I can already feel the change of weather. Next month, summer will be officially over, leaves will change color and start to fall. This only means one thing, it's time to plan for your Fall vacation! Not many of us are familiar with Smoky Mountains. In the Philippines, Smoky Mountain is a place where you can find mountains of garbage. That is not what I'm talking about! Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a great vacation place located between Tennessee and North Carolina.
Where to stay? Book a hotel or a cabin in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg Tennessee. For a more memorable experience, try to stay in one of the cabins. Last time we went, I booked a 2 bedroom cabin in a Pigeon Forge from greatoutdoorrentals.com. It has a mountain view, pool table, full kitchen, and hot tub. This company is family owned and they don't charge for cleaning fee ($75-100) as compared to other companies as long as you keep the place clean the way it was when you arrived.
In your cabin, you can grill, play game boards and just spend plenty of time with your family. There's also cabins with access to the pool.
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| View from our cabin |
Here are some things to do for a few days in Tennessee:
1. Driving
Plan to visit the Smoky Mountain National Park. Pick up a map at the visitor's center located at 107 Sugarlands Visitor Center Loop Rd. Gatlinburg, TN 37738. There are lots of things to do but I will recommend driving along Cades Cove. It is an 11 mile one way loop that offers an opportunity to leisurely do sight seeing of the mountains and other wildlife. Allow 2-4 hours depending if you want to go down and walk around or do some biking. When we went, there were some creeks along the way and we had our kids play in the water for a bit then had a picnic in one of their designated picnic areas.
You can also drive to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point of the Smoky Mountains with an elevation of 6,643 ft. If you have more time, you can also continue your road trip all the way to the North Carolina side.
2. Hiking
There's also a lot of hiking spots in the Smokies depending on how much endurance you got. Our girls were so little at that time so we chose the shortest hike. At the end, there's a falls where the kids enjoyed swimming.
Warning: Don't bring food while hiking! We, of course, were so stubborn at that time so we brought some sandwiches just in case the kids get hungry. What happened? After few minutes, the baby bear smelled our food and was all over our area. I got a little scared trying to run away! Good thing the rangers were there to get rid of the bear. What an experience!
3. Downtown Gatlinburg
There are many attractions in this small downtown. You can just walk around the strip and you will see lots of shops and restaurants. There are also some bands performing country music on the street.
Take the aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg. It is a 2 mile cable ride up to the amusement park and shops. Activities include indoor ice skating, kiddie rides, alphine slide, scenic chair lift and many more. Check out http://obergatlinburg.com/all-activities/ for prices of tram and other attractions. Note that some attractions won't be open depending on the weather.
4. Pigeon Forge
This small town is not as busy as Gatlinburg. They have many restaurants and attractions as well including Dollywood Amusement and Theme Parks (www.dollywood.com). If you don't want to spend that much money, there's a smaller amusement park where the kids can enjoy some rides and games.
5. Townsend
If you plan to do some horseback riding, water rafting or tubing or ziplining, check out their visitors center on where to go. My kids were so little at that time so we didn't really get to do all those things.
So start checking out the place and book your cabin for an awesome and affordable vacations at the Smokies!
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