Gatlinburg Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Great Smoky Mountains National Park’ Category

While the Great Smoky Mountains remain a popular autumn destination to view the vivid and extraordinary fall colors, the area offers a different kind of vivid color display in springtime, as well.

The mountainsides come alive with spring wildflowers, painting an equally picturesque scene as the red, yellow and orange hues offer in the fall. In fact, the spring and summer months are the perfect time to come and enjoy the spectacular overlooks, hiking trails, and the pure beauty of nature in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Although summers can be hot and hazy in the park, large areas lie at higher elevations, providing cooler temperatures. The road up to Clingman’s Dome, which sits at an elevation of 6600 feet, offers a number of amazing overlooks and a wide variety of hiking trails which can be accessed from either the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in North Carolina or the Sugarlands Visitors Center, in Tennessee,

For additional details about Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nearby Gatlinburg, TN and other area attractions, visit www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com.

If you’re looking for a delicious way to spend a day in Gatlinburg, TN, why not wing it over to the 9^th Annual Gatlinburg Ribfest & Wings celebration on April 22.

This fun-filled day in the Great Smoky Mountains features live entertainment,children’s activities, eating contests and, of course, a chance to taste a sampling of all the ribs and wings until the parkway turns into a street fair. The party runs from 5-9 pm with food sampling from 6-9 pm or until the wings run out.

This year’s entertainment features the classic tunes of the Beat Daddys and their soulful rock ‘n roll blues. The main stage will also feature the musical group Soulfinger, spearheading a neo-classic soul movement with original sounds.

A panel will judge and award prizes for the best ribs or wings in seven categories. And all vendors will vie for the “People’s Choice Award” chosen by popular vote.

Hot wing eating contests sponsored by All Sauced Up will feature wings prepared in sauces such as “Blazing Bomb,” “Treacherous Tongue,” “Fire Pit Hell,” “Scorching Screaming” and “Next Day Disaster.” Prizes will be awarded to the “Hot Wing Eating Contest Champion of the Year.”

An armband for Ribfest & Wings may be purchased for $12 ($5 for kids).

For more information about activities, lodging and discount vacation packages in Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com. For discount hotel and resort packages, including Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Wild Bear Falls indoor water park, visit www.WestgateReservations.com.

Gatlinburg, TN offers fun for everyone, any time of year. Now’s the time to head for Gatlinburg for some serious winter fun, starting with Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort, located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.

With 8 trails serviced by two quad and one double chairlift, Ober Gatlinburg keeps you on the well groomed slopes. Or, those looking for fast thrills while sitting down, check out the snow tubing area.

Take the 120 passenger Aerial Tramway to the top of Ober Gatlinburg and you’ll also discover a fun-filled mall and amusement park complete with an alpine slide, indoor ice skating, restaurants, shopping and more.

You can experience a discount Gatlinburg vacation package any time of year. But winter offers a unique opportunity to get out and enjoy the snow like never before!

Check out www.WestgateReservations.com for special discount rates at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, TN. The resort even offers an amazing indoor water park - Wild Bear Falls - for year-round swimming fun.

Gatlinburg discount vacation packages can also be found at www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com.

As we approach the holidays and snow begins to settle in the Great Smoky Mountains, there’s still one place to go and splash away some of that holiday stress.  Just take a little trip to Wild Bear Falls Indoor Water Park at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, TN.

Any time of year is a good time to enjoy the exciting Wild Bear Falls Indoor Water Park. The largest indoor water park in the south, Wild Bear Falls offers more than 300,000 gallons and 60,000 square feet of wet excitement under a retractable roof that provides plenty of sunshine during warm summer days and a cozy respite cold during winter months!

Situated adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the resort’s fun-filled water park pays homage to famous local landmarks with attractions like Cades Cove Lazy River, Clingman’s Dome 360-foot body slide, Laurel Falls 300-foot tube slide and Little Pigeon River – a zero entry pool and toddler play area.

For more information about Wild Bear Falls and discount Gatlinburg vacation packages, simply visit http://www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com.

Despite a recent early snowfall at the top of the higher peaks in the Great Smoky Mountains, the fall color season still has several fabulous weeks ahead in the Gatlinburg, TN area.

The snowy weather put an end to much of the color at the highest elevations above 4,500 feet, but a vibrant kaleidoscope will continue to develop in the coming weeks at the lower to mid elevations.

Currently, portions of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s mountainsides are exploding with color while other areas still remain primarily green.

Now is a great time to experience the beauty of the Smokies and the quaint mountain village of Gatlinburg, one of the main entrance points for the National Park. For information on discount Gatlinburg vacations, visit www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com.

While the Park offers a variety of opportunities for hiking and recreation, you’ll also find plenty to do in and around Gatlinburg. The town is filled with exceptional shopping, dining and fun-filled attractions designed for the entire family, including Wild Bear Falls Indoor Water Park at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort.

Gatlinburg is a very popular tourist spot for families. As the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg offers a great starting point for vacation fun. Yet the fun extends to other nearby areas such as Pigeon Forge. A short 10 minute drive away, Pigeon Forge is home to about 40 family friendly attractions, including go carts, laser games, indoor sky diving, miniature golf, and more. Pigeon Forge also features a variety of theatrical music and dinner shows. If you are looking for a great deal on Pigeon Forge vacation packages to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, visit www.gatlinburgvacationstore.com

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is by far the biggest attraction of a Gatlinburg vacation. The park covers about 800 square miles and offers many attractions and activities to tourists. Sight seeing is the most common activity as the park is lush green with hundreds of species of wildlife and plants. There are rivers and waterfalls, too. Hiking is also very popular and Highway 441 bisects the park and gives access to many trails via car. You can also go backpacking and camping in the national park. Apart from these activities, you can also go skiing and fly fishing. There are many other attractions in downtown Gatlinburg which will make this a fun trip for the entire family. For details, visit www.GatlinburgVacationStore.com

Gatlinburg is a great family vacation spot that offers beautiful mountains and many scenic sites. It is located in Tennessee on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you are a nature lover and appreciate the mountains, Gatlinburg is the place for you. You can visit the city all year round, however, fall is one of the best times to go – and one of the busiest – as folks flock to see the spectacular fall colors throughout the area. Gatlinburg hotels are very affordable and you can also find good hotel deals in nearby Pigeon Forge, another popular mountain village. You can find many other activities like museums and water parks very close by, as well. For more information, visit www.gatlinburgvacationstore.com