As we were hiking up to the falls, it began to rain quite hard. It was a longer hike than normal due to some construction work and having to begin the hike at a different location than usual. We tried to plan a different hike each day. Our purpose was to spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors and mountains. The house was beautiful and very nicely furnished. My husband and I took my son and his family and my daughter and her family to stay in a log cabin house in the Pigeon Forge area. It was a good "Once in a Lifetime" experience. Since we drove from Central Pennsylvania (580+miles - one way), the chances are small that we would need to revisit the area. We had a beautiful drive thru a small portion of the park. Another plus, if you like the outdoors, is its proximity to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Why they were in the Smokey Mountains is beyond my comprehension. If you are familiar with many East Coast beach towns, these are the large souvenir - T shirt - boogie board - taffy shops that appear every few blocks along the beach drives. The one thing I did not understand was the large number of "beach shops" located on the Parkway, the main road thru the area. Highlights were Dollywood (although overpriced at $55 pp admission), Dixie Stampede Dinner Show and the Christmas Place, which is an extensive and beautiful Christmas shop. As we learned during our stay - arrive Tuesday and depart Friday - there were many fine activities & shops to fill our time. As with any popular tourist area, there is a certain amount of this is to be expected. As our stay extended, we found ourselves more comfortable with all the "in your face", over the top tourist traps. The general feeling was "tourist tacky" as we drove further in from I-40 north of the area. ![]() We were a little apprehensive when we arrived around 6:00 PM on a Tuesday in August. We are always looking for new places to experience and that's what led us to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
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