A few months ago Peter, Clay and I traveled to Gatlinburg, TN and it was a very fun trip! We took a road trip down from WI and it took about 11 hours with the time change and a couple of stops along the way. We arrived on a Monday and left Thursday. Here’s everything we did and where we stayed!
Monday: This was our big travel day to TN. We stayed at an Airbnb in the Smoky Mountains just outside of Gatlinburg. We got to the cabin around 7pm, explored the property a little bit, ate in and then rested for the next day.
We stayed at Theo’s Treehouse and it was a great Airbnb! This cabin is in a mountain valley, was extremely clean, had a lot of amenities and is a 5 minute drive to downtown Gatlinburg. This is the main floor that had the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom, and the upper deck.
The lower floor was one large room that had fun games (Clay especially loved the ski ball machine- thankfully the balls were rubber!), living space, bunk bed, bathroom, laundry room and the lower deck with a hot tub outside. This cabin was very nice, family friendly and we would definitely stay here again!
Tuesday: This was the day we explored downtown Gatlinburg. We spent the morning at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and I would highly recommend a visit here if you have kids. It is not inexpensive to visit but was a lot of fun and Clay loved it. Peter and I also thought it was fun to visit, especially the underwater tunnel. This aquarium was educational and very interactive for kids with a lot of hands on experiences like the sting ray pool, jelly fish station and a large play structure.
We left the aquarium a little after noon and wanted an easy place to eat within walking distance of the aquarium. Peter found a lot of good reviews for Chicken Hut so why stopped there. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Aquarium on the main road through Gatlinburg. The food was really good, fast and kid friendly- just what we wanted!
After lunch we decided to drive the Gatlinburg Bypass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and I would highly recommend spending a couple hours driving this area. There were numerous pull over areas along the bypass for photo ops and to take in the stunning view. In April, when we took our trip, the temperature was about 75 degrees in town and everything was green and looked like Summer. We drove a little past Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in TN, and it was about 50 degrees and looked like Spring in WI with a lot of bare trees. I was glad I brought my sweater with!
Wednesday: We wanted to take our Jeep on an easy dirt road trail for the morning and go hiking. We chose Greenbrier Cove Rd and loved it! The road was beautiful and is known for its hiking trails, including Ramsey Cascades waterfall. I saw a lot of Jeep/off road vehicle rental places in Gatlinburg and would highly recommend renting one if you don’t have a fun vehicle with you- bring on the adventures!
For the afternoon we went back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to have a picnic lunch and hike a little more.
We later stopped by Maddog’s Creamery & Donuts for a well earned ice cream treat! Maddog’s is located just outside of Gatlinburg and doesn’t have the best ambiance because it’s located on the highway but the ice cream was really good and the location was very convenient!
For dinner we grabbed a pizza from the Chalet Village Market upon a recommendation. This quant, A-frame shaped market was tucked into the mountains and had delicious pizza!
Thursday: This was our travel day back home and we left mid morning. We stopped by Buc-ee’s Gas Station in Sevierville upon a recommendation and I was blown away by how nice and huge it was. I know it sounds weird to recommend going to a gas station but it’s a total vibe and I would go back again!
Overall, we had a lovely time in Gatlinburg and I would highly recommend visiting. The area is absolutely breathtaking. Pictures and words cannot describe how beautiful the mountains are.
Have you ever been to Gatlinburg? Comment below- I would love to hear your thoughts! And make sure to sign up for emails, and follow me on Instagram, LTK and Pinterest for my latest posts!
~Caitlin~
Modest Petite Daily 