Are you looking for an adventure-packed vacation destination? What about a place where bass fishing and exploring a national park are part of the trip? Even better, what if great dining, shopping and lodging fit into plan?
East Tennessee is the place, and the Great Smoky Mountains are the destination. Located in the foothills are Douglas Lake and Cherokee Lake, both popular stops for Bassmaster tournaments. Within a short drive of the lakes and at the front doorstep of the nation’s most popular national park are Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, all of which are renowned for music, thrill rides, shopping, tourist attractions and great dining.
What makes the area an ideal vacation destination is location, location, location. East Tennessee is centrally located within easy drives for visitors from the Southeast and East Coast. What is more, U.S. Highway 441, also known as the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway, travels 14 miles through all three towns.
“I grew up in Dandridge, and it’s on the shore of Douglas Lake and near Cherokee Lake,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Skylar Hamilton. “What makes it special for anglers is you can combine bass fishing with day trips to the surrounding mountains for nature, and to the tourist areas along the way.”
There are plenty of things to do, in addition to the bass fishing. And like Hamilton implied, all of the fun is an easy drive away. Here are some ideas to get your trip planning started.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The park gets more than 12 million annual visitors, and most of them come during the summer months. That makes spring an ideal time to enjoy the park and escape the crowds. The park has a diverse topography with elevations ranging from 875 feet to more than 6,000 feet, and temperatures can vary by up to 20 degrees from the base to the mountaintops, so packing layered clothing is a good idea. The park has about 800 miles of streams that support wild brook, brown and rainbow trout. Touring the park is easy. U.S Hwy. 441 traverses the park from the Gatlinburg entrance, crosses 5,049-foot Newfound Gap and continues to North Carolina. Along the route are numerous trail heads that range from easy to moderately difficult. Waterfalls and scenic overlooks are an easy hike on many of the trails. For a scenic drive, take in the Cades Cove Loop that winds for 11 miles through a valley filled with restored buildings that include three churches, log homes, cantilevered barns and a working mill. If you want to put on your hiking boots, you’ll have 150 official trails from which to choose. Get started with a stop at one of the four visitor centers, including the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. At each location you can find out the latest COVID-19 visitation procedures in place.
Pigeon Forge
With more than 80 attractions consider adding more than a day to experience Pigeon Forge. Enjoy the thrill of award-winning coasters, live music and entertainment at Dollywood, which opens in late March. Learn world history at the Titanic Museum, or get a science lesson with a fun twist at Wonderworks. From mini-golf, go-karts and museums to Alpine mountain coasters, indoor skydiving and zorbing, Pigeon Forge is bursting at the seams with fun for all ages. Car shows feature more than rare and vintage autos. Spend the day looking over new products, swap meet items and interactive displays from vendors. Workshops are also available for those seeking answers to technical questions about autos. The Corvette Expo and Pigeon Forge Spring Rod Run are in March and April, respectively, and are a treat to experience.
Sevierville
Located at the gateway to the Smoky Mountains and before Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is Sevierville. Worth a stop is the 108,000-square-foot Smoky Mountain Knife Works, billed as the world’s largest knife store and boasting more than 1.5 million annual visitors. Shop till you drop at 106 stores at Tanger Outlets. Thrill seekers will enjoy the zipline attractions, including Legacy Mountain, with seven unique ziplines offering rides between mountaintops.
Gatlinburg
This mountain boasts itself as the grand entrance to the park, and there are many reasons to stop before you do. A top attraction is Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, with an impressive 1.3-million-gallon saltwater aquarium filled with 10,000 exotic sea creatures and over 300 individual species. You can spend the day at Ober Gatlinburg, a mountain-top ski area and amusement park with a mountain coaster, ice skating, bumper cars, alpine slide, mountain aerial tram, scenic chairlift and shops.
Plan your vacation: tnvacation.com
