Thinking of doing a road trip with Briskette and our boys in early fall.

We would drive from Staunton VA (after visiting my brother and his family) to Pigeon Forge.

What is along the way to Pigeon Forge, or there, or not too far past it...

...that should we make sure to see or do?

...that is hyped up but really not that good?

...that we should avoid?

...that's fun and offbeat?

We can spend several days there, maybe more if there's a long list of must-see items.

What would *you* do?

Google maps.

Also search for the 80000 other threads on it here.

You're welcome.

It’s been packed lately, way worse than normal years, because many wanted to go there because they didn’t have mask rules and everything was open

Stay outside of town in a nice cabin and go into town when you want to do town stuff

Check the local calendars. You won’t want to go during rod run weekend or anything like that, it’s bumper to bumper all weekend

In for answers.  I've got a week off in July I want to do something with.

I did a search (within posts, not just titles) for Pigeon Forge, and nothing came up.

Same here and Pigeon Forge peaked our interest.

Didn’t @flysc just have a thread about driving in that general area?

Sorta local to me.  I was there last weekend.  Yes it was memorial day weekend.  Yes traffic was bad.  But not as bad as I expected it to be.  There are a ton of tourist traps so plan your trip and decide what you're interested in seeing before you go.
Familiarize yourself with backroads and don't try to use 441 to get from point A to B except early in the morning as you'll be sitting in traffic otherwise.  Include Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  Bud's has an indoor range next door to it if you're interested.

P.F. Is your typical go carts and mini golf throw in a few outlet malls traffic can be a pain. Gatlinburg has an aquarium and a few neat attractions. The mountains are cool a lot of people like Cade's cove. Don't forget smokey mountain knife works.

Smoky mountain knifeworks is close by and is awesome.

Edelweiss German Restaurant in Staunton is great.

Do you like standing shoulder to shoulder with tourist at all hours of the day? Is being stuck in traffic for two hours to go five miles your idea of a good time? Do you like mediocre food that people think is good because they don’t know any better.*

Then head on down to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg!





*the Local Goat is genuinely a great restaurant.

This is ARFCOM. Try Pidjin,  or piggin, or pijon. Something should pop up.

Sorry OP. it’s been forever since I’ve been there but the last time I was way back in the day in the 1980s it was kind of a neat place.  Have fun!

And the OP has it spelled correctly. Like the bird.

I did a week in April outside of Gatlinburg. We rented cabin and it was crazy busy at all the tourist spots. I waited an hour for lunch in Dollywood and April is offpeak. Restaurants were 2 hour waits. It was busy everywhere we went.  I could not imagine what it will be like after school is out.

Yes, we enjoyed ourselves; loved the cabin in the mountains, the zip lines were off the beaten path, but was sold out weeks in advance. If you are showing up thinking you can do anything, do research because you will be surprised at the backlog of the rides.

I went 2 months back. Can honestly say I am in no rush to go back. It’s a giant tourist trap. Besides rafting down the Ocoee(2 hours south) and the Local Goat were the 2 redeeming things.

I am not a fan because I don't care for crowds and traffic. We usually travel down there once a year and stay further into the smokies to,the south. Beautiful country if you're into the nature thing. Lots of waterfalls and hiking. If you're into mountain scenery you can pick up the blue ridge parkway in Cherokee and take it over to Ashville. There are white water rafting places all over the place as well.

Went to Gatlinburg about 3 weeks ago. I'd recommend it as a 3 day trip max, and preferably not on a weekend.

A few pieces of advice (specific to Gatlinburg): Stay within walking distance of the strip, traffic and parking is an absolute bitch.

Cades Cove is nice. Go early in the morning, preferably before 0900. If traffic is heavy you'll have a solid 4 hour drive to make the ~10 mile loop.

The Aquarium is pretty good, it's no SeaWorld, but a good Aquarium and very kid friendly.

The distilleries are decent, but generally a bit overrated.

If you haven't eaten at a Dicks Last Resort before I'd recommend it. Foods OK, the humor is excellent.

A guy I work with was there a few weeks ago. He says it's like Myrtle Beach. Tourist trap, major traffic on the road, lots of retards doing stupid stuff.

These are 4 things I like to leave behind, not go to.

Cades cove is must do take a lunch and spend all day.

Knife works was ok

Lodge cast iron if you like to cook, had decent deals on seconds when I was there last

Dixie stampede if you have kids, decent food during the show.

Definitely recommend the Ocoee.

Just a non-helpful observation.  I believe that 87% of the rednecks in the country were conceived in a heart-shaped tub in Gatlinburg.

Take a gallon of bleach along if you stay in a place with tubs for two (or more).

On the more serious side go to downtown Gatlinburg to chill and people watch.  Great way to while away the time waiting for your table for dinner.  I like the place.  The last time I was there was 2006 mid-May and there were too many people.  We rented a cabin a bit west of Pigeon Forge that trip.  Really enjoyed our stay there.  Must be pretty crowded peak season now.  Have a good time.  

I had to make a delivery to Sevierville today. Traffic was even more insane than I expected.  Be prepared to wait in traffic every where you go.  If you want to avoid the crowds somewhat,  look at Cosby or Townsend for places to stay.

Last time I went was a couple years ago. We have a rule that on vacation we never eat at national restaurant chains.  I don't recall seeing a restaurant that was not a national chain. So I guess than local flavor is Applebee's, Bob Evans and Olive Garden.

i live about an hour away.

I never go there unless I absolutely have to. If I go to the Smokies I do the back entrance through Townsend. The whole Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg bit is painful.

PF is a long strip of chain restaurants, mini golf, amusement rides and motels. Traffic can be a nightmare coming down from I-40.

Rent a cabin and spend time walking Gatlinburg.
Cades Cove is nice, but one sighting of a bear backs traffic up. Drive Roaring Fork motor loop and take a quick hike up to Grotto Falls.

If you have a day to burn, take the long drive to Cataloochee and check out the old settlement and the elk that graze out in the fields.

Wut

5 Oaks Farmhouse, Alamo Steakhouse, Urban Gaucho, Uncle Huck's, Old Mill, etc............plenty of non chain restaurants there

Imagine, Myrtle Beach....but in the mountains of TN...and lots of traffic. Also, its impossible to find a decent place to eat around 5pm because everyone is eating at the same damn time.

You're welcome.

@Hey Coach,

'Twernt me, but i can tell all about the two day hell drive i just did from Wyoming back to SHA....

http://www.theveteransstore.com/store/

Be aware of Cades cove on Wed. It is bicycle only except in the winter I think be sure to check if you want to go on a Wed. Dixie Stample isn't "Dixie" anymore. It got woke I guess. We go twice a year but its just the two of us and we are both on bikes. Check the Cherokee entrance to the park right before dark for some elk viewing. Sugarlands and Smokey Mountain Knife Works are a must for me. Bullfish Grill in PF is an awesome place to eat. We avoid the weekends and just go Monday through Friday.

My brother used to own another restaurant in Staunton.  I'll have to ask him about Edelweiss.

Any other ideas?  So far, it's "Don't, and you're an idiot if you do" and "Go to Smoky Mountain Knife Works'.

Anything else?  Anything on the way, or an hour or two beyond it?  The only significant time I spent in Tennessee was a week of process demonstration work at the Chattanooga sewage plant.  I do not think that's representative of Tennessee.

Edit for spelling

Pretty much

It is like a redneck tourist hell. I was in the Smokey mountains and dumped out of the park in the backside of pigeon forge. It is traffic and tourist hell. In addition it had weird alcohol laws

You say that like it's a bad thing.  How is this Yankee supposed to reinforce his stereotypes?  
(Just kidding, I appreciate the humorous description.)

Poll added.

It's a tourist trap but it's not all bad. Take it for what it is and have a good time, you could easily go there blind and just do whatever you saw that looked interesting.

Eat at the Old Mill.

Pigeon Forge is a neat little place.  Make sure you drive through Cade's Cove to see deer and bears, eat at the old Mill and ride the Gondola up the mountain!

I haven't been there since they had a bad fire in Gatlinburg.  I like the area a lot.  Yes, it's touristy but it can be fun.  Definitely go up on top of the Smoky Mountains.  Hike (walk) up to Clingman's Dome for a good view of everything around you.  Cades Cove is really fun to drive around but it can take a while.  There's a cave nearby that's fun to tour.  I think it's called Tuckaleechee Caverns or something like that.  I really like the Smoky Mountain Brew Works for decent brewery food.  Bennetts BBQ is pretty good.

I'm definitely a fan of the area and you can have some fun there.  I would avoid holidays and anytime they have events going on just to avoid large crowds.

Pidgeon Forge/Gatlinburg is a tourist trap.

Lifelong TN resident here. *I* wouldn't go there these days if my life depended on it. As mentioned, WAY TOO MUCH traffic! As much fun as driving Atlanta during rush hour.

OP, what *I* would do is google up cabins in the Tellico area of Monroe Co, TN. There's plenty of them right there on the river, literally spitting distance from your deck. Just beautiful scenery, IMO. Quiet at night too. Sit out on the deck with a good cigar, a bottle of your fav beverage & enjoy the family.

Also check out train rides for the family. These rides go through the Cherokee Nat Forest almost exclusively, very little developed areas. Mountains out the wazoo, rivers, streams, all sorts of visual goodness. You can go from Etowah, TN to Copperhill, TN or go from Etowah, TN to Blueridge, GA. The latter is about 15ish miles past Copperhill. Blueridge is a tourist trap of expensive bars, shops & restaurants but cool to walk around in & look. Copperhill is much more affordable to eat & drink (Bald River Brewery!) but not as much to do. Still cool though.

If you have excess time, ride across the Cherohala Skyway. Minimal traffic, even on weekends. It comes out close to Natahala, where there's also rafting. Nice drive though.

If you want white water fun, then the Ocoee River is your spot. About $30 a head to go, rafts hold up to six passengers. Just super, super fun to do. Hint: do NOT go on a cool day!

About 5-7 miles away is the Hiwassee River. Much milder river than the Ocoee by far. Options include tubing, renting a two or four-man inflatable raft or doing a hard shell kayak. The inflatables are almost impossible to turn over, so women like using those, IMO. Tubing is impossible to steer in, so you can miss some fun rapids, drops or falls in those.

On the Hiwassee you can rent your rides & drive upstream transporting them yourself if you want. Then you get to hitch a ride somehow to get back to your truck. Or the rafting company can transport everyone with the tubes/boats & then you just float down. The scenery is also incredible here & the ride is just a blast. Hiwassee Outfitters runs that particular spot. The Ocoee has a dozen or more companies.

If you're feeling historic, Chattanooga is only 80-90 minutes from Tellico. Battlefields galore, Lookout Mtn, Pointe Park, the Incline, all sorts of cool family stuff to check out.

I love Dolly Parton & what she's done for TN. She's just a class act, IMO. But her Dollywood park has turned Pigeon Forge into a parking lot most of the day, IMO. Not my cup of tea. YMMV.

Email or IM me if you need more info.

Tellico, right near some rental cabins.
Attached File

Clingman's Dome in the National Park.  Mt Mitchell in NC off the Blue Ridge Parkway if you're close enough.

A few years back Mrs. Wildebeest decided we should stay the night in "picturesque" pigeon forge.
Our first clue that it was Branson 2 was the full size Titanic replica. I commented that at least they didn't have King Kong climbing the Empire State Building. Then we rounded the curve and behold... King Kong!
Giant tourist trap with cheesy outlet malls and kiddie attractions.
If you go, be aware there are no restaurants that aren't chain/tourist traps.
Go almost any place but there.

I've been to Gatlinburg/pigeon forge once over 30 years ago.. I'll never go back.  Look at western NC.  Wife and I like the Asheville area (not particularly Asheville itself). We've stayed at these cabins 4-5 times and really enjoyed it.

High Rock Cabins

The fall colors can be beautiful in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. 2012 Predictions They are weather dependent, though.

In Bristol, TN: Bristol Caverns; in Northern Virginia, Luray Caverns; in Northwestern NC, Linville Caverns.

If you do decide to go to the Pigeon Forge area, try the Alpine coasters. There are several to choose from.

PF / Gatlinburg area is the “Myrtle Beach” of the mountains.

We like it once a year.

It’s not a bad ride.  I live about an hour and a half north of your brother.  It’s close to a six and a half hour drive for me.  We do it a couple of times a year.   Make sure you see Gatlinburg.  Also if you like mini golf and putt-putt you will be in heaven.  The helicopter ride is worth the money too

Part of my experience with Myrtle Beach:
It only had three kinds of businesses:
Golf courses
T-shirt shops
"Gentlemen's Clubs" (for when it's too dark for golf or the beach)

To what extent does my Myrtle Beach observation agree with the comparisons others have posted?

And I'm open to alternative (*not* "alternative") destinations.

Near Asheville, NC, Biltmore Estate. Plan on spending the day, there's a lot to see. They have a very good winery, too.

In Boone, NC, Tweetsie Railroad. There's a lot of other stuff to do in that area, too.

Gatlinburg / PF is probably more family themed than dirty myrtle but some of the clubs might be there, I don't recall them though.

For alternatives... colonial Williamsburg? Norfolk? Busch Gardens?