Gatlinburg - Pigeon Forge Vacation

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Tue May 27, 2014 4:24 pm

I have never been to the Gatlingurg area, and quite frankly, never really had an inclination to visit there. I have always associated the area with total commercialism. However, it has become a family vacation area for us this year.

We have rental a rather large cabin (lodge?) for a few days in June, in Cosby, which is about 15 miles south of Gatlinburg. We will be spending the short vacation with my stepson and stepdaughter's families. Six or seven adults, and maybe four kids. The eight-year old has autism.

Has anyone been there? Is there any place, off the beaten path, that is a good spot to visit.

Post by **brian** » Tue May 27, 2014 4:36 pm

They have a Harrah's casino in Cherokee, about an hour from Gatlinburg. It's actually really nice despite being in the middle of nowhere. (Though sounds like it won't work with your whole brood going.) If you do go, be nice to the female pit bosses. One of them is my best friend's fiancee.

Otherwise, only stuff I know to do there is the real touristy stuff like Dollywood and driving through the Smoky Mnts National Park.

Asheville isn't too far away depending on how much driving you want to do. I don't know if the Biltmore Estate will appeal to the young ones, but it's worth the side trip in my opinion.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Tue May 27, 2014 4:55 pm

There are a lot of places you can take a short hike, at least on the NC side of the border. Many feature some kid attractant like a stream.

I don't know how your son does with fair or carnivals. But they visit many small towns in KY, TN, and NC in the summer. It's too late in the summer for you, but we had a great time at the Nibroc Festival in Corbin, KY many years ago. Of course, that the home of Colonel Sanders as well, so there is a museum.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue May 27, 2014 6:54 pm

Gatlinberg in mid-July? All I know is that the streets are made of mud and full of blood and beer. Sorry, I got nothing and couldn't resist.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue May 27, 2014 9:26 pm

hdo, spent many years near there (Cobbly Knob) for vacations with the extended family (similar deal as you - rental cabin etc.). Pigeon Forge is the cheesiest, and probably the one to avoid unless someone in your family is into those Branson-style Mandrell sisters type dinner shows or desperate for Go-karts and putt putt.

Gatlinburg itself is pretty okay, great little downtown for walking, with shops that are more boutique types but with some of the whacky aren't-southern-people-hillbillies stores sprinkled in, but not nearly as many as in Pigeon Forge.

If you have kids in your group, Dollywood is actually a pretty decent little amusement park, with a nice mix of water rides and coasters etc., although it pales in comparison to parks with big coasters like Kings Island.

The side trips already mentioned are worth considering, but it's definitely a longish feeling drive, as everything has to wind over and through mountains. Hiking in the smokies is a definite must for those who like to hike, and there are some really good guided white water trips in a very easy drive. One of our family highlights if whitewater is too exciting, was going and drifting down one of the rivers on rental tubes. Cheap and a fun way to kill an afternoon. Not dangerous either, with enough ripply water to feel adventurous.

Ober Gatlinburg is the ski moutain right atop Galtlinburg and you can get to it by car, or for more fun for the family, ride the gondolas up. Up at the top, there is a skate rink (inside) and I think a course for sled-style go-karts and putt putt and other assorted family type stuff. That's a nice diversion.

There is also a really nice aquarium in downtown Gatlinburg now and a Ripley's Believe it or Not as well, the acquarium is well done.

That's off the top of my head from (many) previous years. Hope that helps.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed May 28, 2014 7:16 am

I like Gatlinburg for long weekend type trips. We don't do the dinner shows and whatnot, but there are a lot of restaurants that I like that aren't available in Lexington. Pigeon Forge's mini golf is more fun than gatlinburg's, but we have kids in that age that is great for mini golf.

Our favorite place is at the dead end of Gatlinburg proper by the National Forest. There are 3-4 restaurants there that are the tits. One nice steakhouse, one rib/steak place, one sports bar/pizza type joint.

Here's the steakhouse:

http://www.coppercellar.com/Restaurant- ... house.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the brewery:

http://www.smoky-mtn-brewery.com/#locations" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They have their own craft beers, of which 2-3 are really good. Avoid the Vellas Helles unless Helles are your favorite types of beer.

And I agree with bengal...side trips are ok, but expect more of a drive than the map says. Nothing is as close as google maps says around gatlinburg/pigeon forge. We usually stay pretty close to the cabin, but usually venture in to the outlet malls once a trip. I'd say my wife does that, but I really like the Nike store, where the clearance rack often has soccer stuff for Man U and shorts/ sweat pants that I love. Got two pair for $10 each last time.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed May 28, 2014 8:07 am

I left a chunk of my left thumb in Gatlinburg on a go-kart track 20 years ago. Pick it up for me, won't you?

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Fri May 30, 2014 8:52 am

So much great advice here hdo was overwhelmed and is now headed to Branson, I am sure...

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:54 pm

bump

*sigh*

We were all set to book a family vacation (with my wife's sisters' families) in the OBX, and one of my wife's brothers-in-law finally admitted after 25 or so years of marriage and at least 6 or 7 family vacations at the shore that he hates the beach. So Tennessee it is.

We're closer to Gatlinburg than PF. We have a huge cabin somewhere, looks pretty nice.

I'll check out the aquarium and a couple of the restaurants mentioned. I would love to check out Asheville, but another 3+ hours round trip after a 10 or so hour drive out there probably isn't what anyone is going to want to do. Any new suggestions in the past two years? The space needle sounds exciting.

Man, I really love the beach. Good thing we still have a week at the Jersey shore planned for the end of the summer.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:11 pm

Gatlinburg is for drinking.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:13 pm

So are my vacations. Day drinking. Just give me a fridge and a deck and a view of the mountains.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:25 pm

rass wrote:So are my vacations. Day drinking. Just give me a fridge and a deck and a view of the mountains.

There are some great views. If that's your goal, you're goal-den.

Bears are fun to spot, too.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:34 pm

Went there about 2 months ago. Best part by far was the view from the really large cabin and the group we went with. Ober Gatlinburg was kinda, sorta ok but no one skied and its infrastructure was overwhelmed on a holiday weekend. Not much else to speak of. Outlets? Ordinary restaurants with long waits? Bring lots of beer.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 4:23 pm

rass wrote:bump

*sigh*

We were all set to book a family vacation (with my wife's sisters' families) in the OBX, and one of my wife's brothers-in-law finally admitted after 25 or so years of marriage and at least 6 or 7 family vacations at the shore that he hates the beach. So Tennessee it is.

We're closer to Gatlinburg than PF. We have a huge cabin somewhere, looks pretty nice.

I'll check out the aquarium and a couple of the restaurants mentioned. I would love to check out Asheville, but another 3+ hours round trip after a 10 or so hour drive out there probably isn't what anyone is going to want to do. Any new suggestions in the past two years? The space needle sounds exciting.

Man, I really love the beach. Good thing we still have a week at the Jersey shore planned for the end of the summer.

Yeah, I've been to Asheville and was surprised it got brought up in this thread. In 3+ hours I can get from DC to right outside New York or the DE beaches. I ain't driving that long as part of a side trip during my vacation. But that's just me.

I will just second, though, that for a large group with lots of age variance, floating down a river is just a damn good time. Kids can splash around and throw rocks at each other (or, you know, whatever) and adults can drink beverages and chill the f out. Be sure to double-check that whatever park you're going to allows booze. That would kill the experience for me.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Fri Apr 15, 2016 4:27 pm

rass wrote:So are my vacations. Day drinking. Just give me a fridge and a deck and a view of the mountains.

We did a cabin in the Smokey Mountains and you're set on this front. It is a really beautiful part of the country and that time of year, you can sit out all day and then make a fire in the pit as it gets nice and cool in the evenings.

I'm like you... I love the beach and the simple patterns it evokes. You can get that going in the Smokey Mountains, no problem.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:25 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:I love the beach and the simple patterns it evokes.

Perfectly stated.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:54 pm

rass wrote: Man, I really love the beach.

Make sure to say that in front of the BiL. First wistfully under your breath, then throughout the week with increasing anger while staring menacingly at him.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 7:04 pm

The Sybian wrote:
rass wrote: Man, I really love the beach.
Make sure to say that in front of the BiL. First wistfully under your breath, then throughout the week with increasing anger while staring menacingly at him.

If it was the other BIL that would be the plan. They're both good guys, but the other (non-beach hating one) really wears on me after a week.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:43 pm

rass wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
rass wrote: Man, I really love the beach.
Make sure to say that in front of the BiL. First wistfully under your breath, then throughout the week with increasing anger while staring menacingly at him.
If it was the other BIL that would be the plan. They're both good guys, but the other (non-beach hating one) really wears on me after a week.

I can't imagine having to engage in conversation with my sister's husband for more than 3 minutes. Nice guy, and I think he is a good father, but I can't think of anyone I am more uncomfortable trying to talk to. We have been talking about a joint family vacation with my parents for the past couple of years, and I get anxiety knowing I'll have to try to get a conversation going. I think he might actually be comfortable sitting next to me in a bar and not saying a word while are wives yak it up.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:38 am

The Sybian wrote:
rass wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
rass wrote: Man, I really love the beach.
Make sure to say that in front of the BiL. First wistfully under your breath, then throughout the week with increasing anger while staring menacingly at him.
If it was the other BIL that would be the plan. They're both good guys, but the other (non-beach hating one) really wears on me after a week.
I can't imagine having to engage in conversation with my sister's husband for more than 3 minutes. Nice guy, and I think he is a good father, but I can't think of anyone I am more uncomfortable trying to talk to. We have been talking about a joint family vacation with my parents for the past couple of years, and I get anxiety knowing I'll have to try to get a conversation going. I think he might actually be comfortable sitting next to me in a bar and not saying a word while are wives yak it up.

My wife has a friend whose husband uses this tack. I'm ok with some silence, but god there needs to be a game on or something. He will sit in total silence for what seems like the entire night.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 1:46 pm

Heading out Friday. Any last minute suggestions?

We have already purchased Dollywood tickets, and picked up Groupons for one of the gokart\arcade places. There have been rumblings about the Dixieland Stampede. The advanced forecast looks hot and stormy, and we were going to play any sort of outdoor activity (hiking, tubing) by ear.

duff · Post by **duff** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 1:52 pm

Best thing we did was rafting down the river. Dollywood was fun, but we enjoyed the water park more.

Plus they have a really nice hospital there. Had to go to the emergency room because of a severely infected ear.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 2:11 pm

I'm super duper (perhaps unreasonably) anti-water park, ever since a family bout of norovirus 4 or 5 years ago.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 2:12 pm

Peri. Anal. Strep.

duff · Post by **duff** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 2:17 pm

rass wrote:I'm super duper (perhaps unreasonably) anti-water park, ever since a family bout of norovirus 4 or 5 years ago.

That's just a shitty outlook.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:41 pm

rass wrote:Heading out Friday. Any last minute suggestions?

We have already purchased Dollywood tickets, and picked up Groupons for one of the gokart\arcade places. There have been rumblings about the Dixieland Stampede. The advanced forecast looks hot and stormy, and we were going to play any sort of outdoor activity (hiking, tubing) by ear.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:48 am

govmentchedda wrote:
rass wrote:Heading out Friday. Any last minute suggestions?

We have already purchased Dollywood tickets, and picked up Groupons for one of the gokart\arcade places. There have been rumblings about the Dixieland Stampede. The advanced forecast looks hot and stormy, and we were going to play any sort of outdoor activity (hiking, tubing) by ear.
Don't say I didn't warn you.

(adds fake thumb to vacation shopping list)

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jul 26, 2016 12:14 pm

More or less ignoring current events (Jesus fuck my 16 yo nephew is an unironic Trump supporter, and it took a full day to get my wife to stop trying to talk him out of it) and laughing at emails from work can make just about any vacation worthwhile, but things are going pretty well.

Except I skipped out on a family escape room adventure to drink by myself and not I need to walk back to everyone else in the rain...

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:19 am

I've heard background noise the past couple of weeks about the wildfires in Tennessee (including what I thought at the time to be a unintentionally comically overdone graphic during a weather report which appeared to show half of the state burning) but whoa...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:11 am

Yeah, those pictures are intense.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:39 am

My sister and brother-in-law just bought a cabin near Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea if it's near the fires.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:44 am

My extended family vacations were just outside of Gatlinburg in a community called Cobbly Nob. Gorgeous log cabin style homes there. Apparently that area burned badly last night too.

ETA:

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:19 am

Jolene sounds like a kind of fuel, and that's as far as I got with that one.

Post by **brian** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:53 am

I was in Asheville three weeks ago and can tell you it's pretty bad all over the south. We drove from Asheville to Atlanta in what was essentially a thick fog.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 4:31 pm

Sabo wrote:My sister and brother-in-law just bought a cabin near Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea if it's near the fires.

Sister says their cabin is fine. #ThankYouJesusForContinuingToProtectPrivilegedWhitePeople

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Tue Nov 29, 2016 4:39 pm

Man, the Chinese are going all-out to sell their global warming hoax.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Dec 01, 2016 1:43 pm

Wife's boss lost his six rental units. He hadn't heard from the management company until today, but I knew from where a lot of the damage was that he was gonna be right in the line of...well shit I didn't really mean to end up there like that.

Anyway, sucks.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:47 pm

This thread covered most of the bases as we’re about to book a massively stupidlong road trip to Shenandoah NP, down across the Blue Ridge, a night at the Biltmore and into Smoky Mtn NP ending in Gatlinburg. We also have to get home after that presumably.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:09 pm

So many great breweries in Asheville. Most are kid friendly.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:02 pm

Ryan wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:47 pm This thread covered most of the bases as we’re about to book a massively stupidlong road trip to Shenandoah NP, down across the Blue Ridge, a night at the Biltmore and into Smoky Mtn NP ending in Gatlinburg. We also have to get home after that presumably.

Jesus. You guys renting an RV? That's a lot of mountain driving.