A local gives his honest opinion on whether or not Gatlinburg is still “worth it” As someone who has been living and working around Gatlinburg for three decades, I understand that the Gatlinburg that most people see isn’t real life. Downtown Gatlinburg – most of what people think of as Gatlinburg – is Potemkin Village, a construction put on for
Couple gets huge surprise when they wake up to find a black bear in their Jeep on their honeymoon Millions of people visit the Great Smoky Mountains each year hoping to see black bears in the wild. But these two honeymooners from the Atlanta area got a unique encounter they could bear-ly believe was possible. After they married back in
Local ranks most romantic restaurants in the tourist town Gatlinburg, Tennessee Gatlinburg is a popular wedding, honeymoon and romantic getaway destination. As such, it is appropriate that this village in the mountains offers a certain amount of romantic dinner destinations. After all, not every bride wants to dine at Dick’s Last Resort on her wedding night. But each person has
A new luxury hotel and restaurant are coming to downtown Gatlinburg in March 2024 Hospitality Solutions and Hilton announced recently that they will start welcoming guests to the Embassy Suites by Hilton Gatlinburg Resort, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on March 15, 2024. Embassy Suites by Hilton is opening on March 15, 2024 in Gatlinburg. It will sit at the base of
These are the best things to do in Gatlinburg when it rains according to a resident When people visit Gatlinburg, many will want to know what to do when it rains. Sure, most of us would love for the weather to be sunny, warm, and free from the elements that make us uncomfortable outdoors. But Mother Nature often has her
Local compares two mountain towns in attractions, accessibility and more The towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are only separated by a few miles, but getting back and forth between the two can be a real pain. So, if you’re planning a getaway vacation to Sevier County, you may want to decide which place you’ll be spending most of your
These old attractions would be considered problematic today As someone who grew up in East Tennessee, I’ve seen a lot of attractions come and go around the Smoky Mountains. Some attractions simply ran their course and fell from grace with the changing times. Or they simply sold their land for profit. But there were also several short-lived, lesser-known attractions that
Get the inside scoop on things to do when it snows in Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains There’s nothing quite like a Smoky Mountain snowfall. We’ve discovered a newfound love of snow we never knew until we became residents in East Tennessee. You see, I never cared for snow much in Ohio. Whenever the weather turned cold and snow was forecast, we
Local offers advice for heavy rainfall in the Smokies It’s not uncommon to see heavy amounts of rainfall and flooding in the Sevier County area. And of course, since the Great Smoky Mountains area is a major travel hub, knowing how floods may affect your vacation can be handy. With that in mind, as a local, here’s what I think
Gatlinburg resident shares his story of how roads turned into rivers during the January 2024 flash flood event I expected January 9, 2024, to be just another uneventful day in Gatlinburg. Sure, it had been raining since late the night prior. But the rising waters would soon provide much more drama than we could’ve ever anticipated. Our day began with my