Hi All,

We will be driving from St. Louis MO to meet our daughter who will be driving from Roanoke VA to meet in Gatlinburg TN.


Does anyone have any special suggestions/things to do to recommend?

Go visit the Smoky Mtn National and spend all your time there.

I got gas and drove through Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area once, couldn't wait to get through it and into the park. I'd never seen so much man-made, low-brow attractions for people to spend their hard-earned money. Mile after mile of excuses for amusement rides, oddities/curiosities and bad kitsch themed stores. It was numbing after awhile.

About the only good things there...… The Park and Smokey Mountain Knife Works. Enjoy.

Andrew

quote:

Go visit the Smoky Mtn National and spend all your time there.

Yeah. I lived there for four years. Ask the Park Rangers about some short backcountry hikes. The majority of visitors to the park never leave their cars. There are some beautiful short hikes to waterfalls and bluffs overlooking steep dropoffs.

Cades Cove is my favorite area in the Smokies. Theres an 11 mile loop, one way traffic only, scenic trail that you can drive through. Lots of places to get out and look/explore. There is also a campgroud if you are into that. I love it there!

+1 for Cades Cove. Get there early in the morning for viewing of critters, then go eat pancakes. Go over the mountain and visit Cherokee NC.

Has it recovered from the big fires last year or year before last?

Great advice so far. Lots of places are there just to separate you from your money. The national park and nature are top attractions and they’re cheap or even free in comparison.

Rent a cabin if you’re staying two or more nights if you want space and a view. Cabins are available in the “city” to many miles away, so be sure about the location and any amenities you want. The cleaning and other fees are a little high but it’s worth it if you plan to spend much time in your quarters.

The aquarium is good. We’ve been two or three times over the years and enjoyed it.

They have a festival of trees around Thanksgiving. It’s in the Civic Center and has been free when we’ve been there (last time was three or four years ago around Thanksgiving so that could have changed).

There’s an indoor water park that’s fun for the kids in the fall to spring. If your daughter is beyond college age, she might not care for that.

Hope you have a great time.

The aviation museum at the airport is pretty good too.

If you have kids, Wild bear falls waterpark

If you need to stock up on ninja weapons, you are going to the right place!

We have spent 2 Christmas's there...yes it's a tourist trap but we spent most of the time at the cabin. It was at the top of the hill and had a great view....home cooking, chopped wood for the fire and lounged around. SMKW is always good, the women folk enjoyed it almost as much as I did, the Titanic Museum is quite OK as well.

DO NOT EAT AT THE OLD MILL.

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Originally posted by black1970:
DO NOT EAT AT THE OLD MILL.

We’ve eaten there twice over the years and really liked it. The most recent time was several years ago so it may not be as good as it used to be.

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Originally posted by StarTraveler:

quote:

Originally posted by black1970:
DO NOT EAT AT THE OLD MILL.

We’ve eaten there twice over the years and really liked it. The most recent time was several years ago so it may not be as good as it used to be.

We like the Old Mill. We have eaten there many times... including just last week, and at least once every time we are in town.
Mel's Classic Diner (Pigeon Forge) for a 50's theme meal or their desserts is good.
Both will usually be crazy busy.

I'm addicted to the Apple Cobbler A La Mode at the Creamery at the Apple Barn. (Sevierville)

A Favorite drive is Little river road to Cades Cove. The Foothills Pky is nice as well.
Too bad you will miss the fall color.

There is a bypass around G'burg you can take to get to the park but we like to go through town, for the people watching, except for peak times when traffic is just too bad or we are in a hurry.

If going over the mountain on 441 we often stop at the trailhead to Chimney Tops. A very short walk in leads to a walk bridge over a bolder filled stream.

Just got back from there two weeks ago. There are a lot of good choices given here already. I liked the Old Mill too. We had an hour wait, so we went next door for moonshine sampling. Another thing that was not mentioned was Anakeesta Park. It is right in downtown Gatlinburg. Has a ski lift that will take you up to a mountain. Does not cost much and buy tickets online so you don't have to wait in long ticket line.

Thank you all so far!

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Originally posted by cparktd:
A Favorite drive is Little river road to Cades Cove. .

Very early in the morning.

Pigeon Forge is the biggest tourist trap I've been to in a long time .

taco68 mentioned moonshine sampling. There are a number of places where that’s possible including at least three my wife found in Gatlinburg on our last trip. I don’t drink much so I tried two to four thimballs-full (approximate sample size) at the first couple of places and skipped the last one. She enjoyed herself without getting drunk but then brought home some cinnamon-flavored stuff that I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. It’s been about two years since that trip and that cinnamon crap is still in the cabinet so maybe three samplings affected her more than I originally thought.

:-)