It’s been several months since we took our family trip to the other side of Tennessee. I just haven’t gotten around to sharing about it! In the fall, we drove to Pigeon Forge and spent a few days having all kinds of fun. There is so much to do there, but we made the most of the little time we had.
Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Activities
Ripley’s Aquarium
We loved this aquarium! I didn’t think it would be that neat — I mean a bunch of fish, who cares? But it was probably our favorite part of the whole trip! They had tons of fish and sea life to look at, not to mention penguins! My favorite part was getting to touch a jelly fish. I also loved the glass tunnel you can walk through or stand on a conveyor belt to go through. There was even an area full of penguins. They had so many neat things to see! If you’re a military family, be sure to ask for a discount too!
Tram Ride up the Mountain
Of course being in the mountains, there were lots of different places with ski lift type rides up to the top. I was not OK with sitting in an open chair like that, even with a bar across us. Nope. Not happening, especially with a baby in tow! We found one that was a tram ride where you are in a glass box basically. This was perfect for us since we had some shopping bags and a stroller with us. At the top of the mountain, they even had things to do. We went up at the end of the day, so some of the things were closed already. But they had ice skating and shopping and restaurants. Then you ride the tram back down. We even saw a bear during the ride!
Walking the Strip
I loved walking the main strip of Gatlinburg. We took a stroller and just browsed all the shops along the way. There was a lot to see! We also stopped to sample wines and even moonshine (yuck!). There are tons of places to get a snack too. We stopped for ice cream for sure!
The Old Mill Restaurant
Of course this area has all kinds of great restaurants! I could name a ton, but The Old Mill Restaurant was our favorite of the ones we tried. It had a really long wait, so it’s obviously popular! But the food was delicious, and you get A LOT of food!
Shopping/Feeding Bears
There are tons and tons of stores to browse and shop. One of our favorites, though, was a huge store that even had bears in the back behind it. You could pay a small fee and get some food to feed the bears. Now, don’t get too excited. I thought we’d be walking up to a bear cub and getting up close and personal. That’s definitely not the case. It’s basically like a zoo and you can look into their exhibit and throw the food down to them. Even though it wasn’t what I thought, it was still fun.
Of course, there is tons to do in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg! These are just the things we did in during our short weekend stay. But there’s also Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, hiking, and so much more! Just stop by a tourist area and grab some brochures for more ideas.
Read more of my travel posts here.