A close friend of mine has family who owns 2 cabins in Sevierville, TN - I was lucky enough to get an invite to vacation in one of these cabins with an amazing view of the Smokey Mountains. We had a blast getting to explore Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and other surrounding areas.
Here is a link to the cabin we stayed in: Bella Vista and here is a link to their second cabin: The Lodge at Raccoon Hollow. Todd and Dana are AMAZING hosts that go above and beyond to ensure their guests comfort. We highly recommend staying at either one of these locations!
We stopped at the TN visitor center when we first arrived and they were extremely nice and helpful. There were tons of pamphlets on things to do, hiking trials, places to eat and a plethora of coupons. If you need suggestions on things to see while in TN, this place is a must!
Next, we stopped at the Bush's beans visitor center since we passed it on our way to our cabin. There was a tour upstairs we missed but the shop downstairs was so cute and full of fun items to purchase. There is a restaurant as well and we grabbed a couple pinto bean pies to bring to the cabin with us for breakfast. You wouldn't even know they were made with beans, it tasted just like pecan pie and they even slipped a recipe card in our bag!
Another place we ate at was Dolly Parton's Stampede. This is dinner and a show, an amazing show at that. It has a lot of different animals in it and trick horseback riding. The meal is delicious and HUGE! We really enjoyed this show.
We went to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. It was a nice aquarium with lots to look at but my absolute favorite part was painting with the penguins!
We did moonshine tastings at both the Ole Smoky Distillery and Sugarlands Distilling Company.
These tastings are so much fun! They cost $5 and you get to taste several flavors, most are delicious!
The Old Mill Restaurant is another yummy place to eat while visiting. Gorgeous view of the meal and again...HUGE portions!
We stopped at cinnaholic for some yummy sweet treats to bring back for our family. These were truly decadent!
We also ate at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen. It being a chain, I was surprised but I can honestly say this was the best meal we've had in TN so far. The menu is family style and all you can eat, the only catch is you have to agree on main dishes and sides with the rest of your party. We chose the fried chicken, meat loaf and chicken and dumplings as our entrees and the poppyseed salad, macaroni and cheese, creamed corn and mashed potatoes. Everything was amazing! The chicken and dumplings was the best I've ever had but the waiter told me the fried catfish was the best item on the menu. I definitely recommend eating here! This restaurant is located on The Island in Pigeon Forge and there were tons of shops to browse, we really enjoyed our time here.
We drove the 11 mile scenic route around Cades Cove which is inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This drive was free and beautiful. However we didn't see much wildlife, I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of a bear... There are horses, elk, bear, white tail deer and turkeys in the park. There was a sign for an unguided horseback riding trial that I would mind checking out the next time!
On our way back to the cabin after Cades Cove, we saw a bear on the side of the road!!!! This made my day!
What's a trip to TN without doing the buy 1 pair of cowboy boots get 2 free deal??? We snagged these at the Boot Factory Outlet.
We tried samples of wine at 3 different wineries - the Apple Barn Winery mentioned above and the Gatlinburg Wine Cellar and Bootleggers.
I am not a big wine drinker but the wine at all 3 of these locations is sweet, delicious and not carbonated. Every flavor was great but my favorites at each location was Apple Raspberry, Cotton Candy and Carnaval Candy. Bonus - you can order online!
Walking around Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park are all tons of fun but probably one of my most favorite things to do while in the smoky mountains is enjoy the view of the mountains from our balcony while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Things I'd like to try next time we visit TN:
Bat Cave (on the drive in or out)
Biltmore estate (on the drive in or out)
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