Cell phone

Just a quick question.

Which provider has the best cell phone coverage in the area?

Cell phone

I have Sprint and the last time that I was there it worked fine when I was in town. When I started up Roaring Fork Motor Trail and was almost to the top it kept cutting out and saying out of range. It worked fine when I went to Cades Cove. I have heard that Verizon Wireless works really good. My daughter-in-law has a Cricket and it wouldn%26#39;t work at all.

Cell phone

cingular also works in GB

I have Sprint and it worked fine in town, but I couldn%26#39;t count on it anywhere else. My husband has Verizon and it worked everywhere we went, even in Townsend. If you are getting one of those phones that you pay for by the number of minutes you want, I%26#39;d go with Verizon.

I have Nextel and it picks up pretty good in Gatlinburg.

I have Nextel and it picks up pretty good in Gatlinburg.

Thanks for the information.

Crowds this Thanksgiving week

We have 11 family members traveling to Gatlinburg this Thanksgiving week. I%26#39;ve never been, but have a friend who went last year (and is going again this year) and raves about it. But my brother and sister in law are worried that crowds will be horrendous --- they went once before during peak season and recall sitting in traffic for over two hours just to go five miles. Any word on traffic/ crowds during this holiday week? Thanks!

Crowds this Thanksgiving week

It%26#39;s going to be terrible for traffic, I can tell you from experience. But, just go with the mindset to have fun and just relax. It may snow and make it even more special.

Crowds this Thanksgiving week

Actually there is 4'; of snow in Cumberland Gap right now if that interests anybody.

yeah, check this out!

…nps.gov/air/…grsmpkcam.cfm

Has anyone ever stayed at Zoder's Inn?

My husband and I are staying at the Zoders Inn in downtown Gatlinburg in December we have always wanted on the stream so we decided to stay here the reply from LOVEGB stated that the rooms 120-160 are nicer my question is what is the differance in those and the other rooms our room number is 171 it is one of the rooms that the balcony hangs right over the stream if anyone can tell me please so if the other rooms are nicer that we can request one of the nicer ones one more question I have recently had back surgery could you tell me if the mattress is soft or hard we are going to be spending 4 nights there? Has anyone ever been to the dinner show Oldies Showplace Dinner Theater is it worth going to or is Country Tonight the better show to go see? This is our 3rd anniversery we just want to have a comfy bed and see a great show thanks so much!!!!!!

Has anyone ever stayed at Zoder's Inn?

itlepeanut, lovegb here, the only rooms I have stayed at Zoders was their Dream Villa and Executive Suite. I have not stayed in their regular rooms.

The Dream Villa was a very large room (at least twice the size of a normal room) King bed, gas FP in the corner, large jacuzzi, sitting area, and bath. I think there was also a wet bar area. There was not a balcony and it was located on the opposite side of the hotel from the stream.

The Executive suite was 2 rooms, living room with wood burning fireplace, bedroom with balcony (I don%26#39;t think it was over the stream), bathroom, no jacuzzi.

I think they have a standard room with a fireplace available. If you are going in Dec, the fireplace would be nice.

There is a poster on here named Christy, that always stays at Zoders and knows alot about them, maybe she will see this post and reply with some more info.

Zoders has a website with views of all their rooms, but it is currently under construction and there are no views available.

hope this helps.

Has anyone ever stayed at Zoder's Inn?

The Rooms with Double Beds are closest to the main office and street. They have balconies over the stream and the rooms are smaller than the Deluxe King Rooms. We stay at Zoder%26#39;s Inn a week in August every year for vacation and anniversary. We love it here. The Deluxe King Rooms are the best.

One King Bed with nice furniture, table and chairs beside window by creek, mini bar in room and balcony overlooking stream. My husband and I are picky about sleeping on a comfortable mattress and we always get a good one here. The Indoor Pool with Waterfall

is a big plus for us staying here and the fact that the place is spotless clean and people are nice.

By the way the Deluxe King Rooms are located in the back part of the resort and are more relaxing.

I%26#39;m the Christy the last Post was talking

about.

Christy, I was hoping you would see this post, because I knew you would have more good info about Zoders.

Now, I have a question for you. The Deluxe King rooms at Zoders, do any of them have a fireplace? As I mentioned in my last post, we have stayed in the suites, which are nice but would like to have a fireplace without the higher price.

Thanks, lovegb

Yes! They do offer rooms with fireplaces all arew located facing the outdoor swimming pool area. They also have a Courtyard Suite that has a fireplace and a Jacuzzi Suite the suites are located up high above the other rooms in fact you have to take a elevator up.

Another hotel in Gatlinburg overlooking a stream is The Edgewater. We usually take the kids to GB every February for the weekend to swim in a heated pool and eat pancakes and look at all the junk located on the GB strip. I must say that we have never found a hotel with a heated pool that was REALLY nice. Most all of the hotels in GB are old (including Zoders and Edgewater) and need updating and some are just downright disgusting. The only exception to this was the Fairfield Inn located just at the entrance to GB. It is new and has a tiny indoor heated pool - but no stream. It%26#39;s also far away from anything else in GB. The trolley has a pickup stop there, but then the trolley is not quite reliable either.

I live in Knoxville so I%26#39;m well acquainted with GB. Unfortunately I think GB and Pigeon Forge are overrated and contain too many tourist traps. PF has all of the amusement park rides and GB has more than its fair share of T-Shirt shops. I wish there was a true mountain village devoted to just being ';the mountains'; and living in nature.

There is one small place in GB that is fairly nice to visit...The Village. It%26#39;s right on the main drag through GB, but it%26#39;s a brick-paved Old-World type of enclave offering an oasis of calm from the ravages of GB. There are several unique shops, a bug water fountain, and, of course, the Donut Friar.

Leaves are Peaking! Couple of questions...

Went to Gatlinburg for the first time. I was really impressed. It reminds me of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

The leaves were peaking. I understand that New England didn%26#39;t have much of a show this year. Well, the Smokies are just beautiful right now.

We drove to the top of Clingman%26#39;s Dome (scary for me, I%26#39;m afraid of heights) and couldn%26#39;t see anything since there was a cloud sitting on top of it. There was a small patch of snow. We stood our five-year-old in it. She has always lived in Florida so it was her first snow! The other visitors must have thought, ';Look at those crazy Florida people!'; (We just moved to Knoxville, but still have Florida plates!)

Ate at Calhoun%26#39;s in Pigeon Forge for lunch. Thought it was just okay. Stopped at the Happy Days Diner for dinner. Couldn%26#39;t get anyone to wait on us. Food looked slightly overpriced and lackluster, so we left. Ate at Carino%26#39;s in Pigeon Forge, instead. FANTASTIC! I can%26#39;t say enough good things about this restaurant. Apparently, there is one in Knoxville, too. Can%26#39;t wait to go back.

I would like to rent a cabin in Gatlinburg and spent all of yesterday looking for one. Numerous conflicting reports have me confused! Any suggestions?

Also, does the area pretty much close down until April?

Leaves are Peaking! Couple of questions...

I%26#39;ve been impressed with Mountain Rentals...I%26#39;ve rented from them a few times and the prices are reasonable. Check them out.

Need cabin recommendation - secluded

My family and I are going to TN this summer for our vacation and it looks like Pigeon Forge is the place we%26#39;ll go. We went to Murphy, NC last year and absolutely loved it. The cabin we stayed in was pretty secluded and we%26#39;d like the same this year. Does anyone have a recommendation for a cabin with a great view and fairly secluded? It seems that Pigeon Forge has a lot of hustle and bustle compared to our vacation last year so I%26#39;m not sure how the cabins are.

Need cabin recommendation - secluded

Hi, we stayed in a cabin at the Gatlinburg Falls Resort. These cabins are great!! and they are in the mountains however, it is a resort so there are other cabins around you but that%26#39;s all there is. Yet you are still close to everything. All you have to do is drive down the mountain and your in downtown Gatlinburg or go about 15 mins up from Gatlinburg and your in Pigeon Forge. But if your looking for a cabin all by itself I%26#39;m not sure if they have them, I think most of them are in a resort. But it%26#39;s like you are by yourself because you have the whole cabin or you could say it%26#39;s a house because these cabins are like you home away from home and what you see in the pictures is what the cabin will look like. Here is there website if you want to check out all the cabins they have.

www.gatlinburgfallsresort.com

Need cabin recommendation - secluded

Check out Cedar Falls Resort at www.cedarfallsresort.com -- we just got home from a week there, and we would DEFINITELY go back and recommend it to our family. Our cabin was surrounded by woods and well-spaced from the others (only two others on our road - another rental and a permanent resident.) Higher up in the development, there were cabins with more open views. It%26#39;s 7 miles outside Pigeon Forge, and has a fishing pond, playground, and pool (not open until end of May.) Definitely away from the hustle and bustle, but some construction going on nearby during the week, depending on your cabin. It%26#39;s a mixed development of permanent residents and rental cabins, so it%26#39;s not like they%26#39;ve just crammed in as many cabins as the land would hold. Not hard to hit Pigeon Forge, either, when you want to -- you come in a traffic light #3 by the Kroger (very handy!) We considered Gatlinburg Falls, but a couple of the pictures on the website made the cabins look really ';stacked'; together.

Good luck!

Theres a great places in the area to stay in a cabin with everything in them. It%26#39;s called Cabins at Mountain Falls, 1-800-462-2134 they have your choice of rustic or modern decor, check out their website. Theres about 12 or so together but far enough from each other that you can%26#39;t hear or see what the other cabin is doing. It%26#39;s outside of Pigeon Forge going toward Townsend down a country road, each cabin has the stream running behind it. All cabins have screen in porches with a hottub. It%26#39;s worth checking out. Website is www.bluffmountain-rentals.com, you%26#39;ll find all info there. They also have ATV tours thru the mountains, we have stayed %26amp; gone on the trail ride. Have never had any problems. In fact we%26#39;re planing on staying there in Nov or Dec. Good luck

Hello, If you haven%26#39;t made your reservations yet, I would like to tell you about a cabin that my family stayed at last year. It is about halfway between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It is also away from the main road and going up the mountain but not too far. It was the most awesome cabin! and reasonably priced compared to others that I have seen. If we go back we will definitely stay there. This is one that is everything the pictures show and more. When you get there you never see the owners or really anyone. They give you the combination. Please check out the Cloud Nine Cabin at www.cabinsofgatlinburg.com I know you will not be disappointed. Part of our family also stayed at the Deer Whispers cabin which was just around the corner and smaller but still nice.

We are booked this next week at All Seasons Cabins, Pigeon Forge area, Traffic Light #3. Check these out. Private owners, Great location, One flat rate. Rental companies will fee you to death(hot tub, cleaning, taxes, Etc.) We have been coming to this area for 24 years and have seen and stayed in it all. Be sure and read the comments from the other guest. I was most impressed and decided to try these out. www.allseasonscabins.com

My family and I are booked for Timber Tops ';Pure Gold'; Memorial Day.Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Check out the cabin ';Heaven on Earth'; on the two bedroom webpage at www.hearthsidecabinrentals.com -- that view is as good as any I have ever seen. Also it is at the end of a quiet road up on Bluff Mountain. That is on the Cades Cove/Townsend side of Pigeon Forge. Very well maintained and great rates, too!

Check out the cabin ';Heaven on Earth'; on the two bedroom webpage at www.hearthsidecabinrentals.com -- that view is as good as any I have ever seen. Also it is at the end of a quiet road up on Bluff Mountain. That is on the Cades Cove/Townsend side of Pigeon Forge. Very well maintained and great rates, too!

check out precious memories

we stayed there and it is secluded and still close to everything

it is under secluded @ sleepybearcabins.com

Hey guys! Still waiting for Timber Tops feedback

Thanks!

professional makeup

Last-minute trip! Need tips!

Hello everyone! My husband and I just planned a last-minute Thanksgiving trip to Nashville for the week of Thanksgiving. (November 20-25) We already planned on going to a hockey game on Thanksgiving night, but I was curious what else we could see. Any suggestions for bars, restaurants, tours, etc?

We already booked the Holiday Inn Express, hopefully that was a good choice.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Last-minute trip! Need tips!

I should add that we LOVE live music. I know Nashville is a good city for this, but any place in particular?

Last-minute trip! Need tips!

Hey, Sox. Congrats on the vistory, by the way. I%26#39;m a Braves girl but after we lost, I was rooting for the Sox to win big time.

Holiday Inn Express is a good choice. I love their free parking. It%26#39;s also convenient to everything you%26#39;re going to do.

You might want to do a search of the Nashville forum for tips on live music. Someone here was recommending some good downtown places not so long ago.

I can recommend Tootsie%26#39;s Orchid Lounge downtown as a great place to go. But one place that%26#39;s a less than 10 minute drive from downtown is the Bluebird Cafe. Great live acoustic music in a little strip mall. Go to www.bluebirdcafe.com for info. and schedules of who is playing.

A tour of the Ryman Theater might be worthwhile and it%26#39;s not far from your hotel. I%26#39;m sure you know that%26#39;s the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Country Music Hall of Fame is also a good one downtown.

The Opry is now located outside of town next to the huge Opryland Hotel. I recommend walking through the hotel just to see all the Christmas decorations. They really do a nice job of it. You could also take a riverboat cruise on the General Jackson while you%26#39;re out there. Opry Mills is a huge outlet mall next to the hotel. You can park there for free at Opry Mills and walk over to the hotel.

If you like historic tours, a trip to the Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, is worth it. There%26#39;s also plantations like Cheekwood and Belle Meade.

As for restaurants, let me know what kind of food you like and I%26#39;ll try to pick a few.

Thanks for the congrats and all the suggestions, Peachy!

We%26#39;re not too picky about food. We love steak, good breakfast. Not really picky at all.

Glad to be of help!

As for steak, I wish I knew more. The best steak I ever had in Nashville was at Ruth%26#39;s Chris Steakhouse. It%26#39;s a chain but man, was it good! Some people go to Demo%26#39;s for steak but the time we went there, my steak was very poor. I couldn%26#39;t go back.

If you%26#39;re into barbecue at all, I recommend Jack%26#39;s on broadway. Very good pork and brisket. Rippy%26#39;s is great for ribs.

I CAN help you with breakfast. Two places immediately come to mind. The Pancake Pantry is located in Hillsboro Village near Vanderbilt campus. A straight shot from your hotel on 21st. H%26#39;boro Village has some great funky shops, too. Very good pancakes but on weekends, lines are common. They tend to move you in and out fairly quickly.

The other place is the Loveless Cafe, located outside of town. Some of the best food, especially the homemade biscuits. They remodeled recently so I think it%26#39;s bigger now. Everyone I know raves about the place. Here%26#39;s their site: www.lovelesscafe.com.

Across the street from the hockey arena is the nightclub district, be sure to go up 2nd avenue and around the corner to printer%26#39;s alley.

There is a couple of live blues bars and a live irish music pub in addition to all the country music.

Be sure to see the area behind the state capitol called bicentennial state park and if you like historic homes, right behind there is historic germantown.

There is a free state of tenn. museum downtown open mon-fri.

Also, there is a great one hour tour of the city on a trolley car that leaves from hard rock cafe, but i don%26#39;t know if they operate that time of year..they should.

Tootsies also has a tour service.

Holiday Inn express is a great choice.

Thanks you guys for the suggestions. I wrote everything down. I%26#39;m sure we won%26#39;t run out of anything to do.

I%26#39;m so excited!

Thanks again!

I walked by the tour place at the hard rock and they are open, they just used heated mini busses instead of trolleys.

I would do the 1 hour gray line tour first thing during the daytime as it shows the main areas.

it cost only 12 dollars and is called gray line tours

Vacation ideas anyone Introducing myself with questions

Hello everyone!

I have been chatting on the Oahu, Hawaii forum for about the last year! I finally visited Oahu for a week this month and it was beautiful!

Now I am on to my next vacation and I am looking for ideas!

My husband suggested Gatlinburg because it is beautiful and a fun place. However, we are thinking about starting a family here in the near future so I am wondering if I should visit some place big like the United Kingdom, Ireland, Alaska or something like that now or go low key and visit Gatlinburg this time around and save some money and maybe go some place big later. Silly eh! If my hubby is offering to pay for a big trip you think I would jump all over it eh! However, at the same time I think a nice quiet place in America would be pretty nice too.

What do you all think?

Vacation ideas anyone Introducing myself with questions

Never put of to tommmorrow something you can do today!

Vacation ideas anyone Introducing myself with questions

And to finish Laurel Springs advice...

because sometimes tomorrow never arrives!

My two cents,

Take the trip to Gatlinburg, (romantic settings) plan the “BIG” place trip and enjoy your husbands companionship. Who knows maybe the trip could be a Win, Win, Win.

I would love seeing Alaska and Hawaii, as they are part of the U.S. One day I may get there.

But, I do think sometimes we tend to think far off countries are more exciting and we forget about the wonderful places, the Smokies included, that we have in our own country to see.

I think it is the quality time and the people we spend it with that makes the trip. Doesn%26#39;t have to be expensive or 5000 miles away.

I love Gatlinburg, so am a bit biased, but if it were me I would head to the Smoky Mountains.

I too would head to the Smokies. I%26#39;m sure there are alot of beautiful countries to see but I don%26#39;t think you will find a more beautiful place anywhere than Tennessee. I have never really had any desire to go out of the United States because there is so much here that I have not seen and I would never want to live in another state unless maybe North Carolina.

I live in Indiana...don%26#39;t like it. My son lives in San Diego...nice place to visit. I%26#39;ve been to Alaska and was fortunate enough to see bald eagles and moose in the wild. But I%26#39;ve been to the Smokies at least a dozen times and that is where I want to live and die. It has nothing to do with Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge...although those are nice diversions once in a while;-)

Thanks for all your responses!

I agree with you that I think it is who you are with and what you make of the trip that makes the place worth while and not the fact that is far away, etc. Like I just got back from Hawaii and dreamed of going there because of I have heard about it and all the ';ideas'; of it... but that is just it, you get all these ';ideas'; of how things will be and how paradise should be and all that but truly I could have been in Florida and probably wouldn%26#39;t have known the difference! Don%26#39;t get me wrong it is a beautiful and laid back place but I don%26#39;t think I will be one of those people that has to keep going back there...

I think things are generally built up to be more than they really are... like I have loved the idea of going to Scotland and seeing the castles and such and then my husband puts it in perspective as it is just a bunch of old buildings and pubs. So that took the thrill out of it for me. I have watched Braveheart and read to many scottish romances I guess! :-)

Tissie, if you have a chance to go to Europe, do it now! I was like your husband once upon a time - I only dreamed of going to Hawaii, and my husband dreamed of seeing Europe. My thought was, ';just a bunch of old buildings';.

Well, I haven%26#39;t made it to Hawaii, and really have no desire to go now that we live in Fl. But we try to go to Europe every year or two, and I just can%26#39;t get enough of it. The experiences will broaden your mind, enrich your outlook on the world, give you a different perspective on your own country, and be more exciting than you can imagine. To be able to go when you%26#39;re still young would be awesome! If you put it off, you%26#39;ll probably have to wait until children are grown and gone before you could afford something like that.

Don%26#39;t get me wrong, the Smokies are indeed gorgeous, and in fact, we%26#39;re planning a trip for our whole family there next year. But that%26#39;s the point - you can always go there when you have children, a great place for families. But Europe? Go now.

Start reading some of the TA forums, such as United Kingdom, France, Italy, and see how easily it can be done on your own. England is a great start for newbies to Europe, due to the ease of langage there. We went to London in Sept. and had a blast - so much history, beautiful gardens, castles, pubs, and wonderful people. Think about it, please. Travel the world while your legs are still good!

Thanks flahagan!

Yes my legs are still young although sometimes they don%26#39;t feel it!

I totally understand what you mean about getting away to places like Europe now!

What do you think about a tour of England and Londond together in a week? Or is that too much?

Tissie,

We spent 6 nights in London, took a daytrip by coach to Warwick Castle, Oxford, and Stratford-on-Avon, then went by train to Hampton Court Palace, all in that 6 days. To do a full tour of England plus London you%26#39;d probably need 2 weeks. Check out the London forum - I posted a trip review there, as well as the website to see the trip photos. Just type flahagan in the search, and it should bring up all my posts. You%26#39;ll have fun just perusing the different posts!