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Aside from traveling for my website, I also travel with my family for our annual family vacation. Although I love basking in the sun during the warm summer months, I also travel in the fall and winter. For our family we have to travel when the kids are out of school (teen is Mz. Perfect Attendance) which can be trying at times. But before my son was even born we have been traveling to The Great Somky Mountains area of Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg.
The location is breathtaking! Not only can you enjoy nature and appreciate outdoor sports like hiking, gem mining, zip-lining, rafting and more, you can also experience one of our most beloved national parks: The Great Smoky Mountains. When my teen was 3 years old we took our first family vacation to the area and felt an instant connection that keeps us coming year after year.
I know the picture quality isn’t great, but some of our pictures prior to Hurricane Katrina are not salvageable. The images below are all post-Katrina visits & have a special place in our hearts. There is something about the area that keeps us returning. I’m not sure if it is the scenery, the attractions or the people but we have a kinship to The Great Smoky Mountains and consider it our home away from home.
This November we will be taking our 10th trip as a family (if you include before my son was born) and my 11th visit. Our itinerary is complete and we are still looking to add restaurants into our Thanksgiving Vacation Schedule. We have our favorites but we look forward to seeing what else is available and any new hidden gems we may not already know about. I can’t believe we have been going as a family for the past 10 years!! I love the joy it brings to my children knowing that they spend EVERY Thanksgiving in The Great Smoky Mountains. It’s our own family tradition.
Please forgive any grammar errors, this is an actual note taken from my iPhone & genuine.
Over the next few weeks I will be showcasing some of our previous family moments, favorite attractions and new attractions we look forward. I will also be featuring tips (do’s & don’t) on booking your own holiday vacation to the Pigeon Forge & Gatlnburg area. I can’t leave out Chattanooga Tennessee in my East Tennessee posts. We normally stay in Chattanooga for 2 days prior to our Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg trip. There is so much to do in Chattanooga that we can stay an entire week in the area as well!
Are you familiar with the area? What is your favorite attraction in East Tennessee?
I have always wanted to visit Pigeon Forge. It looks like it’s so much fun with lots to do. I hope you guys have lots f fun.
Sounds like you have quite the schedule for your trip. It’s great to have everything planned in advance!
i have never visited Tennessee before but it looks beautiful there! maybe one day we can visit
We’ve never been to Tennessee, but my daughter’s Godmother lives there now so we’ll be visiting soon! Thanks for the list of great places to check out.
I have never been to Tennessee but hope to visit soon. You have such a lovely family and I’m sure you all will have lots of fun! Love how you have everything all planned out :0)
My parents live in East TN! As a family, we’ve visited Ruby Falls and the Aquarium in Chattanooga. Loved both of them! I’ve heard great things about the Titanic Museum. Looking forward to reading your adventure there! Thanks!
Your family vacation looks like it was a blast! I can’t wait until my next one! Thanks for sharing now I know some things to do in TN!
I love the pre and post pics! Its so much fun to watch a family grow!
It must be amazing if you keep going back! Your itinerary sounds like fun… I’d love to come on vacation with you too!
We used to go to Pigeon Forge when we were little, had a blast. I would love to bring my kids back there one day.
Looks like a lot of fun! I’ve always wanted to visit TN with the family.. I think the kids would have a blast with the list you had!
I love Pigeon Forge! Tennessee is one of my favorite places in the fall!!
We have not had a family vacation in years. I’d love to visit West Virginia
Wow… it looks beautiful! Sounds like y’all had a great time!
Gorgeous pictures
seemed like a great vacation
I just went to the Gatlinburg area for the first time this Summer with the family. My husband had been as a kid and then again on motorcycle trips to the Dragon. We stayed in Robbinsville, NC which is about 2 hours from everything and loved it. I am looking for more tips to do in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge that are more unique to the area – not attractions I can find at any vacation destination!
We did stop in Chattanooga on the way up and visited Ruby Falls since it was raining that day – breathtaking. WE drove to the top of lookout mountain, but it was like the penguins in Antarctica – all whited out – sucked. Looking forward to more tips from you!