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Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg, it's a little place, about two miles long by five miles wide. On its own, it's just a sleepy little mountain town with good neighbors. Things stayed pretty quiet around Gatlinburg for a long time, but then there came a big park in the 1930's.
Now, boasting 9 million visitors yearly, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has transformed Gatlinburg from a sleepy little town into a perennial “Mountain Getaway.”
If you love to shop, then Gatlinburg is your kind of place. With more than 400 specialty shops, boutiques, and galleries, you can easily find a special collectible or unique one-of-a-kind piece. There are also dozens upon dozens of dining choices from national chains to family-owned with menus featuring pancakes to prime rib, and everything in between.
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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(865) 436-1200
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107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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This Park is the showcase for some of the most inspiring natural and cultural treasures that the Southern Appalachians has to offer. The abundant plant and animal life and historical significance, coupled with its accessibility, makes the national park the most visited in the nation. The Park has more than 1,100 front country campsites, 100 backcountry campsites, 800 miles of trails, 700 miles of streams, 11 picnic areas and numerous scenic overlooks.
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Camp Thunder Fun Center
(865) 430-7223
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542 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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Experience the excitement and thrills at an indoor slick track. Race up to 40 laps at speeds of 25 mph in gas-powered go karts, or hop in a 2-seater, family-sized kart for parents and children to ride along together. Or climb aboard The Rock, a high-tech, virtual-reality motion simulator where you become a part of two featured adventure simulation movies. You can also get in 18 holes of indoor mini golf designed with waterfalls, wildlife and nature sounds.
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Reagan Terrace Attractions
(865) 436-2326
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716 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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Here you can find 2 outdoor mini golf courses; an 18 hole course featuring trick shots, and an 18 hole course designed for the more traditionally skilled mini golfers; and an indoor glow-in-the-dark Black Light Golf course where you putt your way through an "Under Seas" adventure. You can also enjoy a game of laser tag, bumper cars, shooting gallery and more.
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Ober Gatlinburg
(865) 436-5423
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1001 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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A year-round amusement park and ski resort with something for everyone. From downtown Gatlinburg, America's largest Aerial Tramway transports you up to the mountain resort. Ride down an 1800 foot twin track Alpine Slide or relax as a chairlift takes you to awe-inspiring views. Ice skate in a massive indoor climate-controlled arena, race around a high bank go-kart track, or swoosh down one of three "dry" water raft rides. Visit crafts and gift shops and watch master crafts people work, or stroll through the Black Bear Habitat to see live bears.
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Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
(888) 240-1358
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88 River Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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Ripley's Aquarium is a 1.4 million gallon world-class aquarium featuring eleven-foot sharks along with 8,000 other exotic sea creatures. Experience piranhas in Tropical Rain Forest, discover colorful Indo-pacific fish in Coral Reef, cruise through a tunnel on a 340 foot glide-path beneath the Shark Lagoon, pick up a horseshoe crab in Discovery Center, come face-to-face with a giant octopus in Gallery of the Seas, and touch a stingray in Touch-A-Ray Bay.
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Photo credit: Gatlinburg Department of Tourism
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