Things to do, Things to see!
The region surrounding the Smokies is one of the most popular tourist areas in the eastern United States, and with good reason: there is something for everybody! The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited in the entire national park system, hosting over 8 million visitors per year. It houses one of the the most biologically diverse ecosystems anywhere, https://www.nps.gov/grsm
While the park is undoubtedly the biggest attraction in the area, many visitors to Sevier County spend much of their time enjoying the myriad of family-friendly recreational activities that make the area one of the most popular vacation spots in the southeastern United States.
Among these, the largest and most popular is Dollywood, the theme park founded by country singer Dolly Parton in 1986. With 3 million visitors per year, the park is divided into ten theme areas which recall the history and culture of eastern Tennessee, and hosts multiple festivals throughout the year. Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, seven miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://www.dollywood.com/
Another nearby popular attraction is Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. While an attraction focusing on ocean life may seem out of place in a mountain setting, the aquarium has proven to be a very successful venture, and is considered to be one of the best aquariums in the United States. Featured exhibits include penguins, stingrays, and sharks. Ripley’s Aquarium is located 3.3 miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg/
Ober Gatlinburg is a year-round entertainment facility which includes both indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family. The indoor facility houses a small shopping and dining complex, and a skating rink. Outside, there are water rides, mini golf, and a chairlift to the top of the mountain. A wildlife enclosure houses bears, river otters, and other indigenous fauna. In winter, Ober Gatlinburg is also the home of the only ski slopes in the state of Tennessee. Ober Gatlinburg can be reached by car, or from downtown Gatlinburg via an alpine-style aerial tramway. Ober Gatlinburg is located 4 miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://obergatlinburg.com/
A fairly recent addition to the Pigeon Forge skyline is The Island, a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex featuring 50 shops, three hotels, and nearly 20 rides including a 200-foot tall Ferris wheel. The Island is 6.4 miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://islandinpigeonforge.com/
The newest attraction in the area is Anakeesta, a theme park in the hills above Gatlinburg which opened in September, 2017. The park includes a tree canopy walkway, ziplines, a mountain coaster, and a dining/shopping complex called the Magical Firefly Village. The entrance to Anakeesta is in downtown Gatlinburg, 3.3 miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://www.anakeesta.com/
Shopping
Within the region, the three cities of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg have distinctly different characters from a shopping perspective. Sevierville is what might be considered the most “normal” of the three. It is the home of the Tanger Outlet Mall, with over 100 stores and eateries; the area’s only Wal-Mart; and familiar big box home stores including Home Depot and Lowe’s. Pigeon Forge provides an eclectic mix of tourist kitsch and the practical, with the Three Bears Gift Shop at one of the spectrum, and the Coleman Store and several bargain tool outlets at the other. Downtown Gatlinburg is pure souvenir country, with airbrushed T-shirts, and Mason jars of moonshine being the main purchases.
For the outdoor-minded, the Nantahala Outdoor Center at the southern end of town, as well as the much smaller but still well-stocked Day Hiker downtown in the Village Shoppes, sell just about everything you will need for a hiking/camping experience in the Smokies.
Traveling east from Gatlinburg, one can experience a very different type of shopping, by visiting the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community. An eclectic assortment of artists’ studios and galleries, spread out along an eight mile loop road off US-321, gives visitors to the area an opportunity to bring home a truly unique souvenir of their visit. Handmade works from over 100 local artists and craftspeople, from painting to photography to pottery, can be found in the many galleries on the loop (a few of these beautiful creations can be found in Happy Bear’s Hideaway.) The Arts & Crafts Community begins at the junction of Glades Road and the East Parkway, 5.3 miles from Happy Bear’s Hideaway. https://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/
Dining
There are a wide variety of dining options available for every taste and budget, from fast food to fine dining.
(More to come…)
Entertainment
The Smokies are home to many theaters with musical, comedy, and dance acts.
(More to come…)
Moonshine
The illegal manufacture and distribution of corn whiskey in the hills of eastern Tennessee is legendary. For generations, the rugged terrain of the area provided ample hiding locations for illicit copper stills, giving Cocke County the reputation as the “moonshine capital” of the nation. In 2010, moonshine was legalized by the state of Tennessee, creating a new breed of tourist attraction for the area. The Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery was the first to open in downtown Gatlinburg, soon followed by the Sugarlands Distillery and others. For a nominal fee (and proof of age), visitors can sample a variety of flavored moonshines at tasting sessions conducted at most of these facilities.