Holidays in the Great Smoky Mountains

Planning a vacation in the Great Smokey Mountains - dos and don’ts

Spring break is a very popular vacation time in the United States of America. And you can probably guess which destination is the most popular for spring break. Correct. Florida, more precisely Miami. I have been to Florida for spring break last year, although I did not go to Miami, but to a nice area, called Naples, so I decided to travel to a different place for this year’s spring break.

Since I already had quite a few trips to the beach planned for this year, I decided to check out some more mountainous areas. And since the flights for spring break are usually super expensive, I decided that my destination has to be a driving distance away. And since I have already seen a big part of Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia, which are all the states that border Ohio, I decided to venture down south.

I have also been to Kentucky quite a few times, but a state below Kentucky seemed very interesting. I am talking about the state, called Tennessee, and I have only been there once before. Well, not really, I passed through it on a twenty four hour Greyhound bus trip to New Orleans, but that is a story for another day.

So how did I pick which part of Tennessee would I like to visit? It is quite simple. I wanted a place that has a typical southern feel, offers some nice hiking (although I am not sure I want to wander around after what I saw - keep reading to find the reason! ) and preferably has some forms of entertainment.

And I found a perfect place, called Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg offers cabins in the woods, a lot of hiking, the nearby town (well, a small city) of Pigeon Forge is like the Las Vegas of the American south, and there is also an amusement park, called Dollywood, that I also checked out.

A town of Pigeon Forge is filled with quirky shops and attractions.

When I booked the place to stay, and I started to do some more in-depth research on things to do, I became a bit skeptical about my decision on the destination, because I usually prefer beach vacation, but since I already booked a quite expensive cabin in the woods, I had no choice but leave the beach vacation for some other day. And I am glad to say that, as soon as I entered the weirdly amazing town of Pigeon Forge, I knew I made the right decision.

In this blog post, I decided to tell you more about the area, and it will hopefully make your Tennessee vacation planning much easier. I am a kind of person that loves to research a lot before my trips, but I know not many people are like me, so I am hoping you will find this entry useful if you are not a big fan of vacation planning. Enjoy!

When to go?

Gatlinburg is a year-round destination. In winter, you can come here to ski, although is you are an expert skier, you might find the slopes here boring. In spring, autumn and summer, Gatlinburg is a paradise for the lovers of nature. You can hike, walk, attend one of many shows, and visit Dollywood.

If you visit Gatlinburg during major holidays (just like me for the spring break), you will notice how crowded it is, and that makes eating out quite a challenge for three reasons. The first reason is that there is a limited number of restaurants here, since this is a small city. Second reason is that most restaurants close early (as early as five in the evening), and the third reason is a big number of visitors during peak times.

Where to stay?

Gatlinburg has quite a few lodges, motels and hotels, but for a more authentic experience, I would suggest you to stay in a cabin. There is the so-called Chalet Village, which offers some pretty cool, renovated cabins. Of course it makes sense not to rent a whole cabin by yourself, because they usually sleep eight to ten people, and you will be spending a lot of money for no reason, so why not share the costs with some of your friends?

The cabin that we stayed at, was called the Vacay Chalet, and it had five rooms with queen sized beds, a gaming basement with a PlayStation, air hockey, soccer table, darts and mini bar, a fully equipped kitchen, TV with Netflix, Roku TV and Amazon movies, a hot tub, and even Wi-Fi. We paid almost two thousand dollars for a week, but since there was five of us, the cost came down to approximately four hundred dollars per person. Well, sometimes it is nice to have a more luxurious vacation and not stay in hostels all the time.

What to do?

The Great Smokey Mountains have no shortage of things to do. While I was researching on things to do during my trip there, these were the things that were recommended:

River rafting was the first one on the list. I have done river rafting several times back in Europe, and I have to say that the rapids in Europe are much more thrilling than in the Great Smokey Mountains. Well, it is still a bucket list experience, because you might be lucky and spot some black bears, trying to catch some fish from the river. Or does that mean you are unlucky?

This is just a statue... I would not be that close to the real black bear!

Hiking is the main reason some people visit the area. Apparently, bird watching is also very popular in the area, and you can even hire guides that will help you with finding the best spots for observing different bird species. Regarding the hiking trails, they range from easy to quite difficult, and on each one of them, you have a chance to see a black bear or two.

Kayaking is another adrenaline inducing thing that you can do there. If you have never done kayaking before, you should probably skip it, since the rapids here are supposedly very difficult. When I first tried kayaking, they took us on a lake, because it is much easier to learn how to maintain your balance on a calm water than on the wild rapids.

Exploring the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Gatlinburg is a pretty amazing city with lots of things to do. In fact, it is interesting enough that I decided to write a whole new blog post about it, so if you would like to know more about Gatlinburg, check it out.

How about Pigeon Forge? Pigeon Forge is one of the most unique cities I have been to - it somehow looks like Las Vegas. It is full of arcade games, trampoline parks, indoor rides and so on. It is a good idea to reserve at least half a day for your visit to Pigeo Forge - the city is extremely captivating!

Gatlinburg is also a paradise for moonshine lovers...

and fans of interesting attractions.

Visiting Dollywood. Dollywood is a pretty interesting amusement park, owned by a singer Dolly Parton - hence the name. I wrote a separate blog post about it, where I collected some tips to make your visit to the park as smooth as possible.

Enjoying the southern food. There is no better place to try the authentic southern food that this area. Prepare for a lot of barbecue dishes, and some impressive delicacies. You basically cannot go wrong with any restaurant that you choose.

One of many Gatlinburg's southern style restaurants.

Seeing a dinner show. Dinner shows are extremely popular in the area. The most popular (and also the most expensive) one is the Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and you have to book most of these shows well in advance. Well, you might be lucky and you will score an available spot, resulting in a last minute cancellation, but if you are travelling with a bigger group, please do not rely on luck.

What not to do?

Two words: black bears! More detailed explanation: the Great Smokey Mountains are known as the home of black bears. You will see black bear statues everywhere, and what is way more intimidating, are the signs that tell you this is a black bear habitat and you are there at your own risk.

When I was driving from my cabin towards town to get some groceries, I noticed a black bear, standing in the middle of the road. And then I saw a deserted minivan with two black bear cubs in it! The explanation was the following - the family was bringing groceries into the house and they just left the car door open.

The black bears smelled the food and helped themselves to a tasty meal, while the family stayed inside the cabin and helplessly watched the black bears rummaging through their car. I had time to stop the car and snap a quick picture, but as soon as one of the black bears started to walk towards my car, I got out of there as fast as I could.

I mean, they are cute, but I am glad I was inside the car when I saw them!

Moral of the story - keep the car door closed at all times, and keep the cabin doors closed as well. Well, unless you want some bears to keep you company. Which I really doubt.

If you decide to go hiking (or even camping) in the mountains and forests, first of all, make sure you are keeping your food in a so - called bear resistant containers, which prevent the bears to smell the food. Also, always make sure you know where you are going, and tell someone about your plans so they can start the search party if you are not back at a designated time. It is a wise decision to travel with at least one more person. And, this should not be a surprise, but cell phone coverage is non existent in a fairly big amount of the area.

There are several outdoor companies that organize guided trips into the wilderness, and if you are a novice hiker, I would strongly suggest you to take a trip with one of the companies. Their groups are small, so it will feel like you are hiking with close friends, but it will also be much safer with the guides than it would be on your own.

A few words for the end…

If you are a fan of nature and hiking, and you would also like to check out the typical American south, then a vacation in the Great Smokey Mountains is a perfect option for you. While the accommodation can be pretty expensive, you will forget about the money once you see the nature and the beauty of the city of Gatlinburg itself.

Photo gallery