Gatlinburg, TN — Cooptastic Adventures

Here I am again... gushing about my love for the state of Tennessee. This time I will be sharing my love for the city of Gatlinburg, TN. For those of you not familiar with this city, Gatlinburg is a mountainous city on the east side of the state. Known for its attractions and closeness to the Great Smoky Mountains, this is a great city to visit!

Let's break it down even further. First up are the attractions of this bustling city. I would consider this to be a very touristy place, so be sure to pack up your patience for this trip. There are lines for most attractions, crowds, and the traffic is intense. If you are able to pre-purchase tickets or make reservations ahead of time, I would recommend doing so. We were lucky and went during a non-holiday weekend and managed to go earlier in the day on most things we wanted to do.

Little side note here...I will say, Pigeon Forge, another city close by, is even more of a tourist trap- you have been warned! Look forward to a post in the future about that city.

Regardless of the crowds and traffic, Gatlinburg is a very lovely city to visit. There are so many options for visitors to do. If you are into hiking and being outdoors, there are several trail options and parks to see. If you are more into city life, then there are so many places to check out in the downtown area.

On the downtown strip, there are shops, restaurants, and museums to visit. Ever heard of Ripley's Believe It or Not!? I grew up with having a fascination for Ripley's and now you can go to the museum for yourself to see!

If you have time, I would find parking and then take your time walking around the downtown strip area. It is so nice to look around, grab a bite to eat, and have a good time with your crew. Night or day, this city has so many things to do.

When we visited during February, it was for my best friend's birthday so all she wanted to do was go skiing. If you are a fellow adrenaline junkie, then you need to check out Ober Gatlinburg. Ober is a ski resort that offers more than skiing and snowboarding to snow lovers. This resort also offers indoor ice skating, a food court, restaurants, and hosts events.

If you do plan on visiting Ober Gatlinburg, let me give you some tips that we learned. To get there you can either drive up and park or ride the Tram up to get there. After waiting about thirty minutes in line, unfortunately the parking lot was full. We had to go back down the mountain, find parking, and get tickets to ride the tram up.

Once you do arrive, you have options on where and what to do. If you are ready for the slopes, then go to the registration booths for skiing and snowboarding. There you will fill out paperwork on what you want to do and what equipment you want to rent. From there you will get your gear, change, and lock your belongings up in the locker room and hit the slopes!

Best part is if you get hungry or need a break from shredding, you can store your gear and do so in the food court lounge area. There are plenty of tables and benches for everyone to catch their breath. This resort is a great place to visit for yourself, with family or friends. The only point I would recommend you keep in mind is that this attraction is not a cheap one. So be sure to do your research for your trip. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, then please refer here.

I could go into detail about every single thing we did and saw, but I don't want to ramble on forever. A few other places that stood out to me while visiting were Best Italian on the Parkway and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. No shock here they both involve food! This Italian restaurant was incredible. From the food to the atmosphere, it was a nice escape from the crowds to relax and enjoy a good meal. For more information on Best Italian on the Parkway, please refer to here.

There are so many things to do and see in Gatlinburg, that I can't begin to cover it all in one post. If any of this sounds interesting to you, then be sure to plan a visit!