Gatlinburg (Knoxville, Farragut, Sevierville: hotel, school, live in)

[beckycat]

We've visited there in the summer and enjoyed it. My question is, is it as happening in the winter as in the summer? Are all the attractions on the main strip still open? Are ppl still walking up and down the main st? Does the Trolley still run back and forth from Pigeon Forge and the state park? I'd like to snow tube there and I know they have that. Do you expect any snow at this time of the year? What else is there to do at this time of the year?

[kbg]

It's elbow to elbow year round. That's the only bad thing about it besides finding a good place to park.

[iemaster13]

Here are monthly averages for Gatlinburg/ Avg Year: HR: Highest Recorded; LR: Lowest Recorded

J F M A M J J A S O N D YR
HR 68 73 77 84 90 92 96 94 91 83 76 71 96
Hi 46 50 61 68 76 81 84 83 78 69 60 51 67
Lo 22 25 32 39 47 56 61 60 53 41 33 27 41
LR 7 9 18 28 39 49 57 52 44 31 20 12 7
Prec 5 4 6 4 6 6 6 5 5 3 4 4 58
Snw 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .7 3 12.7

[TNTransplant06]

It is NOT ELBOW TO ELBOW all year long....honestly....where did that comment come from? Tourist season is late May - end of October. That is when it is generally elbow to elbow. There are a few other times, holidays, special events, etc that it will be elbow to elbow, but generally Jan-Apr are dead. Free parking in Gatlinburg Jan-March, also. That is b/c it is dead. Please people, if you are going to offer your advice to people, please know what you're talking about.

(I have a store in G-burg and live in Sevierville----believe me, I know when it is elbow to elbow)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by TNTransplant06

It is NOT ELBOW TO ELBOW all year long....honestly....where did that comment come from? Tourist season is late May - end of October. That is when it is generally elbow to elbow. There are a few other times, holidays, special events, etc that it will be elbow to elbow, but generally Jan-Apr are dead. Free parking in Gatlinburg Jan-March, also. That is b/c it is dead. Please people, if you are going to offer your advice to people, please know what you're talking about.

(I have a store in G-burg and live in Sevierville----believe me, I know when it is elbow to elbow)

I agree completely. Gatlinburg is most certainly NOT elbow to elbow all year long. I was there last Wednesday, and there was hardly anyone in town. Even Cades Cove was pretty quiet.

Once school lets out, however, things will pick up quite a bit. I avoid Gatlinburg like the plague during the summer, on weekends, and during the holidays (any holiday). Otherwise it's been my experience that Gatlinburg is not very crowded the rest of the time.

[PAMOTN]

the place is one big tourist trap! I avoid it like the plague and learned the backroads from West Knoxville. My wife and I love to hike in the Great Smoky Mts. If I am off on a weekday I would go there... but steer clear on weekends! You can sit in traffic for over an hour and only move several miles

[KnoxTransplant2009]

my wife and I visited here recently. We were in Farragut for a long weekend looking for a home. We wanted to go hiking in the Smokies. We got stuck in traffic in Pigeon Forge for over an hour! It does look like a big tourist trap.
We stopped in Gatlinburg after hiking for 6 hours and had a meal at a place called Cherokee Cafe. If was okay... I had ribs and they were average at best. My asparagus was overcooked. Is there any decent place to eat in Gatlinburg?

Anyway... as we headed back to our hotel in West Knoxville we got about a mile outside of Gatlinburg and traffic was at a standstill. It took us 15 minutes to get through a little tunnel that was maybe 1/8 mile at best. The worst part was that everyone was blasting their car horns and screaming as if they had never been in a tunnel before. It was an absolute nightmare after a long day of hiking.
At the first chance we got we doubled back into the park and found a twisty road along a stream that went for 20 or more miles west. It was very pleasant and vow to use that road on any future trips.