Sharks and rays and penguins, oh my! Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours in downtown Gatlinburg. Our family particularly enjoys Shark Lagoon, where you will be carried along by a conveyor so you can take in all the ocean life around you. The big sharks are […]

Want to see the majestic views of the Great Smoky Mountains from the highest elevation in the national park, and indeed the highest elevation in the state of Tennessee? Head to Clingmans Dome! Clingmans Dome has an observation tower, which offers gorgeous 360 degree mountain views. The tower requires a 1/2 mile hike on a […]

On our first trip to the Smokies, we had big intentions to go to Cades Cove one day – but we never made it. The kids noticed families jumping off a rock and swimming in this beautiful setting. They wanted to stop. We ended up spending hours there and never made it to Cades Cove […]

One of our favorite things to do to cool off in the summer is to go tubing at Smoky Mountain River Rat in Townsend. For one price (see website for details), you can float down the river as many times as you’d like. The river is mostly calm with a few spots of small rapids […]

High up above Gatlinburg is an attraction called Anakeesta. The first part of your adventure is getting up to Anakeesta. You will either take a chondola (basically a ski lift chair), a gondola (enclosed space) or you can stay on the ground and get up the mountain on their Ridge Rambler vehicle. Once you’re up […]

For years, we had heard good things about Parrot Mountain, but just couldn’t envision what it was. It ended up being the highlight of our Spring Break trip that year. Parrot Mountain sits high up on the mountain, over in the Dollywood area. There are birds of all kinds there. Some are out in the […]

There isn’t a trip we take to Pigeon Forge in which we don’t end up visiting The Island in Pigeon Forge. The Island offers something for everyone including: The Island Show Fountain – every half an hour there is a free water and light show (2 songs). There are rocking chairs surrounding the fountain for […]

If you want an adventure to remember, head to Climb Works for the ultimate zip lining experience. Soar high above the trees and enjoy spectacular mountain views. We rank ziplining at Climb Works in our top five experiences (not just in the Smokies, anywhere) – and that’s coming from people who live for travel and […]

One of our favorite things to do when the weather is warm is to rent a pontoon boat (or a few) and spend the day out on Douglas Lake. Douglas Lake is a large lake with about 550 miles of shoreline, surrounded by gorgeous mountains.  Our family spends a day on Douglas Lake every August, […]