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Old 07-16-2011, 04:04 AM
 
Location: N. Charleston
84 posts, read 177,237 times
Reputation: 50

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Born and raised here, I love the ET area and all, but I don't know that both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge should top the Travelers' Choice Family Awards...

Travelers' Choice Family Awards - Great Places to Discover - United States - TripAdvisor

Pigeon Forge is ranked #4, and Gatlinburg #6... Rather surprising to me, especially that Pigeon Forge should lead Gatlinburg since it's more of a sprawl city.

Also, I think it's lovely that Blackberry Farms was ranked the #1 Resort

It's a shame that you have to pay a few grand a night just to go visit. Just out of curiosity, anyone here ever had the chance to visit Blackberry?
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Old 07-16-2011, 06:21 AM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,294,239 times
Reputation: 13615
Trip Advisor awards can be a bit skewed. The Pigeon Forge fans are an enthusiastic bunch on that website. In fact the Gatlinburg ones are the same. It is not surprising that one edged out the other since their polls are made up of members and the ones that frequently vacation in that area tend to not visit anywhere else and are known for stuffing the ballot box.

For instance, Ripley's aquarium in Gatlinburg was named best in the country. That's nice and all and the aquarium is really nice but best in the country? Really? I'll tell you what, after visiting several outstanding aquariums I would be pretty ticked to trek over there to find that it is not the best.

But I watched them put the aquarium over the top and decided to never take any of their polls seriously.

On the other hand, Blackberry Farm is outstanding and the award from Travel and Leisure is much more prestigious and deserved. That's a Relais & Chateaux property.

Yes, I know someone on this board that's been there. Perhaps he'll tell you about it.
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Old 07-16-2011, 06:29 AM
 
13,355 posts, read 39,968,931 times
Reputation: 10790
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaitlandRenee View Post
Born and raised here, I love the ET area and all, but I don't know that both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge should top the Travelers' Choice Family Awards...

Travelers' Choice Family Awards - Great Places to Discover - United States - TripAdvisor

Pigeon Forge is ranked #4, and Gatlinburg #6... Rather surprising to me, especially that Pigeon Forge should lead Gatlinburg since it's more of a sprawl city.

Also, I think it's lovely that Blackberry Farms was ranked the #1 Resort

It's a shame that you have to pay a few grand a night just to go visit. Just out of curiosity, anyone here ever had the chance to visit Blackberry?
What does sprawl have to do with being family friendly or not?

I'm not surprised that both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are ranked among the top family friendly vacation spots in the country. I mean, just look at the places, look at how many out of state license plates there are, and look at how many families there are. Those places are wildly popular vacation places. And while I like Gatlinburg much more than PF, I can understand why some families would prefer PF since Gatlinburg doesn't have as many kid-friendly things to do.

As for Blackberry Farm, I agree it's not worth the thousands of dollars one must pay to stay there. However, it is absolutely stunning. An old high school buddy of mine who has made millions and owns homes in NY, Hong Kong, and Paris, stayed there last year at Thanksgiving and invited me to stay there with him. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. Rustic oppulence is probably a good way to describe it. If I were infinitely wealthy and wanted to hang out in the mountains in the Southeastern US, Blackberry Farm would be my top choice, too.
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Old 07-16-2011, 06:51 AM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,294,239 times
Reputation: 13615
Myrtle Beach came in sixth for Top 25 Beaches in the World, according to TA members.

First in the USA.

'nuff said.
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Old 07-16-2011, 11:20 AM
 
16,177 posts, read 32,501,220 times
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Agree with the above posts completely. Those lists always seem to rotate area to area. We have been to the Blackberry and have also interacted with some of their employees over the years. It was fun to buy baked goods and vegetables at the Saturday Maryville Farmer's Market from a Blackberry Farms representative. You can own a slice of Blackberry for market prices! However, I went to church with a now former Assistant Chef and his wife and had my nails done by a now former nail tech. Neither of them had nice things to say about how they were treated by the owners. The property was run for years by Kreis Beall who is Mrs. Sandy Beall. Sandy made his fortune by starting the restaurant chain, Ruby Tuesday. The mom/wife has now stepped down and I don't know anyone there right now so perhaps they are nicer to their staff. I never could get past the stories I heard and the salaries that were paid considering the price of staying there. If you live in the area, BF also offers cooking classes on occasion. Those were excellent (a little pricey but an indulgence) and I would recommend them.
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Old 07-16-2011, 02:37 PM
 
Location: N. Charleston
84 posts, read 177,237 times
Reputation: 50
Well, in my mind, a family friendly city would be a place where there are a lot of things to do within close proximity to each other. I don't have kids so don't get me wrong, but I know that if I did, I don't want to spend half of my time driving from one location to another to do things. Gatlinburg, you can stay on the main road and visit pretty much everything at once, whereas Pigeon Forge requires more car time.

I'm not saying that is necessarily correct, but if I were a parent, that's what I would look for as far as being a family friendly city.



I had a friend who worked at Blackberry Farm as a concierge, and I know she was not allowed to speak to guests unless directly spoken to. She could not cough or sneeze and front of them, and she had to look perfect at all times. She told me that one time her panty hose/tights were a bit off on the back of her leg (the line that I guess runs straight down), and one of her supervisors told her she needed to go the bathroom and fix it.

Apparently, they are not afraid to tell you what is what. I also know that they will get guests WHATEVER they want there, just short of prostitutes.

I would love to visit the property, but I couldn't imagine paying a few grand to stay anywhere.
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