The Unknown Ahead

Our trip to the Smoky Mountains is still one of our favorite family memories. There’s something really magical about staying in a log cabin and taking in the fresh mountain air. There’s hiking, wildlife, waterfalls, fishing and so much exploring – it’s really nature’s playground. And yet, the Smoky Mountains is also home to the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, which is basically Vegas for kids. These towns offer mini golf, shows, an aquarium, curiosity shops, Alpine roller coasters, Dollywood, and (for the adults) moonshine! With so many offerings in so many different genres, everyone is sure to find something fun to do whether you’re 2 or 92. So let’s road trip down to Tennessee and get started! 

If you’d like to check out my interactive Google map, you can do so HERE. It will guide you to everything on the itinerary and offer up some suggested hiking spots. For a detailed hiking trail map, check out this site.   

Day 1

• Coming from Chicago, we just drove south to Tennessee. If you’re also in the mood for a road trip, make sure you have some good car activities for those kids! If you want some unplugged entertainment ideas, check out this post. I also did a lot of reading out loud in the car as opposed to audio books. Depending on the ages of your kids, I love the book The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Not only is it a unique story, but it gives you the chance to show off your sweet robot narration voice.
• There are a lot of adorable log cabins that you can rent near the Smoky Mountains. Some are in cabin communities where you’ll have lots of neighbors and others are more remote. If you google “cabins for rent in the Smoky Mountains” you’ll literally get 1,850,000 results. Our goal was to unplug and enjoy nature, so we chose something a little more isolated in the mountains. Most of these cabins have a hot tub on the porch so that you can warm up after a day of hiking. I’d also suggest a cabin with a giant stone fireplace to hang out by in the evenings. 
• If you’re the kind of family that enjoys camping, you also have a ton of lodging options within Great Smoky Mountain National Park! 
• Let’s explore Gatlinburg for our first day in the Smokies. We’re going to check out Anakeesta first. You’ll take a little chairlift to a mountaintop park where you can enjoy a treetop skywalk, ziplines, scenic rides, shopping, gardens, and lovely views. You could easily spend 2-3 hours here.
• When you’re done enjoying the views, walk west down The Parkway of Gatlinburg. There are so many curiosities to explore:
  • Ripley’s Mirror Maze
  • Ice cream, fudge and chocolate shops
  • Ole Smoky and Sugarlands Distilleries – sample those moonshines!
  • Mini golf, arcades, and shopping
  • Gatlinburg Space Needle
• If you haven’t had lunch yet, and want something quirky, check out Dick’s Last Resort. There are plenty of spots to eat along the main Parkway, most of which is very casual.
• Depending on how long you were entertained in Gatlinburg, you might still have time to take your first hike. At the very end of the main street, you can grab the Gatlinburg Trailhead. This trail wanders along the Little Pigeon River and has some super cute wooden bridges. If you have time to walk for 2 miles, you come across Cataract Falls. If that’s too much for you, it’s also possible to drive to the Cove Mountain Trailhead and see the falls in only 0.1 miles. 
• Since we had a cabin, I ended up making several dinners at home so the kids could run around the property and hang out in the hot tub. However, there are plenty of spots for dinner in Gatlinburg too. Chesapeake’s is highly rated, if you like seafood.  

Day 2

• Get up early this morning and drive to Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This is as far west as we’ll venture into the park, and it’s probably one of the more popular spots to explore. If you get there early in the morning, it won’t be as crowded yet and you might be able to see some wildlife. The website says it’s possible to see black bears in this area, but we weren’t that lucky. There’s an 11-mile one-way driving loop through the valley, but also a lot of spots to pull off and do some exploring on foot. The kids loved the old log cabins that are still on the property from the 1830s. 
• After exploring Cades Cove, let’s see it from a different perspective – horseback! Check out the riding stables for a carriage ride or some horseback adventure suitable for the whole family.
• We packed a picnic lunch since there aren’t a lot of food choices in the park. 
• Pop back in the car and head to another trailhead nearby. Here are some good choices with kids:
  • Sugarlands Valley is a 0.5 mile loop
  • Laural Falls is 2.5 miles, but paved. This is a great choice if you want to use a stroller. These 80-foot waterfalls are really lovely. We bought a child carrier backpack so that the kids could take a break from walking. My husband did a lot of carrying, but they were fairly comfortable for me to use too. I’d also recommend some good waterproof hiking boots for the kids. There are a lot of spots while hiking where you might have to walk through a little stream. What kid can resist stepping in a shallow stream?
  • Noah “Bug” Ogle Trail is a 0.75 mile loop that takes you to a cute farm.
• After a full day outside, let’s do a fun dinner! There are several spots to enjoy “dinner and a show” near Pigeon Forge. We went to Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud. It’s classic southern food and a funny, slapstick show that had my kids giggling the whole time. There’s also Dolly Parton’s Stampede if your kids are into horses. You can’t go wrong with any of the nearby choices. 

Day 3

• It’s time to explore the other main town in the area – Pigeon Forge! There are so many options for your day today, so here’s a list of the main attractions.
  • Rowdy Bear’s Snowpark is open year round for tubing, mountain coasters, axe throwing, and a huge playground.
  • If you have older kids, check out Bluff Mountain ATV Adventures. You have to be 57″ or over 16 to drive.
  • MagiQuest – give those kids a wand and set them loose in a fairytale adventure. This location also has indoor, pirate-themed blacklight mini golf, a mirror maze, and an arcade.
  • Mine your own gemstones and see what you find! There are several of these spots in town including the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, and they kept the kids enthralled.
  • Fantasy mini golf
  • The Great Smoky Mountains Wheel is a Ferris wheel with lovely views of the area from 200 feet in the air.
• If you’re ready for lunch, check out Paula Deen’s restaurant for some southern fare served family style. This is located in an area called The Island which has some cute shopping, small rides, and souvenir spots.
• The rest of your afternoon could be spent doing things you didn’t have time to see above, heading back into the National Park for some other hiking trails or checking out the Rainforest Adventure Zoo.
• For dinner, you could pop into The Old Mill for authentic Appalachian flavors.

Day 4

• We’re going to pop into some cool spots in Sevierville today. First up is Jayell Ranch Family Adventure Park. We had so much fun hanging out here! Definitely go on another horseback ride. Even though our daughter was too little to ride her own horse, they let her ride with a parent. They also have farm animals, ATV rides, little cabin rentals, ziplines, a little train, and live entertainment. You can hang out here for several hours.
• I’m SO excited about your lunch today. Be aware that it’s cash only, which is a little annoying, but it will be a kid favorite. We’re going to fish for our lunch at English Mountain Trout Farm! You hook ’em, they cook ’em! These little areas are very well stocked, so you’ll catch several fish quite quickly. There are a variety of preparations, but we liked the classic fried fish the best.
• After lunch, carry on to the Forbidden Caverns to head underground and explore some caves. Tennessee actually has over 8 thousand caves! Just be aware that this attraction is only open April through November.

Day 5

• Three options today depending on the time of year and your kids ages:
  • Option 1 – Go to Dollywood Theme Park. There are many rides for our littlest friends, but also some legit roller coasters. Spend all day here.
  • Option 2 – Go to the Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg. This is honestly one of the best aquariums for kids that we’ve ever seen. There are a lot of hands-on spots to touch sting rays and jellyfish. There are also little crawling “trails” for kids inside of the aquariums, so the kids feel like they’re actually in the water. There’s also a cool glass-bottom boat. This is probably a half-day activity.
    • If you do the aquarium, check out Hillbilly Golf next. You take a little chair lift up a mountain and then golf your way down! It was really weird and fun. 
  • Option 3 – Take a drive into North Carolina to Cataloochee. It’s about a two hour drive through the mountains. This area is known for its abundance of wildlife and herds of elk. After checking out the elk, go to the Caldwell Fork Trailhead. You’ll have a few different options, but the Boogerman Trail (yes, unfortunate name) is the most kid friendly at only 0.8 miles.

Day 6

• Today is all about hitting up anything that you may have missed in the previous days. There are so many options in this area, that it’s impossible to do it all in just a week. I haven’t even mentioned that you can do helicopter tours! 
• If you’re looking for more hiking choices, here are other trails that you could hit up today:
  • Grotto Falls – this is a 2.6 mile hike that allows you wander behind a 25-foot waterfall. You can get there from the Trillium Gap trail.  
  • Porter’s Creek – the first mile of this hike is on a gravel road. There’s an old barn and cabin from the early 1900s. If you’re hiking in the spring, there are tons of wild flowers that make this hike pretty special. This is about 4 miles round trip, but you don’t have to walk the entire length of the trail to have fun.
  • If your kids are tired of hiking, perhaps a Llama would spice things up! You can go on a Llama hike for only $20. 

Day 7

• Time to tetris all of your stuff back in the car and say good-bye! If you have more time, you could always check out the town of Asheville, North Carolina. The Biltmore Estate is supposed to be quite impressive.

For an interactive Google map click HERE. You can see all of my suggestions and hiking trailheads.