Let's Get Together In Gatlinburg!

Gatherings small and large are offered an almost endless array of lodging options. Traditional and contemporary hotels and motels, with their limited- to full-service amenities, dot the immediate downtown area. Life's little luxuries like room service and big indoor or outdoor pools are a staple of numerous of these facilities. The pampering of bed and breakfast lodging is available in beautiful settings nearby, with some of the area's friendliest folks as proprietors. Scattered across the mountainsides and on the fringe roads in the hollows are cabins, condos, and chalets, known for their "home away from home" ambiance and privacy. At least one chalet actually has eighteen bedrooms! Arts and crafts have long held a deep association with the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Nowhere else in the South will you find a richer heritage of fine craftsmanship than in Gatlinburg. The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, established in 1937, is the largest group of independent artisans in North America. Located on an eight-mile loop at the north end of Gatlinburg, the Community proudly preserves the craft heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains year-round. This area offers you the best in a wide range of craft shops, including pottery, woodcarving, candle making, quilting, weaving, broom making, and painting, among many other fine art forms. Gatlinburg also is home to the world-renowned Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Founded in 1945, Arrowmont offers summer and spring workshops and an array of special conferences for all levels of students in craft-art media. The art galleries at Arrowmont are open for tours of select collections throughout the year.

A leisurely stroll in Gatlinburg's downtown district opens up a world of opportunities for attractions, shopping, and dining. From the amazement of seeing 11-foot sharks swim overhead in an underwater tunnel at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies to gazing at all of the incredible mysteries and amazing findings at Guinness World of Records Museum and Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum to go-cart racing and miniature golf and an evening of entertainment at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre, there's no loss for something to do, see, or play. Add in more than 400 specialty shops, boutiques and galleries to find a special collectible or unique one-of-a-kind piece, or hop a trolley to some unbelievable outlet malls nearby. Dozens and dozens of dining choices from national chain to family-owned provide menus featuring pancakes to prime rib, and everything in between. Gatlinburg Golf Course is one of several unique mountain golfing venues in and about Gatlinburg. The 12th hole, referred to as "Sky Hi," features a vertical drop of 200 feet from tee to green, just one of many reasons golfers to the area love to play this course.

Surrounding Gatlinburg is the lush, 800 square-mile Great Smoky Mountains National Park , and therein lies the benchmark of tranquility in the eastern United States. Group outings and picnics in Cades Cove, the Chimneys, or any of numerous sites throughout the Park provide the perfect setting for the perfect reunion. Day trips are a breeze with hiking trails, guided walks, even motor nature trails at your fingertips, Dip your feet in a cold mountain stream, marvel in the seemingly never-ending panoramic vistas, try to keep count of the wildflower types you find. There's something for everyone to enjoy in the mountains, and they're yours for as long as you visit. .