Gatlinburg, Tennessee is one of the finest vacation destinations on Earth. From outstanding exhibits and rides to some of the finest shopping and dining anywhere, chances are you’ll find plenty of Gatlinburg attractions to entertain and delight the entire family.
Enjoy a wide variety of educational and entertaining exhibits. One of the most popular is the Ripley’s Aquarium, a massive two-story facility that brings you within inches of thousands of tropical fish, rare sea creatures, and even sharks. If land animals are more your thing, then the Dinosaur Walk Museum offers 12,000 square feet of life-sized reproductions of these ancient reptiles, including the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are also plenty of live critters on display, including giant lizards and snakes. Ripley’s “Odditorium” offers a walk through a world filled with weird and wonderful things like a six-legged buffalo, two-headed calf, and real shrunken heads. You’ll also find classic car museums, a life-size reproduction of the Titanic, and many, many more fascinating things to see and do.
Nothing says family fun like rides, and there are plenty of them in or very near Gatlinburg. Dollywood offers one of the best roller coasters in the world, along with water park attractions, carousels, bumper cars, and plenty of entertainment for visitors of all ages. The Gatlinburg Tramway will lift you high over the town, giving you a view you’ll find nowhere else as you’re transported to a deluxe amusement park and ski resort. There you’ll find water slides, a chairlift, indoor ice skating, and seasonal opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. The Space Needle will whisk you 400 feet straight up to an observation deck with stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. These are only a few of the hundreds of things you’ll find to fill your days and nights.
If you think that Gatlinburg is just about kids, then you’ll be happy to know that it also offers nearly endless opportunities for dining, from simple fare like mouth-watering burgers to world-class cuisine served in fine restaurants. Your chances to shop will also be nearly unlimited. The many outlet malls have name-brand clothing, jewelry, watches, electronics, footwear, and all sorts of gift items. Take a stroll down any street and you’ll see row after row of specialty shops with everything from tee shirts to novelty and gag items. Also you’ll find hand-crafted pottery, necklaces, and other items, handmade by immensely talented artists and craftspeople.
If the outdoors beckons to you, then you won’t be disappointed. Gatlinburg is surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There you’ll find hiking trails, camp sites, and even a complete working farm, with cabins and other buildings from the 1800s. Cool, clear mountain streams make this an ideal area for fishing, and photography buffs will amaze their friends back home with the shots they’ll take of spectacular mountain vistas.
These are only a few of the countless things to do when staying in Gatlinburg cabins or even Pigeon Forge cabins. Why not begin planning your trip to visit it right now?