A few years ago, our family inadvertently started a new tradition just before the start of school—an overnight trip to the Smoky Mountains to squeeze in a bit more summer magic. We pack, pile into the minivan and set our GPS to one of our favorite spots—Gatlinburg.
The mountain town is considered the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But, Gatlinburg, as most East Tennesseans know, is a destination in its own right. We find so much to see and do there our experiences each trip are different. Yet the charms of this mountain town remain delightfully the same.
This year our home away from home in the mountains was the Park Vista Hotel. You can’t miss this iconic round building. It’s perched on a hillside above Gatlinburg giving guests spectacular vistas. From our balcony, we could see the Gatlinburg Space Needle, the record-setting SkyBridge and, of course, the Smokey Mountains. One morning our children were thrilled to find that we were eye level with the clouds! While that’s amazing, parents know when you’re traveling with children there’s more to a hotel room than a balcony and a view. Our Park Vista room was spacious, and everyone had room to spread out. Some of the guest rooms even have bunk beds and a separate master bedroom which is perfect for larger families.
Getting to our room was part of the fun. The kids loved the glass elevators that soared through the atrium. If heights aren’t your favorite, there are regular elevators too. Yours truly is notoriously nervous at high altitudes, but I didn’t want to miss the elevator ride with my children. Totally worth it!
Our first night the kids were so excited to explore the hotel, we decided to have dinner at the Vista Grill which is located just off the lobby. There was sophisticated fare for adults and a children’s menu with generous portion sizes. It proved to be the perfect dinner choice. The kids went to bed easily with the promise of a full day of adventures ahead. The next morning, we woke and headed downstairs for the breakfast buffet. We filled our tanks with family favorites like pancakes, bacon and eggs. There was something for even the pickiest eater. I enjoyed a made-to-order omelet with lots of fresh veggies. From there, we walked out the front door of the hotel to catch the Gatlinburg Trolley. That’s right. The Park Vista has its own trolley stop! Even better, the Gatlinburg Trolley is free! I could enjoy the view on the drive down and help the kids look for bears. Speaking of bears, the Park Vista, like many spots in the Smokies, often sees black bears. The hotel is “bear wise” and proactive about educating guests. I made sure we didn’t have any snacks in our car or any trash. I’m glad I took the precaution because one evening during our stay there was a bear wandering through the parking lot!
The trolley dropped us off a short walk from our first adventure—The Hollywood Star Car Museum. My son (like my husband) loves cars, so we decided to check it out. It turns out all the members of our family—me included—really enjoyed the museum. There are over 40 vehicles on display from the movies, television and entertainment icons like Dolly Parton. We love the movie “Back to the Future” so seeing the Delorean was a big hit!
Next, we decided to play a round of miniature golf at Gatlin’s. We opted for the indoor Black Light mini golf course since it was a pretty hot day. The competition was fierce even if our putting wasn’t! We had fun and worked up an appetite. Our sites were set on Ole Red. The restaurant bills itself as “a restaurant, bar and full-fledged honky-tonk.” Country singer Blake Shelton owns the eatery and it’s named after his song “Ol’ Red.” While a honky-tonk may not be every family’s first choice, I can assure you Ole Red was very family friendly. There was even live music at lunchtime which was a nice surprise. The kids’ meals are served in a souvenir “dog bowl,” which they loved. (For those that don’t know, Ol’ Red is a bloodhound.) The food was hearty and hit the spot.
After lunch we decided to look for another activity to beat the heat. Our family always loves a visit to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. You never know what you may stumble across, and this time was no different. We got a front row seat to watch the keepers feed fish to the penguins! The multi-story indoor playground was a great way for the kids to play and let off some energy. We also checked out the newest exhibit called “Dragons” where mythology and reality meet. It was well worth the time and is included in your general admission. The exhibit has its own entrance separate from the main part of the aquarium so don’t overlook it!
Next, we went in search of mountain breezes at Anakeesta, an award-winning family adventure park located high above downtown. We opted to take the Ridge Rambler, an open-air shuttle, to get to the fun faster. We took advantage of the “United Tastes of America” tasting card for our crew. There was a round of the Hawaiian Dole Whip Delights for the kiddos, and I went with the California Pacific Frosé–a frozen fruity rosé cocktail. I can attest it was as delicious as it sounds! The kids were reenergized and had a great time playing at Bird-Venture and the Treehouse Challenge Course. Those are just two of the play areas included in your general admission. Meanwhile, the adults relaxed and took in the mountain views.
After a quick bite of dinner, we decided it was time to head back to the Park Vista Hotel. We made a mad dash to catch the Gatlinburg Trolley but came up short. We used the Gatlinburg Trolley app and could see another trolley would be at our stop in just a few minutes. I told the kids we should spend the time looking for bears because it was nearly dusk and they would be looking for food. Literally seconds later a large male bear came wandering along the bank of the Little Pigeon River!
(Don’t worry we were high above and looking down from the other side of a fence.) We couldn’t believe our luck! Clearly, we were meant to miss that first trolley!
There was lots of excitement on the ride back not just because of the bear, but because we promised the kids they could go swimming in the hotel pool. This isn’t your average hotel pool. It’s a multi-story series of resort pools complete with a winding slide. There is a one-foot pool perfect for little ones to splash, a zero-entry pool with splash pad elements and then the clear-winner on our trip—the pool with the big, twisting slide. A large hot tub is also available.
We marveled at how the kids still had so much energy when it was well past their bedtime. It was the exclamation point to a perfect fun-filled day in Gatlinburg. Even though we were heading home the next day, we knew we’d be back to have more adventures in the Smokies. After all, it’s family tradition.
