A Pigeon Forge Christmas

The last few years for Christmas we have went to various places with some friends. We never do it over Christmas, just usually the same week. Usually we go to Virginia Beach, I wrote a post about it the last time here. However, this year we went to Pigeon Forge. We have went to Pigeon Forge for Christmas before but that was back in 2019.

We left school at 3 on Friday and headed toward Pigeon Forge. It snowed on the way down which was exciting. When we got there we ate at Cheddar’s, a chain we like.

On Saturday we went to Gatlinburg and strolled around town. We started by strolling the Mountain Mall and then just wandering the streets and going into interesting stores. We ate lunch at Bennet’s Barbeque in Gatlinburg. Three of us shared their nachos and potato skins and they were amazing! Later we got combo tickets to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and the Skybridge. We first did Ripley’s, which was definitely a unique experience, and then did the Skybridge. The Skybridge is a suspension bridge more or less that lies between to mountain ridges. There is a ski lift up to it and then you can walk the bridge. At the lowest point you are roughly 500 feet about the ground. The middle is made of glass which adds an interesting feeling to the mix. We went up near dark to see the lights of Gatlinburg. After we were done with the bridge we went back to Pigeon Forge and ate at the Sunliner Diner. It’s a new diner themed like it’s from the ‘50s or ‘60s. I had the chicken alfredo and it was delicious.

A few exhibits from Ripley's.

Photos from the Skybridge.

On Sunday we went to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or GSMNP as I saw it referenced, and walked some trails.

On Monday we did shopping. We went to Bass Pro and did some thrifting. We also went to Douglas Dam which is run by the TVA. After that we went to Tony Gore’s and got the nachos on fries. It was delicious! We even saw Tony and David Sutton. That night we ate at Huck Finn’s Catfish. We then went to the Island which is a bunch of stores in the middle of the river. They have a fountain that is synced to music which is what we went for.

Facts about the dam and its construction.

The fountain at the Island

Tuesday we went to some of the stores at The Old Mill and then we came home. On the way out we stopped at a Buc-ees which was quite the experience.

Also of note, we went to the Dolly Parton Stampede and Big Daddy’s Pizzeria.

Of the stampede, not the pizzeria.

Overall, it was a long but really enjoyable trip.