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.