Smoky Mountain National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has an abundance of rich scenery, wildlife and diversity. This area is world renowned for its wide range of plant and animal life, along with the majestic scenery, mountain range, and its Southern Appalachian culture. Bring your camera cause you just might see elk grazing in a pasture beside the road or a black bear with its cubs in Cades Cove.
There are between eight to ten million visitors each year, which makes the Great Smoky Mountains National park, the most visited national park in the United States. The park is open year round; however, some campgrounds, secondary roads, and facilities are closed during the winter. There are no fees to enter the park but donation boxes are placed throughout the park.
Start off your journey in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park by visiting the Sugarlands Visitor Center. You can pick up a map of the park, purchase guides and books with tons of information about the Smoky Mountains. A park ranger may be available to answer any of your questions. Simply anything you may need to learn about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Sugarlands Visitor Center can help and inform you.
The Smokies are considered to be a “tourist paradise” with all the great things visitors can enjoy. Auto and motorcycle tours, touring the spectacular sights of this beautiful land, camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, fishing, wildlife and flora viewing are some of the most popular activities.
Gatlinburg
With over nine million visitors, Gatlinburg is a destination you must take advantage of when visiting the Smokies! Surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg is only two miles long by five miles wide with a little over 3,500 residents. Small in size, but abundantly filled with dozens of restaurants, packed with many attractions, and shopping galore! Gatlinburg is filled with so much fun, beauty, and lots of charm for everyone to enjoy! There is quite a bit of Smoky Mountain heritage, with crafts, arts, and shops for visitors to experience as well.
You will be sure to leave Gatlinburg with souvenirs and keepsakes of all sorts! The Downtown parkway is lined with over 400 shops, village style stores, and five malls. Gatlinburg offers an excellent variety of shopping, especially the nice novelty shops, along with great collectibles, unique jewelry, and handmade arts and crafts.
Popular attractions include. .
- Amazing Mirror Maze
- Earthquake the Ride
- Gatlinburg Skylift
- Ghost & Haunt Tours of America
- Hollywood Wax Museum
- Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort
- Ripley’s Aquarium Ripley’s Believe It or Not
Pigeon Forge
You can be assured that Pigeon Forge Tennessee is a vacation destination that everyone can enjoy! There are more than 40 attractions and over 70 restaurants in Pigeon Forge that line the parkway with exciting activities for families to share, and real fun for visitors of all ages when you vacation in the Smoky Mountains. Pigeon Forge is only a short drive from Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Some of the fun filled activities includes go-carts, bumper boats, waterslides, rides, miniature golf, and even an indoor skydiving simulator. There is so much to experience in Pigeon Forge! It has such a variety of things to offer, and can allow visitors to enjoy this amazing area all day and night.
When you plan your vacation in Pigeon Forge, you must plan to go to the Country Tonite Show, the Show repeatedly voted “Best Show in the Smokies” year after year! The show is a two-hour high-energy variety show that will keep the whole family entertained with singing, dancing, comedy, and more. A show you don’t want to miss! You must also plan on Dollywood Amusement Park, one of the South’s favorite family vacation spots. Dollywood is filled with more than 40 wonderful rides, and the best bluegrass, Southern gospel, and country music anywhere.
Popular attractions include. . .
- Wonderworks
- Fantasy Golf
- The Track Go-Karts
- Titanic