tips Archives - Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge Events

Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge: Which is Best?

Posted January 29, 2023 by Tony Perez

If you’re planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains, chances are you’ll be choosing between two of the most popular Tennessee towns for your stay: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Both towns are great vacation destinations, and they’re right next to each other, with just a few minutes drive between the two towns. While both towns are close to the mountains, offer breathtaking views, and are full of activities and attractions, each one has its own unique personality that may influence your ultimate decision of where to stay.

Image courtesy of Gatlinburg

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Visual Stories of Gatlinburg & the Smokies

Posted February 28, 2022 by Tony Perez

Welcome to our Web Stories of the Smoky Mountains around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Flip through these picture slides with information on how to save money with our Free Tickets to local attractions, and our highlights of the most Fun Things to Do, as well as our tips on what makes a Gatlinburg cabin great.

Over $700 in Free Tickets to Smoky Mountains Attractions

See what we’re giving away with every cabin rental. You want to go ziplining or visit the best aquarium in the nation? How about river rafting and tubing? A tramway ride up the mountain or a coaster ride down? Slow down with some golf, or speed up with go-kart racing? Free tickets to all these things and more are shown here:

Visual Stories of Gatlinburg & the Smokies

Click to see what’s in the Trip Cash book of coupons…

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What’s The Best Time To Visit Gatlinburg?

Posted August 29, 2021 by Tony Perez

When is the best time to visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to enjoy the Smoky Mountains? Here are the times of year with the seasonal activities and events, changes with weather and temperatures, changes in nature in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding area – and how to avoid the crowds that mark this most popular place.

What's The Best Time To Visit Gatlinburg?

Image courtesy of Gatlinburg SkyLift

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Trails and Walks in the Smoky Mountains

Posted October 25, 2020 by Tony Perez

There are countless ways to get out in the fall colors of the Smoky Mountains without taking a strenuous hike. Quite apart from the Scenic Drives and Overlooks accessible by car, there are many Easy Walks and outdoor adventures where you don’t have to break a sweat, and here are some of the best.

Gatlinburg Trail image courtesy NPS

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The Riverwalk Greenway

Posted September 18, 2020 by Tony Perez

Quietly running through the heart of the action in Pigeon Forge is a great paved trail known as Riverwalk Greenway, a hidden gem of a nature walk traversing the town from Patriot Park up to The Island and beyond. With benches, bathrooms and water fountains strategically placed along the way, the Greenway welcomes walkers and runners, baby strollers and bikes, and pets on a leash to use this free trail, open 24 hours each day, and lighted at night.

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Things to Do in Pigeon Forge

Posted March 28, 2020 by Tony Perez

What are the best things to do in Pigeon Forge? Here are some of the most frequent questions about Pigeon Forge that we get asked by guests renting our vacation cabins.

Image courtesy of Pigeon Forge Chamber

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Smoky Mountain Vacation Photographers

Posted September 16, 2019 by Tony Perez

When you’re making lifetime memories in the Smoky Mountains, it’s easier than you may think to get a professional photographer to help make those photographs truly outstanding for generations to come. One local company that makes this easy is Gatlinburg Photo Studios, a team of photographers who come to where you are, or provide studio settings, to capture the essence of your trip in the Smokies.

Images copyright and used by permission ©

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Two Families Share One Cabin in the Smokies

Posted August 9, 2018 by Tony Perez

Kasey and her family came to stay with us recently, and wrote up her impressions of the trip. We always appreciate these views through other eyes of cabin vacation time. What made this trip so interesting was they shared the cabin with another family. It worked out well, and could probably only have worked using a cabin for accommodations.

Kasey’s family includes four kids, while their friend’s family has two, so it was four adults and six kids sharing a 5-bedroom cabin. The good news is that there was plenty of room for everyone to feel comfortable, with quiet space when needed and communal times such as meals together. And then there was the game room, which kept both the kids and adults occupied and having fun.

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Things to Do in the Smoky Mountains

Posted July 21, 2018 by Tony Perez

There is literally so much to do and see in the area in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park that you simply can’t fit it all in. You’ll need a guide to the best ways to spend your time if you visit the area. This guide to the Smokies gives you a broad outline of the options, so you can drill down through the million-and-one things to find the type of activity that best suits your trip to the Smoky Mountains.

There are four major fields of activity in this part of the Smoky Mountains. You can visit the national park, you can play in the gateway towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, you can venture further out to some of the roads less traveled, or you can relax in your cabin in the mountains and watch it all from a hot tub on the deck.

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Pamper Yourself in the Smoky Mountains

Posted January 26, 2018 by Tony Perez

Stressed? Tired? Overworked?

Studies show many Americans are, and it’s doing absolutely no favors for their health or relationships. In fact, stress has been directly linked to issues such as high blood pressure, a greater likelihood of contracting colds or the flu, and fights in relationships.

Who needs any of that?

If you’re stressed, the best remedy is to take a break and indulge in a bit of pampering. And what better place to pamper yourself than in the Smoky Mountains?