What it's like to visit Gatlinburg, a Tennessee town known as the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a town known as the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains.
I found peaceful mountain cabins and thrilling rides during my first visit in April.
Take a look at the vibrant town center and the grand natural views surrounding it.
Living in a big city, I often crave natural getaways. That's why I visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee's gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Staying in woodsy cabins with stunning natural views gave me the peaceful, slow-paced break I expected, but the town also has an active downtown area with shopping strips and thrilling rides that gave me some exciting memories I didn't anticipate.
Here's what it was like to visit Gatlinburg for the first time, from the mountains above to the streets below.
When I left my home in NYC for a nature getaway, I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, dubbed the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains by the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Source: Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
Looking at a map, it's easy to see why. Gatlinburg borders the famed national park.
My trip was four nights. I spent three of them in Gatlinburg cabins in the woods outside of the downtown area.
Both of my cabins felt remote enough to relax and enjoy mountainous views to the calming soundtrack of chirping birds and wind blowing through the trees.
Cabins lined these hilly streets and backed up into the woods. They all appeared to have stunning views.
From the cabin neighborhoods, it was hard to believe that a thriving downtown area full of restaurants, shops, and rides was just a few miles down the mountain.
Although I spent most of my trip immersed in nature, I took a few hours on my last day to see what this downtown area was like.
On my way down, I noticed an entry point to the national park, making it easily accessible for Gatlinburg residents and visitors.
Source: National Park Service
Once downtown, I spotted a trolley. According to the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, this public service is free to ride with stops around the city.
Source: Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
I thought the streets were lined with varying architectural styles, from modern boxy buildings ...
... to triangular rooftops that reminded me of rowhouses.
The most colorful building I saw was the entrance to the Arcadia Space Needle that rises 400 feet above Gatlinburg.
Source: Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
Along with shops and restaurants, I noticed family-friendly activities like aquariums, museums, and vintage photo studios.
The most thrilling and unexpected treasure I found in Gatlinburg was an aerial tram ride above the mountains.
I spotted the tram in Gatlinburg while trying to figure out how to get to my Airbnb. Since no taxis were available, I was facing a three-hour walk in heavy rain.
The tram travels between downtown Gatlinburg, where I was, and Ober Mountain, a tourist attraction with a roller coaster and other rides that happened to be just a 30-minute walk from my Airbnb.
Source: Ober Mountain
I paid $30 for a two-mile ride up the mountain. At the station, I learned that it's one of the largest aerial tramways in the US.
Source: Ober Mountain
The views up here were phenomenal to me, even in the rain.
As I looked down at the smoky haze and the mountains beneath them, I couldn't help but think if I hadn't struggled to find taxis, I never would have experienced the tram — my favorite memory of Gatlinburg.
Read more: Disappointing photos show what it's like to visit the Great Smoky Mountains in constant pouring rain
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