The Five Things You Absolutely Must Do in Gatlinburg

From old history to new traditions, these are the can’t miss things in Gatlinburg

If you visit Gatlinburg frequently, you can afford to experiment, although we often don’t. It’s easy to fall into a rut of doing and redoing your favorite experiences, eating at the same favorite places, shopping at the same stores choosing from the handful of attractions that you know you’ll enjoy.

There are temptations with the new but also risks. Even for us locals, there’s only so much in the budget for fun in the mountains and when you make a mistake, it can sting.

But what if you come more rarely? Then your hit rate becomes really important. A disappointing dinner, a less-than-optimal attraction can really pull some of the fun out of the whole vacation and leave you leaving – that’s a well-turned phrase – with a sense of frustration or even disappointment.

So, what if you were coming to Gatlinburg for the first time or the first time in a while. What are the top 5 things you have to do to ensure your Gatlinburg vacation is a success?

Top five must dos in Gatlinburg

1. Dine at one of the Big 3

There are plenty of fantastic places to eat in Gatlinburg and not all of them are upscale. For my money, a sandwich from a place like Tennessee Jed’s or barbecue from Delauder’s stands up there with any dining experience in the mountains. However, if your budget allows, try at least one dinner in what I consider to be Gatlinburg’s Big 3 of culinary experiences. They are The Peddler, The Greenbrier and Chesapeake’s. Of course, there are other really good restaurants in town, including Calhoun’s and the Cherokee Grill. But to me, the Big 3 stand just a notch above.

The Peddler is a Gatlinburg tradition dating back nearly 50 years. It was built in the somewhat remodeled riverside home of one of the Ogles – direct descendants of the original Gatlinburg settlers. The Peddler is a fantastic dining experience that features hand cut, custom steaks, a world class salad bar and much more.

The Greenbrier is the Peddler’s equal in almost every aspect and arguably better in some areas. It’s a little fancier, a little less traditional in some ways but oddly a little more traditional in others. Ask me which is my favorite, and I might have to flip a coin.

The third member of the Gatlinburg Big 3 offers a change as it is styled after a Maryland-style seafood house. With classic seafood fare just excellently done, Chesapeake’s is able to stand alone. Should you come to the mountains and eat seafood? It’s a philosophical question only you can answer. But when picking Gatlinburg’s best “fancy” restaurant, it’s got to be one of the big three.

2. Pick one of the mountaintop “theme” park destinations

In addition to the Big 3 restaurants, Gatlinburg has another Big 3 in Mountaintop “theme” parks, each offering decidedly different experiences. When choosing from among Anakeesta, SkyPark and Ober Mountain, you have to decide what kind of vacation you want to have.

Ober Mountain offers the best bang for the buck for a family. The $54 wristband gives access to a variety of (but not all) attractions over two days. This includes a mountain coaster, ice skating, the mountain bobsled and the tram cable car that takes you from the strip all the way to the mountain. The food options atop Ober Mountain – formerly Ober Gatlinburg – are also improving.

Also improving its food offerings is SkyPark, which has roots that go back decades when it was essentially just a ski lift up and mountain and back down. Now the “SkyLift” gives you access to the SkyBridge – a record setting pedestrian bridge that includes a glass-bottom section. There is also the new Clayton’s Landing, which features a new burger joint and soon, a new bar. The SkyPark is good for families with older kids who will appreciate the thrill of the bridge but can also enjoy a less experience driven experience.

Finally, Anakeesta is the most upscale of the three. In addition to the cost to get up the mountain – the chondola ride is one of the best experiences in the mountains – there is a lot more you can spend your money on once you get up there. Mountain coasters are an additional expense as is the zipline. Astra Lumina, their nighttime show, is billed as a walk amongst the stars. But it is also at an additional cost. The dining and drinking options atop Anakeesta are the best of the bunch and the views may be as well. But Anakeesta is the one of the three most likely to lighten your wallet.

3. Breakfast like a king

Breakfast in the Smokies is a tradition like no other. The tradition even precedes the Pancake Pantry – which started in 1960 as the first pancake house in the state. There are several great breakfast options amongst Gatlinburg’s eateries. But the top two are probably the aforementioned Pantry and Crockett’s Breakfast Camp. Both are excellent but Crockett’s specializes in heartier fare, more likely to send you back to the hotel to rest and digest before starting your day.

Want to keep the big 3 idea going? Don’t sleep on the Donut Friar – another Gatlinburg institution. Open at 5 a.m. daily, the Friar offers classic fresh donuts and coffee perfectly for the early risers who need a jolt of sugar and caffeine before they start their day.

4. Catch some history

The history of Gatlinburg goes all the way back to the early 1800s when it was White Oak Flats. The community became Gatlinburg in 1802 when William Ogle – a South Carolinian on an apparently extended hunting trip – found a place he thought would make a perfect homestead for his family. He began building a cabin – cutting and hewing logs – before returning to the lowlands to bring his family back with him.

Ogle decided to stay in South Carolina and bring in another season’s crop. However he fell ill and died. His widow Martha enlisted the help of her brother and moved to the mountains to complete her husband’s vision. The Ogles were fruitful and multiplied and their names were all over the town that would become White Oak Flats and later Gatlinburg.

Amazingly, you can still visit that cabin which Martha and her brother finished. It’s been moved a few times. It now sits right in front of big parking garage and beside the Parkway Courtesy Center and Restroom Facility right at the entrance to the strip.

But you can also pay your respects to the original settler herself. Martha Jane and a wide variety of Ogles, Maples and the other founding families of Gatlinburg are buried in the White Oak Flats Cemetery right behind Fannie Farkles Arcade. It’s not an aesthetically pleasing cemetery but it is an especially historic one.

I’m not saying you should get one of Fannie Farkle’s famous giant corn dogs – called the Ogle Dog – and go wander amongst the graves in White Oak Flats Cemetery. But I’m not saying you shouldn’t, either. As something of a graveyard aficionado, I find the White Oak Flats’ connection to history quite interesting.

5. Buy something ridiculous

Gatlinburg’s foundations are built upon a lot of things including pancakes and moonshine and Ripley’s various tourist attractions. But it is also built firmly on a foundation of crappola. Just generations of collectible spoons or shot glasses and air-brushed T-shirts.

Gatlinburg shopkeepers have survived generations selling random Gatlinburg branded items that no one ever actually really needed – or even wanted outside of the five minutes it took to buy them. Have you ever had buyer’s remorse BEFORE you made it out of the store? That is the backbone of the Gatlinburg retail community.

What unique and relatively worthless items should you bring home? Entirely up to you. I’m a fan of airbrushed T-shirts which just scream kitschy Gatlinburg but each of us is different. Maybe you’d like Gatlinburg branded Ninja throwing stars or a beer stein with a mountain scene and a cartoon bear? When it comes to tchotchkes, Gatlinburg is the mountaintop.

Do you agree with our Gatlinburg list? Let us know what you think in the comments!