Solely have a few days to discover the Smokies?
A Gatlinburg weekend is the proper mixture of mountain journey, small-town attraction, and Tennessee taste.
From moonshine and wine tastings downtown to mountain coasters, escape rooms, and scenic overlooks, this little city packs a giant punch, regardless of your age, price range, or journey fashion.
My household all grew up with a cabin right here and every journey jogs my memory why it’s one in every of my favourite fast getaways.
On this publish, I’ll present you precisely how you can profit from two days in Gatlinburg together with the place to eat, what to do, and how you can squeeze in simply sufficient leisure earlier than heading house.
2 Day Gatlinburg Weekend Itinerary
For this itinerary, I wish to focus particularly on Gatlinburg solely and never different close by locations or points of interest.
I’ll have one other publish quickly for Pigeon Forge and I’ll replace this paragraph when it goes stay.
Should you’re searching for another issues to do within the space like a Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park itinerary or Dollywood One Day Itinerary I’ve these as separate weblog posts.
Day 1: Downtown Gatlinburg
In the present day is all about getting acquainted with Gatlinburg, notably the downtown space the place all of the outlets and points of interest are.
Gatlinburg is a small city, so “downtown” is definitely only a lengthy strip of the place all issues to do are positioned.
If you would like a bit extra of a leisurely itinerary, I’d suggest a mixture of hanging out at your resort or cabin and taking time to walk by way of downtown for a couple of hours, however you don’t should do all of the actions.
Morning: Scenic Overlook and Downtown Experiences
I like to recommend beginning your morning on the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook the place you’ll be able to see what the entire space seems to be like.
From there, you’ll slowly make your manner into downtown Gatlinburg, stopping at in style points of interest just like the mountain coaster and mini golf.
Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook
Should you’re up early sufficient, I like to recommend making an attempt to be up right here for dawn, however we visited towards the top of the day after spending the day mountain climbing within the Smoky Mountains.
Right here is the location on Google maps for straightforward entry, however any map app you employ in your cellphone will acknowledge the placement if you happen to simply sort in “Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook”.
Moonshine Mountain Coaster Experience
The Moonshine Mountain Coaster Experience is a well-liked attraction these days in loads of mountain city locations like The Poconos in Pennsylvania and Massive Bear Lake in California.
It’s a mini curler coaster the place you’re sitting a type of sled and you’ll management the brakes a bit to regulate your velocity.
These mountain coasters are scenic and a enjoyable expertise for many ages – I’d say most youngsters 6-7+ which can be on the extra adventurous facet would get pleasure from this and you’ll trip as a pair too!
Click on Right here To Ebook Your Moonshine Mountain Coaster Experience In the present day!
Mini Golf
Mini golf is one in every of our favourite leisure actions after we journey as a result of every course is exclusive to the world.
Alongside the identical road because the mountain coaster are 2 completely different mini golf programs.
There’s Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini Golf and Hillbilly Golf and I like to recommend doing whichever seems to be extra attention-grabbing to you since they’re proper subsequent to one another.
Afternoon: Downtown Gatlinburg Experiences
After mini golf, you’ll be able to park downtown for the remainder of the day as a result of every part else is inside a walkable distance all through downtown Gatlinburg.
Once more, if you happen to’re searching for a extra leisurely itinerary, that is the time simply to walk by way of downtown to take a look at the outlets, however if you wish to be entertained or take part in some actions, there are such a lot of choices.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Aquariums are an excellent exercise for any age group and any group measurement.
It’s additionally one thing to contemplate in your itinerary if there may be inclement or chilly climate that forestalls you from with the ability to benefit from the outside issues within the space.
This aquarium isn’t large, however they’ve stay demonstrations happening all through the day and add-on experiences if you wish to spend extra time right here.
Anakeesta
Anakeesta is a mountaintop journey park, type of like an amusement park.
To rise up there, you are taking the well-known Chondola.
It’s a mix of a chair raise and gondola raise, the place you get to decide on to take the open-air chair life or the enclosed gondola.
When you’re on the prime, there may be an statement tower, ziplines, a children journey zone, a treetop skywalk, and a mountain coaster.
Should you go at evening time, you’ll be able to get pleasure from Astra Lumina, which is a lights, projections, and sounds present that occurs solely after sundown.
Some actions have an extra price, so I like to recommend taking a look at every part they provide forward of time to ensure you’ve appropriately priced out every part you wish to do.
The Escape Recreation
The Escape Recreation is likely one of the hottest escape room firms within the US.
We like to do escape rooms in every single place we journey and do rooms which can be themed to the world or simply model new to us.
The extra the merrier in terms of escape rooms – normally with a most of 8 folks – so it’s an excellent exercise if you happen to’re touring with prolonged household or associates.
We’ve performed lots with simply the two of us and it’s additionally enjoyable as a workforce constructing and communication train for {couples}!
Click on Right here To Ebook Your Gatlinburg Escape Room In the present day!
Night: Dinner and a Ghost Tour
When you’re prepared to begin winding down for the evening, I like to recommend dinner at Howard’s Restaurant, adopted by a ghost tour.
Dinner at Howard’s Restaurant
Howard’s is the oldest restaurant in Gatlinburg and it’s an excellent, considerably informal steakhouse.
Should you don’t have reservations, there’ll most likely be a protracted wait to be seated.
Should you’re in a position to get an out of doors desk, I extremely suggest it.
The creek and recent air is a pleasant setting for a pleasant dinner.
Earlier than we had dinner, we shared a home salad.
That is the one salad I’ve ever had that got here with french fries!
I had the Filet Mignon with a facet of Mac n Cheese and a facet of Glazed Carrots.
JP additionally had a steak with glazed carrots, however selected the loaded potato as his second facet.
Gatlinburg Ghosts of the Smokies
After dinner, do the Gatlinburg Ghosts of the Smokies ghost tour.
This tour is hosted by US Ghost Adventures and we’ve performed excursions with them throughout, together with Virginia Seaside, Washington DC, Cincinnati, and Williamsburg – try our favourite ghost excursions within the US!
Doing ghost excursions is one in every of our favourite issues to do in every single place we go to study extra in regards to the vacation spot and get suggestions from the native guides about their favourite issues to od.
Click on Right here To Ebook Your Gatlinburg Ghosts of the Smokies Tour In the present day!
Day 2: Downtown Gatlinburg
In the present day’s itinerary remains to be centered round downtown Gatlinburg, however with extra time within the afternoon to discover the outlets reasonably than structured experiences.
The morning although has some enjoyable actions!
Morning: Ober Mountain
Much like Anakeesta, you’ll take a chairlift as much as all of the actions.
Every season, the actions out there might be completely different, because of having snow in Winter.
However there’s choices for tubing, ice skating, bobsleds, bumper automobiles, and extra.
Afternoon: Wine and Moonshine Tasting
All all through downtown Gatlinburg, there are free wine tastings (and a few small paid ones like $5), in addition to moonshine tastings.
We tried 3 completely different tastings throughout our go to:
- Gatlinburg Vineyard – wine tasting
- Elkmont Vineyard – wine tasting
- Ole Smoky – moonshine tasting
These aren’t like conventional wine tastings the place you get a 1-2 oz pour of 4-5 wines in a glass and have a sommelier undergo all of the wines with you.
These pours are small sips and so they’re largely fruit wines, so if you happen to’re a conventional wine lover, you most likely gained’t look after these until you make a wine slushie out of them.
They’re very mild and fruity.
Night: Dinner at Heirloom Room
That is the proper dinner for a date evening or special day.
They serve elevated variations of Appalachian delicacies, like house-smoked frog legs.
However additionally they have all the standard steaks you’d anticipate from a steakhouse and plenty of completely different sauces and butters you’ll be able to taste them with.
Simply exterior of downtown Gatlinburg is Bent Creek Golf Village.
It’s a Hilton resort with all 1 and a pair of bed room suites all alongside a golf course.
So that you’ll have the perks of a full kitchen and a personal bed room for a similar price as a typical resort room.
Click on Right here To Ebook Your Bent Creek Golf Village Keep In the present day!
Conclusion: 2 Day Gatlinburg Weekend Itinerary
Most individuals that go to Gatlinburg go to Pigeon Forge and Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park versus staying in simply Gatlinburg since they’re all in the identical place.
However I needed to have separate posts for every as a result of it makes extra sense logistically to do every part in a single space at a time reasonably than going backwards and forwards between a number of locations.
Downtown Gatlinburg has a bit of little bit of every part for guests of all ages, all group sizes, and all budgets.
I like that it’s walkable and has so many nice eating choices!
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