Smoky Mountains 2022

Travel Tips

Rent a cabin, so you can relax without dealing with the crowds.

Rent a cabin, so you can relax and drink coffee and eat breakfast and look at the mountains, without the crowd.

Make reservations when you can.

If you eat out, plan to eat at odd times to avoid the crowds.

As many of you know, traveling to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is not really my idea of a relaxing vacation. But spending time with these people (and Lewis and Debbie, too) makes the trip worth it!

Even with time with the family, I envisioned vacation being a lot like this one picture.

We traveled through Gatlinburg for our hike. That's the only reason we experienced this traffic.

We stayed at a cabin in the Timber Tops Cabin Rentals, and the location was so close to the middle of Pigeon Forge. It was just high enough for a beautiful view, but close enough to not spend 20 minutes coming down off the mountain.

Good morning.

My perfect vacation always involves a porch. Preferably with a view. I can sit on a porch for hours enjoying the scenery and reading a book.

Another way we avoided the crowds was by going hiking. This was my favorite day on the mountain. We all contributed in making breakfast each morning but one. Then on this day, we all set out to do our own things. Lewis and Debbie hit the antique stores and flea markets. Brothers and sisters-in-laws and kids did the Cataract Falls hike. Robert and I did the Rainbow Falls Trail. It was a little over six miles total.

The falls. We stopped and rested after the straight incline of the 2.6 miles before heading back down.

Taking pictures with this one is like trying to get a kid to smile. And it was so chilly up there that I had to put my sweatshirt back on.

Let me talk about the critters we saw. Well, actually, just look.

Thank goodness they weren't on our hike, but instead they were in the forest as we were driving to the trailhead.

When we came home that afternoon, I had already prepared lasagna for dinner. So my best day included no restaurants only nature and relaxing and time with family.

When we did venture out, here is what we did. I made reservations for The Local Goat. It was one of the few places that took reservations for 10 people.

Fried deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, and the pimento cheese burger.

We also visited the Apple Barn. It is a right of passage, I believe. For this, we decided to go mid-afternoon for a snack. It was the perfect time. We got right in.

I would go back just to drink the fruit drink and spoon the apple butter into my mouth! The fritters worked as a nice vehicle for the butter too.

We made it The Peddler! I decided to avoid the crowd downtown and waited in line before they opened to put our name in. Fortunately, we got a table at 4 when they opened. I was so glad it worked that way and we got the big table in a room all to ourselves, so it was perfect for us to still visit and talk about the day.

It was a terrific steak. I am not a huge salad bar person, but I sure did enjoy this one. I hate that I didn't get a picture.

For Maisie's birthday, we went to breakfast at the Brick and Spoon.

Traditional eggs Benedict with beignets and strawberry jam.

Chorizo tacos.

Because we left so early on our final day, Robert and I got right in at Sawyer's Farmhouse Restaurant for breakfast.

Yes, I did get the Sawyer's Mountain Man. It's vacation, people. I eat well.

All in all, we enjoyed our time in the mountains. Especially because of these cuties.

Spending time with this one was good too!