Pigeon Forge, Tn

[Mad About Mickey]

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park has some wonderful sights and adventures to offer. Cades Cove is a nice trip and you have a good chance of seeing a bear or 2 or 3 etc.. Cataloochee is out of the way on the NC side of the park but a great place to see plenty of elk. Clingmans Dome is a nice hike. Deep Creek in Bryson City has a nice short waterfall hike and is also a great place for tubing down the creek though March runoff may be cold and fast. If you were going a little later in the year I would definitely say to try tubing on Deep Creek and Sliding Rock in Nearby Pigsah National Forest is an awesome natural water slide not to be missed in warmer weather. Check out the National Park Service web site for some great information.

[d_m_n_n]

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is one of our "in-between" trips too! We *highly* suggest the Comedy Barn!! We took DSs (11 and 7) and there was nothing salty that made me cringe. We will definitely repeat this on a future trip. Dixie Stampede is also fun, but let me warn you that they do not use eating utensils. We usually sneak in our own. The Davy Crockett mini-golf is by far the most fun!! There are 2 different courses and we will play both.

Also, when driving through the park try some of the "Quiet Walk" trails. We saw some beautiful sights that we would normally not have seen. To see wildlife, try to be at Cades Cove at dawn...it is so peaceful and you will see some kind of animals (from bears to deer).

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We go every year at Spring Break.
Folks have given you some great suggestions.
I will just reinforce that the Aquarium is certainly worth a visit. The Ripley's mini golf's are the best kept up and most fun also. Buy a combo pack at the aquarium for a golf ticket if you plan to mini golf.

Corky's Barbecue is very good and Bennett's Pit Barbecue has been good too.

Adventure Quest is new and fun.
Wonderworks is fun.
The Old Mill area is worth a visit. Eat lunch at the Old Mill restaurant (same menu as dinner but cheaper).
Dixie Stampede is a good show and good food.

The hikes to Grotto Falls, Laural Falls or Arch Rock are easy to do and very much worth the walk.

Go on line and request a "Vacation Planner" from mypigeonforge.com also request a "What to do in the Smokey's" (google their site) It has great info about attractions, hikes and food.

I remember seeing something about an Old Mill Pottery that has a restauarant in it, is that what you're talking about?

[Tigerinvestigator]

Ripleys aquarium is great, Ripleys haunted attraction is very well done, and the mystery house is also fun if you like haunted houses.
Howards in Gatlinburg is a good place to eat.

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

Spring Break is a good time to go to the Smokies, but be prepared for wide-ranging temperatures. Even if the days are warm, it can get chilly at night.

There is tons of tourist stuff to do on the Gatlingburg and Pigeon Forge strips, and you could quickly spend lots of money! If you like hiking, there are many, many (FREE!) hikes ranging from short and easy to long and strenuous. Several have already been mentioned here. Cades Cove is great, but be warned that it is a very long drive. There is a trail somewhere in the middle of it. You pull over and park, then hike a few miles to a waterfall. They also offer horseback rides and wagon rides in Cades Cove.

Chimney Tops would be great for teenage boys. It's not very long, but it's STRAIGHT UP! The view from the tops is truly amazing.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Spring Break is a good time to go to the Smokies, but be prepared for wide-ranging temperatures. Even if the days are warm, it can get chilly at night.

There is tons of tourist stuff to do on the Gatlingburg and Pigeon Forge strips, and you could quickly spend lots of money! If you like hiking, there are many, many (FREE!) hikes ranging from short and easy to long and strenuous. Several have already been mentioned here. Cades Cove is great, but be warned that it is a very long drive. There is a trail somewhere in the middle of it. You pull over and park, then hike a few miles to a waterfall. They also offer horseback rides and wagon rides in Cades Cove.

Chimney Tops would be great for teenage boys. It's not very long, but it's STRAIGHT UP! The view from the tops is truly amazing.

How much time should we devote for Cades Cove? I'd rather not use more than 1/2 day for any one thing. Thanks for your help

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

Without checking any online maps, I'm just doing this from memory. . . . I think Cades Cove is about 20 miles from the entrance to the park (at the far end of Gatlinburg by the Sugarlands area). It's something like an 11 mile driving loop, but you drive SL-OW-LY because you're absorbing the scenery and watching for deer, turkeys, etc. We typically get stir crazy about halfway through and force DH to park the car so we can hop out, run around, take pics, sneak up on deer, etc. It seriously can take 1/2 day . . .or at least 2-3 hours of Quality Car Time.

***parents of small children: this is a fabulous trick to force in a nap!***

It's a must do for my DH because he loves to look for deer and wildlife. Next time I am going to make it more interesting for the rest of us by incorporating some horseback riding or the hike I referred to in the earlier post.

Best time to go is what DH calls "Deer:30" This is late afternoon, after you've been hiking all day and you're glad to sit still and relax anyway. The closer you are to sunset, the more active the animals are. (It closes at sunset.)

[Jeff]

I remember seeing something about an Old Mill Pottery that has a restaurant in it, is that what you're talking about?

No, that's the "Old Mill Pottery House Café and Grill" which is just across the stree (all in the Old Mill Square area). It is good too but I'm talking about the "Old Mill Restaurant". Great Pot Roast, pot pies, and excellent Pecan Pie.

[Jeff]

Also, for a nice short walk (less than a mile) stop at the Sugarlands Visitor Center (just outside of Gatlinburg) and take the short "hike" along a creek and back to a old log home. You will get a taste of hiking without having to go far.

[Basket Mommy]

No, that's the "Old Mill Pottery House Café and Grill" which is just across the stree (all in the Old Mill Square area). It is good too but I'm talking about the "Old Mill Restaurant". Great Pot Roast, pot pies, and excellent Pecan Pie.

Last year when we tried to get into the Old Mill and were told it was a 90-minute wait, we went over to the Old Mill Pottery and had an excellent meal. They have fried green tomatoes with avocado ranch dressing that is to DIE for. I loved it so much I bought a huge jar of it to take home. DEE-LISH-US. The Old Mill is good, but the Pottery is just as yummy (and the dishes are gorgeous... handmade!)

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Last year when we tried to get into the Old Mill and were told it was a 90-minute wait, we went over to the Old Mill Pottery and had an excellent meal. They have fried green tomatoes with avocado ranch dressing that is to DIE for. I loved it so much I bought a huge jar of it to take home. DEE-LISH-US. The Old Mill is good, but the Pottery is just as yummy (and the dishes are gorgeous... handmade!)

Yum, that does sound like good dressing...I'll make a note to pick some up.

[Basket Mommy]

Yum, that does sound like good dressing...I'll make a note to pick some up.

It's freshly made, so it will need to be refrigerated. If you want to take some home and have a long drive back home, make sure you have a cooler.