Spring break! Until this last week, the last spring break I enjoyed was April, 2003 – my senior year at West Virginia University. Then I started teaching up here in northeastern Pennsylvania, and for some odd reason, spring break is just something we don’t “do” up here. So when this year’s school calendar offered one extra day off for students before the Easter holiday, our family decided to take full advantage, and plan our first ever spring break trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
With a stop at New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, this trip marked National Parks #11 and #12 for our family. The trip also happened to fall on the weekend of Nascar’s Bristol dirt track race. Mike driving right through Bristol on race weekend without attending the race is about as likely as me coming home from a family trip without an old time photo – it just isn’t going to happen.
So – an already short-ish trip book-ended by another National Park visit and a Nascar Race left us with two full days to explore Great Smoky Mountains NP, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge. And I am pleased to report that we did it – and did it well, if I may say so myself!
Day One – Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains Visitor Center and drive to Clingman’s Dome hike. We stopped at the visitors’ center to buy our parking pass ($5), and enjoyed our scenic drive to the Clingman’s Dome trail head. Our boys enjoyed climbing on the rocks at the base of the hike and along the way up. The trail is a steep half mile that leads to the dome. Our morning was overcast on the mountain, so our view was limited, but we still enjoyed the scenery, the hike, and loved seeing the cross over point of the Apalachian trail!
Anakeesta – We bought our tickets in advance through a combo deal with Titanic Museum on Tripster. We took the chair lift to the top of the mountain (it moves VERY slowly). Once we reached the top, I think we enjoyed every free activity the village had to offer – and that’s a lot of activities. Tree houses, a large Willow statue, an observation tower, and the Tree Tops Sky Walk made up the bulk of our visit. There was live music while we were there which made our visit even more enjoyable! We opted to take the Rambler ride back down the mountain.
A mid-afternoon snack at Land Shark Grill. We don’t eat out a lot on our trips, preferring to budget experiences over food (especially when traveling in an RV makes cooking and packing a cooler so easy!), but after a morning of hiking and early afternoon of Anakeesta exploring, we felt like we needed food and rest. We ordered appetizers to share and fun drinks at the Land Shark Grill, and it was exactly what our whole crew needed to power up for the rest of our afternoon and evening.
Hillbilly Golf. Our oldest son is a big fan of mini-golf, and we prioritize playing at least one round on every trip. There are a LOT of mini-golf options in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, but I couldn’t be happier with our choice. Getting to the start of the course requires a ride in an incline cart – the same cart will bring you back down after your 18 holes. It’s hysterically themed, the staff is a hoot, and the picture props at the base of the course make for a great souvenir.
Ripley’s Mountain Coaster Rides. Having been on mountain coasters before, our family knew we wanted to fit a ride in while in Gatlinburg. The options for mountain coaster and alpine slide rides is plentiful, and it is the only attraction we didn’t have a set plan for before leaving on our trip. Ripley’s mountain coaster ride is located right next door to Hillbilly Golf, and in the evening (it was about 6 pm when we got there) the lines were super short. The lowest package they offer is 2 rides per person, and kids (9 and under) HAVE to ride tandem with an adult. Two tandem rides for our family was the perfect amount, and in hindsight I’m really glad they insist you go at least twice!
Kilwin’s Ice Cream. On our walk back to the car, we stopped for an ice cream cone at Kilwin’s. When in Rome, I got a scoop of the “Gatlinburg Mud” – and it was delicious.
Day Two – Great Smoky Mountains and Pigeon Forge
Cades Cove Loop and Grotto Falls Hike. This was our plan, but sadly we didn’t make it back into the National Park for any hikes or drives. We woke up on day 2 to frigid temperatures and pouring rain. Next time, we will put this area of the park on our list! But instead, we filled our morning with:
Pancake Pantry and Old Tyme Photo. On day one of our trip I saw the longest line outside of a restaurant I have ever witnessed. What is this Pancake Pantry, and how does it draw this enormous crowd. My google search left me intrigued, and I’m not going to lie – the blow of rain washing out our morning National Park plans was softened by the idea of eating some of the world’s best pancakes indoors. I actually ate Georgia Peach crepes. And they were amazing. The boys both ate chocolate chip pancakes – I tried a quick bite before plates were clean (and every one of us cleaned our plate!) and they truly were the best pancakes I have ever eaten.
After breakfast we headed down the road for a family portrait at “Old Tyme Photo”. I have an obsession with old fashioned photos, and a rainy morning made the perfect time to fit this one in on our short trip.
Titanic Museum. We had 3 pm tickets to the Titanic Museum, so after driving into Pigeon Forge and parking, we ate a quick picnic late lunch/snack in the car. The Titanic Museum took us exactly one hour to experience, and we all loved it. It’s a well done, beautiful tribute to all passengers aboard the Titanic – I didn’t even try to hide my tears in the memorial room at the end of the tour.
The Island at Pigeon Forge. Parking is free at The Island, and was within easy walking distance to The Comedy Barn where we had evening show tickets. We knew we all wanted to ride the Sky Wheel, and the we let the boys pick one more fun activity. They hemmed and hawed between the Mirror Maze and the Island Ropes Course, ultimately picking the latter. And it was a great choice. For $16.99 per person, you can spend as much time as you want on the four tier course.
Dinner at Mellow Mushroom Pizza. It was the best cheese pizza I’ve ever eaten. Maybe it was the cold, rainy weather. Maybe it was that I was famished. Maybe it was that the staff was so friendly and the hydro flask sticker game behind the counter was so strong. Or maybe it was just seriously good pizza (it was). Two thumbs up, if there was a Mellow Mushroom chain near me, it would be my go to pizza joint for sure!
The Comedy Barn! We had tickets for the 7 pm show, and were seated about half way back in the auditorium, right in the center. The show was nonstop laughs for our whole crew. We had a tough time deciding between one of the famed dinner shows in the area, or Comedy Barn which is a show only. Knowing that the menu of the dinner shows wasn’t a great fit for our family (one large cheese pizza from Mellow Mushroom fed us perfectly – I can only imagine the food we would have wasted at one of the dinner shows), I couldn’t be happier with our decision to go to The Comedy Barn.
Things We Missed!
A short trip to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area left us with a long wish list of things to do on our next trip.
Llama Treks. Whether for a llama hike with our without lunch, or just a llama farm visit, I wish we had prioritized getting to Llama Treks in Gatlinburg. I heard rave reviews from a mom I stood in line with at Hillbilly Golf, and I will definitely add it to our next trip itinerary.
The Dolly Stampede. Of the three dinner shows Pigeon Forge offers, this one strikes me as being the classic – iconic, if you will – dinner show of the area. Perhaps our next trip will bring bigger kids with bigger appetites, and some strategic planning can bring us there hungry enough to not waste food. I think this is a show I would like to see one day.
Climb Works Zip Lining. We’ve been zip lining as a family before, but sadly we couldn’t find an experience in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge that suited our current family. Seven years old seems to be the universal age cut off if zip lining tours are going to implement one – and all tours that I researched for this trip stated 7 years as a condition. We have a six and 1/3 year old in our crew, and though he is tall for his age and meets height and weight requirements (and has zip lined before and loved it, so I know meets the emotionally ready aspect), I’m a rule follower. Sigh. From my research, Climb Works looked awesome – next time, Tennessee.
Gatlinburg Sky Bridge. When choosing between Anakeesta and Gatlinburg Sky Bridge, it really just came down to the age and interests of my kids for this trip. At six and nine, the days of being awed by Willow and tree forts may be limited, so we went with Anakeesta which offered so much awe and wonder for our boys. Like the Dolly Stampede, by our next trip to the area, our boys will likely enjoy a more “grown up” view of Great Smoky Mountains, and we’ll tackle the famed Gatlinburg Sky Bridge then.
Cade’s Cove, Grotto Falls, and Laurel Falls. The weather altered our hiking plans, and so if for no other reason, the draw of missed experiences in Great Smoky Mountains will definitely take us back to the area one day. On a return trip, I will be sure to schedule ample time for outdoor exploration in the National Park. Though I can’t promise that I won’t bail on a hike in a downpour for a cozy plate of breakfast goodness at Pancake Pantry!
Have you been to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge? What are your favorite attractions? Drop me a comment and let me know!
