Our trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee was one our family will cherish forever. A fun filled adventure that was great for the kids and adults. We went with 3 other families made up of cousins and friends. We drove from South Florida and had a ride filled with adventures on way. Stopping in St Augustine and Savanna Georgia to brake up the 14 hour car ride was clutch. Included in this post you will find our route with pictures, videos, hotels and things to do.
St Augustine Pit Stop
Our first stop was in St Augustine to see the oldest city in the USA. We toured the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and had lunch at the small town near by. Winter time in Florida means 60 degrees and clear skies. Everyone enjoyed the town and had delicious fish tacos. We then drove 3 more hours to Savanna Georgia to have dinner stay the night.
We stayed near the canal and bridge at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. Enjoyed delicious pizza at Graffito. Indeed, our hotel had a view of the bride and boats with dining and entertainment right below. We didn’t have to go far to see the lively bands and performances. Moreover, Savanna has a charm like no other. We went to sleep before late and woke up early for a seven hour drive to our Cabin – where the real adventure began.
Pigeon Forge Here We Come
In all honesty, Pigeon Forge lodge was able to host our group of 25 people in a huge 3 story cabin in the town center. To say nothing, some in our group had been there previously and knew all the best trails, activities and food spots. TO tell the truth, it’s great to go with someone that knows the lay of the land.
As a matter of fact, that’s why Ollie and I write these articles. We want to help you feel like you know exactly where to go and what to do even when traveling somewhere new. Not to mention, with so many cool things to do in Pigeon Forge and only three days to explore, we had to wake up early and hit the trails.
Day of Fun
Started our first day off with a hiking trail at Chimney tops trail in the Smokey Mountains. Amazing trail that everyone could hike and enjoy from 2 year olds to 45 year olds the whole group enjoyed it. Then, we saw waterfalls, crossed bridges, climbed trees and drank straight from the river. The most refreshing mountain water you will ever taste. Had lunch on a log by the river and kids skipped rocks. We then headed back to the town to see all it has to offer. We enjoyed go cart racing at Fast Tracks. This is no ordinary race track, it was a 4 story ride with spiraling turns and jumps. The kids were going crazy 😜 fast.
We then had some fried Oreo treats by the track and continued to explore the town museums and gem mining. By that time we were ready to head back to cabin and barbecue all the meat we brought. It was like feeding an army being that we were 15 kids and 10 adults. The cabin had two long tables to accommodate all of us. Kids enjoyed the game room and jacuzzi on the balcony.
We hit the hey and woke up early to go to Jayell Ranch for ATV rides and some of us horse back riding. So many cool animals to see and things to do on this Adventure Park. After the ranch we drove up and explored some mountain view points that looked over Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg
We went back to cabin to get ready to hit the Downtown Gatlinburg which is right near Pigeon Forge. This street was filled with restaurants, moon shine bars, 7d movies and cool stores. A little something for everyone. Moonshine tastings at Sole was the highlight. You can pay $5 and get like 9 small tasting shots of all the flavors they offer and buy even buy some jars to take home if you like. We got the kids Ice cream and milkshakes and tasted the worlds hottest hot sauce at Pepper Palace. level 9 million on the Scoville Scale. 🥵
Gatlinburg downtown was one of the best boulevards I have walked in the US. Highly recommended by OllieM. Back to the cabin for our last night. We were sad it was our last night in this amazing cabin. Kids watched a movie in the theater room and the adults had some free time enjoying the balcony and great 50 degrees weather.
Snow Tubing
The next day we went snow tubing on way home in Maggie Valley Tube World . We chose it because its just 2 hours outside the city on our way back home. Kids loved it and it was a great way to end the trip. We payed for a half session of tubing and saved $20 a person as opposed to full hour. Kids got to go like ten times up and down and that was worth every penny.
I hope this article helps you in your next vacation if you choose to go to Tennessee. See more articles about the many cabins we visited in NC and Georgia. We really love to explore the outdoors and our children get to see nature, mountains, rivers and a sky full of stars which we do not get to experience living in South Florida.