LOCAL SECRETS: TIPS FOR SMOKY MOUNTAIN VISITORS

Here are a few tips, secrets, & recommendations to those looking to come to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge in the Fall or Winter season.

1. 1.  You can enjoy one of the most amazing Winter Holiday & Christmas light displays in the U.S. by visiting Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. It's absolutely free. 
   22nd Annual
   Winterfest
   Nov 7, 2011 thru Feb 28, 2012
   Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg TN
2. Did you know you can avoid 20 minutes to an hour by taking the Veteran's Boulevard which runs parallel to the Parkway & is an expressway to Dollywood?  It runs from North End of Sevierville to the South end of Pigeon Forge, ending at Dollywood Lane near the Golf Course. Try it, if you hit heavy traffic on your way into town!
3. We have the most visited National Park in North America.  The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is entirely free and offers you an amazing opportunity to hike, photograph, and experience wildlife, mountain views, & waterfalls throughout the area.  Gatlinburg is the Gateway to the Smoky Mountain National Park.  You can visit the Sugarland Visitor Center just beyond Gatlinburg to get suggestions and updates from Park Rangers that want you to have an enjoyable visit.
4. Vacation homes are an increasing trend in lodging in the Smoky Mountains. These mountain chalets or log cabins are a treat for families, friends, or couples looking to thoroughly enjoy the mountains.  Not only do they offer more amenities than more hotels, but they are relatively affordable.  Cabin rentals in Gatlinburg and log cabins in Pigeon Forge are very popular.

5.  March 26 - October 28, 2011, our "After 3:00 PM" program allows you to enter Dollywood after 3:00 PM and get in FREE to Dollywood the next operating day.  Parking fees are not included.  This program is valid on one-day Dollywood admission tickets March 26 through October 28, 2011.  It is not valid during the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival at Dollywood.

Gatlinburg Fun Facts & Places to Visit

Gatlinburg (Facts, Fun, & Historical Trivia)

 

1. Formerly was known as "White Oak Flats" for the abundant white oak trees
2. Ober Gatlinburg is one of the top attractions in Tennessee & offers a 120 passenger aerial tramway that takes you to the ski slopes, alpine slide, year-round ice skating rink, shops, & lodge
3. The Pancake Pantry is one of Tennessee's oldest pancake house. It's considered a Gatlinburg tradition, often having a line out the door on weekends.  However, you will be impressed once you complete your delicious crepes & pancakes
4. Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community in East Gatlinburg was founded in 1937.  This communityof artists & crafts-people is the largest of its kind in North America with over 120 shops
5. Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts -- This nationally known visual arts complex provies year-round changing gallery exhibitions & houses a fine arts resource center with book store
6. Offers Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies -- One of the most impressive aquariums in the nation.  See sharks, stingrays, exotic fish, & more. A treat for not only the kids, but the entire family.  Come see the Penguins at this 1.4 million gallon saltwater aquarium, too!
7. Gatlinburg is the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in the United States.  This free park is a National Treasure and offers over 800 square miles of beautiful nature, wildlife, & plantlife to view & hike
8. Visited by millions of tourists & travellers per year.  Gatlinburg has a large community of vacation homes & cabin rentals to offer families travelling to the Smokies!

Mount Leconte (Smoky Mountain Peak Viewed from Gatlinburg, Tennessee)

Mounte Leconte is one of the most picturesque mountain tops in the United States.  It is definitely one of the landmark viewpoints in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  The two-day hike to the top of the third-highest peak in the Smokies is really four walks in one.  On the 1st day you walk 7.7 miles to the summit of LeConte, traveling first on the Smokies crest, then on the Boulevard, a nearly level, mile high ridge with all-but-continuous views on both sides.  After visiting LeConte Lodge, which can only be visited by foot and has a long-term wait for overnight reservations, you can walk to Cliff Top and view the sunset behind Sugarland Mountain.  You can then walk almost a mile in the morning to Myrtle Point, where you can see the sunrise over the Smokies crest.  Then, you can walk down the 5.5 miles long Alum Cave Trail which has monsterous mountain & grand river views. 

Also, please note, you have a choice of five different trails that go to the top of LeConte.  Three of them--the Bullhead, Rainbow Falls and Trillium Gap--are long, hard climbs with only occasional views.  Alum Cave, which is steep in some places, is a very scenic 4th option.  The fifth trail includes the Appalachian & Boulevard trails and offers a longer, but less steep option to Alum Cave.  Both sets have unbelievable mountain views.  They say the Boulevard Trail offers the best chance of viewing wildlife.  We recommend you park at the Newfound Gap before your hike for best access to the trail(s) to LeConte.  Good luck on your hike! Stay at a vacation cabin rental in Gatlinburg, then go hike during the day for adventure and outdoor fitness.  Bring your camera to take scenic photos of your adventurous hike up to LeConte!  You're sure to enjoy them in the future and they will provide daily inspiration.

2011 Sales Tax Holiday: August 5-7

The State of Tennessee's Annual Sales Tax Holiday is held every year on the first Friday in August and ends the following Sunday night. This year's tax-free holiday weekend begins at 12:01 a.m on Friday, August 5 and ends Sunday, August 7 at 11:59 p.m.

Fishing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

One of the great outdoor activities in Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is trout fishing. Whether you're a pro or just got your first pole, the City of Gatlinburg has several streams that are easily accessible and sure to have that fish you'll be talking about for years. Most days, you can fish inside the city limits or in the National Park. Purchase your license by stopping by our Gatlinburg Welcome Center, located on the right as you come into town on 441 South.

The City of Gatlinburg has its own trout farm and stocks the streams on Thursdays, so there is no fishing inside the Gatlinburg city limits on Thursdays. There are some rules and regulations and different license requirements that we've listed below so you'll know exactly what to expect in planning your fishing trip.

Licenses can be purchased by

•persons who possess a valid Tennessee Drivers License

•persons who have lived in Tennessee for 90 consecutive days with the intent of making Tennessee their home

•military personnel on active duty in Tennessee and their immediate family

•students enrolled in a Tennessee college or university for at least six months.

NOTE: Tennessee Residents with a Sportsman License (Type 40) or a Lifetime Sportsman License do not need any other license or permit.

•Ages 12 and under - NO license or permit required

•Military Personnel on leave carrying copy of leave orders. (A pass does not meet this requirement) - No license required.

•Age 13-15 years - Gatlinburg permit, One-day (type 99) or Three-Day (Type 96) PLUS Junior Hunt, Fish, and Trap License (Type 02).

•Age 16 to 64 years old - Gatlinburg Permit, One-day (Type 99) or Three-Day (Type 96) PLUS Annual Trout (Type 22) and ONE of the following: Annual Hunt and Fish Combination (Type 01), County of Residence (Type 20), and One-day Fishing (Type 21).

•Age 65 years or older - Permanent Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap (Type 166) or Annual Senior Citizen Permit (Type 167)

Non-Residents - (Out of Tennessee)




Ages 12 - NO license or permit required

Age 13 to 15 years old - Gatlinburg Permit, One-day (type 99) or Three-Day (Type 96), PLUS Non-resident Junior Hunt and Fish (Type 70) 

Age 16 and over- Non-resident Gatlinburg One-day (Type 97) ONLY OR a combination of the following: Gatlinburg One-day (Type 99) or Three-day (Type 97) PLUS one of these Non-resident licenses: Three Day All Fish (Type 78); Ten-day All Fish (Type 80); or Annual All Fish (Type 81)

Aunt Bug's cabin rentals offers creekside cabins & river-side chalets in Gatlinburg for trout fishermen and kids who love to fish!  If you need a river cabin rental, check out Aunt Bug's cabins or Acorn cabin rentals.