'Nother Gatlinburg/PF question

[Janmac]

My cousins get together every other year in a different part of the country. This year we're "back" in Iowa. Two years ago it was southwestern Washington on the coast. Other locations have been state parks and a national park, each in 3 different states and one location was just a town in southern Idaho. For two years from now we're looking at the Smoky Mtns area. Somewhere more eastern and possible cool(er) in the summer.

We tend to be the hiker/nature types rather than the go-kart/amusement park types. Usually. I'm the coordinator for the reunions - finding places to stay, reserving restaurants or caterers, etc. Usually my cousins figure out their own sightseeing agendas during the day. Sometimes we find our own accommodations and sometimes we stay in the same place. One of the best places was in sw Washington last year because we stayed at a place that offered several different lodging types.

I'm wondering what I need to know about the differences between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. My sense is that Gatlinburg is a bit more quiet and PF is more of a tourist strip sort of thing. They look so close together on the map that I can't think that staying at Gatlinburg hampers enjoyment of PF for those that may want to do Dollywood or the Titanic, etc. And then the Nat'l Park is right there.

I'd appreciate any insight.

Jan

[brianlw71]

Been to both many times and love vacationing in the area. They are both tourist "trap" areas. I say that in a good way though. Pigeon Forge, to many, is a stop off point on your way to Gatlinburg. It has Dollywood and lots of hotels and pancake restaurants. I prefer Gatlinburg...little on the touristy side with Ripleys museum and aquarium but has a lot of small town charm with good shopping and eating. Gatlinburg is right at the base of the Smokeys and Pigeon Forge is a 5 mile drive or so to the Smokeys. Traffic in and through Pigeon is horrible. Gatlinburg traffic is not great either but much easier to get around without driving your car once you make it into town.

[BrowncatP]

Dollywood is a very good park. Nice rides with good theming of the parks "lands." The Titanic museum is great. Pigeon Forge is a slightly more tourist trap place than Gatlinburg, but not by much.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We went in September and we found both areas to be very touristy. Personally I felt the main strip in Gaitlinburg to be very sleazy and cheap. The parts not in town, Cades Cove and that area seem nice but very secluded. Pigeon Forge is pretty touristy but I really enjoyed the Old Mill District, its touristy with class. We stayed at the Christmas Place Inn and it was gorgeous, very clean and fun with a wonderful free breakfast. The only negative was some pain pills got stolen out of my room. My fault I guess I should have put it the safe instead of leaving it in my suitcase. I know a lot of people who say the cabins are the way to go and if you are the outdoorsy type you will probably be happier in a cabin.

[1DisneyNut]

Both are more or less tourist traps. Most of the hotels in Gatlinburg are dumps so do your homework. It is best to rent a Cabin from one of the many cabin rental companies. You can get Cabins in the mountains (really they are nice homes but everyone calls them cabins) with virtually any amenity you can imagine and as large as you want. Some are larger enough for over 20 people. It isn't going to be cool in the summer though, it is in the south. It isn't as bad up on the mountain but down in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge you have the summer heat and humidity.

We visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge about once every 5 years and every time, we leave the place feeling like we didn't come close to getting much value per dollar. You might have a different experience if you are more of the nature/hiking type though because there is plenty of that for free in the Smoky Mountain National Park.

[Basket Mommy]

I grew up going on frequent family trips to Gatlinburg. It used to be so quaint and enjoyable, but it's become such a Redneck tourist trap in the past few years. I have been all different times of year, tried different seasons, etc. and no matter when we go now traffic in G'burg and Pigeon Forge is always awful. To be honest, if you can find a cabin up in the mountains, get your groceries, etc. and stay in the cabin all weekend, you'll fare better. The mountains are great, but I have become increasingly annoyed with the amount of tourist traps in the area. More chain restaurants are moving in, and there are outlet malls, pancake houses, places for families to blow their $$ (go carts, games, dinner shows, etc.) - it just feels like Myrtle Beach of the mountains. If you want to do a nice, secluded mountain getaway, look at the North Georgia mountains (Ellijay, Jasper, etc.) There are stores there (chains) but none of the touristy stuff. I think our last Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge trip in February was our last. We'll be heading to N. Georgia from now on.

[Katzateer]

There are good places to eat in both towns. Lots of Tourist stuff and shopping. The aquarium in Gatlinburg is nice. The towns are very close together.

The chalets in Gatlinburg are nice but close to each other like a subdivision. Not too far (maybe 30 minutes) is an indoor waterpark resort we stayed in part of a trip. I don't think it is a Great Wolf Lodge but like one.

Smokey Mountain National park is beautiful and a lot of great trails to hike.

I am sure you can find enough activities to make everyone happy. Worth a visit-

One thing to keep in mind - traffic is HORRIBLE going through those towns. You move at a snails pace. Getting into the national park can be frustrating but once you get past the visitors center, into the park and trail areas, it is a lot easier.

[IloveJack]

We live in mid-TN so we are in the Smokies 2-3 times a year. In fact, we were there just two weeks ago.
We aren't the go-kart type, either, so we rarely do anything in Pigeon Forge. It's full of carnival ride/go-kart-ish places. There are some good places to eat and some more quaint tourist shops, just not enough to pull us in often. Dollywood is there, but after growing up with Opryland, and being big thrill seekers, it's not worth the cost to me. Did it once, that was enough. Too many "permanent" carnival rides.
As for Gatlinburg, it is much more small-town, but still a tourist trap. There is nothing you can do there without spending money. We always make at least one trip up and down the strip, mainly to people watch/window shop, but that's about it. The new Smoky Mt. Moonshine Holler is nice. You can sample 12 different flavors of moonshine, or just relax outside in the rocking chairs (which is where you'll find me while DH is sampling the fare). There's typically a band playing. The same people have just opened a similar TN Whiskey place, just not quite as big, on the other side of the strip. Eating at the Pancake Pantry is a must, but be there before 9am, or expect a good little wait. Other than that, a lot of chain restaurants and stores have moved in, to balance out the older airbrushed t-shirt shops. As for hotels, the Bearskin Lodge at the upper end of the strip is really nice.
If you want a place out of the tourist trap area, you can stay in Townsend. It still has some shops and some go-karts, but it's much more spread out.
As I said, we aren't the go-kart type. You're much more likely to find us in the woods. I would suggest going to Cade's Cove, getting there early (it's closed til 10am on W/Sa to all except bike traffic, opens at sunrise all other days), and hiking to Abrams Falls. It's a moderate hike with a few steep hills, but the waterfall at the end is huge and big enough to swim under. Also, Grotto Falls is one of our favorites. Again, it's a moderate hike, but not as long as Abrams, and you can actually go under/behind the falls at the end of it.
When we go, we spend 90% of our time in the woods, typically tent camping and hiking, with about 10% in G'burg or eating in PF.
If you arrive via I-40, I would highly suggest stopping at Smoky Mt Knifeworks. To say that it's a knife shop would be an insult to the word understatement. It's 3 stories, and carries so much more than knives; that's just how it started.

[minnie04]

We have been 5 years in a row to PF and we love it. Yes it is very touristy, but we still have a great time. We are not into the go cart theme park stuff when we go either. This is more of a relaxed do whatever kind of vacation for us. We go in big groups for New Year’s week and it’s a blast. The traffic is really bad sometimes, but nothing to keep you from going. If you choose to go into Gatlinburg plan on being in a lot of bumper to bumper. We are trying something new this year and heading over to NC for the week. I hope we like it ..lol

[Janmac]

Wow! Thanks for the great info!

I saw the mountain cabins and didn't think about them for us because we're a group. And the cabins seem spread out. Some reunions we're closer to 20 people and last reunion we had 50 on Saturday night. The sw coast of Washington was a big draw.

And I've been wondering about the North Carolina area, on the other side of the Nat'l Park.

I'll check into Townsend, as well.

Jan

[Katzateer]

When we rented a chalet in Gaitlinburg we had about 20 people. The chalet had 3 levels and was very nice. We had 4 families sharing and it had plenty of room.

[mac badger]

Ive stayed in Pigeon Forge once and visited Gatlinburg for the day 3 seperate times. Honestly they are both just too touristy for me. The one thing I do like in Gatlinburg is Hillbilly Golf. You take a little incline rail car up the side of the mountain, and play mini golf down the mountain. Its shaded with trees so it stays cool in summer. Last time we stopped in Gatlinburg that's all we did, because trying to do anything else was so frustrating
What we usually do is stay in a cabin near Waynesville NC. It is close to the Ntl park entrance, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a cute little town in its own right. Maggie Valley is also nearby. That's a little touristy but nothing like Gatlinburg/pigeon forge. You could look for a large cabin that would fit 20, or individual motel rooms, or some places have housekeeping cabins so you could get 5 or 6 of those. Then, if people in your group want to go to Gatlinburg for the day and ride go-karts they can, and the rest of the time can be spent enjoying the mountains

[buzznwoodysmom]

We have not been fans of the Gatlinburg area, but my SIL and her family visited again this summer and had a wonderful time.

They aren't into the touristy attractions either, but did enjoy Dollywood. They mostly did some hiking and white water rafting.

They stayed in a gorgeous cabin in the mountains, and I believe they were situated in the Gatlinburg area. Their cabin even had an indoor pool! I can find out the company they rented from if your interested.

As much as we have always said we didn't love Gatlinburg we are making plan's to do a large family trip there for Thanksgiving within the next few years. It's a good place where those who want to keep busy have plenty to do, and those who just want to relax can do so in a beautiful mountain setting.

[Janmac]

Thanks, everyone. I'm just back from our cousins reunion in rural Iowa, not far from the Amana colonies. Been looking around the western NC area and have discovered that Maggie Valley is a bit touristy and discovered Waynesville.

Either one is sounding more like what we'd be interested in.