Great Smoky Mountains Travel Guide: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge 

Plan your Trip: Great Smoky Mountains Travel Guide

If you are planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and looking for the best things to do, see and eat in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, you are in the right place.  Gatlinburg Tennessee is known for being the Gateway of the Smoky Mountains. You will find scenic drives, mountain overlooks, waterfalls, black bears, horseback riding, alpine coasters, ziplining, white water rafting, Dolly Parton, dinner theater, bluegrass music, moonshine, museums, and attractions galore. Browse the list of must-see attractions, off-the-beaten-path experiences, outdoor activities, and museums to create your personal Great Smoky Mountains bucket list. Then, plan the itinerary for your Great Smoky Mountains trip with these top things to do, see, and eat. Be sure to bookmark this Great Smoky Mountain travel guide and enjoy your time out of the office!

Read  10 Day Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains Road Trip Planner

Great Smoky Mountains Travel Guide: Top Things to Do in the Great Smoky Mountains

Best Gatlinburg Tennessee Attractions

Browse the Village Shops for souvenirs

Enjoy a breakfast of sweet potato pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

Sample Davy Crockett pecan liquor

Check out the panoramic view from the Space Needle

Ride the SkyLift Park open-air chairlift to the top of Crockett Mountain

Walk across SkyBridge, North America’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge

Try out the Tree Canopy Walk or go zip lining at Anakeesta

Visit the animal habitat and ride the ice bumper cars at Ober Gatlinburg

Drive the scenic Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Visit the historic Noah “Bud” Ogle Cabin

Ride the alpine coaster at Rowdy Bear Mountain

Play Hillybilly Mini Golf on the side of a mountain

Taste moonshine at Sugarlands Distilling Company or Ole Smoky Moonshine

See General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum

Get spooked at the Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg

Grab some souvenir moonshine taffy at the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen

See the Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre comedy show for a good laugh

Browse the handicrafts at the Gatlinburg Arts & Crafts Community

Play a few of the machines at the Gatlinburg Pinball Museum

Photograph the city from the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook

Stop in Tennessee Homemade Wines for free tastings

Learn the history of the Smoky Mountains at the Glenn Cardwell Heritage Museum

Buy some jelly at Smoky Mountain Farms Jelly House

Check out the Christ in the Smokies Museum and Gardens exhibits

Go white water rafting on the Little Pigeon River

Have dinner at Bennett’s Pit BBQ

Go mountain biking on an E-bike with CLIMBWorks

Browse 20,000 pairs of shakers at the Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum

Visit the Elkmont Ghost Town cemetery

Take a photo of the Old Mill

Listen to music at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red

Best Pigeon Forge Tennessee Attractions

Spend a day at Dollywood and check out memorabilia at the Chasing Rainbows Museum

Watch the horse riding stunts at Dolly Parton’s Stampede dinner show

Choose a side at the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show

Catch the Hazzard Hoedown musical comedy at Grand Majestic Theater

Check out the artifacts at the interactive Titanic Museum

Stop in Aunt Debbie’s Country Store for some Tennessee whiskey jalapeño pepper ketchup

Stop for lunch at the Pottery House Café, Old Mill Square

Watch the lumberjack show at Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud

Enjoy Southern-style cooking at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen

Go indoor snow tubing at Pigeon Forge Snow

Take a ride on the Redneck Comedy Bus Tour of the Smokies

Ride the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster

Take a souvenir Wild Gals Old Time Photo

Go for a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

Watch the Island Show Fountains

Get your adrenaline fix at Mountain Mile

Stop at Goats on the Roof for a unique selfie

Go zorbing at the Outdoor Gravity Park

Things to Do Around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge 

Go waterfall chasing, check out Place of a Thousand Drips, Cataract Falls, Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls

Go for a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Check out the 100-mile view from Clingman’s Dome

Tour the BUSH’S Baked Beans Factory

Hike the Alum Cave Trail up Mount LeConte

Explore the caves at Forbidden Caverns

Step back into life in Gatlinburg during the 1840s at the Walker Sisters Place

Drive Cade’s Cove Scenic Loop

See the cave waterfall at Tuckaleechee Caverns

Be sure to check the Tennessee Office of Tourism for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

Bookmark and Pin the Great Smoky Mountains Travel Guide

Plan Your Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains

Tennessee Travel Guide

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Great Smoky Mountains Attractions and Day Tours

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Travel Essentials

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Have a great vacation!