Gatlinburg? (Knoxville, Maryville, Sevierville: ski resort, homes, to buy)

[HisDaughter]

Sorry, but I saw no thread about Gatlinburg. My sister and I curious about the city. I'd love to hear people's opinions about it. It is worth checking out? Maybe to move to? Or is it strictly tourist hell?

[jjbradleynyc]

My family and I used to vacation to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge every year. It's an exciting, quaint, very fun town--right at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
It's not that tacky (as compared to Pigeon Forge), but does have its share of putt putt golf courses, "Haunted" mansions, Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum, a space needle, chairlifts, ski resort, etc. There is an amazing amount of shopping, saltwater taffy candy shops, and tourist "lures", etc. The town has some cute "German-influenced" stores and buildings in terms of architecture. As for living there, it would probably be stressful, due to the hoards of tourists pouring in there every day. But, I can also see the allure! It's a cozy, charming, yet bustling town, nestled in the mountains.
Check it out. It's a memorable experience.

[mbmouse]

I love visiting Gatlinburg. Hubby and I go when we can just to walk around, go into the park for short hikes, get some yummy food and generally have a good time. However I am always happy to leave to go home where it is peaceful. I could not imagine living there. But there are people who do, so that is just me.

[gailli]

I love visiting Gatlinburg but dont think I would want to live there, most people I have met that work in Gatlinburg live in surrounding towns like I do. Traffic can be horrendous, I have been there when it took two hours to drive the Parkway, bumper to bumper, I could have walked from car to car and got there faster. There is good food but pricey due to the Tourist thing.

[oldmanbob]

Agree with Gailli, a good place to visit, but traffic can really slow you down, and not many ways in and out. You do not have a lot of local housing to choose from, and most do drive from many places to work there. If you like the hustle and bustle, and lots of people from all over the world, then thats your place. Gailli, you need to go now, with your new vision, might see some bears.

[JMT]

I agree with what everyone else has said.

One of our regular and most respected posters in here, LauraC, has made several posts warning people that LIVING in a resort town is entirely different from VACATIONING there.

Gatlinburg is a great place to visit. It's beautiful, there are lots of neat shops, fudge and taffy stores, mountain-themed restaurants, and all of the air-brushed t-shirts and license plates you'd ever want.

But groceries and gas there are very expensive. I'm not aware of any supermarkets in Gatlinburg, and heaven help you if you need to be rushed to a hospital.

If you really want to live in the mountains, there are several other communities I'd recommend. Maybe check out Townsend or Seymour. Those communities have much easier access to things like medical care, supermarkets, Wal-Mart, etc., plus you have beautiful mountain views almost as good as what you have in Gatlinburg.

Good luck!

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by JMT

Maybe check out Townsend or Seymour. Those communities have much easier access to things like medical care, supermarkets, Wal-Mart, etc., plus you have beautiful mountain views almost as good as what you have in Gatlinburg.

Good luck!

Seymour might have easy access to a Wal-mart, but Townsend certainly doesn't, it's nearest one is on the other side of Maryville (that I know of). Still Townsend is closer to Cades Cove, which is really the best draw of the Smokies if you ask me.

[hiknapster]

Well, I don't know what LauraC says, but I have said over and over that one should never live in a tourist area.

Growing up, I lived near Old Sturbridge Village. That wasn't too bad, because we just went in the opposite direction for services. But when I lived in Fort Myers, FL, that was an awful nightmare. Everything was expensive, traffic was horendous, and people had that "this is not my home" rudeness. There weren't any good-paying, non-service related jobs, either.

I'm convinced that many tourist areas, where people decided to buy homes, are the hardest hit during this bust.

[kygman]

Originally Posted by TedTAce

Seymour might have easy access to a Wal-mart, but Townsend certainly doesn't, it's nearest one is on the other side of Maryville (that I know of). Still Townsend is closer to Cades Cove, which is really the best draw of the Smokies if you ask me.

My wife and I were just in Gatlinburg a few weeks ago. There is a Walmart in Pigeon Forge. It's way on down and there is a big NASCAR park across the road from it. Grocery wise, the closest "regular" grocery, when you're coming from Gatlinburg, is just past the road that goes to Dollywood on the right. As far as seeing the sites around town, Gatlinburg is better. You walk up the hill on one side checking everything out and walk back down the other. In Pigeon Forge, everything is so spread out you have to drive from one place to the other. They do have the bus service in Gatlinburg. If you know where you want to go in town, the bus is sometime easier than trying to find a place to park. Most of the parking lots are $5/day and up. My brother lives outside Kingston, on I-40, west of Knoxville. That would be close enough for me. If you are going to the Smokies and coming from the west on I-40, don't go through Knoxville. 40 through town is closed except for locals. You have to take the bypass around the "City of Eternal Road Construction". My brother said anybody going down there takes US 321 through Lenoir City, Maryville, Townsend and come out in Pigeon Forge. There's a lot of 2 lane roads but we like that route a lot better than going through Knoxville.

[gailli]

There is a grocery store in Gatlinburg, its on 321, also the Food City which I believe is in Pigeon Forge.They are also building a new hospital in Sevierville, Ft Saunders.

I love Gatlinburg for the same reasons, walk down one side and then back the other side. I do like Pigeon Forge for the theaters. The trolley is available from Sevierville all the way to the entrance to the Smokies and you can get a year pass for $25, I see a lot of working people in Gatlinburg taking the trolley.

Seymour is great, mountain views, close to Knoxville and Sevierville and to Medical, in fact, UT just openend a Dr office and a Physical Therapy here.

OldManBob, yes, I will need to do that, its great not being tied to glasses any more, will have to go look for some bears before they hibernate, lol.