What to do in Gatlinburg, Tennessee?

[firefighter37]

Where are all the Tennessee members at?

A lady friend wants to go to Gatlinburg at the end of Oct or beginning of Nov. What is there to do there as far as shooting, hiking, off-roading, must see/do's?

Gatlinburg is very tourist oriented, so everything that comes with that is there (high prices, crowds.) There is a lot of places in Smoky Mountain National Park to hike and there are some historical buildings that are pretty neat. If you are driving, stop a night or 3 in Nashville. That is the place to go in Tennessee

[joe138]

Not in Gatlinburg, but Sevierville, is Buds Guns with an indoor range. It is near Smoky Mountain Knife Works.

[HCrum87hc]

Buds Guns and Smoky Mountain Knife Works are both good stops. There's a Bass Pro in Sevierville as well. The Smoky Mountain National Park has tons of outdoor recreation available. I'd recommend heading to Cade's Cove and driving the loop. There's a lot of history there. The views are also great, and there's tons of wildlife to be seen. I'll be there in a few weeks myself. We take a camping trip up to Cade's Cove every year. The hike to Avery Creek Falls, which starts about halfway around the Cade's Cove loop, is a nice out and back 5 mile hike. I haven't driven it, but apparently driving along the Roaring Fork at Gatlinburg offers some great views.

[Endur]

Thanks. Are these off-road trails or on-road?

[joe138]

Cades Cove is paved, all the trails in the park on hiking only. There are some gravel roads in the park, but I wouldn't consider them off roading by any means. Roaring Forks is at the edge of Gatlinburg and is also paved.

[Brasilnuts]

Abrams Creek/Falls is the trail at the back of Cade's Cove.

The time that you are planning your trip is going to be very crowded. If you go to Cade's Cove expect bumper to bumper traffic around the loop with long stops because everyone wants to see a deer or a bear and they don't mind blocking traffic to do it. The Cove is a beautiful place and worth the hassle if you've never been there. (Take snacks and drinks)

Go to Clingmans Dome.

[tower59]

If you're into outdoors, you will love Smoky Mountain National Park. The natural beauty is amazing. We saw bears just while driving through the park. Find some off the beaten path trail and have fun. Crowds are considerable during peak times of day and at the "main" attractions, but the smaller trails are much more isolated and equally beautiful. We fly fished when we visited but will not repeat that. Tons of work for things just a little bigger than guppies. Not a crowd pleaser, at least in our group. In other news, I think the Gatlinburg area has the highest pancake house per capita in the world! Have fun!