PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. • Something about Pigeon Forge feels very familiar if you’ve been to Branson, Mo.
There’s the Dixie Stampede, Dollywood (which was once a Silver Dollar City) and another Titanic Museum. Down the road in Gatlinburg, you’ll find a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, just like the one in Branson. Zip lines, go-kart tracks and minigolf seem to peek out from every corner.
But there’s one thing that sets this area apart from Missouri: those gorgeous Smoky Mountains. Rising all around, covered in trees and that hazing smoke that gives them their name, the Smokies offer an abundance of other opportunities.
First stop, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, celebrating the centennial of America’s national park system this year. If you are staying in Pigeon Forge, or in Gatlinburg, the entrance you will use is probably the one just past Gatlinburg: the Sugarlands Visitors Center. The center itself has a jam-packed wildlife museum, theater and gift shop.
Park rangers will give you maps and suggest hikes or drives to suit your time and endurance level. But you can get a taste of the national park by hiking the trails right behind the center. One of them, a simple one-mile trek goes along a rock-filled creek and to a small waterfall called Cataract Falls.
If it’s a bigger waterfall you’re looking for, the Laurel Falls trailhead is a few miles down the road. A little longer and a little rockier path, this one takes you past some rather steep drop-offs and ends at an 80-foot waterfall. The park is known for its wildlife, particularly black bears. The park rangers told us Cades Cove was a great place to spot them; unfortunately, we never saw any bears on our visit.
I had great intentions of doing a lot more hiking and exploring of the park on this trip. I’d researched and hoped to do Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, offering a reportedly amazing view. I’d also considered Grotto Falls, Abrams Falls and Alum Cave. But 95-degree temps and an upgrade to a cabin palace (more on that later) in the treetops, kept us indoors. Even there, we still had that view.
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The view from the deck at a cabin just outside Pigeon Forge. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
photos by Brian Sirimaturos
We did venture out one day for a whitewater rafting trip. Having been on a whitewater rafting trip in Montana three years before on class 1 and 2 rapids, my sons, now 11 and 9, wanted more adventure. So I obliged with a trip down the Upper Pigeon River on Class 3 and 4 rapids with Smoky Mountain Outdoors.
But first: a safety talk and gear. Then, my husband, two sons, my dad and I boarded a bus for the 15-minute drive to the drop site. On the bus, a guy who looked like a cross between Grizzly Adams and Brad Pitt gave us a rundown on what to do (listen to your guide) and what not to do (try to stand if you fall out). I won’t lie, I was nervous heading in, especially for my daredevil 9-year-old, who at 70 pounds was just big enough for the adventure. Our guide, known as Miami John, sensed my anxiety and offered to keep my son by his side. At one point, on a Class 4 rapid, I saw my son fly into the air. Luckily he came down inside the raft.
We rode waves, we crashed into rocks (getting stuck once) and those in the front — not me — said they felt like they were going under as our raft went nearly vertical a few times. I’m pretty sure all of this would have terrified me if not for our guide — and the fact that there were about 30 other rafts in sight. The Upper Pigeon is a very popular river, especially in the summer. Though the adventure is real, you don’t exactly feel like you are floating alone with nature.
Food and drink
Unlike Branson, where it is hard to find a bar open past 10 p.m., this area seems to have a moonshine distillery around every corner. And along the main strip in Gatlinburg, you will also find wineries and breweries.
For food, you are mostly looking at country cooking. The Golden Corral’s parking lot was packed every time we drove by. We loved Huck Finn’s catfish restaurant. You start with all-you-can eat vittles: beans, hush puppies, slaw and pickles and then order perfectly seasoned catfish or fried chicken (gator and frog legs are also on the menu).
For breakfast, there are at least a dozen pancake places. The best reviewed is Crockett’s Breakfast Camp, decorated like Davy Crockett’s campsite, complete with a taxidermied coyote lounging on the fireplace mantle. The pancakes were about 2 inches thick, stacked two high and topped with whipped cream. They looked more like a birthday cake than pancakes and probably could have been shared — but who’s sharing on vacation?
Everything Dolly
Pigeon Forge loves Dolly Parton, and she loves it. Just weeks before our trip, the city had its annual homecoming parade for her through town. The theme of it introduced her new tourism venture, the Lumberjack Adventure dinner show, which operates much like the Dixie Stampede. We couldn’t get tickets to the hot Lumberjack show, so we went to Dixie Stampede.
We’d been to the one in Branson, and this one is very similar. You sit in rows around an arena with a table in front of you. Waiters efficiently serve you soup, biscuits, chicken, pork, corn, a potato and an apple fritter. But the show is the real treat — trick riders on horseback, aerialists, singers, magic acts, comedy. A new feature (it’s also new in Branson) is the LED video wall, which simulates seasons, times of day and a great opening montage of horseback riders. It all ends with an audience participation pitting the North vs. the South. But the star of this show: racing piglets!
Parton’s other big ventures in town are her Dollywood theme park and Splash Country water park. The first thing that struck me about Dollywood was how much it reminded me of Silver Dollar City. That’s because it used to be one, said Wes Ramey, public directions director for Dollywood, who was giving me a walking tour of it. You will find similar rides: Dollywood’s River Battle is like Silver Dollar City’s RiverBlast, Blazing Fury is like Fire in the Hole, Smoky Mountain River Rampage is Lost River of the Ozarks. There is a craftsman row with blacksmiths, fire blowers, etc.
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The new Lightning Rod, billed as the world’s fastest wood coaster, seems to fit right into the mountain at Dollywood. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
Brian Sirimaturos
One thing that does set this park apart is the outdoor bird sanctuary with an aviary along the side of a mountain filled with bald eagles. A “Birds of Prey” show features peregrine falcons, hawks, owls and more.
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“Dreamland Drive-in,” with a cast of 12, is one of several shows at Dollywood, which prides itself on first-class entertainment. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
Brian Sirimaturos
The other highlight of the park is Dolly herself. When she bought the park, she added a Victorian portion with her favorite bakery, a museum and her tour bus. Not surprisingly, special attention is paid to the entertainment at the park. We saw the wonderful “Dreamland Drive-in,” a tour through music from the 1950s and ’60s.
More things to do
Ober Gatlinburg: Pigeon Forge sits more to the west and is more spread out, its attractions sitting farther off the parkway with plenty of parking. In Gatlinburg, about 5 miles to the east and closer to the park, things are a bit more crowded. But it has a walkable charm that Pigeon Forge doesn’t have, with gem shops, minigolf, candy stores and attractions sitting as storefronts off the sidewalk. One of those storefronts leads to a minimall with a variety of shops and at the back, an office to buy tickets to ride the tram to Ober Gatlingburg.
The aerial tram, which looks like a railroad car dangling on a cable, takes you 2.1 miles into the mountains. In winter, Ober is a ski resort. For summer, they turn it into a recreational haven. There’s an alpine coaster, an ice skating rink, an alpine slide, a chair lift, a water raft ride, an animal adventure, minigolf and more.
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The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies offers tank after tank of exotic fish, sharks, stingrays and more. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
Brian Sirimaturos
The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies: This aquarium is consistently ranked one of the best in the country, and it’s not hard to see why. A path takes you through the rain forest, the river and the ocean habitats. The highlight is the large tank with sharks, stingrays and colorful fish, which you can see from above, or stand on a moving walkway and view from a series of tunnels below, much like at the St. Louis Zoo’s Sea Lion Sound, just much bigger. A touch area with stingrays, horseshoe crabs and jellyfish drew a big crowd of kids (and moms telling them to wash their hands). But the stars here are the penguins, especially the adorable babies in the penguin nursery. The Ripley’s group has a variety of other attractions including a couple of minigolf courses, the Odditorium, a Mirror Maze, a Moving Theater and the Guinness World Records museum. Save money by purchasing tickets to multiple attractions.
Where to stay
You’ll find plenty of basic hotels and motels (many of them dated, by their outward appearance) along the Parkway in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Convenient, yes. But character, no. That’s why so many families choose cabins when they visit the Smokies. A number of companies rent cabins, and you can find some on websites such as Vrbo.com and Airbnb.com, but I wanted to go with a trusted company.
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The kitchen in a four-bedroom cabin, known as Above Pigeon Forge II, by Wyndham Vacation Rentals. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
Brian Sirimaturos
We rented through Wyndham Vacation Rentals (wyndhamvacationrentals.com) last summer for a Gulf Shores trip, and everything worked out perfectly. Wyndham, a professional manager of vacation rental properties, manages 108,000 such properties in more than 600 locations. And because the management company is right there in town, it operates a bit more like a hotel, with maintenance people on call, which came in handy.
My family had rented a four-bedroom cabin (originally there were going to be 10 of us, but we ended up with just six). Our cabin was everything we had hoped it would be: spacious, impeccably clean and it looked exactly like it did online. Only glitch: One bedroom was exceptionally warm. Those handy maintenance folks came right out and found a problem they couldn’t fix, so we were upgraded. Big time.
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The lower level of the cabin, known as Aqua Dream’in Retreat from Wyndham Vacation Rentals, had a movie theater with surround sound and a billiards table along with a mini kitchen and four bedrooms. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
Brian Sirimaturos
Wyndham offered us a 13-bedroom palace in the mountains; they had a last-minute cancellation. Each bedroom had its own flat-screen TV, king-size bed, futon and bathroom. The cabin had a movie room, pool table, four decks with gorgeous views of the Smokies, a hot tub and an indoor swimming pool. The cabin was equipped with everything we needed (pots, pans, towels, bed linens, a washer and dryer). Heck, it was everything we and five other families would have needed. My kids, really all of us, loved the place so much we decided to forgo hiking and instead bathe in the lap of luxury — or at least in the indoor pool.
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The living room featured one of 16 flat-screened TVs in the house, but the real treat was the indoor pool, located just off the living room. photo by Brian Sirimaturos
photos by Brian Sirimaturos
The four-bedroom (with hot tub, pool table and movie room) cabin we originally rented runs $219 to $719 depending on the season (Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to be the most expensive; September and winter the cheapest). The 13-bedroom megacabin, perfect for large family gatherings, goes $1,059 a night (sleeps 54) to $2,587.
If you go
Great Smoky Mountain National Park: nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Smoky Mountain Outdoors: smokymountainrafting.com. Trips are $45.95, but that can vary with the season, and you can save money by booking online.
Dixie Stampede: dixiestampede.com. Tickets are $44.99 for adults and $24.99 for children.
Dollywood: dollywood.com. One-day admission is $65 adult; $52 child; $60 senior. During most of the year if you come in after 3 p.m., you get the next day free. Splash Country’s one-day admission is $48; $43 child; $43 senior.
Ober Gatlinburg: obergatlinburg.com Wristbands for $33 include everything except tram ($12) and alpine coaster ($15)
The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies: ripleysaquarium.com/gatlinburg. $29.99 adult; $15.99 child.
Wyndham Vacation Rentals: wyndhamvacationrentals.com
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