Sevierville, TN
The Island
The Island is an amazing place that has restaurants, shops, and entertainment. Some of the highlights are the Island Fountain Show that starts approximately every 30 minutes with music lights and of course the fountains. You can relax on one of the many rocking chairs while enjoying the show.
As for the restaurants, our favorite restaurants are Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, and the Timberwood Grill. Paula Deen’s restaurant is a family style restaurant where you pick two or three meats and four sides. Your server will then keep bringing you food until you cannot eat any more. At Timberwood Grill, you can get anything from ribs and brisket, shrimp, pork chops, salmon, burgers, salads, etc. You have a lot of choices. Don’t forget about the wings.
The Island has over 40 shops, which include beef jerky, candy, wine, build a bear, gift shops, popcorn, etc. If you like to shop, you will not be disappointed.
One of the largest attractions is the 200 foot Great Smoky Mountain Wheel where you will sit in an all glass gondola where you will see incredible views of the mountains. The second major attraction is the SkyFly – Soar America. It is a Dynamic Attraction flying theater where guests will experience a feeling of flight as they soar over US iconic areas. This place has close to 30 attractions now including the Alcatraz East Crime Museum and a ton of entertainment for your kids of all ages including kiddy rides and the Island Rope Course so you have a ton of things to do at the Island.
For more information please visit The Island in Pigeon Forge – Family Fun Center & Entertainment Complex
Gatlinburg Sky Park
If you want to see beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains, you need to hop onto the yellow chairlift followed by crossing the record breakeringSkyBridge, which is the longest pedestrian cable bride in North America. Gatlinburg SkyLift will transport you from downtown Gatlinburg up 1,800 feet to the top of Crockett Mountain.
The SkyBridge stretches close to 700 feet, which is longer than two football fields. Midway on the bridge, you will walk across 30 feet of glass at a height, which is 500 feet above Gatlinburg. You think you are brave enough to step on the glass with looking down.
The Gatlinburg SkyTrail is a scenic walkway connecting each end of the SkyBridge to hikes in the mountain. Make sure to look up where you will see incredible view of the SkyBridge.
The Tulip Tower is a 70’ steel tower with four elevated viewing platforms. You will not believe the view you will see.
At the Gatlinburg Sky Deck, you can relax on a rocking chair while looking at the spectacular view of the Great Smoky Mountains. It is an excellent spot to take a photo that will become your screensaver on your computer. Don’t forget to grab a craft beer while enjoying the view.
For more information please visit Gatlinburg Sky Park
Abrams Falls Trail
It is a 5.5 mile back trail located close to Townsend, Tennessee with a beautiful twenty foot waterfall, which has a large volume of water rushing over the falls. The pool is a very long and deep pool, which is an excellent photo shot. The length of the trail is 5.5 miles roundtrip, and the elevation gain with walking the trail is 629 feet.
The trail is considered to be a moderately challenging route, which takes an average of 2 hour and 4 minutes to complete.
This trail is a very popular one in the Great Smoky Mountains.
For more information please visit
Abrams Falls – Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Dollywood
It has over 50 world class rides with over 160 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains. It has excellent entertainment, and award-winning dining with also being known for their friendliness.
The Wild Eagle is America’s first wing coaster. You will be perched over 21 stories above Dollywood where you will be soaring high above the Smoky Mountains. It is an amazing feeling when you flight completely upside down while on the Wild Eagle. Please try it out on your next visit. Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster with a 100 foot drop with a top speed of 55 mph. Don’t forget to ride the FireChaser Express where you will feel the heat of a fire while enjoying this roller coaster. I have just named a few of the rides, but I highly recommend Dollywood.
Dollywood has several very good restaurants, but I always need to get my cinnamon bread from the Grist Mill. It is unbelievable how good it is. The Front Porch Café is probably our favorite restaurant out of all of them, and for people with allergies they have a gluten friendly, vegan, and vegetarian options. Don’t forget about Miss Lillia’s Smokehouse for excellent BBQ. We love the Spotlight Bakery where this place actually makes a 25 pound apple pie. Overall, a ton of great options for eating.
I also wanted to mention several festivals throughout the year, which include Flower and Food Festival, Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration, Harvest Festival, and the Smoky Mountain Christmas. I do not think anyone has a better Christmas festival. The shows are fantastic, and the entire park is decorated in Christmas lights.
For more information, please visit Top Destination For Family Vacations | Pigeon Forge, TN | Dollywood Parks & Resorts
Laurel Falls
How would you like to see an 80 foot high waterfall on an easy asphalt walkway? The waterfall has an upper and lower section, which is divided by a walkway crossing the stream at the base of the upper falls.
This waterfall is probably one of the most popular ones in the entire park so parking will be very hard to get. I believe the Gatlinburg Welcome Station now has a way of transporting you from the Welcome Center to Laurel Falls, but you have to book in advance.
The roundtrip distance to the waterfall is 2.6 miles. The hike is considered moderate in difficulty. It will take approximately 2 hours to hike to Laurel Falls and back to your vehicle. I would recommend bringing water and some snacks. The trail is mostly paved, but it becomes rough and uneven at some points. It has an area where it can become slippery in wet weather. You will need to get a close eye on your children at all times.
For more information please visit
Laurel Falls – Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Alpine Coaster
It is the longest downhill ride in the United States with over 1 mile of track. It takes roughly 7-8 minutes to complete the trac, and it is an amazing experience. The weight limit of each sled is 375 pounds in dry conditions and 330 pounds in wet conditions where two riders are allowed to ride in one sled. The coaster will operate in rain or even snow for a completely different event, and don’t forget that you can ride at night. If the ride gets too fast for you, it even has a brake on the sled to slow it down for you. If you are like me, I did not apply the brake.
The person controlling the sled needs to be 56” while the minimum height for a rider is 38“. The person controlling the sled has to be at least 16 years of age.
Try it out. It is an unbelievable experience.
For more information, please visit SMOKY MOUNTAIN ALPINE COASTER – Home
The Old Mill
The Old Mill started in 1830 where local farmers with sacks of grain traveled to the newly built gristmill along the Little Pigeon River. Those trips to the mill resulted in meal and flour for cooking, and they also were opportunities to socialize and build community. In time, our town of Pigeon Forge was born.
Today, you can pick up flour, cornmeal, grits, catfish breading, hushpuppy mix, oats that were made at the Old Mill. The stores at the Old Mill village range from candy stores, Blacksmithing shops, stores that give out samples of soups, pottery, ice cream, distillery, and finally stone shops. You can take a long time to see everything that is available in this area. The Ice Cream Creamery and the Candy Store are must stop places here.
My favorite part is the Old Mill Restaurant that I highly recommended to all of my guests. At dinner, you start off with a corn chowder followed by a salad in addition to hushpuppies. You then have to select your entrée. I highly recommend the ribs, pot roast, fried chicken, and the meatloaf. The restaurant also serves you unlimited portions of mashed potatoes and green beans. When you cannot eat any more, the waitress will ask you what you want for dessert. I usually select the pecan pie, and I started getting the chocolate cake recently to change things up since I go to the Old Mill every visit to the Smoky Mountains.
For more information, please visit The Old Mill (old-mill.com)
Anakeesta
You will start your day by riding the Chondola Chairlift or the Ridge Rambler. The Chondola is a 4 person open air chair with a bar and Anakeesta also has an enclosed gondola cabin that seats up to six. It can also be used for handicap guests. The Ridge Ramble will take you up 600’ to the summit of Anakeesta Mountain.
Anavista Smoky Mountain Observation Tower happens to be the highest point in Gatlinburg where you will see 360 degree views of the beautiful Smoky Mountains. You will also have a chance to go to Canopy Treetop Skywalk, which is the longest tree based skywalk in North America. It has 880’ of spectacular handing bridges, which are suspended 50-60’ in the air. Don’t forget to try the dueling zip line adventure where you will be zipping over 2600’ thru the tree canopy right next to your wife. You could also try the Rail Runner Mountain Coaster. The track is 1,600 feet of downhill twists and turns up to 25 mph, which also has an elevation change of 400 feet. The kids will love the Treehouse Adventure Play Area as well.
This place has several restaurants, but I love stopping at the Smokehouse Smoky Mountain Restaurant. The BBQ is very good, but the view while you eat is incredible.
Cliff Top Restaurant is very good as well, and it also has a nice selection of craft beers that everyone enjoys. I also enjoyed the Bar at the top of the world.
For more information, please visit Anakeesta Mountaintop Adventure Park in Gatlinburg Tennessee
Cades Cove
It is an 11 mile one way road that circles the cove with many stops where you may be lucky with seeing deer, black bears, crows, etc. It usually can take between two – four hours depending if people are seeing wild life. When wild life is out, the road can come to a complete stop.
We always walk the trial to John Oliver’s cabin, which is an asphalt road for most of the way on the short trail. At the end by the cabin, it is regular grass that you need to walk in order to get into the cabin. We also like to stop by the Chapel with walking the cemetery plot. We always make it to John Cable Grist Mill with looking at all of the building around it. Don’t forget to stop at the gift store to buy a book on history of the area or just to get your child a stuffed black bear.
Chrissy and I highly recommend doing the Cades Cover driving tour. You will get incredible pictures, and more than likely find some wildlife. We recently found a bear climbing on a tree while touring Cades Cove.
For more information, please visit Cades Cove – Wikipedia
Foothills Parkway
It is a 10.2 mile highway where you will see scenic view of beautiful mountain vista and valleys. We actually went to Foothills Parkway to see the sunrise. Victoria, my daughter, loves watching sunsets and sunrises. When we saw the sunrise, we got another treat. We saw a bear right beside our vehicle. The road goes up a high elevation. Chrissy actually got nervous the first time that we went all the way up to the top of the Foothills Parkway. It is worth the ride to see the fantastic views.
For more information, please visit Scenic Drives | Foothills Parkway West (abouttownsend.com)
White Water Rafting
We went on the Ocoee River when we did White Water Rafting. Chrissy is very scared of falling out of a boat so I told the guide that he had one job, which was to make sure she stayed in the boat, which she did. Victoria actually did what they call riding the bull. You basically sit on the front of the boat, and the water will go over you. If you are daring enough to ride the bull, give it a try.
The Middle Ocoee is a 3.5 hr trip with five miles of Class III and IV rapids. The trained staff will show you how to do everything, and you will have an unbelievable time. We actually purchased the video so we could remember our trip.
If you wanted to do the full river, a five hour course is available as well.
You can also do the most challenging Whitewater rafting, which is called the Ocoee Class V rating. It is the most extreme whitewater rafting trip that is around the Smokies. Qualifications include ability to swim, self-rescue into a raft, experience with whitewater, and experience surfing inside a hydraulic. Ocoee Class V Training is available.
For more information, please visit Ocoee River Rafting | Whitewater Rafting Adventure with OAR
Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smoky Mountain National Park at 6,643. Once you make it up the observation tower at the top of Clingmans Dome, you can see views that expand over a 100 miles on clear days. When you decide to go to Clingmans Dome, I would recommend bringing a jacket since the temperature can drop 10-20 degrees at this high elevation.
The walk up to the Observation Tower is a steep half mile walk so you will need to be in pretty good shape to make it all of the way up. We tend to see people not making it with waiting for the rest of their family to come back while they wait on the side for them so be prepared for a steep walk.
Once you are at the top, the pictures you take will be absolutely amazing.
For more information, please visit Clingmans Dome – Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
