It had been many years since I had visited Gatlinburg during my road trip across the USA. I finally returned to see the synchronous fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The spectacular light show only took one night, so my friends and I found many other things to do in Gatlinburg for our three day June getaway.
Gatlinburg is a small mountain town in eastern Tennessee with a population of approximately 3,500. The popular vacation resort town is known as the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in the United States.
Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Naturally, due to its location, one of the top things to do in Gatlinburg is to visit the National Park. Whether it be hiking, biking, camping, watching the fireflies, or just checking out the visitor center, there is something for everyone at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Take a Hike
Hikers will really enjoy the Alum Cave Trail. Just 30 minutes from Gatlinburg, it is one of the most popular trails in the park. The hike features a beautiful creek, sweeping views, and interesting rock formations. Find out more with this guide about Alum Cave Trail.
Watch the Synchronous Fireflies
An easier hike is along Little River Trail. The first few miles follows a wide path past a historic cabin and relics situated along the creek. Eventually it narrows as it ascends through the woods featuring waterfalls, flowers, and countless butterflies. This is the area is also known for the synchronous fireflies.
During the fireflies mating season, the males blink in unison to attract the females for two hours every night. The special event only takes place for 2-3 weeks each summer, generally between mid-May and mid-June.
Take a Scenic Drive or Bike Ride
Another extremely popular part of Smoky Mountains National Park is Cades Cove. On every day but Wednesday, you may take an auto tour through Cades Cove. And on Wednesdays you may go by bike, as the nine-mile loop through the valley is closed to vehicular traffic.
In the 1800’s, Cades Cove was once a small town of 685 people. In 1927, the Federal Government bought the nearby mountainous land and soon all the residents dispersed. What is left is a valley of wildflowers with bears and elk as well as many historic buildings including churches, cabins, and a gristmill.
Fair warning, when a bear is spotted, all traffic stops. So, the nine-mile loop can take hours to complete. That said, you get to see a bear! We saw five bears during our three-day visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park…two were in Cades Cove.
Explore Gatlinburg
If being outside in nature isn’t your thing, don’t worry, visiting Gatlinburg is like going to Branson, Missouri. It is filled with a choice of activities from dinner shows, moonshine tastings, gondola rides, shopping, museums, putt-putt golf, and other kid friendly activities. Families looking for indoor fun can also visit Wild Bear Falls Water Park at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort—be sure to get tickets in advance to make the most of your trip.
Ride the SkyLift
The SkyLift, opened in 1954, is the longest running attraction in Gatlinburg. The SkyLift transports guests from downtown to the top of Crockett Mountain, 1,800 feet above sea level.
At the top, not only will you find the SkyDeck offering lovely views across the Smoky Mountains, but also the Gatlinburg SkyBridge. From the longest pedestrian cable bridge in the United States, enjoy the scenery and keep an eye out for bears below!
The Gatlinburg SkyPark is open from 9am to 10pm in the summer, and from 9am to 9pm during the spring, fall, and winter. Get your tickets for this popular Gatlinburg attraction! And if you want to visit Ripley’s Believe It or Not! you can buy a combo ticket.
Pop to the Top of the Space Needle
If you don’t like gondolas, try out the glass elevators in the Space Needle for another view of downtown Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains. The 407-foot tower and observation deck provides a 360 degree view. Not fond of heights? No problem.
Find Five Minutes of Fun
Stick to ground level and stroll through town on its main street. There are many ways to have five minutes of fun! We spent an evening entertaining ourselves that way.
Cider Tasting
First, we stopped at Tennessee Stud Hard Cider, owned by Yee-Haw Brewing Company. For $5, you may enjoy a tasting of ten ciders. The ciders come in all sorts of fruity flavors and some are cream based and taste like chocolate and coffee.
Moonshine Tasting
The moonshine comes in several flavors too! While you can definitely feel the 70 proof when tasting some, others go down very smoothly. Sugarlands Shine, which opened in 2014, produces award-winning flavors. The $5 tastings of ten different flavors are the number one thing to do in Gatlinburg! You can only taste once per day, so some people return every night!
Wine Tasting
Along with moonshine and cider tasting, there is also wine tasting. At the very end of the Gatlinburg strip, we found a new winery doing its soft opening. The local family owned Tennessee Cider Company and Tennessee Homemade Wines, so it wasn’t their first rodeo.
They provided a free tasting of a few of their sweet, flavored wines in a nice, quiet setting. Fire pits and cornhole on the patio prompted us to stay for a while, but with our five minutes of fun game still in progress, we continued.
Watch Candy Making
We have determined that it is all about sugar in Gatlinburg. Sweet cider, sweet moonshine, sweet wine, and just sweets! A handful of confectionaries stand among the many restaurants, shops, museums, and other entertainment on Gatlinburg’s main street, known as the parkway.
Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen has been a family tradition since 1952. Watch the candy maker stretch some taffy in the windows. They feature different flavors along with chocolates and caramels.
Shoot’Em Up
On a sugar high and a kid at heart, I would have played miniature golf or gone to an arcade, but one of my friends does not like games. We compromised and paid $5 for five minutes of fun at Shoot’em Up Cinema 7D.
We strapped into the moving chairs, selected the 7D circus movie, and pointed our plastic guns at the screen, shooting everything that came at us except civilians. The only tip we got was to sit in the middle. Front and center, I was the winner!
Grab a Coupon Book
If I listed all the things to do Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, you’d be reading for hours. I suggest flipping through a coupon booklet that you’ll find at surrounding hotels, the visitor center, and in newsstands. Two good ones include Smoky Mountain Coupon Book and Best Read Guide Smoky Mountains.
From Dollywood, to Paula Deans Lumberjack Feud Supper Show, to Old Time Photos, to mile long roller coasters, to helicopter rides, to horseback riding, to escape rooms, to ziplines, there is something for every visitor in Gatlinburg.
Where to Stay in Gatlinburg
When staying in Gatlinburg, there are plenty of lodges on the river. You may also consider staying right in town to avoid traffic and parking. Since we didn’t spend much time in the hotel, we picked some place cheap with clean rooms. That was Reagan Resorts Inn. The no frills hotel with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, and clean sheets was a perfect location.
If you’re traveling with family or a group, and you’d rather rent a cabin instead of booking multiple hotel rooms, Cabins for YOU specializes in Gatlinburg rentals with private pools, a game-changer after long days hiking in the Smokies. Kids can splash around while adults relax on the deck, and you’re not competing for pool time with other hotel guests. Having your own space with a full kitchen also means you can skip those breakfast lines at Crockett’s when you just want coffee and cereal. Plus, many cabins sit right on the edge of the national park, so you wake up to mountain views instead of parking lot views.
Places to Eat in Gatlinburg
As with drinking establishments and entertainment venues, there are many places to eat in Gatlinburg. Breakfast might be the hottest ticket in town. Places were nearly filled shortly after 8am.
Crocketts Breakfast Camp is on the Parkway. You can’t miss it with its giant cast iron skillet out front. The restaurant serves the legacy of Davy Crockett, a frontiersman who grew up just north of Gatlinburg. He and his wife were known for serving hungry travelers the best cooked breakfast in the Smoky Mountains.
The restaurant has a lodge style atmosphere with fireplaces and many animal heads mounted on the walls. The menu features unique cast iron pancakes, giant cinnamon rolls, and a selection of eggs with candied apples, biscuits, and corn pone. It won’t disappoint.
Another excellent breakfast choice is the Log Cabin Pancake House. Lines form at this location early too. The family owned restaurant has been open since 1976. Its menu includes crepes, French toast, pancakes, waffles, eggs, and all the sides.
For dinner, we tried Jason Aledean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar. It has two levels upstairs. One is the kitchen and the other is the rooftop bar. We were looking for atmosphere and it provided. The menu serves mostly bar food. Jason’s mac n’ cheese was quite tasty. Live music plays on the rooftop bar nightly.
In all, Gatlinburg is fun to visit because it offers something for everyone. Kids, grannies, nature enthusiasts, music lovers, gamers, foodies, and drinkers can all find something to do in this Tennessee mountain town resort. ETB
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I enjoyed reading this, as we spent a week in the Park late last October. We PURPOSELY stayed away from Gatlinburg, LOL. We were at the western end of the Park in Townsend. Part of our “purpose” was to be as close to the Cades Cove entrance as we could. The other part though, had to do with our overarching purpose of being in the park. My buddy, Rich and try to take at least one trip each year that is dedicated solely to photography. We are up early and out late. The LAST thing we want to deal with is traffic and crowds. If you are going to drive the Roaring Forks Nature trail or go to the parkway on the eastern end of the park, it is virtually impossible to avoid Gatlinburg, so you are going to see it. But they have certainly packed an awful lot of “tourism” into that very small town. Consequently, (at least during peak times – like October), you are going to face crowded conditions and heavy traffic. Not to take away from your great post, though, if you are going for the whole “experience,” then Gatlinburg is one of those “not-to-be-missed” places in our country. Lots of fun walking the streets, and I would like to experience those tastings!
Yeh. It’s not normally what I pick, but it was close to the synchronous fireflies and we found a way to entertain ourselves for a few days after our hikes!! Perfect for a quick getaway and “five minutes of fun!”
I love Gatlinburg! What is great is that there are so many things to do in the area that everyone can find something to enjoy 🙂