How To See Gatlinburg in a Weekend
I have 3 boys 10 and under. That leaves us a pretty wide range of what we can and can’t do. My kids have never been to Gatlinburg so I wanted to make sure that we were able to see as much as possible with the limited time we had. I have a lot of tips on how to plan your trip so you can see Gatlinburg in a weekend!
Do Your Research
The biggest thing that I can stress to you is do your research before you go. What I love so much about Gatlinburg is that there truly is something for everyone. They have shopping, all different types of dining at all price points, family fun entertainment, holiday themed festivals, all surrounded by a beautiful landscape with rolling hills and breathtaking hikes.
The downtown strip is located on Parkway so it is nice to look up what is on this street, age requirements and times when the activity opens and closes to best plan out your day and make the most of your time! This is a pretty large list of Gatlinburg attractions to start your search!
Choose your Destination Wisely
If you are looking for a more low key visit, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Gatlinburg, a chalet could be a great option for you. It is beautiful, private and serene. The downfall to this is that it can take 20 minutes just to go into town, plus you have to find a place to park which isn’t always cheap.
This was my first time staying on the strip in Downtown Gatlinburg. To me, this is the best choice if you are wanting to fit in as many family friendly activities as possible in a short amount of time. One of the many amazing things about Gatlinburg is that most things are within walking distance.
The best part of having a place in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg is that we could keep our car parked for free at the hotel and map out our days activities based off where they were on the strip. We didn’t waste time driving into town or trying to find a parking spot.
If you are looking for a place that is clean, has a FREE breakfast, with a great location and FABULOUS rooms, I highly recommend checking out the Greystone Lodge on the River. I did a full tour on my Instagram Stories which is saved to my highlights. I would highly recommend checking it out!
It also has covered parking and a heated outdoor pool which stays open until mid October. My kids swam at 9:00 at night in late September and had a blast! What I loved so much about the Greystone is that it is family owned and you feel that from the minute you step onto the property.
A lot of the rooms overlook the river that runs through downtown. You can sit out on your balcony and listen to the water. The Family Suites are the PERFECT rooms for families. They have a family room, dining room, fridge, microwave, two bathrooms, bunk beds and a separate mater bedroom. It even has two separate balconies! It seriously is one of the best layouts of a hotel room that I have ever stayed in!
Dining
As I mentioned before, there are so many different restaurants, all with different price points. I saw fast food, bars, and sit down fancy restaurants. You could eat at Subway for lunch and then splurge on a nice dinner. It all depends on how you want to plan your time.
While we were there we ate at the popular Pancake Pantry. The lines during the day wrap around the building!!! Once inside, you order and the food comes speedy fast! I was really impressed with how quick they make their speciality pancakes which are DIVINE! The sausage was unlike anything I have ever tasted. Their trick is that they bake it, but let me tell you the flavor is out of this world!
Activities
This is where your research will come in handy! There are so many attractions located in the heart of Downtown, but they appeal to different age groups. For someone like me, it was good to call around and/or check out websites to see what ages the activity was good for. Some activities are for 5 and up so if you have a child who naps, you could plan those activities for the afternoon for the older kiddos. If you are staying at the Greystone, for example, it would be easy enough for one parent to take the little one back for nap and another parent to explore with the older kids.
I created a list for myself that might help you for your trip!
Ripley’s Believe it Or Not
Ripley’s is HUGE in Gatlinburg. There are several Ripley’s Museums, Mini Golf, a Mirror Maze, Moving Theatre, and an Aquarium.
We were able to try out the Aquarium, The Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum and the Moving Theatre.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies was right across from our hotel room. There is also a trolly stop here. This is a great way for those who don’t want to walk several miles each day to see all that Gatlinburg has to offer for just a few dollars for the entire day.
This aquarium was really cool. Right when you walk in there is a HUGE play area that is multi-leveled for the kids. They offer 3 different shows twice a day that is free with admissions. If you want to get all 3 shows in be sure to get there by 10:30 or 1 because you can see all the shows they have to offer. This would be a great option when it’s super hot, really cold or if the weather is rainy.
They also have a lot of interactive exhibits which the kids will enjoy. My favorite part was seeing the Saw Tooth Shark. This animal is just amazing to look at. You can also travel on a moving 340-foot long glidepath through an underwater tunnel and see many sea creatures up close and personal! We were able to see their larger than life Sea Turtle which was also a highlight of the visit for us.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum
This was a pretty big museum and has fun and interesting facts about people, places and artifacts from all over the world. If you like to learn facts, this is for you. This wasn’t very interactive, so my kids ran through it pretty quickly. I would definitely research the differences in the museums before you spend the money on one because it isn’t cheap. It really depends on what your family likes.
Ripley’s Moving Theatre
This is for ages 5 and up. It is a movie theatre that has moving seats and 2- 5D shows that change with the seasons. The older kids really loved this one! The seats move pretty quickly and are jerky so if this would bother you, there are seats in the front row that don’t move you might want to check out.
Anakeesta
Anakeesta is a newer attraction right in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg. It is also right across from The Greystone Lodge. You can take a sky lift or Chondola up the hillside and are let out at the top of the mountains! You would never believe the views from the top! It was hard for me to capture it with pictures. You really have to experience it for yourself in person. This was such a different vibe from anything else we did and one of my favorite experiences. You get a little bit of everything here.
What I love about Anakeesta is that you don’t have to hike in the mountains to have your action and adventure, especially if you are not into hiking or don’t have the capability to hike. I also loved that you can spend the day or evening in Anakeesta which has more of a calming and quiet vibe. You can get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Gatlinburg and get away from the crowds for a bit.
Here is a list of some of the activities you can do once on top of the mountain. We tried out all of these except for the Ziplining.
- Chondola ride: this is for people who are nervous to take the skylift up and want to be more enclosed. You will wait a little longer for this one because there aren’t as many of them as the skylifts.
- Tree Canopy walk: this takes you on bridges over the trees. It is beautifully lit up at night and you feel like you are walking through the air!
- Children’s Treehouse Village: this is a bunch of treehouses the kids can play in with rope bridges and other activities.
- Rail Runner Mountain: this is brand new! There are weight and age requirements. 3 and up can ride with an adult as long as you don’t go over the weight limit. You can also control how fast you are going. This is definitely a thrilling ride! I might have screamed the entire way down!!
- Gem Mining
- Shopping
- Fire pit area with smores
- Outdoor restaurant: this is where we had dinner. It is completely open with no walls or windows with gorgeous views of the mountaintops! If you can hang out for dinner, you will get an amazing view of the sunset and try some amazing food too! Do yourself a favor and get the Bucket of Chips. They are TO DIE FOR!!!
Ober Gatlinburg
Ober Gatlinburg is another hidden gem in the mountains. You can save some money and drive up into the mountains to get there or take the Ariel Tramway up the mountainside. This is an enclosed car so great for people who don’t like the skylifts, but want to see the beautiful landscape. You can schedule your time for this because it can get crowded during peak seasons and can be a very long wait time.
There is a lot to do in Ober. We went there for dinner during their Oktoberfest. We had some great German food, some tasty German beers and danced to popular German songs. The kids had a blast trying out instruments and dancing the night away!
We got so caught up in the festival we didn’t have time to explore the many other activities Ober has to offer. This was a list of what I had seen that looked like fun and I hope to check it out the next time we go back! There is also a lot of snow activities to do in the winter if you like snow tubing and skiing!
- Ski Mountain Coaster (3 and up)
- Alpine SLide
- Wildlife Encounter
- Ice Bumper Cars (3 and up)
- Amaze Maze
- Rock Wall
- Kiddie Land
I would check their website for what activities they offer depending on what time you will be visiting.
Cooters
This is based off the original Dukes of Hazzard Show. They have a small museum with memorabilia from the show, mini golf and Go Karts. The track is small, but they let kids drive as young as 5 and we all had an ABSOLUTE BLAST and they loved that they all got their own “drivers license”! I like that it is an indoor track so you can do this if the weather isn’t cooperating.
Go Kart Requirements:
- 3 yr old/ 36 inches can drive with an adult
- 8 yr old/ 48 inches can drive
- 5 yr old/ 30 inches can drive
I think the small track is good for the little ones who are just learning. If you have older kiddos who know their way around a track, you could find some other places that have bigger tracks.
Mini Golf
There are numerous places you can play mini golf. Some are indoor and some are outdoor. We chose Hillbilly Golf because it is a popular course and you get to ride a lift up to the top and play down the mountain.
I think this is a kid favorite no matter where we travel, but keep in mind 18 holes takes awhile to play so if you are trying to get in as much as you can in a weekend, this may not be the activity to add to the list. With that being said, we had a blast and it was a great course.
Guinness World Records Adventure
This was one of the most interactive attractions we did on the strip. We all had the BEST time, adults and kiddos! You don’t just learn about Guinness World Records, you can try them yourself. Everyone gets a card and can try and become the newest Guinness World Records title holder right there in Gatlinburg! This is a fun one to add to the list because it is good for all ages!
Hollywood Star Cars Museum
If your family is into movies, you should check out the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. There isn’t anything interactive, but you will find cars from all of your favorite movies! They house 40 authentic vehicles from movies such as The Avengers, Batman Returns, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Fast and the Furious movie series to some of TV’s most memorable shows: NCIS, The Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, The Munsters and the world’s most famous car, George Barris’ 1966 TV Show Batmobile.
This one would really depend on your kids ages and how much they are into cars and the movies that have these famous cars in them.
Rowdy Bear Mountain Coaster
There are mountain coasters all over Gatlinburg. You can do one in Ober, Anakeesta or there is Rowdy Bear right on the strip. Rowdy Bear has a spacious car and the handles were easy to control. It was a nice long ride and wasn’t as steep as Anakeesta. I would recommend this one for kiddos who are more timid to ride because there are no big hills and it is a smooth ride all the way down. You can even ride this at night which I think would be super cool to see the track all lit up! You have to try a mountain coaster while you are visiting Gatlinburg and this place was a favorite of mine!
Sky Lifts
There are skylifts all over Gatlinburg as well. You can ride one up to Anakeesta, take the arial tramway to Ober or ride the Skylift in downtown Gatlinburg. To keep within your budget, just pick one based off what your family wants to do. If you want something stationary with great views, you can check out the Space Needle or find a great hike in the mountains with views that make you never want to leave!
Hiking
You can’t leave Gatlinburg without a good hike! If you aren’t sure where to go, stop in to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. They have knowledgeable staff that can recommend what hikes would be good for your experience level and ages of kids. The visitor center itself has a very cool museum inside and some other fun things for the kids to look at and explore.
We were lucky enough to take a guided hike with Andrew from Smoky Mountain Guides. He was UNBELIEVABLE! He brought walking sticks, a backpack filled with anything we might need and had so much information about the trail and the Smoky Mountains. He taught us a few tricks like “Walk like a Duck” if the trail is wet and your are less likely to fall!
He took us to Laurel Falls. This hike was UNREAL! The views were breathtaking and the waterfall was HUGE and spectacular and you can not beat the views. We were able to hike a little off the path to the bottom of the waterfall to get some pictures as well.
Factor in the Time of Year You Want to Go
Our trip was in September and they already had it decorated for the fall. The pumpkins and scarecrows just made the trip that much better! They have several fall activities and festivals and I am already planning our trip back in December. Can you imagine everything decorated for Christmas?! You can check out the activities planned for the rest of 2018 if you are visiting Gatlinburg soon and plan your trip accordingly.
Overall, we had such an amazing trip! We were only there 2 and a half days and squeezed in as much as we could. I hope this helps you plan your trip and please let me know if you have any questions! I posted tons of pictures on all of my social media accounts so be sure to check those out as well. I would love to hear your favorite places to visit in Gatlinburg. I am already planning our next trip back!
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