Visiting the area

[jgraz]

So I figured the best place to figure out the area would be to check here. Tomorrow morning I'm heading to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area for a short vacation with my wife and son. So I'm on the hunt for a few things.
1) Best breakfast place
2) Best BBQ
3) Best LFS

& finally, is the Ripleys Aquarium Worth it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Rob.D]

1) Log Cabin Pancake House
2) @Chriscrna 's House (hahaha) I actually don't have a clue which restaurant has good BBQ.....Sorry
3) The Coral Reef is closest in Jefferson City and then Aquatic Marine in North Knoxville, it's about a 45 minute drive from Pigeon Forge
4) Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was rated 5th best in the world by TripAdviser, so yes, it's worth it

 

[Rob.D]

BTW. Hope you enjoy your stay in E. TN, too bad your timing is off by a few weeks for our Coral Expo

 

[Reefrookie220]

1) Log Cabin Pancake House

3) The Coral Reef is closest in Jefferson City and then Aquatic Marine in North Knoxville, it's about a 45 minute drive from Pigeon Forge
4) Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was rated 5th best in the world by TripAdviser, so yes, it's worth it

Vouch these 2 points, bbq is plentiful up there so even a shot in the dark should yield good results.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

I third the pancake house. Ripley is awesome
We have passes and go alot.

The best BBQ is at my house. But Bennets isnt bad.. the best place is The Taste of Dandridge. A bit out of your way, worth every mile.

The coral reef us your best bet. Near you any how. The Aquatic Marine is nice but out of the way. There is an exotic pet store on the parkway but I've never been there.

 

[Chriscrna]

Man you're going to have a blast here! Regarding breakfast.....pick one. There are 50,000 restaurants in the Gatlinburg/PF area. BBQ in my opinion is hit and miss down here. Bennett's is probably the best in that area. Fish store question has been answered.

Aside from the ridiculous amount of restaurants, go karts, bungie jumps, arcades, and countless other tourist traps designed to suck you in and siphon your wallet dry, here are a few of my personal favorites things to do in the area:

Cades Cove. A stunning drive. Absolutely worth the time.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm

If you decide visit Cades Cove, you may as well check out Laurel Falls. It's a fairly short, easy hike to a really cool waterfall.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/laurel-falls.htm

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. You will regret not going.

The Island in Pigeon Forge. It's fairly new and tons of stuff for kids.
http://islandinpigeonforge.com

Newfound Gap and Clingman's Dome. The best views in all of Tennessee!
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/nfg.htm
http://www.clingmansdome.com

Dollywood and Splash Country.
http://www.dollywood.com

Have fun in our neck of the woods!

 

[jgraz]

Thank you everyone for the recommendations Looks like I'll def be hitting the Aquarium and Log cabin. I'll look into the rest of the stuff during the drive down. I knew I could count on R2R to come through for me.

 

[cee]

On your drive from Gatlinburg to Cades Cove be sure and stop by "The Sinks", a very nice swimming hole with cliffs to jump off and cool off. There are endless nice hikes all over the Smokys making it hard to pick one or two. If you need to get away from the busy Gatlinburg area Townsend (south) and Cosby (north) are both nice and fairly quiet. Enjoy east TN, it is an awesome area!

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

the sink you are referring to, is that also called the y?

 

[Rob.D]

The best BBQ is at my house.
.

This is a very bold statement....

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Not bragging just stating facts. I'll be willing to prove it.

 

[cee]

the sink you are referring to, is that also called the y?

Don't know but it is right off the road and you wouldn't want to jump in after a rainstorm. In September it should be pretty tame.

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

On the left correct?

 

[cee]

Left heading toward cades cove

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Yep. Gotta be the same place. I love it there. We go a lot during the summers

 

[jgraz]

Well we got in last night around 5pm. So far so good. Hit Bennets BBQ since it was easy. Not to bad better then anything back in Jersey for sure.

 

[Rob.D]

Well we got in last night around 5pm. So far so good. Hit Bennets BBQ since it was easy. Not to bad better then anything back in Jersey for sure.

Glad you're having a good experience so far!

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

While in the military I lived all over the country. I feel East TN is one of the best places to live. We have it all. Beautiful scenery, great food, good people. And the weather is pretty mild for the most part. Enjoy your stay!