Gatlinburg Tennessee

 Gatlinburg Tennessee is a beautiful little town right at the entrance to the Smoky Mountains Park. That being said, it is all for the tourists. The main street is all shops. They also have an aquarium, and other kinds of game shops, mini golf, arcades, etc. But it is mainly an area for shopping. We spent a day walking around and seeing what there was. I always love a good candy store, so we made a few pit stops to see what was there. 

Restaurants are all along this street as well. Even though we were there in them midst of the pandemic, the streets were jam packed with tourists. I guess in this part of the world there is no such thing as an off season. But it was a nice excursion to play the tourist and wonder through the town for a few hours. 

The Tuckaleechee Caverns in Tennessee

 

One of the days was supposed to be full of rain. We did a short hike in the morning and then decided to go explore the Tuckaleechee caves in Townsend, Tennessee. These caves are located inside one of the Smoky Mountain ranges. 

The caves are estimated to be 20 - 30 million years old, with an underground waterfall 210 feet tall. 

The caverns also host a seismograph system monitored by the US Department of Defense and the Unites States Geological Survey.

It was a guided tour, and really worth seeing. It's a very popular spot to explore in Tennessee, and of course the gift shop has rock candy. Definitely a spot worth stopping to see.

Pigeon Forge Tennessee

 Pigeon Forge is a small city right next to the Smoky Mountain National Park entrance. It's a bit less expensive than Gatlinburg, and not very big. The main road through town is only about 3 miles long and then you move onto the next town. 

But yes, this is where Dollywood is at. It was not open when we were there because of the pandemic, so it wasn't on our list of things to do.

I had picked to stay in Pigeon Forge based on my research that it was close to the park entrance and was cheaper than Gatlinburg. This town is definitely for the tourists. Pancake House restaurants and mini golf is on every street corner. There are arcades, lots of dinner theater places, small size roller coasters, games, quirky museums, etc. If you have children, this town is for you. Lots of quirky things to do and see to keep the kids entertained. Shops everywhere, candy stores, and lots of restaurants and fast food. And it was always jam packed with people. Everywhere you looked, anytime you tried to drive through town, it was a mess of people all the time.

Justin and I were there for the nature aspect, plus it was during the pandemic, so going to an arcade or quirky museum was not really on our list of things to do. Plus we were so tired by the end of the day we didn't really want to fight crowds of people. 

There were a lot of places where it was a family style all you can eat dinner with a show attached. We thought about going, and even attempted to on one occasion. But you had to buy tickets in advanced (they were all sold out) and it was rather pricey. $60 a person for dinner, which looked on the mediocre side, and a cheesy show. Just not our kind of thing.

The problem for us was definitely the food options. During the day was fine - we were hiking so we packed sandwiches and snacks, and breakfast we made in the room as we had a microwave, fridge, and single portable burner. Eggs and bacon and sausage probably made our neighbors jealous. Dinner came to be an issue every time. 

Being from Austin, Texas, we are spoiled for food choices. And it's good, hole in the way, real people authentic good quality stuff. To go to a town where your food options are fast food - McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, etc., was not really great. They do have restaurants as well, Outback Steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, and some other local style places. The food wasn't bad, but it just wasn't the options we enjoy. Needless to say dinner was always disappointing. When you don't eat fast food often, you often feel really sick afterwards. So if you stay here, and you are a foodie, be prepared to be disappointed. Or bring your own portable burners and cook your own food in your hotel rooms. That is the best option.

Streams in the Smoky Mountains

 

Just as a follow up to the waterfalls, lets show off some of the beautiful streams we saw along our hikes. Can you see why I'm obsessed? The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, so enjoy the scenery.

Horse Back Riding in the Smoky Mountains

 

We love horseback riding. If I could do it every weekend I totally would. I love it. There are lots of places to go riding in Tennessee in the park, or near the park, but there are options everywhere. There are some stable and a riding options right next to Cades Cove that we decided to try out. It was a leisurely 1 hour ride through the park. 

You cannot make reservations which was the downside. You have to get there when they open and wait in line to see what time you'd be slotted in. If you didn't want to do the horse riding, they do have a carriage ride you can take instead. Good to have options.

If you love riding, I recommend doing this. It's for beginners, it's slow, you have a guide with you making cheesy jokes and telling you some history of the park, and you are riding a horse in the beautiful mountains. I would do this all the time if I could.

So fun.