1. People Watch on the Gatlinburg Parkway
With millions of visitors each year, it is hard to find a reason why you and your family shouldn’t go people watching on the Gatlinburg Parkway. Not to mention, downtown Gatlinburg is a great city to park your car and just walk around and explore.There are several benches and resting spots if you want to take a break, or you can duck into The Village and sit by the water fountain on a pleasant sunny day.
2. Take a walk along the Little Pigeon River
We have already told you how walking on the sidewalk along the Gatlinburg Parkway is one of our favorite free things to do in Gatlinburg. However, for guests looking to enjoy a more scenic view as they stroll around the city, we suggest walking along the city’s riverwalk path that take you by the Little Pigeon River
.Not only is this a great way to catch a glimpse of some of the natural beauty of the area, but it also a great way to cool down on a warm day. There are also benches and gazebos along the path if you want to sit down and take in the sights for a moment or two.
3. Visit a Gatlinburg Moonshine Distillery
Moonshining
has been a long standing tradition in the Smoky Mountains, and today guests to the area can witness this tradition by visiting one of the many new exciting Gatlinburg moonshine distilleries. The best part is that tours are free! There is a small charge for moonshine sampling, but you can explore the distillery at no charge! Ole Smoky Moonshine
Hours: 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., daily. Moonshine sales on Sundays from 12-7 p.m.
Phone: (865) 436-6995
Website: https://olesmoky.com/about/distillery
Sugarlands Shine Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.- 11 p.m., Sundays Noon-7 p.m.
Phone: (865) 325-1355
Website: http://www.sugarlandsdistilling.com/
Doc Collier Moonshine Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Phone: 1-800-398-5132
Website: http://doccollier.co/
4. Drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Do you want to explore the area, but you don’t feel like waking? You and your family can enjoy a relaxing drive along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail from the comfort of your own vehicle.The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
is a 6-mile, one-way, loop road. Along the trail, guests will pass several historic home sites including the Noah ‘Bud’ Ogle cabin, the Roaring Fork Cemetery, and the remains of one of the early settler’s villages that was home to nearly two dozen families over 150 years ago.There are stops along the way where guests can pull over and snap a picture or two, or just enjoy the scenery for a little while.
If you do decide you want to walk around for a little bit, there are also several Smoky Mountain hiking trail heads that are located near the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. These trails include:
Baskins Creek Falls
3 miles round trip
Easy difficulty rating
Features waterfalls
Brushy Mountain (Trillium Gap) 6.8 miles round trip
Easy-moderate difficulty rating
Features wildflowers and scenic views
Bullhead Trail 5.9 miles round trip
Easy-moderate difficulty rating
Features interesting geology
Grotto Falls 2.6 miles round trip
Easy difficulty rating
Features waterfalls
Rainbow Falls 5.4 miles round trip
Easy-Moderate difficulty rating
Features waterfalls
Trillium Gap 13.9 miles round trip
Hard difficulty rating
Features panoramic views
For driving directions to the Roaring Fork Motor Trail
, feel free to use THIS MAP!.
