Vacation help from the Tennessean's

[nosaintsfanatic]

The family & I will be going to the Gatlinburg area on vacation in a couple weeks. Anyone from that area have any suggestions on things to see & do while we are there? Of course we are going to Dollywood, & to Pigeon Forge also, but besides that, we are going on peoples suggestion on things to do. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Chris

 

[rbishop]

Well that depends on what you enjoy doing. Tons of hiking trails. Tons of trout streams. If you haven't driven thru Cades Cove before you need to do that. Also, the drive over to Cherokee NC is nice. Gambling is available on the Indian Reservation if you are into that kind of thing.
That is only a few things to do in our great state! Oh, breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in downtown Gatlinburg is great,,,kind of pricey but great breakfast. Get there early to beat the crowd.

 

[Igiveup]

Although I live in Oregon, I have been there a couple times. Definately take in the park, Cades Cove, etc. Allow a day for Dollywood, and by all means, you must go to Smokey Mountain Knife Works. It is on the main road to the freeway, can't miss it.

 

[nosaintsfanatic]

rbishop, thanks for the info. Unfortunately, the wife is not into hiking & fishing, so that is out. I hadn't heard about Cades Cove, so that sounds neat. I had heard about Cherokee & the thinks to see there. I think we will definately do that. And we love to eat, so the Pancake Pantry sounds good. Thanks.


Kevin, thanks for the heads up on Smokey Mtn Knife Works, I will definately check that out. Thanks.

Chris

 

[n4zov]

This is one place where men actually can find something to do while their wives are shopping! I can assure you that your wife is going to want to do some heavy duty shopping. There are several tool stores in Pigeon Forge that have good deals on power and hand tools. Also there is a nice tool store behind the Smokey Mountain Knife Works Store - another must stop. Pick up a visitors' guide, and you will find all the information you need. This will get you started:

www.smkw.com

http://www.pigeonforgeonline.c...-forge-shopping.html

http://www.pigeonforgeshopping.com/

 

[haggis]

Depending on exactly when you are going to be there, you may have an opportunity to see something that only happens there and in SE Asia. They have found a colony of synchronous fireflies at the Elkmont campground just outside Gatlinburg. Tens of thousands of fireflies all flashing in sync. They have a bus that goes up from the Visitor Center each evening. This happens in the first half of June, and if you can, I highly recommend you see it. I first saw it in 2006, and it's magnificent. I plan to be there this year, as well.

Buck

 

[nosaintsfanatic]

n4zov, thanks for the links. My wife really appreciates it.

haggis that sounds really neat, but I will miss it by a week. We are going the next week & leaving on the 30th. Thanks.

Chris

 

[Centenniel]

The previous suggestions are all really good. I'd also add the Dixie Stampede. It is well worth the time and price to see the show and enjoy the meal. Great fun!! There is a Native American museum in Cherokee that is excellent.

Oh, and don't forget the aquarium in Gatlinburg.

 

[The Big D]

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg make Times Square seem like Beverly Hills. You will see some interesting sights and even more interesting characters.

If you head over the mountain to Cherokee be aware that Indian Country is dry as a biscuit. Made the drive over the mountain one cold and wet winter night and needed a beer(s)in the worst way. Boy, was I disappointed...and thirsty!

Be safe.

 

[FrankD45]

If you are into fishing or boating, Lake Douglas is nearby. It is a huge man made lake that has tons of rental places at moderate prices.

I hope that helps,

Frank

 

[slowburninsteve]

Shop and eat, eat and shop. Unfortunately there used to be a Smith & Wesson factory store in Pigeon Forge, but it went out of business several years ago. The nearest gunshop is in Knoxville where there are several.
Steve

 

[gregintenn]

As others have said, you HAVE to go to Smokey Mountain Knife Works. The Smokies are fun to watch if you like baseball. There are several good trout streams in the area. Of course there is some pretty scenery, but Gatlinburg is a pretty big tourist trap. There are some really good shows in Pigeon Forge. Dixie Stampede and The Comedy Barn are two of my favorites. If you'd like to leave the Pigeon Forge area for a day or two, I can offer some great suggestions.

 

[Rockman]

Maps are always helpful and here are some of the local area:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps...s-knoxville-1966.jpg
This is the Knoxville sheet from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers topographic series that shows the topography for this part of the southern Appalachians. The culture is
somewhat dated on this 1966 sheet, but you can get an overview of the terrain from this computer view. You can see this sheet and other maps from the 1:100,000 metric topographic series and the 1:24,000 TVA topographic series at the SUGARLANDS VISITOR CENTER just inside the National Park at the Gatlinburg entrance.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps...eat_smoky_park99.pdf
is a more recent (1999) park map in PDF format and is only one of an extensive list of National Park Maps available from the Perry-Castañeda ,map library at the University of Texas, Austin http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

If your family includes children you may want to check out the information about the park's salamanders while visiting SUGARLANDS. Have a great trip. It's a wonderful
part of the country.

 

[nosaintsfanatic]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions & help. We can't wait to get there. I know we will have a blast. Thanks.

Chris

 

[Class III]

If you don't mind a little bit of a drive, east of Gatlinburg is the Biltmore Estate. Nice easy 1.5 hour drive from Gatlinburg through the Smokies, very senic. And the wife will LOVE it.

Class III

 

[gregintenn]

If you could venture down to Chattanooga, about 2 hours away), lookout mountain is a pretty neat civil war sight. They also have a great aquarium.

 

[DCC]

Originally posted by Rockman:
Maps are always helpful ...
....Have a great trip. It's a wonderful
part of the country.

I concur - would like to spend more than just a vacation trip there in East Tn - like retire there...
and thanks for the links to the maps...
I have a number(? never counted them) of the UK 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Maps.

DCC

 

[Lee Barner]

chris, i'm in the other end of the state, but we do have one good attraction here. in my home town of Rutherford, there is a replica of davy crockett's cabin. built with some logs from the last place he lived before he went to texas. his mom is buried there. it opens labor day weekend, but i can get a key if it is before then or on a sunday or monday. email me if you think you might make it this way and i'll give you my phone numbers. lee

 

[em-man]

I just spent another long weekend in Gatlinburg. The last time was 20 years ago. I'm good for another 20 years. There are fantastic things to do in the surrounding area, but, IMHO, Gatlinburg sucks eggs! Traffic, crowds, more traffic, then there's the traffic.

My friend and I tried to get from Sieversville(?) where the women wanted to shop, to Smoky Mountain Knife Works. It should heve taken at worst 20 minutes. 45 minutes later, we had made about one half mile progress due to traffic. I blurted out "Good God Almighty! I can't take this". I did a U turn in the highway and headed in the opposite direction. My friend sighed "Thank God! I wanted to say that 20 minutes ago".

Just imagine being at the state fair on the midway. Now imagine everybody drove their cars...

If it wasn't for the fishing, I would have rented a car to drive home after the first day...

 

[nosaintsfanatic]

Lee, that is a really kind gesture. That definately sounds like something neat to see, but I think we will be staying on the eastern side of the state & going into NC. It things change, I will shoot you an email before we leave. Thanks.


Em-man, I hope it is not that bad when we go. If it is, I guess we will just have to deal with it. Thanks.

Chris