Since we married in 1995, my wife and I have visited Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, three times – once just after we married and twice after we had our son. We lodged in Gatlinburg for its natural beauty and shopping and drove the few miles north into Pigeon Forge for high-quality entertainment. Each visit was wonderful, and we plan to visit again in the future.
Lodging
On each visit, we have stayed in the Mountainloft Resort just inside Gatlinburg city limits. As Bluegreen Vacation Club owners, we use our club points to pay for the lodging, but guests can rent one-bedroom apartments beginning at $259 per night, two-bedroom units for $350, and three-bedroom townhomes for $450. Three or more consecutive nights reduce nightly costs.
Mountainloft is very close to all Gatlinburg attractions just minutes to the south and city services and grocery stores just minutes to the north. The apartments have private balconies, cable television, full kitchens, and washer/dryers. Many have Jacuzzis as well. Guests can play in the arcade, play billiards, or swim indoors or outdoors.
Gatlinburg also has many chalets and cabins of various sizes ranging from one-bedroom to five-bedroom units. Most are within walking distance of downtown Gatlinburg and its attractions. These cabins accommodate large groups who wish to stay together. Rates begin at approximately $99 per night, depending on the size of the cabins.
Gatlinburg Chalets and Cabins
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
800-588-1817 (Chamber of Commerce)
My wife absolutely loves Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge. For $43.99 each, we enjoyed the rodeo-style competition. Guests participate, and a few lucky kids and adults get to go on stage and compete for prizes. The price includes a terrific dinner of chicken, pork loin, corn, soup, biscuits, and dessert. Come hungry. We have had to bring extras back to our resort, and that gave us lunch and dinner for the next day, which saved us money in dining for the week.
My wife and son especially enjoy walking the sidewalk and seeing the animals up close before the doors open.
On each of our three visits, we spent a couple of hours laughing as hard as we ever had while watching the show at the Comedy Barn. Every performer was hilarious, musically talented, and 100-percent clean. We never heard even the slightest hint of off-color attempts at humor. Performers include comics, ventriloquists, Gospel singers, and more. Tickets start at $29.98 for adults and $9.98 per child age 11 and under (first child free). We bought the DVD of one show we saw because our son went on stage on two different occasions with many other kids and participated in the show.
The Comedy Barn
2775 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
800-29-LAUGH (800-295-2844)
Old Mill Restaurant
This is the most popular restaurant in Pigeon Forge. It sometimes takes a while to get seated, but it is well worth the wait. The Old Mill serves all of the traditional family dinners, and we even saw workers making pottery and candy. The Old Mill General Store is attached, and we spent a long time shopping for treats.
Old Mill Restaurant
175 Old Mill Ave., Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
865-429-3463
Other Area Activities
Dollywood
Amusement park lovers will want to visit Dolly Parton’s Dollywood. We have seen it twice, and our son had as much fun at Dollywood as he had in other famous amusement parks. He rode the many roller coasters, bumper cars, and other thrill rides that we would expect from an amusement park. My wife and I enjoyed the Dollywood Express train around the park while seeing the Smokey Mountain’s beautiful natural landscape and watching the shows along the way.
Tickets cost $60.60 for adults (12 and over), $47.15 for children (4-11), and $55.50 for seniors (60 and over). Parking costs $8 for most cars and $11 for larger vehicles. Dollywood offers special packages combing park admission with lodging at many nearby cabins and hotels.
Dollywood
2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
800-365-5996
Visitors can ride the elevator to the top of the Gatlinburg Space Needle over 400 feet high and enjoy a gorgeous view of the Smokey Mountains. They can spend the entire day at the Space Needle and have lunch in the Five Saucer Italian Bistro. Our son could spend hours in the Arcadia game room. Space Needle tickets cost $7.95 for adults (13 and over) and only $4 for kids (5-12).
We would definitely visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge again. Two of my students mentioned visiting during vacation time, and I told them of the wonderful times my family and I had in the Smoky Mountains.
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