We went to Brevard NC last fall and loved it. Looking to try Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this fall and then possibly go to the A&M vs Tenn game (So we would be there Oct 10-16 likely). We are all for the clich apple picking, gem mining, kid activities and liked doing waterfall hikes etc last year in NC. Just looking for any good stops from anyone familiar with the area. Kids will be 11/8/3 yrs old. We will be coming from Atlanta and driving north likely as we have some friends we would like to see in that area.

I doubt I will be the only one to say this, but Gatlinburg is a terrible tourist trap. The area is beautiful, but the town is probably my least favorite place to have visited on a vacation ever. It is kitschy junk stores and dumb amusements/attractions, many of which have nothing to do with the incredible natural setting (i.e. wax museum and aquarium). We found it incredibly disappointing.

Good to know. Any other suggestions for the area then? Easy hiking in the mountains and kid friendly is what we are looking for. Can be anywhere from north of Atlanta to Knoxville.

Townsend is where you want to stay.

AgPT06 said:

---

We went to Brevard NC last fall and loved it. Looking to try Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this fall and then possibly go to the A&M vs Tenn game (So we would be there Oct 10-16 likely). We are all for the clich apple picking, gem mining, kid activities and liked doing waterfall hikes etc last year in NC. Just looking for any good stops from anyone familiar with the area. Kids will be 11/8/3 yrs old. We will be coming from Atlanta and driving north likely as we have some friends we would like to see in that area.

---

Sure the main drag in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are super touristy, but nothing wrong with staying in the area, especially with kids. Provides a great variety of options, including easily accesible hiking in the National Park, rafting/kayaking, several great zipline operations, Dollywood, an outstanding aquarium, etc. Plenty of great options for lodging, including cabins with great views into the National Park.

The Chicken Ranch said:

---

Townsend is where you want to stay.

---

I cannot star this post enough.

kwammer said:

---

AgPT06 said:

---

We went to Brevard NC last fall and loved it. Looking to try Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge this fall and then possibly go to the A&M vs Tenn game (So we would be there Oct 10-16 likely). We are all for the clich apple picking, gem mining, kid activities and liked doing waterfall hikes etc last year in NC. Just looking for any good stops from anyone familiar with the area. Kids will be 11/8/3 yrs old. We will be coming from Atlanta and driving north likely as we have some friends we would like to see in that area.

---

Sure the main drag in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are super touristy, but nothing wrong with staying in the area, especially with kids. Provides a great variety of options, including easily accesible hiking in the National Park, rafting/kayaking, several great zipline operations, Dollywood, an outstanding aquarium, etc. Plenty of great options for lodging, including cabins with great views into the National Park.

---

This. You can get relatively good family lodging deals in Gatlinburg and use it as a launch point for other activities.

The Chicken Ranch said:

---

Townsend is where you want to stay.

---

This x10000. Stay in Townsend. Your trip will be amazing.

It is an easy drive to Gatlinburg if you really want to scratch that itch for a day.

We stayed up in the mountains between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for spring break a couple years ago and had a lot of fun. Easy access to hiking, and plenty of food options and things to do. Yes it is a huge tourist trap but a lot of it was pretty fun. Gatlinburg was not as fun as PF IMO.

We did Dollywood (pretty fun but just a theme park), the Titanic Museum (my daughters favorite thing on earth apparently as she still mentions it 2 years later on a weekly basis), the dinner theater (expensive but the kids loved it) and a bunch of other things.

in PF theres an indoor snow sled place that was pretty fun as well for the kids.

+1 on Townsend

We spent week in Townsend last month and it is little upscale and truly quiet side of smokies.

We drove through gatlinburg once and immediately turned around once we saw the tourist trap hell.

Can't imagine what it looks like in peak season.