Gatlinburg Trip Help

Hi all! I%26#39;ve been to Gatlinburg once when I was 16 and have not been back because my mom doesn%26#39;t like mountains (I however LOVED it!). Anyways, I want to take my nephew (he%26#39;s 11) there this summer after school lets out because he%26#39;s doing great in school. He gets out May 22. I was wondering how the crowds are around that time. I%26#39;m debating whether or not to take him at the end of May or early June.

Also, we%26#39;re going to spend a good amount of time in the National Park and I wanted to know what some good trails/waterfalls are. I%26#39;ve only been on one, Laural Falls and LOVED it. I was also wondering about Clingman%26#39;s Dome. How bad is the walk up there?

I know there is a lot of wildlife around, but where is the best places to see them. I%26#39;m really looking for deers and small animals (I don%26#39;t do well with bears and wolves...).

One thing we did was Ober Gatlinburg and I had a lot of fun. But I%26#39;m not sure if it%26#39;s worth going there in the summer. Is there anything interesting up there during the summer??

Thanks in advance. Sorry for all the questions!!

Gatlinburg Trip Help

Hi Tigerchic1, Things have changed quite a bit since you were here. Best time would be May, June kicks off real quick and gets busy fast. There%26#39;s alot of new things to do here now. The new aquarium is incredible, it rivals just about anything you could find in florida. Tons of new shows from The Black bear Jamboree to the Dixie Stampede dinner theater. There%26#39;s agreat go-cart track called nascar speed track that any 11 year old would love, and most adults for that matter. Dollywood theme park has grown leaps and bounds and has a ton of new rides suitable for all ages, not to mention all the shows there. Clingmans dome is a pretty good hike, might be ok for an 11 year old but if he%26#39;s like my 11 year old daughter, he may get bored after a while and carrying them back down is not much fun, lol. The Chimneys offer a great picknicking area and beautiful white water rapids to view. Just keep a hold of him around the water cause its VERY cold and very fast. Now for wildlife, you must visit Cades Cove. A lot of deer and prarie dogs to be found. Ober Gatlinburg is fun year round, a couple rides and year round ice skating. Now if he likes to laugh, he may like the comedy barn, it%26#39;s a family comedy show and you can buy copies of the show you attended to view at home. All in all I think you%26#39;ll find plenty to do, like I said this place has grown quickly over the past couple of years. Hope this helps.

Gatlinburg Trip Help

I expected that this question would get a ton of response so I didn%26#39;t bother when I first saw it.

I think the best time to visit Gatlinburg is April and May. The weather is mild, everything is blooming, and the crowds are small.

For all of your National Park questons can be answered at www.nps.gov go to the link for the Smokies. Be sure to go to the Sugarland visitor center as they have some great displays and can answer all of you questions. The best time to see wildlife is at sundown in Cades Cove.

Hi Tigerchic,

I%26#39;d recommend that you come to Gatlinburg right after the Memorial Day weekend. I was there last year Mon-Tues-Wed-Thur (post Memorial Day) and it was great because all the traffic was headed out of town on Monday ;-) and the rest of the week it was nice weather and not busy at all.

I%26#39;d second SteveinGatlinburg%26#39;s suggestions. Clingman%26#39;s Dome is a very short hike (about a quarter mile?) but it%26#39;s got a steep grade so you%26#39;re always walking up up up. It%26#39;s mostly a car ride, then the last part is walking up to the observation tower. Personally, I like Newfound Gap for the many beautiful views and photo ops but I%26#39;d rather hike in the lower elevations or go to Cade%26#39;s Cove.

If you plan to be in the park quite a bit, your nephew might enjoy trying a scavenger hike adventure. I found a book called Scavenger Hike Adventures and Mountain Journal by Kat and John LeFevre and it has 14 really cool hikes. Ýou get to search for all kinds of things and learn so much more than if you were just hiking along. Here is the web site I found them at www.scavengerhikeadventures.com The book is 10.95 and is a good investment for people who plan to spend some time in the park and want something different to do.

BTW, I have no affiliation with the authors. I just bought their book and really like it :)