Fun 4 All at Gatlinburg!

Best Things Nearby:
I'd recommend a visit to Cades Cove at dusk for the best opportunity to see the wildlife (boars, bears, deer, raccoons, rabbits, etc). And hikes to CATARACT FALLS (easy hike less than a mile round trip, no incline). We also hiked to Laurel Falls, and Grotto Falls. (Hey – grotto is CAVE in Italian). I would also suggest Abrams Falls. All of these were simple hikes, and Laurel Falls is a paved hike. And Rainbow Falls is an intense hike, but beautiful all the same. As the names indicate, we saw numerous cascading waterfalls, and though it's not recommended, we did find some time to play CAREFULLY in them -- avoiding touching the lichen behind the falls that is no place else in the world but there, and is an endangered species. Oh, and for those who care, they've even got hikes, specially created for the handicapped... they are beautiful, and paved. You can go on guided hikes with Rangers, or you can go on your own. We did a little of both for the experience.

Also in the Smokies you can go for a Lightning Bug Hunt... you actually sit and watch. Yeah, sounds real fun, huh? But get this -- It's one of two places in the WHOLE WORLD that the lightning bugs all light up in synchronicity -- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. How cool. The kid's loved it.

There's also a junior ranger program, and whole families can be involved, for kids to earn badges, do hikes, etc with the rangers. They get completely into it. Pick up an activities paper at any visitor's center at one of the park entrances.

Besides that we played in rivers, skipped stones in the deeper pools of the river, played in streams, and even got caught in the current a few places. Pure bliss.

And did I forget that so far we've spent NO MONEY on all this free entertainment, which depleted the energy stores of my children like no other activities can? Yeah, we love this place.

We also paid $35/head to take a rafting trip with USA RAFT (recommended) down the Pigeon River on a white water rafting trip that lasted a bit over an hour. The 5x7 shot of us in the rapids cost us $10 (owie)... and it was SO worth every single cent. This is for kids 8 and up... but they have a more mellow rafting trip for families with kids around 6 that was about $20/head.

And then there's the James Bond-esque Sky Tram... an aerial tram up the mountainside in a box that can hold up to 120 people as it runs on cables at 15 mph.... beautiful. And $8/ad, $6 kids for two days unlimited rides...

At the Top (and that was OBER GATLINBURG) there is a mini-amusement park for $18/ad, $14/kids for unlimited play. This is perfect for families with kids up to age...12..... older than that and they might be bored for lack of people to stare at and flirt with... but it's just large enough to have something for everyone, and still make parents secure in the fact that they're safe. They've got an ALPINE slide (right ON) that was my personal favorite ride - even with a 5 year old hitchhiker with me - and they've got a couple of water slides, and one water raft ride - the Cyclone - and some mini-carnival rides for the wee ones, with a playground. They've got a chairlift from there to the top of the mountain, where the views are spectacular, and of course you can purchase a beautiful picture of you on your chairlift with the Rockies in the background. $10. They've also got the go-karts (yeah, that can get a little intense for the adults... :) and the "Pirate Ship" that swings from left to right until everyone wants to hurl. But my son, 11, was on that more than ten times. The glory here? NO LINES. Even in June. Ahhh. I hate lines.

Okay, the area of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and Sevierville have tons of commercialism too, so if someone's into outlet shopping, wants to be in an old-tyme store with fudge and taffy, etc... or wants to be t-shirts, and any kind of souvenir known to man, then this is most definitely the place. They've got it all -- and they are tourist HAPPY.

You can eat anyplace from Shoney's to Outback steakhouse... even the Texas Road House and Panera are but a five/ten minute walk from the resort. EVERYTHING is within walking distance, it seems, and it's a good thing -- because this place has NO PARKING. I guess that's why they've got the TROLLEY service going to every hot spot! We rode one day for 2 hrs for a whopping $0.25 each... although some routes do cost more -- like the ones that go to Dollywood, a pretty good theme park.

I've heard that the shows are great -- particularly Dixie Stampede. It runs twice/evening and is like $15/head. Didn't catch any of that, myself.

Okay -- so that's the long version. And I'm SURE I didn't tell you everything. OHHHH, I forgot to tell you that they've got the World's most VISITED Aquarium there in Gatlinburg, and tonzO miniature golfing and that kind of fun, as well as every version of "Ripley's Believe it or Not" and the Guinness World Records Museum, and the Land of Illusions, etc.... All action -- all the time. Paradise for kids of all ages (even if it's agony to the parents). Ripley's cost $8/Ad, and $6 for the kids. It took about an hour to get through. They've got Ripley's haunted mansion, Ripley's Hollywood Cars Museum, Ripley's believe it or not, Ripley's Mini-Golf.... and on and on and on.

For adult fun, they do have a local winery close to the resort that gives tours and has a small wine and cheese fest daily from 10am to 4. Nice.

They've also got local artisans in their studios working and chatting... it's called the Artist's Loop and it's 8 miles of shop after shop -- about a hundred of em -- from super swanky to average... in every kind of medium, be it pottery or calligraphy or painting.... pretty interesting stuff.

Oh... and you can finish up the trip by getting tattoos for the whole fam. Yup. Me, too. From $8 and up you, too, can get an airbrushed temporary tattoo! They last about four days and are way too much fun, for the scaredy-cats like me who will NEVER get a real tattoo.

Best Things About the Resort:
This resort is directly off the strip. It's on "Historic Nature Trail". It's next to Outback Steakhouse (how conVENient) and is just up the street from the space needle (great for the view).

It is about a block away from THE GREAT SMOKY MTNs -- The nation's only FREE national park -- and is home to Brown Bears, and a whole gamut of newly identified plant and animal species, not to mention beautiful and colorful salamanders! (note -- see more bears in June and July when it's bear mating season.)

The resort is also just DOWN the street from Roaring Rapids Fork -- a definitely gorgeous car-tour that winds through the mountains.

Resort Experience:
Okay, let me re-report about my visit to GATLINBURG TOWN SQUARE....

There are three phases in the resort... I stayed in the oldest -- but wasn't even AWARE that it wasn't the new one until my last day!

I saw the new units and OH MY GAWD they rocked. They have a full kitchen, (with an oven, a microwave, blenders, ice makers, toasters, can openers, bake ware, cookware, full place settings, etc)a stone hearth fireplace in the living room, gorgeous furnishings and decor... And the master bedroom has a huge king bed with the jacuzzi next to the bed. And then there was the expansive bathroom. YUM. And don't bother bringing your own hair dryer, they've got one. One less thing to pack.

The lockout "B" side had a mini kitchen... full cabinets, a mini-fridge, a sink, microwave, etc with a King bed, and, yes, another jacuzzi next to it. And its own bathroom, too.

There was an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a basketball court, a playground, a game room with pool tables and a video arcade...and an unbelievably helpful and available housekeeping bunch -- they even washed and dried our tennis shoes after a muddy hike in the rain.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

As the names indicate, we saw numerous cascading waterfalls, and though it's not recommended, we did find some time to play CAREFULLY in them -- avoiding touching the lichen behind the falls that is no place else in the world but there, and is an endangered species.

Oh, and for those who care, they've even got hikes, specially created for the handicapped... they are beautiful, and paved. You can go on guided hikes with Rangers, or you can go on your own. We did a little of both for the experience.

Also in the Smokies you can go for a Lightning Bug Hunt... you actually sit and watch. Yeah, sounds real fun, huh? But get this -- It's one of two places in the WHOLE WORLD that the lightning bugs all light up in synchronicity -- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. How cool. The kids loved it.

There's also a junior ranger program, and whole families can be involved, for kids to earn badges, do hikes, etc with the rangers. They get completely into it. Pick up an activities paper at any visitor's center at one of the park entrances.

Besides that we played in rivers, skipped stones in the deeper pools of the river, played in streams, and even got caught in the current a few places. Pure bliss.

And did I forget that so far we've spent NO MONEY on all this free entertainment, which depleted the energy stores of my children like no other activities can? Yeah, we love this place.

...And then there's the James Bond-esque Sky Tram... an aerial tram up the mountainside in a box that can hold up to 120 people as it runs on cables at 15 mph.... beautiful. And $8/ad, $6 kids for two days unlimited rides....

At the Top (and that was OBER GATLINBURG) there is a mini-amusement park for $18/ad, $14/kids for unlimited play. This is perfect for families with kids up to age...12..... older than that and they might be bored for lack of people to stare at and flirt with... but it's just large enough to have something for everyone, and still make parents secure in the fact that they're safe.

They've got an ALPINE slide (right ON) that was my personal favorite ride - even with a 5 year old hitchhiker with me - and they've got a couple of water slides, and one water raft ride - the Cyclone - and some mini-carnival rides for the wee ones, with a playground.

They've got a chairlift from there to the top of the mountain, where the views are spectacular, and of course you can purchase a beautiful picture of you on your chairlift with the Rockies in the background. $10.

They've also got the go-karts (yeah, that can get a little intense for the adults... :) and the "Pirate Ship" that swings from left to right until everyone wants to hurl. But my son, 11, was on that more than ten times.

The glory here? NO LINES. Even in June. Ahhh. I hate lines.

The young bucks that run these rafting companies are renegade comics/adventurers and we loved them! We played, we competed, we learned. . . I was begging my fellow rafters to take one more hit on the rapids every time we'd roll through some white water (and they obliged me. . . once)!

We paid $35 per head to take a rafting trip with USA RAFT (recommended) down the Pigeon River on a white water rafting trip that lasted a bit over an hour.

The 5x7 shot of us in the rapids cost us $10 (owie). . . and it was SO worth every single cent. This is for kids eight and up, but they have a mellower rafting trip for families with kids around six that was about $20 per head.

OK, I stayed at Gatlinburg Town square, directly off the strip. It's on "Historic Nature Trail." It's next to Outback Steakhouse (how conVENient) and is just up the street from the space needle (great for the view).

It is about a block away from THE GREAT SMOKY MTNs -- The nation's only FREE national park -- and is home to Brown Bears, and a whole gamut of newly identified plant and animal species, not to mention beautiful and colorful salamanders! (note -- see more bears in June and July when it's bear mating season.)

The resort is also just DOWN the street from Roaring Rapids Fork -- a definitely gorgeous car-tour that winds through the mountains.

I'd recommend a visit to Cades Cove at dusk for the best opportunity to see the wildlife (boars, bears, deer, raccoons, rabbits, etc). And hikes to CATARACT FALLS (easy hike less than a mile round trip, no incline). We also hiked to Laurel Falls, and Grotto Falls. (Hey – grotto is CAVE in Italian). I would also suggest Abrams Falls. All of these were simple hikes, and Laurel Falls is a paved hike. And Rainbow Falls is an intense hike, but beautiful all the same. As the names indicate, we saw numerous cascading waterfalls, and though it's not recommended, we did find some time to play CAREFULLY in them -- avoiding touching the lichen behind the falls that is no place else in the world but there, and is an endangered species. Oh, and for those who care, they've even got hikes, specially created for the handicapped... they are beautiful, and paved. You can go on guided hikes with Rangers, or you can go on your own. We did a little of both for the experience.

Also in the Smokies you can go for a Lightning Bug Hunt... you actually sit and watch. Yeah, sounds real fun, huh? But get this -- It's one of two places in the WHOLE WORLD that the lightning bugs all light up in synchronicity -- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. How cool. The kid's loved it.

There's also a junior ranger program, and whole families can be involved, for kids to earn badges, do hikes, etc with the rangers. They get completely into it. Pick up an activities paper at any visitor's center at one of the park entrances.

Besides that we played in rivers, skipped stones in the deeper pools of the river, played in streams, and even got caught in the current a few places. Pure bliss.

And did I forget that so far we've spent NO MONEY on all this free entertainment, which depleted the energy stores of my children like no other activities can? Yeah, we love this place.

We also paid $35/head to take a rafting trip with USA RAFT (recommended) down the Pigeon River on a white water rafting trip that lasted a bit over an hour. The 5x7 shot of us in the rapids cost us $10 (owie)... and it was SO worth every single cent. This is for kids 8 and up... but they have a more mellow rafting trip for families with kids around 6 that was about $20/head.

And then there's the James Bond-esque Sky Tram... an aerial tram up the mountainside in a box that can hold up to 120 people as it runs on cables at 15 mph.... beautiful. And $8/ad, $6 kids for two days unlimited rides...

At the Top (and that was OBER GATLINBURG) there is a mini-amusement park for $18/ad, $14/kids for unlimited play. This is perfect for families with kids up to age...12..... older than that and they might be bored for lack of people to stare at and flirt with... but it's just large enough to have something for everyone, and still make parents secure in the fact that they're safe. They've got an ALPINE slide (right ON) that was my personal favorite ride - even with a 5 year old hitchhiker with me - and they've got a couple of water slides, and one water raft ride - the Cyclone - and some mini-carnival rides for the wee ones, with a playground. They've got a chairlift from there to the top of the mountain, where the views are spectacular, and of course you can purchase a beautiful picture of you on your chairlift with the Rockies in the background. $10. They've also got the go-karts (yeah, that can get a little intense for the adults... :) and the "Pirate Ship" that swings from left to right until everyone wants to hurl. But my son, 11, was on that more than ten times. The glory here? NO LINES. Even in June. Ahhh. I hate lines.

Okay, the area of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and Sevierville have tons of commercialism too, so if someone's into outlet shopping, wants to be in an old-tyme store with fudge and taffy, etc... or wants to be t-shirts, and any kind of souvenir known to man, then this is most definitely the place. They've got it all -- and they are tourist HAPPY.

You can eat anyplace from Shoney's to Outback steakhouse... even the Texas Road House and Panera are but a five/ten minute walk from the resort. EVERYTHING is within walking distance, it seems, and it's a good thing -- because this place has NO PARKING. I guess that's why they've got the TROLLEY service going to every hot spot! We rode one day for 2 hrs for a whopping $0.25 each... although some routes do cost more -- like the ones that go to Dollywood, a pretty good theme park.

I've heard that the shows are great -- particularly Dixie Stampede. It runs twice/evening and is like $15/head. Didn't catch any of that, myself.

Okay -- so that's the long version. And I'm SURE I didn't tell you everything. OHHHH, I forgot to tell you that they've got the World's most VISITED Aquarium there in Gatlinburg, and tonzO miniature golfing and that kind of fun, as well as every version of "Ripley's Believe it or Not" and the Guinness World Records Museum, and the Land of Illusions, etc.... All action -- all the time. Paradise for kids of all ages (even if it's agony to the parents). Ripley's cost $8/Ad, and $6 for the kids. It took about an hour to get through. They've got Ripley's haunted mansion, Ripley's Hollywood Cars Museum, Ripley's believe it or not, Ripley's Mini-Golf.... and on and on and on.

For adult fun, they do have a local winery close to the resort that gives tours and has a small wine and cheese fest daily from 10am to 4. Nice.

They've also got local artisans in their studios working and chatting... it's called the Artist's Loop and it's 8 miles of shop after shop -- about a hundred of em -- from super swanky to average... in every kind of medium, be it pottery or calligraphy or painting.... pretty interesting stuff.

Oh... and you can finish up the trip by getting tattoos for the whole fam. Yup. Me, too. From $8 and up you, too, can get an airbrushed temporary tattoo! They last about four days and are way too much fun, for the scaredy-cats like me who will NEVER get a real tattoo.