I’ll admit I am the world biggest fan of the roadside attractions; Largest Ball of Twine, House of Mud, World Largest Non-Stick Fry Pan……See Rock City! I suppose all of that goes back to the days of our family road-trip vacations. The truth is, I love that stuff and today’s agenda is TOURIST DAY! And the Smoky Mountains are ground zero for attractions! Today here’s just a few of the Smoky Mountains Attractions for your visit.
Today we’re giving you three suggestions for breakfast; The Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg ($$$$), eat at the cabin(-$) or get off the strip and go find Lil Black Bear Cafe ($) in Pigeon Forge.
The Pancake Pantry is Tennessee’s first pancake house, visitors to Gatlinburg have made dining with them a tradition. What keeps them coming back? It’s the real butter, the honest-to-goodness fresh whipped cream and everything made from scratch. Delicious!
The Lil Black Bear Cafe is a hidden gem in Pigeon Forge. You can’t find a more cozy, friendly atmosphere with great food and great prices. You had better be ready to eat, this is the place from sausage and biscuits to huge pancakes and more!
Now that we’ve tied on the feedbag, let’s go hit the attractions!
First up, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. I’ll admit I was skeptical of this place, I thought it would be some cheesy little aquarium but I was wrong. Ripley’s Aquarium is fantastic! From the walk through aquariums to petting jellyfish to the glass bottom boat, this place was a blast. In my opinion a don’t miss attraction. Ripleys Aquarium ranks as #1 on our Smoky Mountains Attractions list.
Next up Titanic! This is about as close as you can get to what the passengers and crew experienced aboard ship. Visitors can touch finely carved wooden inlays, grasp the wheel on the captain’s bridge, tap out messages on the ship’s wireless, feel an iceberg’s chill, stroll decks and galleries and listen to stories told by real survivors. I think of it as “Living Theatre” with guests as part of the experience.
Come Play with the Stars at Hollywood Wax Museum! You’ll get the chance to pose with your favorite stars and use provided props to ham it up for super-fun selfies. Walk the red carpet with Hollywood’s elite, sing along with pop stars, come face-to-face with horror villains and even put on a wedding dress and marry a star! You’ll also discover little-known facts about your favorite show-biz personalities, including surprising details about their pets, pet peeves, accomplishments, charity work, and more.
How about a trip to Parrot Gardens. The park has hundreds and hundreds of exotic birds from all over the world in a Garden of Eden setting. In the bird garden you can feed the parrots and have souvenir pictures taken holding a parrot. Experience a walk-in aviary where colorful Australian Lorikeets drink nectar from a cup in your hand. Parrot Mountain is an eco tourist bird park.
Let’s go visit the newest member to our Smoky Mountains Attractions… Anakeesta, the Gatlinburg based theme park is a great family value! Admission to Anakeesta includes a scenic ride via the Chondola to the summit of Anakeesta Mountain where you enter the magical Firefly Village. Enjoy spectacular views of downtown Gatlinburg on your way. At the top, you’ll enjoy majestic scenic views of Mt. LeConte, quaint gift shops and casual dining at their Smokehouse BBQ food truck or savory pastries, pies, cookies, hot drinks, and of course ice cream at Pearl’s Pie in the Sky. Don’t miss the zip lines!
This ought to be a good start, there is so many more Smoky Mountains attractions to see! So far on Day 1 we visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Day 2 we visited Dollywood and now today we hit the major tourist attractions. Tomorrow is recovery day both for you and your wallet!
Looking for more ideas about where to stay, what to do and places to dine? Check out our full website www.dancingbearfoot.com
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