Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN: A Great Vacation Destination

Deciding on a where to go on a vacation is not always the easiest thing, especially if it is a family vacation. Picking out just the right place is a big deal. You want to please the kids, but always have entertainment for older kids and even adults. A finding the perfect accommodations can be a tough task. Lodging for a vacation is always a big decision when planning out a vacation. Well, I have an area that will cover all these difficult points of planning, and will suggest a place I know personally that may make your next vacation one to remember. A place that will make sure everyone in the family or group of friends will have a good time. Not only will there be plenty of activities to partake in, the wonderful scenery will also make the trip that more special.

In the area of beauty, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains are two great destinations for a trip worth to remember. It’s a place where some areas allow your mind to go back in time during those days of living on the mountain frontier. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee are the two wonderful places I am describing. It is an excellent place for kids and adults to have a fun experience. Both places allow you to step out of your comfort zone and really let yourself have a lot of fun. If trying new things, eating great food and wanting to add some thrills in your life, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge might just be the place for you to visit.

First place I want to talk about is Pigeon Forge. Now, just a bit of advice, plan to stay at least a week because with a great abundance of activities for the tourist in all of us, Pigeon Forge offers an assortment of great things to do and see. From fun museums, great shopping, a strip of many thrills and rides and great eateries, Pigeon Forge has it all. If you feel like becoming one with nature, Pigeon Forge has got you covered on that too. With horseback riding, to wonderful nature hikes, white water rafting and many other outdoor adventures, you want be bored here. Also, Pigeon Forge will keep you entertained with great live shows and dinner theaters that will be a treat for your eyes and ears. And keeping the kids busy will be easy too. Pigeon Forge offers great locations for bowling, miniature golf, go-karts and rides that will make you scream. I personally love the strip because of the thrill rides. I even got to bungee jump for the first time from seventy feet in the air. It was a time I won’t forget. And lodging will be a breeze to pick as well. From great hotels, to beautiful log cabins in the mountains, your family and friends will relax in great and comfortable accommodations. I suggest renting a cabin. If you are going with a large group or family, a lot of these cabins can sleep five to twenty people comfortably and the cabins provide you with many great amenities like a pool table, hot tub, a full kitchen and washer and dryer. The best part of these cabins is the views of the majestic Smoky Mountains. Now, that you have digested a few of these great places to visit and stay, Pigeon Forge has one main attraction that brings smiles, laughs, and screams to everyone. I’m talking about one of the best theme parks in the southern United States, Dollywood.

Created by the famous Dolly Parton, Dollywood is a great amusement park with a frontier theme to it. Once you step inside the wonderful world of this great theme park, you taken to an entirely different place. With watermills, workers dress in old time clothes, and rides with a mountaineer theme, Dollywood is a great place to take the family and friends for some fun and excitement. Great food, live shows and rides for everyone, this theme park pleases tourists from everywhere. Dollywood offers rides for kids and adults. And during the summer months has a great collection of water rides like Daredevil Falls and Mountain Slidewinder. If you are like me, then you are looking for thrill rides. Well, Dollywood has got them. With four major roller coasters, you will have no problem filling your need for speed. From the Tennessee Tornado, a great and fast steel coaster, Thunderhead, a classic, yet awesome wooden roller coaster, the thrilling and stomach tingling Mystery Mine and the more settle not so fast coaster with an animatronics show, Blazing Furry, Dollywood offers you plenty of thrills. And though I have yet to ride it because it is a new ride, Barnstormer is a ride that lets riders feel like a stunt pilot from the 1920’s giving you and edge of your seat ride. But if calm is what you are looking for then I suggest taking a ride on the Dollywood Express. Here visitors get to experience a ride on an old steam engine train through the woods and parts of the park. So, all these rides work up an appetite? Well don’t worry because Dollywood has you covered there too. Sweets, fried foods and barbeque are just a few of the many great food items one can chow down on while in the park. My personal favorite is the smoked turkey legs. Not only is it one of the best things to eat, but you fill somewhat like a king when eating it. I also suggest visiting Miss Lillian’s Chicken House. With a wonderful buffet and a fun atmosphere by Miss Lillian the Chicken Lady, Miss Lillian’s Chicken House is worth a stop to eat. And for those who want to shop, Dollywood offers plenty for those ready to collect some souvenirs. So, if you decide to visit Pigeon Forge make sure take advantage of one of the greatest places to spend some quality fun time, Dollywood.

Right next door to Pigeon Forge lays a place that lets individuals wonder off in to one of nature’s wonderful and beautiful places in the Smoky Mountain area. Don’t let the small town of Gatlinburg fool you. It is packed with many adventures and places to see. With the small town characteristic that has been keeping Gatlinburg a wonderful place to visit, make sure you plan enough time to take in all the excitement this place has to offer. When visiting and staying in Gatlinburg, you will allow yourself to escape the city life and get in touch with your inner small town and eco-friendly self you had no idea was inside you. With a backdrop of mountains and wonderful campsites, Gatlinburg is a place to live life a little differently. But if you don’t want to spend all your time with nature, Gatlinburg offers some really cool attractions. Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum and Aquarium of the Smokies, Hollywood’s Star Cars Museum are just a few of the many great places to spend time and have some fun. Also, take a trip to up to the top of the famous Space Needle and overlook rows and rows of green mountains, a true visual look at natures Great Smoky Mountains. With so much to do and see, Gatlinburg is a small town with a large collection of attractions, restaurants and adventures with nature that no one will have any problems with having a wonderful time on their visit.

My personal experience with all of these places has been wonderful. I have seen and done many things I have never gotten to do before. If you are looking for a place both relaxing and with much to do then I really suggest planning your next vacation destination to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee. I promise you won’t have a bad time. I also recommend staying long enough to get in many of the fun adventures and activities that both of these places provide. Be surrounded by the mountains alone is worth a trip here, but with all the things to do and see are just more reasons to really consider your next trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee.