Yesterday we returned from a week in the Smokies (you can see the cute little cabin we stayed at in this post), and we’re taking off for Alabama on Thursday. In between, we have a bunch of dorm shopping to do, so today in the interest of time I wanted to share how we spent last week.
We went on several hikes while in the Smokey Mountain National Park, and so I thought I’d share those along with a few of the other activities we did. There’s obviously a bunch of stuff to do while in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Sevierville area of Tennessee, and so much has already been written about the area, but I always appreciate recommendations and reviews to help me plan ahead of time.
Food
Most of the restaurants in this area are pancake houses and HUGE Southern family-style eateries, but we had an amazing dining experience at The Appalachian in Sevierville. Their menu changes weekly since it’s a farm-to-table concept restaurant, and everything we had was delicious, including my handmade gin cocktail with lavender. A bonus is that they also take reservations, which is a rarity in the area.
Hiking
Our hikes included Alum Cave to Mount LeConte (12 miles), Grotto Falls (3 miles), and Big Creek/Mouse Creek Falls (there are several trails here and we did 4 miles one day and then a quick 2 as we were heading out of town). I skipped the 12 mile hike and let the girls do that solo; the views from the top were beautiful:
My favorite was the four mile Big Creek/Mouse Creek Falls hike because of the swimming hole along the way (complete with rocks to climb and jump off). The water was absolutely freezing but that didn’t stop the girls from jumping several times.
We also took sandwiches with us and had a picnic by the river before we headed home.
Other Activities
Another day, we went white water rafting (the company we used was Smokey Mountain Outdoors Rafting as you can see by the giant watermark on the photo). I had kayaked before but never rafted, and it was so fun–I definitely recommend it if you have the chance.
We also did some of the obligatory activities for the area: mini golf and a half day at Dollywood, where we rode all the roller coasters. It was such a fun week; I hope our recommendations are helpful if you head there in the future.
Thanks for stopping by!
What a wonderful trip to have together before
college starts.
Annabelle you are so beautiful and have great time
in college.
Thank you so much, Mara!