Tennessee Tourist Attractions
Vacation Ideas

Gatlinburg is surrounded by the beautiful Smokey Mountains. There is so much to do and see in Gatlinburg. While there, we visited Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s pride and joy theme park.

Dollywood has many different types of musical shows and plays for one to see. They also have plenty of rides for both adults and children.

There are many shops inside the park for you to buy souvenirs and hand crafted furniture. Also in Pigeon Forge, there are many different types of restaurants, and most offer plays, acts or music for you to watch and listen to while dining out.

This wonderful, picturesque town also offers plenty of shopping opportunities. There are tons of outlet malls for all types of shoppers for anything you might be looking for.

Nearby is Gatlinburg, where there are many similar things for you to see and do, including the famous Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums. My next vacation will definitely be back to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

The road has places to stop and enjoy the wonderful views of the spruce-fir forested ridges and valleys. Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the state. Walk along the half-mile paved trail to the observation platform where you can see up to a hundred miles away into seven different states.

It’s a steep climb but worth the effort. The view is often cut back by clouds and pollutions but it’s always great. Sunrises and sunsets are particularly spectacular from this incredible vantage point.

A stay in one of the many local Bed & Breakfasts is a great vacation idea for a weekend getaway. An excellent way to get to know the town is with a storytelling walking tour.

Head to the visitor center and join their group Time and Tales Tour. Browse the many antique shops or shop for local country crafts like quilts and preserves. Visit the Jonesborough Washington History Museum which includes an authentic 1890’s era one-room schoolhouse.

Close by is Wetlands Water Park where everyone can splash and play in the pools, water slides and tubing river. Visit in early July and enjoy the games, food and crafts at the town’s annual Historic Jonesborough Days. Or come during the first weekend in October for National Storytelling Festival where you can enjoy the talents of the many top storytellers that gather for the festival.

Hiking is particularly popular and there are many trail to use. The Grundy Forest Day Loop is a fairly easy 2-mile trail that features old growth forest, waterfalls and a plunge pool.

The Fiery Gizzard Trail is popular with experienced backpackers. Its 17 miles take you up and down very steep and treacherous mountain landscapes.

The park rangers have a very active schedule of guide hikes, canoe tours, animal tracking and hiking training that is specially aimed at families.

The founder of The Museum of Appalachia, John Rice Irwin, started things off with a single log cabin. He then spent many years of his life searching the Appalachian Mountains and countryside for 18th and early 19th century relics to put in his museum.

He also continued to add buildings so that now the site has over 30 old structures that he acquired and moved to the museum location. The buildings include authentic churches, barns, smokehouses, a school house plus a few cabins.

Enjoy live, authentic old-time Appalachian music performances. The museum is home to one of the finest collections of Appalachian folk art found anywhere.

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