Gatlinburg, Tennessee: The Heart of the Smokies

By Cole Van Lue

If you’ve never traveled to the beautiful Smoky Mountains, you are truly missing out. The Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States, which is pretty impressive considering it is competing with the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. A few weeks ago, I took my girlfriend to Gatlinburg over our fall break. It was her first time ever visiting Gatlinburg and we both had an absolute blast. Gatlinburg is a great destination for families, friends, and couples alike! If you are an outdoor enthusiast, an adventure seeker, or just someone who likes having fun, Gatlinburg Tennessee is the perfect destination for you! In this blog post, we will tell you everything you need to know about Gatlinburg so you can start planning your trip today!

So, what makes Gatlinburg such a great place to visit? For starters, Gatlinburg is centrally located in the eastern half of the United States, making it easy to get to no matter where you are. Gatlinburg, sometimes referred to as the “gateway to the smoky mountains”, is also literally next door to the Smoky Mountain National Park. You can leave your resort in downtown Gatlinburg and find yourself up in the mountains 10 minutes later.

When I say Gatlinburg is destination for everyone, I really mean it. As someone who loves the outdoors, the Smoky Mountains are perfect for me. Whether I am hiking up a mountain, racing down the whitewater rapids, or ziplining through the treetops, I can always find something exciting to do. If you are a regular reader of our blog, chances are you feel the same way about the outdoors that I do. However, not everybody appreciates or enjoys activities that involve the outdoors, and that is totally okay. In Gatlinburg, there are an endless amount of different activities, so everyone can find something they enjoy. Because Gatlinburg and its next-door neighbor (Pigeon Forge) are considered resort towns, there are a lot of tourist activities one could do. In fact, there are so many things to do that you will likely run out of time, money, or both, making it a destination that you can visit multiple times and have completely different experiences each time.

If you are like me, you tend to look at vacation destinations that offer things to do AND ways to relax. Some vacations I want to explore and see as much as I possibly can. Other vacations I just want to relax and getaway. Regardless of what you want out of your vacation, the Smoky Mountains can satisfy your needs.

Those who love seeing as much as they can will LOVE Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The town is home to hundreds of shops, from local artisan goods to tourist shops to home décor shops. The shops are basically all in the downtown strip, so walking to all the different shops is easy and convenient.

If you don’t like to shop, you will still find tons of fun things to do. Gatlinburg boasts tons of unique and fun attractions that the entire family can enjoy. Gatlinburg has multiple arcades, mini golf courses, a mirror maze, a mountain rollercoaster, a movie theater, and more. One of my favorites is Hillbilly Golf, a unique miniature golf course on the side of the mountain. Towering 407 feet above the town is a space needle that allows visitors an incredible 360 degree view. Another attraction that offers remarkable views of Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains is the SkyLift. The SkyLift takes visitors up a steep hill to a deck that has some of the best views in the Smokies. The SkyDeck also has a bar so you can enjoy a drink alongside the views.

With the SkyLift ticket you also get access to one of Gatlinburg’s newest attractions; the longest pedestrian bridge in North America. The bridge is 680 feet long and has a height of 140 feet at its midpoint. The bridge also has some glass floor panels in the bridge if you are daring enough to cross them.

It would be impossible to list all of the attractions Gatlinburg has in one blog post. If you want to see EVERYTHING Gatlinburg has to offer, visit https://www.gatlinburg.com/.

Maybe walking on a 680-foot wooden bridge dangling above the Smokies isn’t for you. Those who are looking for a more laid-back vacation experience will undoubtably find things to do that are more relaxing. Cades Cove is a scenic driving tour that takes about two to four hours depending on traffic. In the tour you’ll wind through a beautiful valley where settlers once lived. The tour of the cove is 11 miles long and gives visitors one of the best opportunities to see wildlife, including black beer, deer, coyotes, turkeys, and more. There are also plenty of places to stop and take pictures, so make sure you bring your camera.

Gatlinburg is also home to tons of wineries and distilleries. The Gatlinburg wine trail is a fun but relaxing experience that allows you to sample different wines at different wineries. If you complete the wine trail you will also get a free wine glass, so now you have an excuse to go drink wine!

Other attractions that may interest folks looking for a relaxing but enjoyable vacation include dinner shows. Pigeon Forge has a wide variety of dinner shows that appeal to a variety of audiences, including a Dixie Stampede, a murder mystery, and a comedy barn. There’s nothing more relaxing than enjoying some delicious food while watching an entertaining live show.

If you can’t tell, Gatlinburg is one of my favorite places to visit. There are several things that I’ve done in Gatlinburg that have absolutely been my favorite, and I would like to share those with you.

I have several recommendations when it comes to attractions and things to do, but I will stick to just a few of my favorites. And because this is an outdoor blog, we are going to talk about my favorite activities that are related to the outdoors.

One of the reasons why I love Smoky Mountain National Park so much is because it has so many different trails to hike. Whether you are out of shape and need an easy trail to hike or a professional hiker, you will find the right trail for you. Eventually I would like to do all of them, as each trail is unique and has its own character.

My favorite trail I’ve ever hiked at Smoky Mountain National Park is Rainbow Falls. Rainbow falls is a 5.4-mile hike up Mount Le Conte, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. As the name suggests, Rainbow falls has a waterfall on it, making the long hike worth it. The waterfall is the highest single drop waterfall in the Smokies and is best after there is a nice rainfall. The trail is ranked moderate in difficulty, as most of the hike either up or down a steep incline.

Possibly one of my favorite memories in Tennessee was white water rafting in the Smoky Mountains. The outfitter we chose for out adventure was Rafting in the Smokies, and they gave us an incredible experience. The week leading up to our white-water rafting trip was extremely wet, so the Big Pigeon River was flowing extra fast. While we never fell out of the raft, our butts did leave our seats a few times as we quickly dropped off large rocks. If you have never rafted before, no worries. Each group is put into a raft with a certified trained guide who makes sure your group will always be safe. Rafting in the Smokies definitely gave me a thrill of a lifetime.

If you have a family this next recommendation may be of particular interest to you. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is ranked the best aquarium in North America and is right in downtown Gatlinburg. Ripley’s Aquarium has a very large variety of species and has some unique experiences that most aquariums and zoos do not offer. You can pick up horseshoe crabs, feel stingrays, and even touch jellyfish. You can also have one on one encounters with playful penguins and even have them draw you a picture. Ripley’s Aquarium is fun for the whole family and is one of my favorites.

While I have done a lot of different things in Gatlinburg, there are many things I want to do that I haven’t done yet. There are many places to go ziplining and horseback riding in the Smokies, and I would love to do both of those eventually. I have also never been camping down in Tennessee, but I think that would be an awesome camping trip. Suffice it to say you will likely have to make several trips to do everything you want to do.

At this point I would like to give you some tips and tricks so that you are ready to start planning your next trip.

1. Pack for the activities you’ll be doing. Chances are you will be walking around a lot, so make sure you have some comfortable shoes. If you plan on hiking, it may also be wise to bring an extra pair of shoes incase yours get dirty while hiking.
2. If you plan on spending most of your time in Gatlinburg, find a place to stay in Gatlinburg. The traffic through the town can get very bad, so you are best off walking everywhere while you are staying in Gatlinburg. Parking spots can be hard to find and paying for parking can get very expensive. My advice would be to get a hotel in Gatlinburg if you will be spending most of your time in Gatlinburg. This allows you to keep your car at your hotel for free and avoid traffic.
3. Try to avoid holidays and school breaks. Gatlinburg is already a very popular destination for locals. Add in the tourist crowds and the town gets very packed. While it will likely still be busy, you can avoid the large crowds if you stay away from holidays.
4. The hills get very steep in Tennessee, and car with a smaller engine may not handle the hills very well. If you are planning on visiting over the winter, make sure you have 4-wheel drive.
5. Plan out what you want to do in advance. Once you are there you may find it difficult to prioritize what you want to do and you may end up running out of time.

If you’ve made it this far you must really be interested in visiting Gatlinburg. Now all that’s left to figure out is when you are going and where you are staying!

Like I said earlier, if you are planning on spending a lot of time in downtown Gatlinburg, I would suggest getting a room at a hotel or resort in Gatlinburg. However, if you aren’t going to spend more than a couple days in Gatlinburg, I would suggest getting a cabin in Pigeon Forge, which is only about 15 minutes away. And when I say cabin, I am not talking about what you sleep in when you go camping. The cabins I have stayed in have had pool tables, hot tubs, jacuzzies, flat screen TVs, and the like. In fact, you can even rent cabins with indoor swimming pools.

Cabins are ideal if you want privacy, a large space for the family, and some great amenities. They are also usually back away from towns as well, so you get the real nature experience. I have used https://www.cabinsusa.com/ before and I would highly recommend them.

So there you have it. Everything you need to know about Gatlinburg and why you should visit. As someone who loves enjoying nature, the Smoky Mountains is one of my favorite destinations to travel to. And unlike most destinations where you have to go to the middle of nowhere to experience nature and the outdoors, the Smokies are literally right in the backyard.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Keep your eyes out for more content, including some videos coming next week!