Checking the Smokey Mountains off my list a week ago was so exciting! Mainly because I got to do it with the people I love most, but also because it was such a simple stress free getaway. Traveling during Covid was of course a concern for us, but we really needed a break from the everyday all day which is how most people are feeling I’m sure. Since we live in Georgia, Tennessee wasn’t a big travel hassle. It took us all of 4 hours and 30 mins to drive and arrive in Pigeon Forge, but it seemed like much longer because of the excitement I think. I always wanted to book a cabin but didn’t know what to look for. Once I started doing my research I realized there was so much to offer as far as features and the aesthetic . Who knew you could have a movie room, indoor pool and a fire pit at the same time….I didn’t. Since the kids didn’t have normal pools days this summer with are community deciding not to open I automatically knew they would love a pool and the hot tub was a plus. We rented through hearthsidecabinrentals.com and they made the process extremely easy, everything was contactless with booking, payment and even entering the rental property. We decided to go with a more modern style cabin for our first time and it definitely felt like home but upgraded. This particular cabin named “Poolin around” had just been built in February of this year so everything was brand new, upgraded appilances, with decor and style on trend. Not to mention the location couldn’t have been better, all the shops, restaurants and attractions were easily accessible.
Some things to keep in mind when renting a cabin is they provide the minimal necessities such a toliet tissue, dish soap, paper towel etc. We stay for four days so the only thing I brought extra was paper towel (because kids) multipurpose cleaning spray, lysol and of course of personal body products. We also packed dry good snacks to have on hand the days we were just relaxing in the cabin, which was fine because we ordered out a lot.
Every restaurant we ate from gave pretty big portions and having a fridge, oven and microwave to store or reheat food was great to save money and also it satisfied late night cravings. One of my favorite things to do when traveling somewhere new is trying new restaurants. Here are a few places we dined while away.
- Blue Moose Burgers & Wings – Your typical burger and wing spot with great reviewsB but they had so many wing flavors to choose from and so many good appetizers.
- Brick and Spoon– Great brunch spot, this is the only place we actually dine at, outdoor patio style. Everyones food was amazing, portions big. They were already in fall spirits with their apple cider mimosa, which was so good with my breakfast tacos. BTW their pancakes are huge! and the kids loved the beignets.
- Smokey Mountain Brewery– Another great burger spot with great reviews, their burgers were so good and their fries were super seasoned which we like. Also their side was huge and my kids loved the Mac and cheese.
- Yee Haw Snack Shack – Located on the island near the sky view. They had all the basic snacks kids love, pretzels, nachos hotdogs etc. We had the New Orleans snowballs, which was great on a hot day.
A must see is definitely the island at pigeon forge. The island has so much to do, it’s basically a small amusement park. While they may not have thrill seeking rollercoasters, they do have a carousel, a few carnival theme rides, a bungee bounce, island rope course, 7D adventure ride (so fun), arcade and more. We did the rides, arcade, mirror maze, ate and the 7D ride. There is also places to get ice cream on the island, which we go, as well as hot chocolate on one rainy day. Restaurants and shopping are also available. You can spend your entire day here especially if you have kids. The parking lot is huge, you can walk to the attractions or have the tram take you right to the island.
Day 3 we spent our time doing local shopping, had lunch at mellow mushroom because it was conveniently next door to the Magi Quest. MagiQuest was a hi-tech walk through fantasy game, we ended up getting the package that allowed the kids to do glow in the dark mini golf, arcade games, and minor maze.
Our last day in Pigeon Forge we did the titanic museum, souvenir shopping and riding through the smokies. The Titanic museum was my favorite activity because I really like the movie. Upon entering the museum that’s shaped just like the ship everyone gets a real passenger and gets to learn some of their past and find out their fate. The kids had so many questions, and were in shocked that this was a real tragedy and real people. On the ship there isn’t any video or photography allowed in respect to the recovered artifacts. We were allowed to take pictures of the lego replica, touch an ice berg, touch the 20 degree water and walk the grand staircase.
We definitely enjoyed our mini getaway and would love to go back again, there’s other sites and restaurants I have on my list for the future.
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