Nestled into a picturesque valley at the eastern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg offers a wealth of activities and attractions to draw more than 11 million visitors each year. It’s a treasure trove of things to do for walkers, hikers, bikers, rafters, outdoor enthusiasts, thrill seekers, fun lovers, snow skiers, sightseers, music fans, families, grownups and kids, melding the region’s rich Appalachian heritage (moonshine, anyone?) and recreational culture with the offerings of a modern travel destination—including a world-class aquarium, sky lifts, mountain coasters, souvenir shops, craftspeople and musicians, the world’s longest pedestrian suspended bridge, “hillbilly”-style mini-golf and a food pyramid built on fudge, taffy, pancakes, ice cream and pastries, buttressed with everything else, from high-end steaks to seafood. There’s something for everyone, of all ages, all the time. The town is all about “making memories,” says YouTuber Mike Friday, who vlogs about Gatlinburg alongside his wife, Karen, on their “Friday’s Forever” channel. They started making videos for their family, showing the couple out and about in the mountains and towns of East Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas. But the Fridays were surprised as thousands of other people started following them as well. Adds Karen, “The mountains are my happy place.” This bustling mountain town might just become your happy place, too. Here are 10 must-do things that will maximize the memories of any trip to Gatlinburg!
10 Things to Do in Gatlinburg
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The most visited national park in America sprawls across the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, unfurling within more than 522,000 acres and presenting some of America’s most beautiful scenery—towering peaks, ancient forests, rushing rivers and the opportunity to see all sorts of animals in their natural habitat. Established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, the park’s namesake mountains are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million years old, some of the oldest on the continent; the highest one, Clingman’s Dome, kisses the sky at an impressive 6,643 feet. Gatlinburg’s “main drag,” its nearly mile-long parkway, leads directly into the park, where it branches and winds through an array of sights, including reconstructed churches, log homes and grist mills—remnants of the area’s pioneer past—and the area’s abundant wildlife, including black bear, white-tailed deer and elk. And if drive-by sightseeing leaves you longing for something more up-close and personal, there are plenty of places to pull over, park and get out, where you can picnic, wade in the mountain waters, or hike on some 850 miles of paths and unpaved roads, including the famed Appalachian Trail. (Various companies offer excursions for kayaking and river rafting.) One of the park’s most visited areas, Cades Cove, is especially popular in the fall, as the colors of the season bloom in an explosion of hues, and bands of oranges, yellows and reds unfurl across the mountainsides, creating a slideshow of sunlight at dawn and dusk. And in April and May, the vast darkness of the forest is illuminated by the blinking of synchronous fireflies (a species of lightning bugs), extraordinary displays that have become so popular, attendance is chosen by lottery. The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Don’t even attempt to count them, but some 10,000 creatures swim, splash and waddle in this handsome facility, which opened in 2000 and features the world’s longest underwater viewing tunnel. Kids, especially, will enjoy getting up close and personal with penguins, rays, sea turtles and even sharks. And mermaids! There are fish and sea creatures of all sorts, from all over the world, like the supremely weird-looking Weedy Sea Dragon, which swims off the coasts of Australia. The aquarium—housed in a gleaming, state-of-the-art, 85,000-square-foot edifice circulating some 1.4 million gallons of water—is the family-friendly cornerstone of several Gatlinburg attractions owned and/or operated by Ripley’s, the worldwide “Believe It or Not” entertainment franchise. In Gatlinburg, you’ll see the Ripley’s name a lot—on rides and walk-through attractions, a haunted house, a museum of oddities and a couple of mini-golf courses. You can purchase a single pass for admission to all of them; but by all means, visit the aquarium. In this mountain tourism hamlet, more than 375 miles from the nearest ocean, it’s a world-class immersion (submersion) into the deep, wide wonders of the aquaworld—believe it or not.
Skylift Park
One of the oldest attractions in Gatlinburg, the iconic sky lift—the first ever built in the South—has been ferrying passengers since the early 1950s to the top of Crockett Mountain (and then down again) in yellow suspended, cable-carried chairs originally purchased from a California resort. But the devastating 2016 Smokey Mountain wildfires nearly destroyed the lift, necessitating a major facelift, overhaul and upgrade. Today, it’s a tourism centerpiece, with its moving stream of bright yellow chairs forming a signature “spine” leading up, up and away from the hustle and bustle below—and pointing the way to the fantabulous Sky Bridge, a suspended walkway spanning a wide mountain gulch. The Sky Bridge is the star attraction of the multi-tiered, amphitheater-style plaza, Skybridge Park, at the peak of the ride, where there’s also a souvenir shop and a snack bar. Walking across the bridge is optional; if you’re squeamish at the thought of being on a narrow, bouncy pathway high above the treetops, there’s another option: A walking path offers an alternative, terra firmer way of getting to the other side. But intrepid souls who do cross the bridge will get bragging rights—and some awesome photos and video, especially if they pause along the 30-foot-long middle section made of solid, see-through panels of glass. The Sky Bridge is America’s longest suspended pedestrian structure at 680 feet, and it offers breathtaking vistas of downtown, especially just before dark, with the parkway twinkling like multicolored stars against a panoramic backdrop of majestic mountains. You can also kick back and simply enjoy the sights from one of the many rocking chairs on the plaza, or warm up around a big firepit when the temps dip.
Ober Gatlinburg
Another “vintage” attraction, Ober Gatlinburg began construction in 1972 and opened full-scale in 1975, offering enclosed tram cable-car rides to a mountaintop amusement park with skiing, a mountain coaster, a mall with eateries, carnival-like rides, shops and an ice-skating rink, and a zoo habitat with rescued bears. And once you reach the top, another chairlift can take you even further up the mountain! Builder Claude Anders got the idea for Ober Gatlinburg (Ober is German for upper) from a visit he made to Europe in the 1960s, sparking his thoughts for an alternative way for ski-resort visitors to get to the snowy slopes and avoid driving the winding mountain roads, especially in the winter. Every fall, Ober Gatlinburg hosts a lavish Oktoberfest celebration, with Bavarian food, oom-pah-pah bands and plenty of beer, all echoing the attraction’s Euro roots and the original OktoOBER Fest in Munich, Germany.
Anakeesta
Take the sky lift or an enclosed Chondola (part chair, part gondola). Or, if you’re intimidated by dangling (high over rooftops and even treetops), opt for a ride in a 10-wheeled Road Rambler. But all routes lead to this expansive outdoor mountain-adventure hub, which gets its name for a Cherokee Indian word meaning “high ground.” (Plus, the Anakeesta Formation is a geological designation of a specific rock layer than runs through the Smoky Mountains.) Opening in 2017 and now a gemstone among Gatlinburg attractions, it’s a high-altitude, self-contained alpine village with shops, a full-service restaurant, live entertainment and lots to do—including zip lines, a “canopy” walk through the treetops, play zones for kids, a zippy mountain coaster ride, and a 360-degree observation tower with jaw-dropping views of the surrounding mountains. It’s hands-down one of the best places in Gatlinburg to experience the bountiful sights and changing colors of autumn—maybe while you’re savoring pumpkin or pecan pie from the sweet shop, Pearl’s Pie in the Sky. Coming this fall: An all-new Anakeesta attraction, the after-dark immersive experience called the Lumina Night Walk, which combines star gazing, storytelling, projections and music. Future plans include an additional village, which will double the attraction’s footprint. The imaginative, immaculate landscaping and terraced foot-traffic areas have a storybook, fantasyland charm, and there’s a poignant “memorial trail” commemorating the 2016 wildfires that burned some 10,000 acres of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and decimated parts of Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge.
Space Needle
A downtown fixture since 1969, this spire slices into the sky and rises 407 feet above the parkway, where a ride in a glass-walled elevator lifts you up though the grid-like tower and onto a circular observation deck with plaques about the history of Gatlinburg—and dizzying views of everything below and beyond. (It’s the fifth tallest tower in the state of Tennessee, topped only by radio and television rigs—though it comes up a bit short compared to its “companion” needle, across the country in Seattle.) No need to bring binoculars: Free magnifying viewfinders, for mountain gazing and people watching, are installed all around. At the base of the Needle is Arcadia, a massive game center with 30,000 square feet of challenging amusements, including a theater for live entertainment (it’s currently home to the mind-bending “Impossibilities” illusions show with magician Erik Dobell). The Needle isn’t fancy, it’s showing its age a bit and it essentially does only one thing, taking you high in the air to get a great look all around. But it’s a landmark of the parkway, and like most things in Gatlinburg, it’s open year-round. A ticket grants you not just one trip to the top, but two—and I recommend one in daytime, the other at night, to get the most from seeing Gatlinburg from the highest perch on the parkway.
Donut Friar/The Village
OK, yes, it’s a donut shop. But this donut shop is also a must-do, as almost every Gatlinburg visitor drops in during their stay, and sometimes more than once! The Donut Friar, open since 1969, is the sweet cornerstone of a quaint, picturesque little enclave of shops called The Village, with its entrance just off the parkway. The Friar, the only original, remaining shop from the Village’s initial opening, is open at 5 a.m. for glazed donuts, crullers, eclairs, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon bread, plus an impressive range of coffee drinks—espresso, cappuccino, lattes, macchiatos and more. (And please know: It’s cash only, but there’s an ATM on the premises.) It’s one of more than 25 unique shops and snack shops along the warren-like walkways, which have been constructed with an “Old World” feel; many of them incorporated building materials (handmade bricks, gas lights, heavy carved doors, roofing slates and antique trim) from old homes, churches and historical buildings that were being demolished in the area. In addition to places where you can buy decorative socks, hiking accessories, flavored popcorn, souvenirs, stationery and toys, there’s also a fine-art gallery and an escape room. And the bubbling fountain, just outside the front door of the Friar, is a highly popular photo spot, especially when decorated with seasonal touches for spring, fall and winter.
Dollywood
It’s not in Gatlinburg, but it’s only a 10-mile sprint away. That’s why many visitors to Gatlinburg wouldn’t think of missing a trip to this must-see theme park in nearby Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where it’s the hub of superstar Dolly Parton’s entertainment empire—which also includes a water park, themed dinner theaters (Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Hatfields & McCoys, the Comedy Barn and Pirate’s Voyage) and the relatively new DreamMore Resort and spa. Parton opened Dollywood in 1986 on a site that had previously been home to several other attractions catering to visitors to the Tennessee mountains (Silver Dollar City, Rebel Railroad and Gold Rush Junction). It quickly jumped to the top of the list of the state’s most-visited paid-admission attractions, with some 3 million guests coming every year to experience its rides, food and live music, and its bustling, bountiful celebration of Smoky Mountain culture. Located on 150 acres near the national park, Dollywood is not far from where Dolly herself grew up, and she always intended the park to be a jobs generator for the economically depressed region of her roots. (Mission accomplished: Today, it’s the area’s biggest employer.) The park changes with the seasons, hosting vibrant festivals and special celebrations of spring, summer, fall and winter. In addition to dozens of amusements and rides for kids and grownups of all ages, Dollywood also offers unique opportunities to explore the life of its celebrity owner; there’s a full-scale replica of the cabin in which Dolly was raised, along with her 10 siblings; a museum that displays many of her outfits and career memorabilia; and you can even climb aboard her tour bus. See majestic bald eagles up close and personal in the park’s 30,000-square-foot aviary, one of the country’s largest “free range” eagle sanctuaries. And if you’re there on a Sunday, you can even go to church—in a chapel, designed to look and feel like a 19th century house of worship, and named for the doctor who brought baby Dolly into the world.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
One of the most eye-popping sights on the Gatlinburg parkway is a three-story corner building with a 3-D facade depicting a grove of massive, intertwined trees teeming with bears, birds, racoons and other mountain wildlife. It’s quite a sight to see! And it’s the home of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorum, a tri-level, interactive museum walking tour of strangeness from around the globe. Filled with illusions, scientific and human oddities, freaks of nature, crazy world records, wax figures, photos, illustrations, rare artifacts and life-size sculptures, it’s all themed around the travels and collections of Robert Ripley, a cartoonist, explorer, reporter, adventurer and collector who traveled more than 200 countries over three decades seeking out the most curious of curiosities. Before his death in 1949, he produced an immensely popular “Believe It or Not!” newspaper feature, a live radio show and a TV series, and he also made two dozen short film documentaries. There’s nowhere else in Gatlinburg to see a full-size lamb made entire out of strings from floor mops… celebrity portraits fashioned from Rubix Cubes or drawn entirely with cigarette ashes… a South Pacific demon deity… or a towering replica of a real-life giant. Even the bathrooms are full of quirky fun facts…about bathrooms!
Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg
This rambling tour treks around Gatlinburg after dark, stopping at hotels, motels, tourist attractions and even an authentically eerie local cemetery (with some gravesite markers dating back two centuries), all led and narrated by a guide who spills forth legends, lore and folk tales about the town’s “haunted history.” You’ll learn about murders, suicides, vengeful lovers, tragic accidents and other general mayhem believed to have left a patchwork of psychic scars all over town—like the worker who was decapitated in a fall from the top of the Sky Needle, the little girl who jumped to her death from a hotel balcony, and a landowner who used his axe to dissuade trespassers. Take the Ghost Tour and you’ll swear their troubled souls are still hanging around—or maybe following you around town. Spooky!
Mysterious Mansion
A terrific companion to the Ghost Walk, this is for sure the best of the two “haunted house” attractions in Gatlinburg. Located just off the parkway on River Road, it’s a “turn of the century” Victorian-style mansion, full of secret passageways, pitch-dark corridors, winding staircases, things that go bump in the night and unpleasantries lurking in the shadows. You’ll have to literally “feel” your way through some of the rooms and hallways, filled with authentic antiques and curios…and make your way past “actors” dressed like killer clowns, mutated creatures or other monstrosities. It’s all in good, giddy, frightening fun (although not for most children, or adults with mobility issues), but it’s supposedly grounded in the real-life haunting by a family that lived on the property in the early 1900s that self-destructed in a violent swirl of madness and mass murder. One of the oldest attractions in town, it’s been scaring people since 1980.
Where is Gatlinburg?
Gatlinburg is located about 40 miles southeast of Knoxville, Tenn. Its residential population of just over 4,000 swells in the summer and fall with hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors from all over the United States, and beyond. It’s located within driving distance of Atlanta, Ga. (199 miles), Nashville, Tenn. (223 miles), New Orleans (224 miles) Indianapolis (398 miles) and Chicago (585 miles). But people come from all over: New York (708 miles), Dallas (884 miles), Denver (1,376 miles) or even Los Angeles (2,224 miles). On one visit, I met a young couple from Mongolia!
How did Gatlinburg get its name?
Centuries after Cherokee hunters, and other Native Americans before them, had been living in and exploring the area of present-day Gatlinburg, white settlers came into the picture. At the dawn of the 1800s, a South Carolinian named William Ogle built a cabin (assisted by members of the Cherokee tribe) in a remote clearing near the foot of towering Mount LeConte, when the region was known as White Oak Flats. Ogles went back to the Carolinas to fetch the rest of his family, but he died of malaria before he could return. A couple of generations later, his great-grandson opened one of the first businesses in White Oak Flats, a general store—and today, nearly 10,000 people, mostly in the Southeast, claim kinship to the Ogles. Thanks to land grants from the U.S. government, many veterans of the Revolutionary War, and their families, added to the population. The town wasn’t called Gatlinburg, however, until after another settler, Radford Gatlin, arrived from Georgia in 1854. He was an itinerate preacher who opened his own general store, which also became the local post office. An outsider and an outlier from the get-go, he was a contentious figure known to engage his neighbors in petty lawsuits (most of which he lost) and rankle just about everyone with his fiery Confederate views—in an area that largely sided with the Union. He became a notorious business competitor feuding with the town’s founding family, the Ogles, and his church drew congregants away from the White Oaks Baptist Church, the first house of worship in the area. Eventually, around the start of the Civil War, Gatlin left town, either forced out or finding some other reason to move along. Many residents said good riddance, but he had certainly made his mark and left his legacy, and he also left his name behind—as the little community in the wilderness became thereafter known as Gatlinburg.
What time is it in Gatlinburg?
Gatlinburg is on Eastern Standard Time, so whatever it is where you are, adjust your devices accordingly—if they don’t automatically do it themselves!
What’s the temperature in Gatlinburg?
In Gatlinburg, the summers are long and humid (typically between 80 and 90 degrees during the day), the winters are wet and cold (ranging between lows in the mid 20s and highs anywhere between 40s and 60s); snow is not uncommon, and clouds come and go year-round. The mountains are a big influence on the day-to-day weather.
Where can I stay in Gatlinburg?
Options for lodging in and around Gatlinburg abound, from motels and inns just off the main drag through town—the “parkway” section of U.S. Hwy. 441—to scenic mountain cabins and condominiums of all sizes sprinkled for miles around. One of the more recent additions is the Margaritaville Resort, inspired by the Jimmy Buffett hit, with indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, a grill, coffee shop and a themed bar. If you want to stay somewhere “famous,” try the Gatlinburg Inn, which has been around since the early 1930s. It’s been fully refurbished, but it still has a cool retro aura of bygone days, like when songwriting couple Felice and Boudleaux Bryant—who wrote the Everly Brothers’ hits “Bye, Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I Have to Do is Dream”—holed up in 1967 and came out with “Rocky Top.” Later designated as one of Tennessee’s official state songs, the upbeat tune was written in just a few minutes as a diversion from the slower, more serious songs the Bryants were cramming to complete for an album by super-picker Chet Atkins and Hee Haw star Archie Campbell. The song has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Dolly Parton, John Denver and Lynn Anderson, who had a Top 20 hit in the early 1979s. A version of the tune—which laments the loss of a simpler way of life and a freer existence in the hills of Tennessee as development began to encroach on it—continues as a musical staple for the nearby University of Tennessee’s marching band, which has played it at the school’s sporting events since the early 1970s.
When are the Christmas lights in Gatlinburg?
Many visitors come—and keeping coming back—every year for Gatlinburg’s spectacular display of Christmas lights, decorations and the sounds of the season. The lights go on this year Friday, Dec. 2 (it’s always the first Friday in December), followed by the annual Christmas parade through town—and a visit from Santa Claus! In nearby Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Dollywood will host its annual winter festival, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, Nov. 6 through Jan. 2.
Will I see bears in Gatlinburg?
On the very edge of the Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg offers its visitors good chances of seeing wildlife, especially within the park itself, on the roadsides or hiking trails. You might come across a variety of animals (including deer, wild hogs, elk and even bears), if you’re lucky, from the safety of your vehicle as you drive through the park to Cades Cove or along other scenic routes. But sometimes American black bears—often lured by food in trash bins or left outside—make their way into town, where their “pop-up” appearances lead to YouTube videos as they cross the street, prowl parking lots or even open unlocked doors to see if there’s anything tasty inside! And, as wildlife officials and park rangers continually remind everyone, bears are large, wild animals, and their behavior can be unpredictable, especially when startled or they feel threatened. So, remember to keep your distance, never attempt to approach or feed the bears, and always maintain a safe distance if you find yourself sharing outdoor space with a mama bear and her cubs. A better way to experience bears up close and in person is the Ober Gatlinburg Wildlife encounter, where they live in a controlled habitat.
Are there celebrities in Gatlinburg?
It’s not Hollywood, but the stars do come out in Gatlinburg. Celebrity TV chef Guy Fieri showed up for the grand opening of his latest eatery, Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! Country star Blake Shelton—also the longest-running coach on TV’s The Voice—sometimes takes the stage at his Ole Red restaurant and entertainment venue; perhaps he’ll stop by with his wife, rocker Gwen Stefani, when you’re there! Another country hitmaker, Jason Aldean, is building his own spot, the Jason Aldean Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, along the parkway. At the Hollywood Wax Museum (which operated in Gatlinburg for years before moving into a much larger facility in Pigeon Forge), you’ll encounter dozens of movie stars and silver-screen icons—actually, the life-size likenesses of a show-biz who’s who, from Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper and Anne Hathaway to John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. And if you come to Gatlinburg and see hundreds of white-bearded men in red suits, you’re not having a Miracle on 34th Street daydream—you’ve arrived during the annual Santa Claus Family Reunion, a regional get-together of those who carry the Christmas torch during the Christmas season, and other times, as Jolly Old Saint Nick. The next Santa reunion is scheduled for April 15-20, 2023.
Is there free entertainment in Gatlinburg?
Yes! Many of the food and drink establishments feature no-charge singers and groups. And in fact, it’s usually hard to avoid the music in Gatlinburg! An outdoor stage outside Sugarland’s Distilling Company, one of several spots that offer moonshine tasting on the parkway, presents free shows by hot-picking bluegrass musicians. You never know who you’ll see at Ole Red, the restaurant and live-music franchise named after country singer Blake Shelton’s 1993 hit, previously recorded by George Jones and Kenny Rogers; Shelton himself has been known to pop in and play, and otherwise there’s almost always someone else on stage. But one of the surefire hits of a trip to Gatlinburg is coming during Tunes & Tales, a strolling celebration of Appalachian culture with groups of regional musicians and storytellers “doing their things” all up and down the street, culminating in an all-together outdoor hoedown every evening. That’s when the music truly flows all over town. This year’s summer Tunes & Tales runs July 1-31; there’s a fall edition Sept. 16-Oct. 15, during the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival; and even when the weather gets cool and then cold, the streets are filled with music and “Winter Magic” on Friday and Saturdays Nov. 25 through Dec. 17.
