Here’s how we spent our 3 days 2 nights in Tennessee. I cited all the places we went and all the attractions we saw. Free downloadable pdf list available below.
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A cabin getaway sounds like a good idea. Hot chocolate drinks, acoustic sessions, midnight snacks, late night talks, netflix and lazy sweaters screams out autumn to me. After one full year of observing all the seasons, I said, ‘fall is probably my favorite of them all.’
I thought I was making a statement there. I thought I was special. But it turns out I’m not the only one. It is indeed the crowd’s favorite season with its cool, perfect weather and vibrancy. Who doesn’t love the aesthetics of happy colors, high saturated leaves and red maple trees?
where we stayed
My idea of the closest cabin escape from home would be somewhere in North Carolina or Tennessee. Both have picturesque landscapes, ideal for a 4-hour road trip. It was the peak season and I just started looking weeks before the target date. Most cabins have already been booked and the remaining ones were priced high.
Comparing the two, Tennessee has more affordable rates, which makes it our clear choice. We ended up booking through VRBO and found this property located at Pigeon Forge: BEAR HUG CABIN
Our goal is to chill, rest and enjoy, so all throughout that weekend we didn’t follow a strict itinerary. We wake up when we feel like it, enjoy the morning sun at the back porch, and make sure to get back to the cabin early after a day’s trip around 5pm.
It’s nice to dine together and chat until midnight. We watched thriller movies and played UNO cards. On one of the nights the guys drank Moonshine, sang and played the guitar.
where we went
For both times we experienced Tennessee, we chose to explore the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge-Sevierville strip. Collectively they offer beautiful scenic drives, shopping stores and family-friendly attractions. Since we went with a large group, this is a perfect choice for a one stop entertainment without having to drive too far in-between destinations. Our Day 1 included the actual drive from home to our cabin plus a little bit of Sevierville. Day 2 was spent entirely at Gatlinburg and Day 3 was our schedule going home and exploring Pigeon Forge.
Sevierville is known as the home of the lovely Dolly Parton. It is also famous for the different shopping centers and specialty shops, plus different outdoor attractions and national parks.
Tanger Outlets is a good filler to our itineraries. Either it serves as the first one we go to or the last stop for the day. For this specific occasion, we weren’t able to check in yet because we arrived in our cabin early. So we headed for lunch first and then went straight here. Circling the entire mall is a good walk after everything we ate from the lunch buffet we had. The whole area is clean and has a lot of parking. We immersed in a full shopping experience and enjoyed looking around for deals.
Within the Tanger Outlet Mall is the Smith Creek Moonshine Distillery. Of course the guys went in just to try the free 13 shots of moonshine tasting. They were just able to take 7 shots and called it quits. One of them got dizzy after trying the vodka as a second drink. Haha! They planned to drink more later that night in our cabin, so they bought 4 jars at a discounted price from an ongoing promo.
We stopped by at Walmart to take a little grocery with us and went back to the cabin around 6pm. We used our time leisurely and just enjoyed the night laughing, eating, and drinking altogether.
Other attractions in Sevierville were Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini Golf just beside the outlet mall and the famous Dolly Parton Statue.
Gatlinburg has the most charming downtown I’ve ever set my foot into; it exudes a more relaxed and mountain-town vibe.
The Village is a cute scenic complex with european-inspired architecture with its cobblestone pathways, street lamps and charming facades. Our friends entered The Donut Friar, which I think is the most popular spot here, for a dose of hot coffee and warm donuts. Marvin and I wanted iced coffees that day instead, so we bought ours from Coffee & Company located two doors down from The Donut Friar. People also flock at the Water Fountain Plaza located at the center and we took our time googling our next stop from there, strolling around different unique boutiques, and taking photos.
For the most part we walked around the whole downtown strip. Walking straight by the Main Parkway we passed by numerous attractions such as Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Hollywood Stars Cars Museum, Sugarland Distilling, Ole Smoky Moonshine Holler, Moonshine Mountain Coaster, Gatlinburg Skylift Park, The Marketplace, Raegans Terrace Mall, Dick’s Last Resort, Gatlin’s Fun Center and many more.
We tried Fannie Farkles’ corndogs and Fudge Shoppe of the Smokies’ fudges for the first time walking back.
Anakeesta is probably the first attraction we saw upon entering the Gatlinburg strip. ‘What is that?’ – the question we had in our minds seeing the big ANAKEESTA facade. Their website answers, anakeesta means ‘the place of high ground’ in Cherokee language. Quite literally, the mountaintop adventure park is situated 600 ft. above the city and riding a chondola is the recommended way to go.
I was not brave enough to ride the open-air chair lift that day. Stressing about the only two enclosed gondolas I see (which I prefer to ride on), I kind of pushed my friends to go without me. Preferably, visitors start in the morning and spend 3 hours to half a day at Anakeesta. It’s almost 4pm when my friends entered the park, but they were still able to enjoy it. They said it’s a whole different set of worlds up there and riding the chondolas at night on their way back is prettier and is less scary.
[ Thinking about it now, we should’ve just waited for the enclosed gondola or rode the ridge rambler altogether instead. I guess I was too preoccupied with our cabin situation. I was chatting with the VRBO host about issues at the property at the time. ]
Last year, I remembered we explored Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies as a way to escape the midday heat while waiting for the rest of the group. Aquariums consistently offer a mesmerizing experience and personally I always enjoy it. The rest of our company took advantage of the complimentary trolley rides to swiftly tour the entirety of Gatlinburg.
We also stopped by Elkmont Winery just to look around. But it was in Tennessee Cider Company that we actually tried the free cider tastings and eventually bought bottles of drinks as souvenirs from the trip.
Pigeon Forge offers a more bustling atmosphere with family-friendly attractions such as theme parks and live shows.
Originally, we planned to drive straight home after checking out from our cabin at 10 am. I cooked all the remaining grocery items we brought from the first day early that morning, so we didn’t need to rush anywhere for breakfast.
Until one of our friends subtly expressed her wish to ride go-karts. We were like, ‘sure!’ and started googling. We opted for the closest and earliest park to open, the FunStop Family Action Park.
We bought double car tickets for three rides. Each drive was 5 minutes long on a different race track. It was an absolute blast! The staff assisting us were constantly smiling, cheering us on and incredibly friendly. It seems they enjoyed our first go-kart experience themselves. We had so much fun!
‘Let’s grab coffee, then go home.’
We got our coffees at Black Rifle Coffee Company in Sevierville. Within that 30 minutes of sitting at the cafe, talking and laughing, we subtly started looking for other places we could visit for free. We knew we didn’t want to spend another cent for admission fees. But at the same time we were not ready for home yet.
The Island in Pigeon Forge looks fairly new. It’s an entertainment complex that features an entirely different set of shops, restaurants, and fun attractions. Its showstopper is the 200-foot Great Smoky Mountain Ferris Wheel, which we made sure to hop on. We saw a lot of kids enjoying the rides, while the older folks sat to watch the dancing fountain at the center.
‘How about eating lunch first, before heading home?’
After more than an hour of taking photos and rummaging the shops, we were hungry and started looking for a place to eat. We don’t feel like eating here and prefer to explore restaurants somewhere else. We all want something savory but not too much of a heavy meal. Google gave us lists of best places to eat and based on proximity, good reviews and lighter options on the menu, we decided to go for The Old Mill Restaurant.
The restaurant iswithin The Old Mill Square district – a historical landmark of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Old Mill complements perfectly with the Pigeon Forge river streaming beside it, painting a charming picture. The whole area surrounding them was nicely propped up for the fall season when we were there.
‘What if we stroll around for a bit just to see, before really going home?’
After finishing our late lunch, we entertained ourselves by walking leisurely around the cute little town; entering The Old Forge Plaza and different specialty shops. When we thought we already saw everything around 4:30pm, we were back to searching for nearby attractions, again.
Gauging the consensus in silence, it seems like we still wanted to bond more. Haha!
“Don’t you guys want to go to Dollywood?” blurted by the same friend that started all this spur-of-the-moment itinerary. Besides paying for another admission fee, most of us didn’t really mind.
‘Why not? We’re already here. Let’s just do it!’
Dollywood had discounted rates after 5pm at the time, which is a good thing. I loved the giant pumpkins display and especially the one shaped like a Christmas tree. Enchanting halloween music is played throughout the amusement park, which adds to the spookiness and magical feels inside. We were able to experience only 3 rides since the night is starting to set in and we opted to just explore the entire park to take more photos and admire their fall season displays.
Finally, we started driving home around 8pm and arrived past midnight. We did a lot of walking today.
On a separate occasion we entered the Titanic Museum and had a glimpse of their 400+ titanic artifacts. It is a self-guided tour and we took it all in at our own pace. The museum is pretty and evokes nostalgia from the 1997 movie.
We also brought an all-access pass package for the nearby attractions: Hollywood Wax Museum, Castle of Chaos, Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors, and Outbreak- Dread the Undead. We entered them all and finished in 3 hours!
where we ate
1
We arrived at our cabin around 1pm on our first day in Tennessee. But since the check-in was not until 4pm, we took our lunch first. Our friends heard about Sakura Japanese Buffet from a fellow tourist and that day we decided to give it a try. It’s a double thumbs up for me, for their numerous offerings of asian fusion cuisines at an affordable price.
2
The Sunliner Diner easily catches any eye with its glossy red, silvers and 1950s-themed design featuring retro decors & collector cars. I am amused by the overall aesthetic, especially with the servers dressed in a style reminiscent of the 1950s era. Their menu is designed as a faux newspaper too! Lovely. We took our brunch here during day two and it seems to be a pretty popular place. There are waiting times but we barely notice the waiting. We’ve been taking group photos with the vintage cars. For the both times we’ve been here, I never missed ordering their milkshake (I like it so much!) and their entrees and sandwiches never disappoints. A must try.
3
One google search of ‘where to eat in Pigeon forge’ will show The Old Mill Restaurant as the top result. After repeatedly coming across this restaurant in various articles, we opted to give it a shot. The Old Mill is more packed compared to Sunliner Diner. We waited for 30-35 minutes for lunch, noting that we went during a peak time and season, which adds to the traffic. I loved their corn fritters with maple butter! (I even asked for more to bring home.) Coming from the south, I’ve been dining in southern-style classic restaurants. And I would say that The Old Mill Restaurant is by far, has the best appetizer bread and the most convincing freshly-cooked meals. Don’t get me started with their grits – a clear winner amongst all the grits I tasted. They have great menu options but their sweet tea is a bit bland for me. Overall, we made the right decision for coming here.
4
Remember when I shared above – the time when we still didn’t want to go home and we were subtly looking for our next destination? This is the coffee shop we stopped by during Day 3. We had Black Rifle Coffee in a different state before and what I love about this shop is that it was a Veteran-founded business and the staff were veterans too! Their website states that they have a commitment in hiring veterans, and I find that inspiring. Ordering coffee here is our little act of support. The staff we’re all super nice and helpful plus their coffee is strong and black – which my husband really loves.
5
This one is a bit pricey starting at $59.99. BUT IT’S ALL WORTH IT. There are different dinner shows around town, but we chose the Pirate’s Voyage Dinner And Show at this time. I’ve never been to a dinner show before. I never knew something like this existed. The show has pirate ships, characters battling on the deck and in the waters, animal tricks, birds flying, acrobats, jugglers, aerialists, a lot of music and fire dancing! All of that for two hours while they serve you a four-course meal. The fact that I love animals, musical theaters and eating made me completely overjoyed! I’ll definitely be coming back for other shows. This is a must-try!
final thoughts
Tennessee is always one of our top go-to place for a laidback and scenic getaway. Many things were unplanned for this specific trip, but it only made it more fun and enjoyable. I loved it. I hope you’ll experience all of these too!
Before you go, here's a free itinerary guide!
A compilation of all the places, information and pin addresses in one pdf file.
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Love everything about this blog! 🫶🏻 very detailed! looking forward to more of your travel blogs!! 🥰
thanks girl! love yah!