Stuff to do in Gatlinburg...

Cades Cove is the most visited part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park--and for good reason. The idyllic setting of Cades Cove is a sampler of everything the Park has to offer the Smokies visitor. Interesting Tennessee cabins and other pioneer structures dot this cove and tell the history of its early inhabitants. Wildlife is abundant. More than a dozen hiking and horseback riding trails originate in Cades Cove. The Smoky Mountains, which tower above picturesque Cades Cove, serve as guardians to the Cove's serene beauty; and the splendor of color when Mother Nature empties her paint buckets on the Cove's hardwoods in the Fall is unmatched! Cades Cove is home to trout streams to tease the fly- fishing enthusiast and campgrounds are available for those who want to live in Cades Cove--even if only temporarily. In addition, Smoky Mountain cabin rentals found on this web site gives the opportunity for tourists to hark back to the former inhabitants of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Since 1960 when the Pancake Pantry became Tennessee's first pancake house, visitors to Gatlinburg have made dining with us a tradition. What keeps them coming back? It's the real butter, the honest-to-goodness fresh whipped cream and everything made from scratch. And it's also the warm atmosphere of century-old brick, rich oak and rustic copper.
Becoming a tradition requires a special quality, a commitment to excellence, a willingness to experiment, test and develop new dishes for your pleasure and delight, while retaining the favorites from years past.
Whether you join us for an early breakfast, midday brunch or afternoon snack, you're sure to make Pancake Pantry part of your family's Gatlinburg tradition!

Lots of fun things to do. See giant sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, pick up a horseshoe crab, or pet a sting ray!!! Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

Great family fun mini-golf! Lots of animated critters. Really great course! CUTE!!!

Great mini golf! Fun, animated critters!!! Very Cute!!!

Roll down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball!!!

Clingmans Dome Road (closed in winter), takes you to the Clingmans Dome parking area. You hike the last half-mile and climb the 45-foot observation tower, the highest point in the Park and in Tennessee. On a clear day, it's said you can see seven states. While in the area, consider hiking the 4.2 round-trip to Andrew's Bald. Grassy balds in the Smokies are said to have been originally caused by lightning fires, but have since been sustained by the Park Service. Magnificent displays of rhododendron can be seen here in June.

Great haunted house! Scary! Live monsters!

Several movies! Seats move in all directions! Fun attraction!

Fun and Scary haunted house! Self guided tour. Great attraction!

Firefighter themed mini golf. Fun!!! Fire truck out front to take your picture.

Hard Rock Cafe, Gatlinburg. Great food and Rock and Roll.

Paved trail, fairly easy to walk. Quiet and peaceful. Beautiful waterfalls!

Hiking trail located in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fairly long trail, not very difficult. Leads you to a large beautiful waterfall. Otters can be seen occasionally swimming near the falls.

Rainbow Falls is located off of the Roaring Fork Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park at the parking area and walk trail to falls. Long trail, moderately difficult. These beautiful falls are 80+ feet and can freeze solid during winter. After the falls, the trail continues to the peak of Mt LeConte and the LeConte Lodge.

Enjoy views to both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides of the ridge. Here you find the State Line Ridge, which serves as the spine for the entire distance of the Park, and it also comprises the sixty-nine miles of the Appalachian Trail in the Park. If you want to tell people you walked on the Appalachian Trail, you can traverse a short distance of it here before returning to your vehicle.

Here you will also find the Rockefeller Memorial, which lies half in Tennessee and half in North Carolina. It memorializes the support and $5 million donated by the Rockefeller family to help establish the Park, which was dedicated here by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940

A five-mile one-way tour that is referred to as a "motorized nature trail". From the main parkway (Hwy 441) in downtown Gatlinburg, turn at stoplight #8 onto Airport Road. At the intersection, continue straight on. You should stop at the historic Bud Ogle Farm to get an idea of life on a mountain farm. You’ll also have the opportunity at stop #5 of the self-guided tour to hike 1.2 miles to Grotto Falls. When the water is up in the spring, Roaring Fork Creek, which parallels the road much of the way, is a sight to behold. Other features include a waterfall named "Place of a Thousand Drips". No trucks, RVs or trailers are allowed because the road is very narrow. In fact, in some places, trees encroach right to the edge of the road. The markings on the trees are clear evidence why anything larger than a car is ill advised. The motor trail makes a loop and ends in Gatlinburg. At the stop light, turn left on Hwy 321 and return to the Parkway. The road is closed in winter. Expect to spend about two hours on this tour (three if you hike to grotto Falls), depending on what features you stop to explore.