn't feel it was worth the money.

I hear they have a titanic exhibit that I would just love to visit.

Oh, and if you go to the go cart places in the morning before noon it was half price. That was nice because those things aren't cheap.

Happy planning!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Have you looked at the Sleep Inn in Sevierville? It is under $50 per night, has a free breakfast buffet and microwave and small refrigerator.

 

[powellrj]

We went last year at the same time and had a great time. So much so that DD wants to go back again this year! We rented a condo from vrbo and loved it. We went to Dollywood for 3 days and had a great time! We got season passes for less than a 1 day ticket at WDW. It isn't as big as WDW, but the shows were great. We don't like country music or gospel music, but it didn't matter because they had a wide variety of shows. We shopped at different times. Loved the little shops at Downtown Gatlinburg, didn't think much of the outlet stores.

 

[ceecee]

Yes, we loved the Aquarium and Dollywood too. DH said the food at Dollywood makes WDW cheap. We drove Cade's Cove and stopped at some shops which would have been free had we not stopped to shop.

 

[kimmyann]

I highly recommend going to Cade's Cove. You get to drive through and (hopefully) see some wildlife, plus they have old houses, churches and graveyards that you can get out and go into. They also have some hiking paths to go to waterfalls.(which we didn't do, but plan to next time) They have a website if you want to check it out.

Oh, and of course Dollywood is great fun.

 

[MissBritt]

We stayed at a cabin in Sevierville for under $90 a night, but many others were cheaper. Hidden Mountain Resort. You MUST eat at the Apple Barn/Applewoord Farm House.

 

[ceecee]

We stayed at a cabin in Sevierville for under $90 a night, but many others were cheaper. Hidden Mountain Resort. You MUST eat at the Apple Barn/Applewoord Farm House.

Our favorite place was the Apple Barn but we tried the Old Mill and LOVED it, we actually ate there twice...So it's the new favorite. Someone mentioned it on the disboards so we tried it.

 

[rnorwo1]

We've been several times and love it. We go to the mountains for the mountain/hiking experiences, though, so my opinions may differ from others posted.

I would skip Ober Gatlinburg... we thought it was pretty pricey for what it was, cheesy carnival rides... my oldest is 9 so I may have missed some of the stuff that was geared towards older kids, so someone correct me if there is more to do. There was a sledding type ride there that my kids liked (it was like you went in some sort of sled down the mountain on a track), but most of the other stuff bored my then 8 year old. The sky-tram ride up the mountain may be worth it though, it was a great view (I think you can just pay to take the ride and back.) And the food there was beyond horrible.

Cade's Cove is a wonderful drive.... if you stop often and get out and explore, it can take half a day. Roaring Forks, I think, is the name of the other driving trail and it's nice also.

There is a picnic area called Chimneys that is really nice, it has a stream running through it that is fun to play in/near if it's not cold (one year we went there for easter and it was freezing with snow in some areas! I'm from southern louisiana so that was quite an experience!)

Not too far into the park is the Laurel Falls hike... it's about a mile each way, I think, and it's a pretty decent waterfall to see. My kids love to play in it, again if it's not too cold. There are others but that's prob the easiest hike, and it's not completely "easy" (especially when you're carrying toddlers who suddenly cannot walk on their own)

Dollywood is great, a must do, but make sure you check the schedule... not everything is open that time of year. They have a zip line there that looked fun but kind of pricey so we didn't do it. Likewise, alot of the Cherokee area is closed that time of year... I think all of it doesn't open until May (at least that was the schedule last year) but some of it is open... just check before you head out. But the drive through the park, where you'll go to get to Cherokee, is worth it alone. Amazing scenery. And right at the top is an area (you won't miss it, it's full of cars) where you'll get some of the most amazing photos... there are some rocks to climb and trails there also.

There is an indoor water park there also, Wild Bear Falls, it's not huge but it entertained my kids for about 4 hours.... alot of it is geared towards smaller kids but there were two big water slides I think. Dixie Stampede is fun if you like those kinds of things, but if you've been to any decent sized aquarium you can skip this one, otherwise you may enjoy it. Chatanooga has a great one if you'll be driving through there.

We always stay in cabins. The sugar maple cabins were all nice, but they tend to be in resorts where you have a cabin right on top of you. Last year we had a cabin from Jackson mountain homes, and there was a stream right off the back porch, no other cabin in sight. It was wonderful! Very relaxing. I love mountain vacations, much slower pace than Disney and you don't feel like you need a vacation after! Have fun!

 

[bjscheel]

Oh boy, I spent all last winter perusing cabins on vrbo.com. We're going to Branson now instead because it's so much closer, but I still have several Gatlinburg cabins on my Favorites that I can't bear to delete. I have to say you can get a lot more cabin in Gatlinburg for your money than at Branson. But I am still forking over the money because that is a very important part- I have been dreaming of a cabin vacation for a long time now.

You could look at vrbo- (Vacation Rentals by Owner) there are tons of them in the area. I was looking for one with three separate beds (not necessarily 3 bedroom, the girls would share a room, but wanted separate beds) and found many for $100-$150/night. Sometimes you will find one listed as 1 bedroom + loft, and the loft will have two beds. Most of them have pool tables, other games, and hot tubs on the deck. I wanted one away from close neighbors, but not clinging precariously to the side of a mountain. So much fun to look at them all! Tripadvisor.com has an article on tips for renting a Smoky Mtn cabin. There are reviews on some on vrbo, so one with lots of good reviews should be good.

We were going to do Dollywood, Smoky Mountain Natl Park, Cooter's Place, Cades Cove.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

We were there this past summer we stayed at the Riverstone Resort and really enjoyed it. We will be going in mid March as well and I am trying to decide where to stay. Riverstone is a condo in Pigeon Forge right behind Dolly's Dixie Stampede. I am looking at staying there again since I can get a discount w/ AAA, however I am also looking at my usual Hampton Inn in Sevierville my dd has a cheer competition there and so Riverstone would be out of the way and there is construction where the comp is so it would be harder for us to get to it. My dh and I didn't get to go but my in laws took my dd to the Ripleys Titanic and she really enjoyed it she also really likes Ripleys WonderWorks The Apple Barn is really good and so is the Old Mill we eat at both the food is generally the same and there is another place on the main strip in gatlinburg that I can never remember the name but we love to have breakfast there, I have been there several times since I was 10. We really enjoy going to Cade's Cove as well but not sure if we will make it this trip. I know a few families that went to the Comedy Barn w/ their kids between the ages 6 and 12 and they really enjoyed it. Most of the places I have mentioned are in Pigeon Forge

resort
http://riverstoneresort.com/

ripleys
https://www.titanicpigeonforge.com/ticket_date.php
http://www.wonderworkstn.com/

applewood farmhouse/apple barn
http://www.applewoodfarmhouserestaurant.com/
http://www.applebarncidermill.com/

Old Mill
http://www.old-mill.com/?p=28WPPC1&r=PPCB&gclid=CKeVrOu8x6YCFYtS2god01SzIg

 

[Simba&Nala]

Our first time there was about 5 years ago. We stayed in a beautiful cabin in a place called Sherwood Forest Resort (www.sherwoodforestresort.com). The name of the cabin that we stayed in was Above the Pines. It was absolutely gorgeous. The deck overlooked Leconte Mountain. What a beautiful site. At night we would site in the hot tub on the deck and in the morning we would sit in the rockers on the deck, soak up the view and drink coffee. They have pictures of all the cabins on their website as well as the prices. Check out the specials page alot of times they run deals where you pay for so many days and get so many days free. We did Cades Cove, Laurel Falls, Chimney tops picnic area, newfoundland gap and clingmans dome. We went to the dixie stampede show and really enjoyed it.

This past November we stayed at Westgate Resorts. We have friends that have a timeshare there and they invited us to go with them. According to our friend that have the timeshare, they said that the resort does rent to the public not sure if there is a minimum length of stay.

 

[aprhj]

bjscheel- I hate to tell you, but Cooter's is no longer. It has been leveled and there is a zip line in its location.

OP- Wonder Works is a great place to visit with kids, full of fun science type stuff but also has a rock climbing wall and a 4 story high black light ropes course. It is about $25 for an adult and $16 for a kid, but they have some packages that include a magic show, dinner and laser tag. I just don't know the prices of the packages.

There are also a few mirror mazes in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. There is a Magiquest also where you get a wand and do some activities. I have not done it yet with my son because it is around $25-$30/person and they even charge you to just walk around with your kid.

Dollywood has some great rides, we are season pass holders, and they have a ropes corse there with 3 or 4 different routes each with 3 different ways of varying skill from platform to platform. There are also some great roller coasters there. Not cheap, but cheaper than Disney. They do have some packages for multi day, but I think the annual pass is about the same price as 2 days admission. Like others have said the hours are limited during spring so check out their web site.

Wilderness at the Smokies- hotel/condo with an indoor water park. Again not cheap but really fun.

Not sure if you drink alcohol, but a moonshine store has just open, last 6 months or so, in Gatlinburg- Ole Smokey Moonshine distillery. I have not been but they are leagally producing it and can sell. I really question if its legal is it really shine?

There is also a Ripley's Believe It or Not attraction in Gatlinburg. I haven't been in years, but I remember loving it and will probably go with my son sometime this year.

Resturants:
Gatlinburg- Park Grill, The Peddler, Smokey Mtn. Brewery, Doughnut Friar-just doughnuts and pastries but good, there is also a pancake house on the main strip that looks like a German or Dutch building I just can't remember the name right now.

Pigeon Forge- The Old Mill, Smokey Mtn. Brewery, 5 Guys-great burgers and fries, Dollywood has some good food

Sevierville- Apple Barn
we generally eat at Dollywood when we are up there unless we are in Gatlinburg

Hope you have a great time!!!

 

[kimmyann]

bjscheel-
Not sure if you drink alcohol, but a moonshine store has just open, last 6 months or so, in Gatlinburg- Ole Smokey Moonshine distillery. I have not been but they are leagally producing it and can sell. I really question if its legal is it really shine?

Interesting, I will have to remember this one for our next visit. We were at a party one time & someone had some "homemade apple pie moonshine", WOW, it tasted just like you took a bite of pie, really, really good. I would love to try it again, but I'll be much more careful this time, it'll bite you.

 

[Simba&Nala]

bjscheel- I hate to tell you, but Cooter's is no longer. It has been leveled and there is a zip line in its location.

When did this happen? We were just there in November and it was still there. I believe its been moved from its previous place. We saw Cooter's Garage in downtown Gatlinburg. Its on a corner but I can't remember the exact location.