Gatlinburg, Tennessee - Smoky Mountains

Smoky Mountain vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee - To be such a small village with a permanent population of only about 3,000 people, Gatlinburg TN can sure put on a big show.
This quaint little mountain town just really turns festive when it welcomes travelers through 4 distinct seasons each year and serves as the main Tennessee gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Something amazing happens in Gatlinburg, TN as locals make preparations for the approximate 9 million travelers who come here each year. The readers of Southern Living magazine chose Gatlinburg, Tennessee as their favorite “Mountain Vacation Getaway”. Southern Living includes Smoky Mountains features monthly because of the area’s great popularity with regional travelers.

Lodging accommodation options are ample in Gatlinburg, where you’ll find accommodations ranging from luxury Smoky Mountain cabins with hot tub, indoor Jacuzzi, fireplace, mountain views and fully-equipped kitchen, to the traditional hotel with amenities such as pool, conference facilities and dining to be found throughout the downtown area and Parkway. Of course luxury cabin and chalet rentals are scattered all about the mountains that rise above above the town of Gatlinburg. From the rustic to the luxurious, you can find a Gatlinburg, Tennessee cabin rental on a mountaintop, streamside or in a pleasant and private wooded setting.

Gatlinburg’s attractions have a range and appeal for everyone and are located very nearby given the town’s quaint size. You can walk down the main Parkway or try River Road (which fronts the aquarium) and a world of fun opens before you. Experience the eleven-foot sharks swimming above you in the underwater tunnel at Ripley’s aquarium; play miniature golf like a hillbilly on the side of a mountain; view the scintllizing mysteries at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and Guinness World of Records Museum; try the mountain bobsledding and skiing at Ober Gatlinburg via the tram; enjoy an evening of live entertainment at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre; or feast at one of the independent or franchise restaurants along the Parkway.

If you are into shopping, Gatlinburg TN is the place to spend several days! More than 300 galleries, boutiques, and specialty shops will entice you back to Gatlinburg, Tennessee time and again because there’s too much to take in one visit. Mountain handicrafts play a big part in the increasing appeal of this small mountain village. Besides the dozens of appealing shops in downtown Gatlinburg, the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community offers an eight-mile loop road just outside Gatlinburg, with nearly 80 gifted artisans who demonstrate their skills and display their products for sale. Artists include woodcarvers, pottery makers, quilters, weavers, broom makers, candle makers, and painters. In downtown Gatlinburg, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts offers students spring and summer classes for a range of skills and the entertaining craft galleries are open year-round.

Gatlinburg TN is small, but it surely prepares a huge show for travelers and offers fun to the millions of visitors each year. Whether you have only a day, or a weekend or a week, Gatlinburg TN has a lot to offer the Smoky Mountain visitor.