Lookout Mt. or Pigeon Forge?

#1
VOLNPA

VOLNPA

Big 10 SUX!
Joined
Aug 2, 2007
Messages
2,389
Likes
1,814
#1
I'm bringing my family down to either the home opener or the Cincinnati game. It'll be my daughters' first Vols game. The plan is to leave Thursday from PA, hit the game and the Old Mill restaurant on Saturday, Dollywood on Sunday and home on Monday. Question is, what do I wanna do on Friday? Our original plan was to check out Pigeon Forge. See the aquarium and some of the other cool stuff. Then my daughter read a book about Smokey touring the state of Tennessee and wants to see Chattanooga (likes the name). I saw that Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls are there. My girls are 6 and 8.

Does anyone have a recommendation? Obviously Chatt is a bit of a longer drive, but that's not a huge concern as this is a trip simply to see cool stuff in Tennessee. I plan to retire down there and plan to make multiple trips to check out different cities in the state.
 
#2
#2
Chatt has a lot of cool kid friendly stuff. Creative Discovery Museum, Ruby Falls, Rock City, the Aquarium...both are very neat places. Pigeon Forge is more commercialized while Chattanooga has a more small city feel.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#3
#3
VOLNPA said:
I'm bringing my family down to either the home opener or the Cincinnati game. It'll be my daughters' first Vols game. The plan is to leave Thursday from PA, hit the game and the Old Mill restaurant on Saturday, Dollywood on Sunday and home on Monday. Question is, what do I wanna do on Friday? Our original plan was to check out Pigeon Forge. See the aquarium and some of the other cool stuff. Then my daughter read a book about Smokey touring the state of Tennessee and wants to see Chattanooga (likes the name). I saw that Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls are there. My girls are 6 and 8.

Does anyone have a recommendation? Obviously Chatt is a bit of a longer drive, but that's not a huge concern as this is a trip simply to see cool stuff in Tennessee. I plan to retire down there and plan to make multiple trips to check out different cities in the state.
Click to expand...

Check out Chatt. You could always check out Pigeon Forge Sunday afternoon/night after Dollywood.
 
#6
#6
i'd rather take a beating than set foot in Pigeon Forge. The kids would love the aquarium and Rock City in Chattanooga. And you can actually drive 100 yards without getting stuck in traffic or seeing a cheesy laser tag/go kart facility.
 
#7
#7
GAVol said:
i'd rather take a beating than set foot in Pigeon Forge. The kids would love the aquarium and Rock City in Chattanooga. And you can actually drive 100 yards without getting stuck in traffic or seeing a cheesy laser tag/go kart facility.
Click to expand...

This.

It used to be pretty cool, but it has turned into a Nascar/Redneck haven. Some things to be enjoyed in the area still though.
 
#8
#8
I would go to the Smokies on Friday. It's your best bet. Plus you won't have to drive the extra 2 hours to Chattanooga. Take a picnic to one of the picnic areas, hike (I recommend Abrams Falls, Rainbow Falls, Alum Cave Bluff, or (difficult but doable if your kids are at least 8) the Chimneys, or ride a rental bike (reasonably priced) around the Cades Cove Loop (you'll need to get up early to beat the traffic for this one). For easier trips, you can walk to Laurel Falls or Grotto Falls (near Gatlinburg).


The Smokies are crowded, but on a school day shouldn't be too bad at all. Don't miss out on one of the best National Parks in the country. A car ride around the loop is also good. If you do it at dusk, you'll see deer, turkeys, and possibly a bear or two, as well as the 1800's (restored) churches, mills, and homes of the early settlers. If you picnic, the best picnic area is the one at the Chimneys. The river is fun to play in there, less so at Cades Cove and Metcalf Bottoms.
 
Last edited:
#10
#10
WesternKyVol said:
I would go to the Smokies on Friday. It's your best bet. Plus you won't have to drive the extra 2 hours to Chattanooga. Take a picnic to one of the picnic areas, hike (I recommend Abrams Falls, Rainbow Falls, Alum Cave Bluff, or (difficult but doable if your kids are at least 8) the Chimneys, or ride a rental bike (reasonably priced) around the Cades Cove Loop (you'll need to get up early to beat the traffic for this one). For easier trips, you can walk to Laurel Falls or Grotto Falls (near Gatlinburg).


The Smokies are crowded, but on a school day shouldn't be too bad at all. Don't miss out on one of the best National Parks in the country. A car ride around the loop is also good. If you do it at dusk, you'll see deer, turkeys, and possibly a bear or two, as well as the 1800's (restored) churches, mills, and homes of the early settlers. If you picnic, the best picnic area is the one at the Chimneys. The river is fun to play in there, less so at Cades Cove and Metcalf Bottoms.
Click to expand...

This. Chatt is great if it weren't for the extra hours getting there and back; could not care less for Pigeon Forge but I'm sure your girls will love Dollywood; but G-burg is still a fun little town tucked into the Smokies. Visiting Cades Cove and then spending some time just walking around and seeing the sites would be a fun time in September.
 
#13
#13
U guys/gals rock! Thanx for the quick and detailed feedback. I'll be sure to research the Smokies more...and I'm assuming G-burg is Gatlinburg? I'll do my homework there too. Appreciate the info.

We really like the idea of the 7 state lookout, but you have me seriously thinking out keepin this trip simple and planning Chat in the future. If there is anything else, keep it coming...
 
Last edited:
#14
#14
Pigeon Forge would be great fun for the kids but is a money pit for the parents. It would be easy to drop $300-$400 a day there buying T shirts and riding go karts, etc. As mentioned, I would rather drive on an Cali freeway than through Pigeon Forge. G Burg is about as bad money wise, but there's probably more diversity in choice. Plus, it's a small and compact meaning park and walk the town easily. Cades Cove, already mentioned, can be a great full day of fun. It's about a 7 mile circuit. Depending on time of year, you can drive it anywhere between 45 minutes or 4-5 hours. Heavily traveled in the fall. But, good old cabins and churches to stop and visit. Plus the wildlife mentioned above. Bears do eat people, so remember that when you see a crowd of adults and children feeding a bear and they are within 10-15 feet of the animal. With the bike rides, they used to, and probably still do, rent horses for group rides. Used to be buggy rides available. I've vote for the G Burg and CC loop for a day or two's activity.

Horseback Riding in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cades Cove Tour

Gatlinburg Attractions - Tourist Attractions in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Chatty and area would be good for a full week vacation.
 
#15
#15
"from lookout moutain to mud island, this is the vol network" idk why that poped in my head lol
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#19
#19
Last time I was in Pigeon Forge I watched a guy drive off without paying for gas . . . and then get pulled over less than a mile away because he was too stupid to think about the fact that the traffic was so bad he couldn't make a getaway.

Then 5 minutes later as we were laughing about how sad that whole episode was, I was scarred for life as a morbidly obese skank popped up out of a sunroof and flashed the world at 55mph.
 
#20
#20
I'm taking my newly formed family back home to Chatt this April. Shocked at how expensive Ruby Falls and Rock City is now..
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#21
#21
wounded mullet said:
I'm taking my newly formed family back home to Chatt this April. Shocked at how expensive Ruby Falls and Rock City is now..
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Click to expand...
I had the EXACT same revelation about 6 months ago. It's been 20 years since I was at Rock City, but it blew my mind that it cost me about $50 for a family of 4 to see plastic gnomes. Oh well . . . the kids liked it.
 
Last edited:
#22
#22
GAVol said:
i'd rather take a beating than set foot in Pigeon Forge. The kids would love the aquarium and Rock City in Chattanooga. And you can actually drive 100 yards without getting stuck in traffic or seeing a cheesy laser tag/go kart facility.
Click to expand...

With a sock full of nickels.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top