This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the site so I can continue to offer great content to you!
Our family loves visiting national parks and having nature-oriented vacations. I find it so recharging and grounding. There is nothing like spending time in nature to put life in perspective. This article is all about planning a Smoky mountains vacation.
Our family has gone to the Smoky mountains twice. One where we stayed in Tennessee and another in North Carolina. Therefore, I will split this blog post into 2 sections to keep it organized and help you plan your trip.
Smoky Mountains Vacations
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Our first Smoky mountains vacation was in the fall of 2020. It was a 5 day trip. We left our house on a Monday morning and arrived in Gatlinburg around 3 pm. We chose to stay in a condo that we rented and I honestly would not recommend the place we stayed at. Although it had been fully renovated, the place was not clean and the condo was not convenient. For example, 7 people could stay in the condo but the tiny bathroom had no towel bars or hooks. We had to “hang” our towels on the back of kitchen chairs. Therefore, I won’t link where we stayed.
During this particular trip, I was in the process of doing the low fodmap elimination diet (I plan to write a blog post on this at some point, come back if you are interested). I mention this because as a result, we ate all but 1 meal at the condo. Of course, that means no restaurant reviews or recommendations.
However, I have plenty to share in terms of what we did during our 3 full days in Gatlinburg.
Day 1
This was our big hiking day. We woke up bright and early to enter the park before it got too busy. It worked! We entered the park before 8 am and there were no lines of cars. When we left the park a little after lunch, the lines were out of control. I highly recommend getting an early start.
Pro tip: If you plan to visit more than 3 national parks during the next 12 months, consider buying the America the beautiful annual pass to save money.
We started with a 4.4 miles trail called Alum Cave. This is a moderately difficult hike that is beautiful and fun. It took us about 2 hours with a little rest to snack and observe the views along the way. Here is a picture from the trail.
When we finished the hike we drove to Clingmans’ dome. It is a stunning scenic drive that you will not regret. Even if you don’t hike at all, at least add this drive to your itinerary. Once you get there, you do not have to hike but can. It is a short 0.5 miles steep hike that takes you to the highest point in the Smoky’s at 6,643 feet elevation. The featured image at the top of this post was taken from there. I highly recommend it.
Pro tip: we knew this would be a long day in the park so we packed our lunches. This way, we were not trying to rush through our visit in order to leave to go eat.
After this, we started driving back down the mountain and went back to our condo. It was middle to late afternoon and we took the rest of the day easy at “home”.
Day 2
Another early morning where we beat the crowds to get into the park. This time we drove through Cades cove. This is a pretty 11 miles loop you can drive through and often see wildlife. We did see a deer and a bear from the distance. Make sure to have a full tank of gas if planning to drive this loop. If wildlife is present, the cars will all stop to watch so there is no way to know how long this tour will take. But as long as you are prepared and aware, just enjoy the beauty of nature and the time you spend with your family.
When we left Cades Cove, we saw a Mama bear with her 2 cubs right off of the road, This was very cool! The picture really isn’t that great, but that’s the only proof I have.
After this, we drove to Pigeon Forge to visit some of the areas. We spent an hour or so at The island which is mostly a shopping area with some entertainment for kids such as the 200-foot high observation wheel.
We then grabbed some lunch (the one lunch out) at Harpoon Harry’s crab house. I would call the food just okay. However, the service was good and they have a large outdoor patio.
We finished this day with a visit to Parrot Mountain and Garden. This was awesome! If you like birds. You can hold the birds and interact with them including with baby parrots in the nursery. I highly recommend this activity if you are in the area.
Day 3
We headed to the park early to do one final hike. We chose Laurel Falls trail, an easy 2.6 miles trail. As you would expect from the name, the trail ends at a beautiful 80-feet-tall waterfall.
We said goodbye to the park and went to Gatlinburg to cross the Skybridge. This is a very unique experience where you get to cross a suspension bridge hung 1800 feet above sea level. The bridge is 700 feet across and includes a 30 feet glass floor. It is quite impressive!
We also spent quite a bit of time walking downtown Gatlinburg which is really a typical small touristy town. it’s cute and entertaining but nothing really stood out to me.
The highlight of the vacation for us was all the fun trails we went on and the outstanding views we witnessed.
Waynesville, North Carolina
Our second Smoky mountains vacation was in the spring of 2021. Our family went to Waynesville North Carolina. We knew very little about the area. However, a couple of family members had been there and recommended it to us.
We stayed at an absolutely beautiful vrbo rental that I will like here. I cannot say enough good things about the place. It was impeccable, extremely well equipped, and comfortable and the view is simply magnificent. If we return to the area we will stay there again for sure. We ate all of our dinners at home (because how can you not want to spend time in this beautiful home!).
Day 1
On our first day, we headed out to the Cherokee Indian reservation. We did a beautiful hike called the Mingo Falls trail. It is an easy-moderate hike that takes you to a stunning 120-feet tall waterfall. It has a LOT of stairs and is not a stroller or wheelchair-accessible trail.
On that day we grabbed lunch at a place called Native brews tap and grill. The service was very friendly and the food was good.
After lunch, we visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. We found it very interesting and informational. I bought a cute pair of handmade earrings that I still wear a lot. I highly recommend visiting.
Day 2
This was our Smoky national park day. Our trail for the day was Mouse creek falls via big creek trail. This is such a pretty and easy trail. It is about 4 miles round trip and took us about 1.5 hours to complete.
We then went to visit downtown Waynesville which is a cute but very small downtown, Later, we ate lunch at Bogart’s Restaurant and Tavern. it is a family-owned restaurant established in 1977 with a really neat ambiance. the service was great and we enjoyed the food.
We spend the rest of the day enjoying our 2 balconies, the hot tub, and the gorgeous view of this Smoky mountains vacation.
Day 3
We took a day trip to Ashville and mostly walked around the downtown. If you have not been it is a really pretty downtown. We didn’t do anything extremely special other than some shopping and walking around.
We at lunch at the best place of this entire trip. The restaurant is called Tupelo Honey. This place was amazing and was perfect for our family. I enjoy breakfast food all day but my husband does not so much. This place offers both options. I do recommend that you try to make a reservation as it is right in the middle of downtown and gets really busy.
Day 4
This day was a surprising road trip for our children to Henry River village. We drove 2.5 hours (each way!!) to visit the Hunger games District 12 village film set. Okay, the village is only in the movie for a few seconds in the first movie but it was still pretty cool. We also enjoyed the short tour explaining the actual story behind this river mill village.
After the visit, as we were driving back through Ashville, we had to stop at Tupelo Honey restaurant again. it was really THAT good!!!
In conclusion..
This article was all about creating the perfect Smoky mountains vacation for you and your family. There are so many options whether you wish to do mostly kicking or mix it up a little more. We love national parks and the Smoky’s definitely have our hearts forever.
Enjoy planning your next vacation and reach out if you have questions.
Thank you for reading.
Cat xx