If you want a leisurely or active vacation in the Smoky Mountains , the Gatlinburg area has it all. Here is a list of our favorite places and activities.

For those who prefer a more leisurely pace the area abounds in art, music and fantastic scenery. Here's a sampling of the many wonders of the Gatlinburg area.

Arts and Crafts

The Great Smokey Mountains Arts and Crafts Community is an 8 mile loop through beautiful countryside. It features the largest group of independent artists in the country. This is an exceptional auto or trolley trip to see the artists at work in their studios. They are truly some of the finest artisans in the United States . A must see for anyone interested in art and craft works.

Arrowcraft Shop is located in downtown Gatlinburg and is the oldest craft store in the city. It displays works created by the Southern Highland Craft Guild members. These are wonderful crafters from nine states who specialize in traditional regional crafts. A wide range of crafts are for sale. This shop is a wonderful way to pass the day and thoroughly enjoy yourself.

There are many more crafter's in the area. To list a few:

Byrnes Woodcrafters, Candle Carvers, Chandler Mill , Hand Leather Mountain Wood Crafter's, Candle Cottage, and Treasures In Earthen Vessels Days could be spent enjoying the area's artistic works.

Galleries

Gatlinburg teems with art galleries. This is just a sampling:

Alice Moore Gallery has gifts and calligraphy signs.

Apple Tree Gallery offers local artists’ originals and reproductions of Smoky Mountain landmarks.

Art for God is work by Stephen Sawyer and that consists of marvelous religious paintings. He is located in Hemlock Village .

Art of Glynda Turley & More uses vibrant colors to express her favorite themes; her grandchildren, antiques and gardens.

Brush & Pen Gallery/Bobi Art Studies is owned by Bobbie and Robert Moose. Robert does pen/ink drawings of historical buildings, trains, etc. while Bobbie works in acrylics. They are located in Morning Mist Village .

Church Mouse Gallery has regional crafts, paintings and sculpture by Jim Gray.

Cliff Dwellers Gallery is a regional artist cooperative with a variety of works.

Jim Gray Gallery has fantastic paintings of local scenes and nature. He also is a sculptor.

Mountain Visions Gallery has photographs by Steve Shoemaker and gift designs by Teri Shoemaker.

Papworth Photographic, Inc. features local photographic work and he sells photography supplies.

Paul Murray Gallery has portraits of the Appalachian area.

Thomas Kinkade Cottage By The Creek has works by Thomas Kinkade.

Vern Hippensteal Gallery offers a variety of crafts, watercolors, prints, weaving, etc.

There are many more galleries in the area but these are a few of our favorites.

Train Ride

Another leisurely activity is the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. You can enjoy the spectacular scenery as the train travels through valleys, tunnels and across river gorges. Every season has its own beauty in the Smokies so any time you vacation there will be unbelievable scenery from the train. Great Smoky Mountain Railroad travels along 53 miles of track with 2 tunnels and 25 bridges. Trains depart from Bryson City or Dillsboro , N.C. year round. Ask us for more information about the train.

Auto Trips

Clingmans Dome is a popular high road coming off the Newfound Gap road. It’s a seven mile drive to the parking lot at the top. From there it’s a short walk to an observation tower. A magnificent panoramic view of the Smokies is your reward for the walk. Weather permitting this is one of the best views of the Smokies anywhere. For the more adventuresome the Appalachian Trail runs along the ridge. On either side of the Dome the AT offers moderate hiking. Some of the largest blackberries we've ever seen lined the trail here.

Cades Cove/Laurel Creek Road is another favorite drive. Laurel Creek Road is a seven mile drive that leads to Cades Cove. The road itself is a pleasant drive but Cades Cove is a treasure. It was a settlement that began in the early 1800’s. Today there are several homes and churches remaining. A working water powered mill is still operational and visitors can buy fresh-ground meal from mid-April thorough October. There is an eleven mile loop road through the cove with a tour booklet available at the orientation shelter.

Foothills Parkway is located off I-40. The east end is over Green Mountain and offers wonderful mountain views. English Mountain is the first viewing and then comes up Heart of the Park view. You'll want to spend some time absorbing the beauty of the mountains at each of these viewing areas.

Rich Mountain Road is a lesser known road but definitely worth the time. It begins off the Cades Cove loop across from the Missionary Baptist Church. The road travels seven miles to the parks boundary and then descends to Townsend. Even though the sign at the beginning describes it as primitive it's a one-way road to the park boundary that is graded with a gravel surface. Cars are fine but the road isn't recommended for motor-homes, buses or trailers. The views of the Cove and countryside are splendid and the quietness gives it a special feel.

Cherokee Orchard/Roaring Fork is only four miles form Gatlinburg. Cherokee Orchard has a pioneer farm and a trail off leads to Rainbow Falls, one of the highest falls in the park. Roaring Fork is a paved, one-way loop road only 5 ½ miles long. A self-guiding tour book is available at the start. It's a lovely drive through woods, across streams and gorges. Grotto Falls , where you can walk behind the falls, is a short hike off Roaring Fork Loop.

Shopping

An outlet shopper's delight! Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville have numerous outlet malls. You could spend days shopping. Here are a few of our favorites: Five Oaks Tanger Outlets in Sevierville is an upscale outlet mall.

Pigeon Forge has four outlet malls– Tanger Outlets, Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Factory Merchants Mall and Pigeon Forge Factory Outlet.

For something different visit the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. It's a working mill that offers a variety of grains for sale. Be sure to eat in their southern style restaurant that features grits, cornbread, and other southern foods using grains from the mill. Surrounding the mill is Old Mill Village with shops ranging from pottery and sculpture made in the village to candy shops. The Old Mill is a delightful place to visit and enjoy lunch by the river.

Mullikin Antique Clock Restorations is a shop that specializes in restoring American antique clocks.

Wineries

Mt. Valley Winery features the state's only woman winemaster. Taste over twenty award wining wines.

Wedding Chapels

Chapel at the Park is the only 5 star wedding chapel in Gatlinburg. They offer a full range of services.

Active Recreation

For the more actively inclined the Gatlinburg area offers a variety of sports. Here are some of the more popular ones. Eight Gables will gladly help you with reservations at local places.

 Golf

Two golf courses are recommended by your innkeepers.

Gatlinburg Golf Course has great views of the mountains with interesting holes such as “Sky High which drops 200 feet from the tee to the green.

Bent Creek Golf Village was designed by Gary Player. It's a par 72 course that runs along the valley floor for the front nine while the back nine offers some mountain challenges.

Horseback Riding

Two stables are recommended. Cades Cove has horse rentals, hayrides and carriage rides. McCarter's Riding Stables, Inc also has horse rentals. Eight Gables will be happy to help you with arranging rentals.

Biking

Cades Cove is an eleven mile loop road through an old cove area. The loop road is closed two mornings a week for bicycles only. It's an early morning trip but you have a great chance of viewing a variety of animals and birds during these quiet hours.

The Foothills Parkway offers biking on the unfinished portions. There are great mountain views along the parkway.

Townsend is a little city near Gatlinburg. They have a bike trail that runs for miles. There are craft stores and restaurants along the path so you can browse, eat and ride.

Hiking

You could spend weeks hiking in the area around Gatlinburg. Trails range from easy to strenuous so there is one for every level hiker. Some of our favorites are:

Porters Creek Trail is an easy 3.7 miles one way trail. There is a wide, gravel path to the turnaround. After that the trail crosses Porters Creek at 1.5 miles and continues to a waterfall at about 2 miles. Beyond this the path is not as good.

Abrams Falls Trail is an easy 2.5 miles one way to the falls. There are lots of wildflowers and the trail is heavily wooded.

Chimney Tops Trail is rated moderate and is 2.0 miles one way. The first part is easy with several footbridges over streams. The second part of the trail is a steep climb with difficult footing at times and the last section has numerous tree roots and loose rocks. However, the view from the top is spectacular.

Several difficult trails start in the Cades Cove area. Gregory Bald is an eleven mile trail. A bald is actually an opening in the forest and not a bald rock. Spence Field is eleven miles and leaves from the picnic area.

We can sugggest hikes around the area that are on your level.

Rafting and Tubing

Rafting in the Smoky Mountains is the best in the region. The Big Pigeon River offers 12 class lll and 3 class IV rapids. Along with spectacular scenery this is adventure you'll treasure. For a preview see, Rafting InThe Smokies.

For a fun tubing experience see, River Rat Tubing and Kayak.

Attractions

The Gatlinburg area has many attractions to keep you busy. I'll list a few to give you an idea.

Ober Gatlinburg is a ski resort and amusement park. It has an Alpine Slide that is 1800 feet long and America's largest aerial tramway. The views from the tramway are splendid.

Gatlinburg Sky Lift carries you 500 feet to the top of Crockett Mountain . There you can enjoy panoramic views of the mountains and Gatlinburg.

Christus Gardens is located in downtown Gatlinburg. The gardens feature life like representations of biblical scenes.

Dollywood is a theme park that has rides, entertainment, craftsmen and good food.

Ripley’s Aquarium is open year round. It features multiple tanks of a variety of sea life.

Theaters

You could spend several weeks in Gatlinburg and not see all of the shows. There are exceptional country music and other types of shows.

Louise Mandrell Theater is a dynamite show. She plays everything from the fiddle to drums and dances and sings. Her cast is varied and talented.

Governor’s Palace is a two hour show full of magic, comedy and exotic animals.

Dixie Stampede features 32 horses and dozens of cast members in an arena that has seating for a thousand people. Dinner is served with no utensils, hands only allowed for eating!

Black Bear Jamboree is a dinner musical revue that features Country, Broadway, 50's and 60's, Bluegrass and Gospel music.

Comedy Barn Theater has country music and comedy.

Country Tonite Theater is a two hour show in a 1500 seat theater. The entertainment is singing, dancing, comedy, gospel and patriotic during this fun filled evening.

Sweet Fanny Adams Theater features musical comedies and lots of humor.

You may have to spend more time at Eight Gables to enjoy all of the activities in the area. Then again maybe you'll just want to relax on the porch and read a book or snooze in the hammock. Either way what a treat it is to visit Eight Gables Inn.