Gatlinburg getaway: A place for family adventures

Exploring downtown Gatlinburg is best done on foot. Shops, activities and restaurants are clustered together around several courtyards and line River Road and Parkway. Most everything is within walking distance from any of the downtown area accommodations.

Beginning from the northern end of town one would be remiss not to take in the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, which is the world’s only salt and pepper shaker museum. A collection of more than 20,000 sets of shakers ranging from cute cats to nuns, from chefs to donkeys line the walls in rows.

Down the road is the Southern Highlands Craft Guild’s Arrowcraft shop. Arrowcraft was founded in 1926 by Pi Beta Phi, the nation’s oldest college women’s fraternity. The Guild, Arrowmont School and Arrowcraft Shop have a joint history, which goes back to 1930, when Arrowmont joined with several other craft cooperatives to form the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Arrowcraft Shop helped mountain families in this remote region gain independence by providing them with a source of income from the sale of their handiwork. Today, known simply as Arrowcraft, it is the oldest gift shop in Gatlinburg. The shop sells the best crafts from a nine-state region—weaving, basketry, pottery, woodcarving, glass, and toys. Crafters often can be found at the shop demonstrating their work for visitors. Upcoming demonstrators include bead artist Kathy Seely on Dec. 11-12 and weaver Peggy Whitted Dec. 17-19.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has become the literal and figurative center of town. Open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the aquarium is an education and entertaining attraction for visitors of all ages. Those traveling without children may want to visit later in the evening when the majority of crowds have cleared out and the curious adult may linger in front of the mesmerizing display tanks where 10,000 sea creatures represent more than 350 individual species. Groups with kids may want to sign up for the Sleep with Sharks program that includes an overnight stay in the aquarium, dive show, pizza and scavenger hunt. A minimum of 15 children is required for the program to be offered.

While all of Gatlinburg is kid-friendly with the entire series of Ripley’s attractions, miniature golf, laser tag and wax museum, Fannie Farkle’s offers a central location for arcade games and snacks—including the infamous Ogle Dogs, which are foot-long corndogs and sausage subs. It’s a good place to burn off some energy.

Everyone will enjoy taking the aerial tram up to Ober Gatlinburg. The short trip provides excellent views of the surrounding mountains and deposits visitors at the vintage mountaintop mall where one can taste some fudge and do a little shopping. When snow is not on the ground the biggest draw at the top of the mountain is the large indoor ice skating rink and wildlife exhibit, which features black bears, otters and a variety of other smaller critters. With winter Ober Gatlinburg offers skiing and snowboarding, as well as snow tubing.

But those looking for a real thrill can find it at the southern end of town where Gatlinburg Zipline Adventures is located. Harness up and head out to the company’s three acres of preserved forestland overlooking downtown where you’ll zip along from tree to tree along nine lines strung 30 to 50 feet high in the air. Making the leap of faith—many launches are made from platforms in the trees—is terrifically frightening providing for squeals of delight, nervous laughter and lots of camaraderie building with one’s fellow zip liners. The zip lines are a must for anyone age 5 to 75 (within certain weigh limitations) with a sense of adventure.

For more information about attractions in downtown Gatlinburg, visit any of the welcome centers or go to www.gatlinburg.com to receive a vacation guide or sign up for monthly newsletters.

Gatlinburg–a city of opportunity

Though now a well-settled town welcoming a steady drove of tourists and second-home owners, Gatlinburg was once a mountain outpost named for its thick forests and known as White Oak Flats.

Many of the area’s first settlers were Revolutionary War veterans awarded 50 acres of land for their services. One such veteran was William Ogle. Ogle was a Virginia native who fell in love with the Great Smoky Mountains calling them, “The land of Paradise where the water runs clear and pure, where there is plenty of game and fish and where the soil is rich loam.” 

Ogle decided to bring his family up to the mountains from their home in South Carolina. He began work on a cabin in 1802, cutting and hewing the logs and leaving them to dry then departing for South Carolina. Once home Ogle contracted malaria and died in 1803, never returning to his beloved mountains.

Ogle’s widow, Martha Jane Huskey, packed up her five sons and two daughters and traveled north with her brother, Peter Huskey, to settle the Ogle homestead. It took until 1807 for the Huskey family to finish the cabin. 

The tiny cabin is now on display at the Southern Highlands Craft Guild’s Arrowmont shop in downtown Gatlinburg. The Little Pigeon Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi, a national women’s organization, restored the cabin in 1986 complete with furnishings, many of which have been passed down through the Ogle family. 

After the Ogle family settled, others continued to move to White Oak Flats. The town flourished and the White Oaks Baptist Church was erected in 1835. 

Noah “Bud” Ogle — a descendant of the family — built a cabin in 1879 just outside what is now downtown Gatlinburg. It is a must see for anyone curious to learn about what the area would have looked like in the olden days and those looking to get the kids outside for some unstructured play. 

The cabin is the focus of a self-guided nature trail and can be reached easily. A handy brochure published by the Great Smoky Mountains Association in cooperation with the National Park Service details how the Ogles would have used rhododendrons to tell the temperature, the role of various crops and draft animals on the farm, the history of the American chestnut tree, wild medicinals and more. 

White Oak Flats was named after Radford C. Gatlin who opened the town’s second general store. Gatlin received the honor in 1856 when the town’s post office was established in his store. However, Gatlin became an unwelcome character — he was a Democrat in a Republican community, was flamboyant, and as a preacher, established his own “Gatlinite” Baptist Church. He eventually was banished from the area. 

Over the years the town transitioned from a farming community to a logging town. In the 1920s the government began purchasing land for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — for which Gatlinburg is the most used entrance. The purchasing effort received support to the tune of $5 million from the Rockefeller family. 

Creation of the Park was contentious. Some residents quickly sold their land while others fought to stay. By 1934, approximately 300,000 acres had been pieced together to become the Park – more than half of the Park’s current 520,000-acre size. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940 at Newfound Gap, a high mountain vista straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.

Dining Downtown

Those searching for a bite to eat in downtown Gatlinburg will find a majority of American style menus from which to choose. Most restaurants are geared to accommodate large groups as the town is a popular location for conventions, bus tours, reunions and other sizeable events. As a result, cuisine tends more toward steaks, burgers, fried fish, pasta and pancakes.

However, the downtown scene does bear a few notable restaurants that offer something different. 

Hofbrauhaus Restaurant and Cheese Cupboard, established in 1969 and located in The Village Shopping Center at 634 Parkway, is known for its Reuben sandwiches. In the small shop on the first floor a variety of local and imported cheeses and their various accoutrements make for excellent snacking. If your accommodations offer a refrigerator, stock up on a few different kinds of cheese, sausage, drinks and snack mixes to nibble on while sitting on a balcony looking out at the Great Smoky Mountains. 

Next door The Donut Friar is a must visit for a fabulously unhealthy breakfast or dessert. The Friar is a Gatlinburg institution known for its donuts, which include coconut cream and chocolate iced among others, as well as éclairs and other pastries. The staff is friendly but typically have little time to talk as the shop is popular at any and all times of day. 

The brightly colored Havana Dreams Café at 449 Parkway offers a mix of Cuban, Mexican and Italian menu items. The selection is large and the variety allows those who want something with creative flavors and those who want a simple plate of spaghetti to both be pleased. The Cuban sandwiches are sizeable servings that could even be split between two moderate eaters given a side dish. 

One of Gatlinburg’s newest additions is Smoky’s Sports Pub and Grub at 1151 Parkway. The name fails to indicate this restaurant’s whole-hearted approach to casual dining — a sign outside welcome bikers, hikers and families. The open invitation seems somewhat suspect until a look at the menu reveals veggie burgers, loaded baked potatoes, grilled salmon and vegetarian pizza alongside ribs, wings, a fried bologna burger and kids menu including corn dogs. Inside a wide swath of team colors are interspersed with large screen TVs and an outside a dining patio provides a prime spot to watch everyone on their way in and out of town. 

The Hellbender Grill and Dolce Uva Wine Bar Café are great places to hang out, have a drink and listen to live music. The Hellbender’s outdoor patio overlooks the river and is very close to Ripley’s Aquarium, which offers discounted admission in the late evening. A late tour and dinner and drinks makes an excellent evening out for adults traveling without children. Dolce Uva has an Italian/American menu that includes French brie and fruit, fresh salads with imported salami and Panchetta ham, ciabatta sandwiches and tiramisu. Vegetarian options are available. 

A hidden gem: Gatlinburg’s arts and crafts trail

Located outside downtown Gatlinburg is an 8-mile arts and crafts trail that brings a wealth of handmade history to life. The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community got its start around 1937 when crafters including John Cowden, Lee Ogle, and Frank and Augusta Whaley opened their homes to visitors. The crafters offered visitors an opportunity to see them at work and participate in workshops ranging from quilting to basket making. 

Some of these original crafters are still at work or have passed the trade down through their families. Frank Whaley and his son, Randy, carve wood at Whaley Handicrafts. David and Tammy Ogle are third-generation broom makers. And Lum and Janavee Ownby and their children, Jody and David, turn native woods into bowls, rockers, toys and more. All-in-all the Arts and Crafts Trail features more than 100 crafters. 

The trail is organized into several pockets of shops with individual studios dotted along the way. Start off at Buie’s Landing where you will find a collection of pottery, baskets, floral designs, painting, jewelry, leather and sculpture. At the Wood Whittlers Complex nextdoor candles, log furniture, candy and silversmithing round out the first entrance to the trail. 

Continue down Highway 321 to the trail’s second entrance at Buckhorn Road where you will find Smokies’ Edge, where you can see leather working and wood turning demonstrations. Nearby the Wild Plum Tea Room is a charming place to stop for lunch  — the tea room is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and reservations are recommended. With both indoor and outdoor dining, a beer and wine menu, homemade chicken salad, soups seasoned with fresh tarragon and excellent sugar-free dessert options the Wild Plum is sure to please. Don’t miss the famous tea, served hot and cold, with a side of tiny muffins and wild plum jam. 

After lunch continue to follow Buckhorn Road to its intersection with Glades Road. Make your way along Glades Road choosing the types of galleries that interest you most. Paul Murray’s gallery is a wonderful place to see the faces of Appalachian past, as this self-taught artist sketches and paints portraits of the working class of old-timers and the old ways of mountain life. The gallery itself is a historic farmhouse complete with the original hardwood floors and newspaper insulation on the walls. 

At Cliff Dwellers Gallery two stories offer both a co-op craft shop and upstairs studio space where you will always find one of the six owners at work. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions, examine materials and simply spend some time talking about Gatlinburg past and present. The building was constructed in 1933 and moved to its present location, which is adjacent to the Jim Gray Gallery, housed in a 115-year-old church. Fiber artists will find the shop’s collection of naturally dyed yarns particularly appealing.

Just down the road Smoky Mountain Dulcimers offers an educational opportunity to learn about this historic instrument. 

Maps to the Arts and Crafts Trail are always available at the Gatlinburg Welcome Center on Highway 441 or more information can be found online at www.gatlinburgcrafts.com. 

When in doubt, take a trolley

Getting from point A to point B over any sizeable distance is easy thanks to the Gatlinburg Trolley, which costs 50 cents to ride in the downtown area. Longer rides to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park cost $2 while a jaunt over to Pigeon Forge’s Dollywood is only $1. Exact change is required for all rides.

The trolley has several pick up and drop off locations and is color-coded by route. During winter (through mid-March) the trolley runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. The rest of the year you can ride from 8 a.m. to midnight.

The Gatlinburg Winter Magic Trolley Ride of Lights departs from the mass transit center for a 45-minute ride through the town’s holiday displays. The Winter Magic Trolley makes three trips per evening at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. through December and on Saturdays in January excluding Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. To purchase tickets, call 865.436.0503 or visit the Gatlinburg Welcome Center located next to Ripley’s Aquarium.