Summer travel to gatlinburg TN

Hi TW we're planning a smokey mountain trip this summer with the kiddos. we're looking for things to do and stay in the gatlinburg area. i'm pretty sure some of you guys been there before, so if you could chime in and give us some tips would be appreciated.

There will be probably about 6 adults and 5 kiddos ages from 2 to 9. We were looking for a cabin up in the mountain somewhere, where we will be away from the everyday grind. since we live in the city it would be nice to get away from the everyday city life and let the kids enjoy the outdoors. none of our kids been in the outdoor (wild) before so that will be a good experience for them.

i have done a search for cabin in that area and so many of them popup, don't know what really to look for when choosing a cabin. Hoping to find a central location where we can drive a little bit to get to our places of interest and come back at night to enjoy the outdoors.

we are going to the smokey mountain NP for sure and i know there's a lot of outdoors stuff to do there but if you know of anything that would be fun we would love your input.

 

Cades cove is a MUST try to wake up early and see it in the AM (critters are out) or in the eve can see some bears deer etc. Dollywood is pretty neat I think they have a water park type dollywood called splash country. Downtown gatlinburg is neat walk around town take the little ski lift up the side of the mountain for a view. Think theres a classic car musuem in pigeon forge/severeville along with a basspro shop to look at if your bored. That whole entire area is pretty. Maybe take an afternoon to drive thru the smoky mtn nat'l park or get out and hike some trails

Been there a few times

 

that is good to know. we will definetely check out cades cove. too bad i won't be drivng my taco up there. there should be some good place to wheel up there.

thanks

 

cades cove is a must. Traffic can be slow as fuck though! also cabins look around pigeon forge it’s pretty close to gatlinburg(i think lik 5 miles from down town G-burg.(that we we all around here call it for short) there is all kinds of stuff to do. like zip lines and go carts, ober sets some stuff up for summer idk what though.

also let me know what day you will be up. I may come hang if you want. I’m like 45 min a way. and there is a classic car museum in G burg i think dik about pigeon forge.

and don’t worry about not having truck not really any where close to wheel. idk maybe some service type roads some where. but probably only need 2wd.

edit: i know i’m missing a lot, so if you see something feel free to ask me questions about it. also ripley’s aquarium is nice and the kids would LOVE it!

 

thanks zach i'll take you up on your offer. we never been to that side of town. it would be nice to hang with a local. don't have exact dates yet, but i know it will be this coming summer sometime.

 

heck yeah man! rod run is coming up april 20th we having a nice sized meet and greet in pigeon forge. it like a big car show kinda thing thats starts on a friday and ends sunday. all kinds of rat rods muscle cars.

also pigeon forge just legalized liqueur by the drink if you care about that at all. LOTS of people hate it and say it’s not family friendly now. which is BS because everyone that drank had to drive to G burg or severille or buy and drink at the place they stayed at. Now people can walk from all the hotels and eat and drink instead of driving.

 

When in Cades Cove te hike to Abrahm's Falls is one of the best. Well marked trail and about 5 miles each way. You get back to a good sized falls with pond below. It's a good trail to get away and spend a couple hours in the woods.

 

how bad is the bear issues in the trail? i've heard some bad things happening while hiking in the woods. might leave the kids in the cabin and take a hike with my brother in there. I definitely want to go for a hike in the woods.

 

bear encounters DO happen. But from what i know are kinda rare, and most the time nothing happens. Make a lot of noise and make your self appear as big as you can.
also early spring and mid late fall would probably be the time an encounter would me most likely to happen. mid summer and stuff probably not as likely.

There maybe an attack every 3 or 4 years maybe longer. They are not very often i know that and it’s usually a momma bear with cubs.

edit: leaving kids in the cabin would not hurt at all. I’d be down to come up and go on a hick with you guys.

 

Get some bear spray or an airhorn I think you'd be fine...lol

Lots of wheeling to be had in my part of TN (2 hours W of G-burg) Most atvs but def take a truck thru some

 

yeah lot of wheeling around me. windrock. royal blue WMA is ok, it has more atv trails then truck trails. Thats where my sig pic was taken on a logging road. most the truck friendly trails are current or old logging and haul roads, some trails you could go down but i would not without bumper/lift/sliders and mud tires.

 

i'm just being paranoid. i watch too much "i shouldn't be alive" lol but a air horn wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

haha i know what you mean. and i love that show. and I got kinda creeped out by monsters of Alaska or something like that name a few days ago.

 

I've hiked that trail about 10 times and probabaly about 15 others in Gatlinburg and have never seen a bear on the trails. If you stay to the more traveled I think bears tend to stay away.

 

i'm pretty sure it will be ok if you stay in the more populated area.

 

where is this place exactly? we're looking for a cabin in the gatlinburg or pigeon forge area.

 

yeah. lets put it this way. i’m about 40min to 1h a way from that area and i hardly ever hear anything. if bad stuff happened i’d hear about it really fast.

Now i’m not going to say you wont see a bear, but it’s not likely it would hurt you at all.

 

that's good to know.

what's a better place to stay? gatlinburg or pigeon forge?

 

We were just there and stayed in Sevierville at a wyndham resort. Sevierville and Pigeonforge is basically all connected, and Gatlinburg is only minutes away, so it does not really matter where you stay. Closer to gatlinburg is probably more in the mountains, i.e. steeper slopes for that mountain feeling, but really not that big difference. If you can get a cabin in Wears Valley, it is more rural and not as busy as the pigeonforge and gatlinburg areas, but still only minutes away.
Do:
Cades cove and hiking trails
Zip lines
Smokey Mountain Knife Factory
Maybe Dixie Stampede
Don't spend time in stores and restaurants - you can do it at home.

 

Depends, if you want a cabin you'll probably be in between gburg and pigeon forge (in the mtns) pigeon forge is like the vegas strip lol gatlinburg is busy but alot smaller