Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.

[P.Sherman]

We went last year and stayed in pigeon forge but at the far end. We stayed at a hotel called 'the lodge at five oaks' its directly across the road from the outlets and there is a crossing. Loved the hotel! great rooms really generous proportions, staff lovely and it did include a breakfast which was basic but fine. it was also really well priced and as we needed 2 rooms that worked well for us. Would happily stay again. We also visited Gatlinburg and really liked it, feels more rural although still very touristy but with a bit of charm - agree with what others have said that pigeon forge is a mini version of I drive from a couple of decades ago - very family fun themed. We would probably look a staying nearer to Gatlinburg next time although as I said would be happy to stay at the lodge again. Its a really lovely part of the world and we found the locals to be really lovely - very friendly and chatty.
Have a great time wherever you end up staying.

[tocpe321]

Originally Posted by porridge

We stayed in Gatlinburg in the Hilton Hotel. The reasons we picked gatlinburg over pigeon forge, was primarily because it is surrounded by mountains, whereas pigeon forge is like a very big road (like a nicer version of I drive) not in the mountains.

Pros for staying in Gatlinburg:
It is surrounded by the mountains.
Free parking (usually) with hotels (parking is very expensive if you don’t stay there).
You can walk to most attractions, shops, restaurants.
Lots of things to do.

Pigeon Forge is not ‘in’ the mountains. You can’t really walk to many things - it’s like a nicer, more spread out version of I drive.

There are plenty of buses between the two.

If you like minigolf (like us) then you’ll be in your element - there are so many courses around there. We played every day!

Must do’s:
Dollywood and splash country water parks (at least a day each)
They are both brilliant.
ClimBworks ziplining (Gatlinburg) is the best ziplining we’ve done so far.
The skylift (chairlift) in Gatlinburg.
One of the alpine coasters.
Clingmans dome, roaring fork motor trail, walk to waterfall (I can’t remember the name -?laurel falls?).
There are some outlets (not too massive) past pigeon forge (I think in sevierville) and there’s a good mini golf next door.

We went about 6 years ago. There was a very big forest fire in Gatlinburg in 2016, and lots of people died/buildings were destroyed. They have rebuilt many things, and it seems they have added a lot more attractions since. I’d be wary of staying in a log cabin, as a lot burned down in the fire, and people couldn’t get off the mountain in time

Also another thing. If you have time, drive to Chattanooga. I didn’t actually like it there lol, but they have two great attractions that I’d go back for - Rock City Gardens (amazing place - go on a nice day), and the incline railway.

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Thanks for the detailed advice. Very helpful.

Very sad regarding the deaths from the fire.

[tocpe321]

Originally Posted by P.Sherman

We went last year and stayed in pigeon forge but at the far end. We stayed at a hotel called 'the lodge at five oaks' its directly across the road from the outlets and there is a crossing. Loved the hotel! great rooms really generous proportions, staff lovely and it did include a breakfast which was basic but fine. it was also really well priced and as we needed 2 rooms that worked well for us. Would happily stay again. We also visited Gatlinburg and really liked it, feels more rural although still very touristy but with a bit of charm - agree with what others have said that pigeon forge is a mini version of I drive from a couple of decades ago - very family fun themed. We would probably look a staying nearer to Gatlinburg next time although as I said would be happy to stay at the lodge again. Its a really lovely part of the world and we found the locals to be really lovely - very friendly and chatty.
Have a great time wherever you end up staying.

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Many thanks for your in depth advice. There was a hotel that my son found called the Twin Mountains in Pigeon Forge with no deposit and great cancellable rates. He’s put a booking in for us.

However Gatlinburg sounds better in terms of scenery and compactness.

[charley9]

We went 2 years ago and stayed in Gatlinburg. Had booked for this year again but obviously that never happened. Pigeon Forge reminds me of the 192, and Gatlinburg feels like you have stepped back in time. There is oads to do in Gatlinburg that you can walk to, you can also walk to the national park as it begins at the end of the main road. There's plenty of places to eat in Gatlinburg, but a lot of the chains, like Denny's and Ihop are in Pigeon Forge. We have already booked for next year and have decided to stay in Gatlinburg again, it's only a 10 minute drive to Pigeon Forge.