I agree. So many ask the same questions on all the channels. They ask who has the best pizza. And they will ask creators to review cracker barrel, shoney's, and others. I like to go to local restaurants and avoid the national chains. I don't go on vacation to have the same thing I can have back home.
Right? My sister in law has lived a couple thousand miles from us for 20 years. Every time we visit, it's up to us to find the good local joints and hidden treasures. They eat at chain restaurants and go to the tourist traps for fun. Blows my mind after all this time.
Unfortunately, I am on a small budget for a vacation but want to get away. Am not doing fast food but have browsed restaurants for budget minded people. If I spend $20-$35 on a meal for 4 nights, that eats up some of my funds for other things. I want to get away but have to watch what I do. I am going to do a few things I wouldn't do 2 years ago on my trip.
Over the past 3 visits with my wife we have done just about everything. We just bought season passes to Dollywood and from now on we will just be coming up to relax and enjoy every season at dollywood. I have been going up there since i was kid but my wife being from the north never knew what was there untill i took her up in the fall of 2020. She loved it and wants to go 4-5 times a year.
We buy Dollywood passes for the family and our grandkids. They love Dollywood! Going to downtown Gatlinburg used to be fun for myself and my husband but I don’t even bother going there anymore.
One thing not to do is you cannot walk on the side of the road between gatlinburg and pigeon forge or you will be arrested . This is something I learned from a friend .
Great tips! I've visited G'Burg since 1979 and have stayed at so many motels I can't count them all, some are long gone (turned into parking lots). Some of the eateries we visit every trip down, usually 2-3 times per year, because we can't get that at home. I will add a couple 'don't dos'...1. Don't park in the employee parking lots in the center of town, you will get towed...2. Don't drive across the crosswalks when folks are walking across, you will get fined...3. Don't miss driving the Historic Nature Trail from the end of Airport Rd. over to the East Parkway/321, it's a beautiful drive and usually a lot cooler than town...4. Don't aggravate the bears! DO drive up to Ober Gatlinburg, it's a beautiful drive. Do take the G'Burg Bypass...Do learn the shortcuts and back roads from Sevierville! Do pay to park or park (free) along River Road...
WAS JUST THERE .. DID SO MANY THINGS THERE ..PIRATES VOYAGE... WONDERWORKS .. PAULA DEENS RESTURANT ...AND OFCOURSE DOLLYWOOD..ETC ..IT WAS AMAZING AND CANT WAIT TO GO BACK IN JULY .. I PREFER THE MOUNTAINS THAN THE BEACH ..I LOVE HOW THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO THERE !!!
Pay to park in Gatlinburg. $20.00 is far cheaper than a tow bill of $250.00 plus the cost of a cab ride to pick up your vehicle! Everything Autos is available if you need help getting your vehicle pulled out of a ditch. “If you are not paying to park, you are doing something wrong!” Quote from Jeff with Everything Autos. Pay to Park!!
This is a great list! I couldn't agree more. After coming here for 11 years now, we've done our fair share of experimenting with all the great local fare:)
i went to pigeon forge 2 years ago and that was the first time id ever seen a shoneys since im from massachusetts and i liked it a lot personally- but ill never go to a fast food place when i travel that far
Bring a pair of watershoes and get your feet wet in a cold mountain stream on a hot summer day .1 of my best memories ♥️. The wife and I will be back in 2 weeks. YES
Went to the wax museum the whole thing for a family of four was a bit steep but we were inside at the front desk and wanted to do something so we chose a single attraction and they sent us next door to the castle of chaos to do a 4D ride that lasted about five minutes and let me tell you it was a very unimpressive five minutes lol. Cost me almost seventy bucks 🤦 won't be doing that again. Lesson learned!
The best things to do in Pigeon Forge that we've done SO FAR are the shows. While we were there I discovered that Lodge has a factory store. I'd been wanting a dutch oven forever and found the model I wanted on sale no less! I've never seen Lodge items on sale anywhere else. We were there for a timeshare pitch and got several nights at a nice hotel very deeply discounted. It was worth a couple of hours out of our stay listening to their pitch to get the hotel deal. I found a small European food market too. Not sure if Dollywood is in our future plans or not especially with the mixed food reviews. Gatlinburg is a nicer town but parking is an issue. Don't forget about Cherokee North Carolina. A nice quiet place even if it's still a tourist town. It's still the Smokies. Haven't visited Sevierville yet. The Smokies themselves are the real draw. The history, scenery, and wildlife are hard to beat.
I lived here all my life and it’s a great place I just can’t see why people keep coming when you have to spend 3 hours bumper to bumper or shoulder to shoulder
Living at a destination is a quite different perspective from visiting there. I lived near Yale University and worked there for 35+ years and never got around to taking the tour. Same for Connecticut. It's a bit of a tourism state and I can see why New York and New Jersey people especially are attracted to it. We lived there for most of our lives and grew to hate it over the years. We escaped to Tennessee a couple of years ago. One of the best decisions ever.
Don't try and drive into Gatlinburg around 9 AM. You'll be sitting in traffic. Some people will still eat at the Long John Silvers even though they have one back home. :)
Since you asked, some things I'd recommend not to do start with this: 1. Don't go to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. 2. Enjoy the Smoky Mountains. There's so much natural beauty and amazing things to see in the area. Why waste a vacation on cheap rides and gimmicks? You're welcome.
There's some great shows in Pigeon Forge. Being from the NC side of the Smokies, I only go over to see a show or go to Dollywood. Then coming back home to my little farm in the mountains truly feels like a vacation. ,😊
I definitely agree with the tip, "don't partake in the same old same old". If I wanted a chain restaurant, I would stay home. Unless I was in a rush and knew that it was quick. The tip of stopping at every gift shop... we have enough 'junk' sitting around the house. I prefer to watch reviews of gift shops, and only go to places that has unique things that we might need or know that we want to get someone as a gift. Our recent trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, we knew that we wanted some moonshine, whiskey, etc, and we wanted some cast iron cookware, and our son was interested in a knife. So we basically hit those spots. We walked into a few other stores, but resisted. Your last tip on freebies to endure a timeshare pitch. When the kids were little and our first time to the Smokey's, we got suckered into a timeshare tour (followed by a hard sell pitch) just to get two free tickets to Dollywood. Did not like the timeshare. We held the line on saying NO, NO, NO. We did get two free tickets to Dollywood. For that trip, we had no set schedule or agenda, so we suffered through it to get the tickets.
The ninja sword place is part of Gatlinburg lore and history. Dont understand the hate on it in this video. The moonshine places sell crap liquor and are relatively new to the smokeys. Tourist traps
Be careful not to park in a No Parking area. You will be towed! There's a lot of places where you are allowed to park. Better yet, pay to park and be sure your car is safe!
Thanks for the info. Weird question....do you have any recommendations on where to store luggage? We will be coming in April and would be in town early before we can check in...want to know if there is a place to store luggage for the day
Hi Leo - That can be tricky assuming you don't have a car. I'd start by reaching out to your cabin or hotel - sometimes they can help you with accommodations for things like that.
@@TheSmokiesCom thank you.. we do have an SUV but you could see the bags for the windows I don't know how safe the area is if you have luggage in your vehicle.
@@LeoHernandeznyc Gotcha - I would still check and see if the place you are staying would let you drop off bags before check in. If not, bring some blankets to throw over your stuff to make it look not enticing. As long as you lock up, I've never had a problem. Try to park in a well-trafficked area. The bears are the biggest car bandits in the area so always be sure you lockup regardless :)
Our kids are still too young to enjoy a lot of the stuff the area has to offer. They do love outdoorsy things though. That being said this whole Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is extremely touristy, more so than I’ve seen anywhere else. I like peaceful nature areas and this isn’t it. It’s extremely crowded, from restaurants to tourist traps to walking trails, to the roads, too many people everywhere. There are so many other places in this country to enjoy mountains and beautiful scenery without the overpriced tourist gimmicks and crowds. I sat in more traffic in Gatlinburg than I did in Miami
I agree....we go and stay at the resort and lay by the pool.....Im taking my mom this time and at least want to take her to a few things but I am DREADING all the people ......its definitely not relaxing if we were people that did stuff. But my hubs and I go on cruises and lay in our cabin 75% of the trip.....we just want to decompress from our stressful lives. 😂
Since we have to put labels on things like tide pods reminding people not to eat them, im gonna add one to your list. DO NOT approach, antagonize, feed, lure, cuddle, or ride THE BEARS! 😂😂😂 Perfect snowflake world advice
Thank you! I ain't trying to go bowling, fishing, or putt putt golf. I ain't trying to eat pizza, Mexican food or Subway either. And I have been told that I make the best pancakes in the world.
I can add one more do not patronize the local goat you may get a great meal you may get a crap meal if you get a crap meal the administration owners will become hysterical they will not help you they will not provide a refund you are a tourist you will be gone tomorrow that is their attitude
