A Long Weekend in the Smokies
Our weekend in the Smoky Mountains was nothing short of incredible! Great Smoky Mountains National Park holds a special place in my heart, and getting to experience it during peak fall foliage was breathtaking. While it was very busy because it is peak season (early to mid October), it was still a blast. Here's a little rundown of what we did, the trails we hiked, where we ate, etc.
The Trails
During the 3 day weekend we hiked two trails in the park. The first being:
This trail was fun but very crowded. When we got to the trailhead there were no parking spots left in the parking lot. We had to park close to a half mile away from the trailhead because cars were lined up and down the road that the trailhead was on. If you do this trail I suggest that you get to the trailhead early to find good parking and beat the crowds. The hike itself wasn't too strenuous and is suitable for families. In total it was a little under 5 miles out-and-back. While hiking up the mountain you walk along a mountain stream and get to cross some pretty neat bridges. The overlook spot at the top was also very beautiful once you reached the peak.
The next day we hiked the:
This trail was more strenuous than the last, but also beautiful. There were a lot of hurdles to step over on the path (rocks, logs, etc.) which is what I think makes it strenuous. The elevation gain was not the most I have hiked so it wasn't too strenuous in that aspect. There were great lookout points through the hike, and this one was not near as crowded as the Alum Cave Trail. This one was a longer hike than Alum Cave at 6 miles roundtrip. My favorite part of this trail was a point called "The Jump Off." Andrew and I stopped here to take in gorgeous views and what was so neat about this spot was that you were so high up you could see the clouds moving right above you as if in slow motion.
Things We Did
On this trip we stayed in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, but traveled back and forth from there and Gatlinburg. One of my favorite areas to visit is downtown Gatlinburg. There are so many shops and attractions. If you're in that area here are some of the places we visited this trip that we love:
Hillbilly Golf- My favorite putt putt golf location in the area! The holes are so fun, and you literally golf on the side of a mountain. Another cool aspect is that you have to ride a trolley up to the top of the mountain before you start.
Tennessee Cider Co- A fun place to grab some cider (alcoholic). They do free tastings up to 3 flavors. We got their new fall flavor Cider Donut and it was so good. It tasted like cinnamon apples. I forgot my ID at the tasting so I didn't get to sample this time, but they had a lot of delicious sounding flavors.
The Village- My favorite area in Gatlinburg to shop. It is an aesthetically pleasing area and the have a variety of stores.
Downtown Pigeon Forge- There was an area in Pigeon Forge that I just fell in love with. Not sure if it has a name, but if you look up the Old Mill Restaurant it is in that area. This area had boutiques, amazing restaurants, candy stores, you name it.
Where We Ate
So, funny story of our first dinner experience...
Our first night in Pigeon Forge we had a late start to dinner. At around 7pm we attempted to get a seat at a restaurant I really wanted to try in downtown Pigeon Forge. When we got there they had a 2 hour wait! We attempted two other restaurants in that area and got the same time estimate for seating. Finally we gave in and found a Hibachi restaurant that had only a 30 minute wait, and thankfully it was very good. We took note for the rest of the trip that we would have to do early dinners to avoid long waits.
Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille
By far my favorite restaurant of the trip! The atmosphere was great, location was beautiful, and the food was delicious. It was everything you would want out of a mountain restaurant. The food was Southern-style cooking which of course I love. 10/10 would recommend and I will definitely go back in the future.
Sunliner Diner
A restaurant set in the 50s. Eating in this restaurant was like going back in time. They had so many great meal choices from breakfast all the way to dinner. Their desserts options were also amazing. They had floats, milkshakes, sundaes, and ginormous slices of cake. It was such a unique restaurant.
Where We Stayed
I also want to cover a little about where we stayed. We booked a cabin through Cabins USA, a booking agency we had never used before. I had never heard of Cabins USA before this trip. Andrew came across the booking site and found a cabin that had everything we needed and more for our stay. Overall we had a great experience booking through them. The cabin was beautiful, and not far from the park or the areas we visited. We both agreed that we would book with them again in the future.
There are so many fun places to see and things to do in and around the Smokies. This was Andrew and I's third trip to the Smokies together, and every time we visit we have a blast.
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