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| Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
So first off, this is a trip that I have NOT taken yet, but it is in the top 5 of the trips I really, really want to take. (Hint to the hubby, this would make a great trip for our 5 year anniversary next year...wink wink) So, if I were to really go on the trip, this is how I would plan it. Since Gatlinburg, TN is about a 7 hour drive for us, we could make this trip a nice long weekend. A 4 day weekend at least, but I would like to make it a 5 day, since it is my first time going there. And since we are a camping family, we would be camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One, because like I said, we like camping, and two, to save on costs. But I have heard that there are some great cabins down there that are just as much as a hotel room per night...besides the really pricy ones. So those would be good to look into as well if you are not a camping family. A friend of mine who goes down there often says she stays at the cabins at the Hidden Mountain Resort. It looks like they start at about $95 for a 1 bedroom cabin and go on up. They have cabins from 1 bedroom all the way up to 5+ and some even have their own private pool. Now, in all honesty, I would be really happy with just going down there and camping, hanging out with the kids, and walking around the town for my first trip down there. But what fun is that in a blog, so let's explore what there is to see and do around the Gatlinburg area.
For the outdoorsy person there are a ton of things to do. Just from looking at the Gatlinburg website there is hiking, swimming holes, geocaching (which I really think would be fun with kids), fly fishing, a zipline, whitewater rafting, and horseback riding just to name a few things. And if you go in the winter time you can add skiing and snowboarding.
Now if you aren't an outdoorsy person, don't worry, there are other things to do in town like shopping and seeing some shows. You can also take a tram ride or a chairlift ride and go to the Space Needle to take in the sights.
Here are some links to places to go with your kids:
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| Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies |
- Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies - Adults: $24.99, Kids 6-11:$11.99, Kids 2-5:$5.99
- Ober Gatlinburg (which I would totally put on the 'to do' list) Looks like a lot of fun these to do at this place. For rates check out this site, they also have a few coupons on there.
- Fun Mountain Amusement Park - rides look to be $3-3.50 a piece but you can buy a 2 hour bracelet as well.
- Ripley's Believe it or Not - I've never been to one but it sounds cool. Adults: $14.99, Kids: $7.99, Under 5: FREE
- Hillbilly Golf - mini golf course
- Hollywood Star Car Museum - Adults: $12.99, Kids: $6.99, Kids under 6: FREE - If you buy tickets online you save a little too.
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| Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum |
I'm sure these are some pretty basic stops for most people to Garlinburg but they looked fun to me. I know there are sooo many other things to do there as well. You could easily stay a week there and never get board and be doing new things everyday.
A little more about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Entrance to the park is FREE. They do charge fees for some activities such as camping ($14-$23 a night) and pavilion rentals at picnic areas. If you are really adventurous you can go backcountry camping (backpacking) in the park as well. If you are bringing the kiddos (ages 5-12) along they do have a Junior Park Ranger Program there where you do some activities and they get a Jr. Park Ranger badge when they are done. The booklet does cost $2.50, but that's not a whole lot of money to spend on them and keep them engaged in the park while you are there. And I just learned that the National Parks Service has a program called the Webrangers. Basically you can learn and 'explore' the national parks online through games and other activities. This sounds fun to get your kids revved up for the trip. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do in the park so make sure you check out the sites linked here to see what they all are before you go. One last thing about the park, don't forget the Appalachian Trail goes right through it! How cool would that be to check out? From my understanding you can drive most of the way up the mountain and then just hike a little bit to get to the trail.
One last tip, if you know you are going to plan a trip to this area, keep an eye out on the Groupon Getaways, you might be able to find one for Gatlinburg.
So that's it for now, but don't forget to look things up yourself too, because there is just way too much out there for me to get it all in one blog post. :)
Feel free to post comments about your trip to Gatlinburg, TN and give your tips for where to go and what to see.
Happy traveling.
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