By Jim Watson © 2008, All Rights Reserved

Cont. Click here to read part 1

With the Great Smoky Mountains as the backdrop, Ripley's Davy Crockett Mini Golf showcases two beautifully landscaped, 18-hole courses with animated and interactive displays throughout the putting pitfalls and sand traps. Flushing outhouses, singing gophers, and criticizing crows provide a laugh-out-loud putt-putt experience that should make all the other courses green with envy. Open 365 days a year, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is one indoor adventure that is guaranteed to satisfy everyone. Once inside, it is easy to recognize that this 1.4 million gallon aquarium featuring twelve-foot sharks and over 10,000 exotic sea creatures from around the world is truly a world class addition to downtown Gatlinburg. Getting up close and personal is a breeze traveling through the world's longest underwater aquarium tunnel on a 345 foot glide path. As they say, no aquarium gets you closer. Paris has the Louvre, New York City has the Guggenheim, and Washington DC has the Smithsonian. While in Gatlinburg, the museums of choice are the Guinness World Record Museum and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Size up the world’s tallest man, gaze in awe at the Batmobile, and marvel at the two-headed calf. Between the two museums there are literally thousands of unique exhibits and unusual artifacts with a few that could even make the Mona Lisa crack a smile.

Now it’s time to focus on everyone’s favorite four letter “f” word and of course we mean food. Gatlinburg features some of the finest dining available. A Gatlinburg staple since 1960 and Tennessee’s first pancake house, one can never go wrong with the Pancake Pantry. People have been known to risk life and limb just to get a whiff of their blueberry pancakes. Be prepared for real butter, fresh whipped cream, and a homemade goodness that still has people standing in line after 45 years. Halfway from everything in the middle of Gatlinburg is the Brass Lantern, a lunchtime favorite famous for their vegetable soup and Rueben sandwiches. A cornbread casual atmosphere that is perfect for the whole family. By late afternoon, it is not unusual for that sweet tooth to start sending signals to your brain that it needs a little attention. There is no better place than the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen to put that craving in its place. Watch taffy being pulled on site, sample one of at least a dozen homemade fudge flavors, or sink your teeth into a fire engine red candy apple. If your sweet tooth also happens to think it’s a health nut, then trick it something not so sinfully sweet by choosing one of the many flavors of popcorn from Karmelkorn, a fixture on the Gatlinburg parkway since 1961. With flavors ranging from traditional caramel to sour cream and onion, the Karmelkorn Shoppe can satisfy even the most picky popcorn perfectionist.

Located streamside and with beautiful views of the Little Pigeon River, the Peddler is one of Gatlinburg’s more unique restaurants. The timbers of four original Gatlinburg log homes from the 1800s were carefully laid into place around the original C. Earl Ogle homestead giving us the design and structure of the restaurant that can be seen today. The history and uniqueness of the building is only equaled by the quality of the cuisine served inside. A custom cut ribeye or New York strip and a salad bar that is nothing less than hedonistic provides the Peddler with a level of success matched by few others in Gatlinburg.
Surrounded on three sides by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg welcomes a variety of visitors to experience its rich Appalachian heritage and laid back mountain charm. Only in Gatlinburg can you find over 800 miles of hiking trails so close at hand, more than 450 unique shops selling the perfect souvenir, and over 35,000 people per night wishing that their vacation never had to end. So, at some point between that first hike and that last romantic dinner, you realize that the best souviner is a Gatlinburg vacation that you will always remember.