Dollywood/Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN

[Goofy Pluto]

Hi all.

We're looking at possibly planning a vacation to Tennessee. I'm wondering if anyone has any good advice to save money, a nice place to stay (cabin preferred), and any other advice. I was looking at possibly doing Dollywood season passes to save money in the parks on food/merchandise/parking and maybe on a rental. But then I know there are places that will give you tickets if you stay there. So I'm so confused on what's the best option to take right now. Any advice (or good sources of info) would be appreciated. Thanks.

[disneydeb]

I am glad you are thinking of coming to Tennessee for your vacation! Deals on cabins change from season to season, so I suggest you google for a good find to suit your needs. There are even cabins with indoor swimming pools!

There are all sorts of deals for 2 or 3 day passes for Dollywood and waterparks there, or there were last year... again, look on line..

But Dollywood isn't my favorite thing to do in the Smokies! A short drive over the mountain will take you to Cherokee, North Carolina. The drive is beautiful and the historical Native American living history museum is awesome.
While driving to Cherokee, you may want to hike to Laurel Falls.. this is an easy path up hill for about a mile or less to a beautiful water fall. Some even walk behind the falls here! It is one of the easiest nature hikes the National Park offers and found on the Tennessee side of the mountain, just as you begin to ascend.
My favorite picnic/cookout spot is ChimneyTop Picnic area, again found on the right as you begin to ascend the mountain toward Cherokee. It offers a cold mountain stream with plenty large rocks in the middle and around the stream. If you are there at supper time, you have a good chance of seeing a bear- be careful, do not feed the bears or antagonize them in any way. This area closes around 7:00PM, I think.

Have a wonderful vacation!

[IwannabeinNarnia]

I love the Smokies! My family vacationed there every year as I was growing up. My husband and I are actually going in November this year to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We typically stay in the hotels (Clarion is a favorite).. this year we are trying the Old Creek Lodge. We have stayed in a chalet before. Used Jackson Mountain Homes. They were very nice. Gatlinburg.com is a good source of information. And you can order a free travel guide. Pigeon Forge also has a web site where you can order a travel guide. I have never been to Dollywood so I can not make any comments on that. We typically stick to the free stuff.. all the wonderful mountain drives, and walking, and Cades Cove...The Ripley Aquarium is a neat place to check out. Food wise we LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pancake Pantry! Best breakfast around! We have eaten at Dixie Stampede a few times and really enjoyed the food and show there! There's a Lumberjack Feud show that we plan to try this year.

[HollyB]

We've stayed twice with Jackson Mountain Homes (previously recommended) and had good stays both times. I also recommend Chimney Tops for a picnic by the Pigeon Creek. Laurel Falls is nice and is categorized as an "easy" hike, but we're from the flatlands of Illinois, so I'd forgotten how to climb hills and my calves were protesting by the time we were done. Also, the trail had some pretty steep dropoffs, so little kids would have to be watched carefully if they are part of your trip. I'd recommend two restaurants, in Sevierville, Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant (a TON of food, so you can share with ease) and in Pigeon Forge, the Old Mill Pottery House Cafe and Grille (not to be confused with the Old Mill Restaurant) (the food and service were both awesome). If you're looking for other adventure, the kids (teens) really enjoyed the zipline in Gatlinburg and the indoor skydiving (really big fan that pushes you up) in Pigeon Forge.

[Katzateer]

. Laurel Falls is nice and is categorized as an "easy" hike, but we're from the flatlands of Illinois, so I'd forgotten how to climb hills and my calves were protesting by the time we were done. Also, the trail had some pretty steep dropoffs, so little kids would have to be watched carefully if they are part of your trip. I'd recommend two restaurants, in Sevierville, Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant (a TON of food,Gatlinburg Forge.

We enjoyed the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Also, if you go on the 4 th, they have the first and
longest parade of the day in the nation. Starts
at midnight and it lasted about 2 hours! We got
a room in town with a balcony so we could sit up there and watch. the rest of the time we stayed in large condos on the edge of town ( we were traveling with a dance competition group).

Have fun!

[JanetMegan]

I actually have a couple things to add but I am slammed right now and making myself a note to come back BUT here is the big thing. Depending on when you are planning on going, if it is before the end of May-beware. The road that leads from Cherokee to Gatlinburg is closed due to landslide and is unpassable until construction is finished. I'm not even sure of the exact location but I know you can look it up-google 441 closure or something. We are up in that area (Cherokee) a lot and often pass over the mountain-but not lately

[JanetMegan]

We were up this past weekend and just FYI the road is re-opened now!

[mdricks]

Tennessee is a great place to vacation. Dolly wood is a nice park and the water park is fun as well. It's not WDW but the theming is pretty good the park is clean and there is wholesome family feel to the place.

If you search Gatlinburg cabins you will be quickly overwhelmed by the choices. We have trusted our instincts (and google maps) and have not been unhappy. We have stayed in 4 different cabins and would stay at any of them again. All told it is an excellent and affordable vacation.

Last time out we went to the welcome center at the park and got a map with information on all the falls. We hiked just about every one of them. Most were easy a few were challenging. The map was very trustworthy with respect to the difficulty of the hike. I highly recommend spending time in the park. It's a beautiful area. If you happen to fly fish there are some wonderful trout spots in the park.

Eat at the old mill restaurant. You pick your entree and it comes with corn chowder, salad, and dessert. The food is out of this world but be ready for a wait. We make a point of eating here at least once every trip.

Most importantly be ready to relax. It is a place with plenty to do but unlike many tourist destinations you can truly unwind. A nice bottle of wine out on the porch watching the sun set over the Smokeys, pure heaven.

Have fun, you will not regret going.

[mdricks]

Crud. Forgot about Cade's Cove. Absolutely beautiful. Lots of history and seeing how people in the area lived is really interesting. We have been fortunate to see bears every time we have been out there. An amateur photographers dream.

[tjstrike]

We live about 2 hrs from Dollywood and get season passes almost every year. Lots of new rides in the last couple of years. Try great smoky mountain vacations for some nice cabins or go straight thru Dollywood to rent theirs. They give you a good deal on park tickets when you rent the Dollywood cabins. Too much to list as to stuff to do in PF / Gatlinburg. All you have to do is walk up and down the street. Find Patriot park for the 4th, they have an all day event with an awesome fireworks display. I 3rd the Ripley's aquarium, it's a must do.

[disneydeb]

I just got back from Gatlinburg and the Pigeon Forge area.

Among some of the other things mentioned, we did the Titanic Experience and it was an awesome experience... highly recommended!