Gatlinburg, Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Though a small mountain town, Gatlinburg TN is bustling with Smoky Mountain admirers, vacationers, hikers, fishermen, skiers and naturalists, photography buffs as well as tourists of all types. The mix of these people adds to the unique fun atmosphere that is Gatlinburg.

About Gatlinburg TN.
In 1916 when Andy Huff built the Mountain View Hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to house timber customers, he probably did not realize he was beginning a tourist boom to the Smoky Mountains which would make the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the most visited National Park Service Park in the nation. Once the Mountain View Hotel was completed Gatlinburg had it's first hotel. Andy Huff must have had a vision of what Gatlilnburg was to become, a travel and tourism mecca as he expanded his operation to provide food and lodging for vacationers. His business sense proved to be a stroke of genius. From the acorn of his one hotel has sprung over four hundred Smoky Mountain specialty shops decked out in alpine trim and offering items from art to furniture, gifts, and t-shirts, wood signs, candle shops, lace and stuffed black bears. As visitors walk Gatlinburg's unique streets the air is filled with the aroma of good food, a list of which could fill volumes. But to give you a taste of Gatlinburg's delights, there are steaks grilling, funnel cakes cooking, ice cream freezing, fudge, well doing what ever fudge does, not to mention pretzels, chicken and yes, even a little fast food. Together with a host of amusements, cabin and chalet rental companies, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, artists and hotels, and motels, these stores, the restaurants and the people on vacation who frequent them create the magic-like town of Gatlinburg, a Smoky Mountain visitor's paradise.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Next to Gatlinburg's distinctive flavor, it is best known for the surrounding peaks of the Smoky Mountains and it's northern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP).

Gatlinburg is a popular place for weddings!

Did you know that Gatlinburg is the unofficial wedding and honeymoon capital of the South? It is. Nearly ten thousand couples hold their weddings in Gatlinburg each year, thereby including the Smokies experience into their special wedding day plans.

What season is best to visit Gatlinburg?

Although many of the hotels, B&B's, motels, restaurants, and shops in Gatlinburg are open all year around, there are a few things you might want to consider before deciding what time of year is best for your trip. Most visitors choose to come in the Fall when the colors of the trees in the mountains are changing. October is the absolute peak month of the Smokies experience, however, if you come at that time, you can expect more crowds and higher lodging prices. Summer is also a high crowd time in the Smoky Mountains due to the fact that schools let out for the summer and vacationers generally hit the highways. It is also quite hot and humid in the Smoky Mountains in the Summer. For these reasons, more and more people are beginning to realize that the Spring and even the Winter months are excellent times to enjoy Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Please don't think that the park is less enjoyable at these times, for it is not true. Imagine an Appalachian spring. Imagine the peaks of the Smokies veiled in the soft green of spring and decorated with the dogwood, redbud and other flowering plants. Or imagine why it is that to some, winter is the most beautiful of all, for in the winter, the Smoky's mammoth hills with their mountain views, high cliffs, waterfalls and gorges are far more visible than when cloaked with the lush green leaves of summer. And when the snow flocks the bare branches of the Smokies and the sun shines upon them white against the blue, imagine your breath taken away by the sparkle and gracious beauty of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Did you know Gatlinburg has a Trolley?

For the convenice of the Smoky Mountain visitor, there is a trolley which takes passengers around Gatlinburg and to places such as the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, or the Gatlinburg golf.

Gatlinburg TN Visitor Information

Great Smoky Mountain National Park--GSMNP
107 Park Headquarters Road
423-436-1200

GSMNP Sugarlands Visitor Center
423-436-1293.
Gatlinburg Welcome Center
US 441 south
423-436-0519

Gatlinburg Visitors and Convention Bureau
234 Airport Road
P.O. Box 530
800-343-1475 or 423-436-4178

Misc.
Gatlinburg Space Needle and Arcade • 423-436-4629
Gatlinburg Welcome Center • 423-436-0519
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce • 800-568-4748
Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community • 423-671-3504
(Features over eighty local artists and craftsmen working in galleries along an eight-mile auto loop and is located on Glades Road and Buckhorn Road off US 321.

Learn more about Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg Tennessee Lodging • Gatlinburg Tennessee Cabin
Pigeon Forge

---

Want Smoky Mountain Area Info Packets Mailed To You - Click Here! 

Gatlinburg Cabin Rental - Home | Site Map | Lodging | Cabins | Attractions | Weddings | Shopping
The Park | Di ning | Events | Smoky Towns | About Us | Real Estate

Gatlinburg-Tennessee.org Site Summary: This is a comprehensive Gatlinburg, Tennessee web site created for tourists and the travel industry. The site includes dozens of Gatlinburg cabins, chalets, hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns to relax in and allows tourists to enjoy fun-filled attractions for the young or young-at-heart; a great selection of restaurants for memorable dining; many shopping options from antiques to shopping malls and arts and crafts shops, outlet malls; and special events to satisfy every interest. Gatlinburg has a myriad of beautiful wedding chapels from which to choose for your Smoky Mountain wedding--whether you're here for your first wedding or a renewal ceremony. And of course many people many people want to return to Gatlinburg, not just to vacation, but to live. For this reason we have created a real estate section.

Page Summary: This page is specifically about the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and includes a brief physical description, history and directory of information useful to planning a vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Copyright 2003-2008 :: Gatlinburg-Tennessee .org
All Rights Reserved :: Privacy Policy
Gatlinburg, Tennessee