The Best Way to Get the Most of Your Gatlinburg Vacation

My family has been invited to a Cincinnati blogger focused weekend to the AMAZING and gorgeous Gatlinburg! I use to go a lot as a child, but have never taken my kids so we are all SO excited to go and explore. 

Places to Stay 

I have always stayed in a Chalet in the mountains, but I am really looking forward to staying in the heart of Gatlinburg at the Downtown Hotel The Greystone Lodge. The pictures look beautiful, they offer a complimentary breakfast in the mornings which is awesome when you have a big family and you can walk to everything downtown Gatlinburg has to offer from the Hotel! That is a huge bonus for me because when we stayed in chalets in the past it takes a good 15 minutes or more to drive down the hill to all the attractions. We are taking a long weekend trip and I want to squeeze in as much fun as possible so every minute counts. 

We will be exploring Downtown Gatlinburg, including Ripley’s Aquarium with a behind the scenes tour, but what I am most excited to check out is Ober Gatlinburg and Anakeesta because I have never been to either! 

Ober Gatlinburg 

Ober Gatlinburg will be having their Octoberfest the weekend we are there and we will be having dinner there and participating in the night time festivities. I hope to visit Ober during the day to explore some of the cool activities they have for families. Here are just a few of the fun things on my list to check out!  

• Ski Mountain Coaster
• Alpine Slide
• Wildlife Encounter
• Ice Bumper Cars
• Amaze Maze

They even have skiing and snow tubing in the winter! 

Anakeesta

I cannot wait to explore Anakeesta. It looks like every child’s dream with the Tree Canopy Walk and the Children’s Treehouse Village. You take a Chondola ride up the mountain to get to the top and then you can zipline down the mountain to get to the bottom. 

The Best Way to Get the most of your Gatlinburg Vacation

My family is leaving Thursday after school and will have two full days to explore and will be participating in a guided hike on Sunday in the majestic Smoky Mountains. My boys range from 9-3 so there is obviously a big age gap and that will determine what we can all do as a family. My goal in our trip, other than have the most amazing time EVER, is to take note on how to make the most of a short Gatlinburg vacation and how to do that with younger kids.

• What is worth squeezing into the trip? 
• Does it benefit you to stay in Downtown Gatlinburg? 
• What activities can be fun for children 9 and under? 

I hope to bring you the best way to get the most of your Gatlinburg vacation!! I will be shooting some live videos, taking tons of pictures and most of all, having a blast trying new things. I would love to hear from you before I go!

• What did you enjoy with your kids while you were there?
• What could you have left off the list? 
• Best activities for younger children? 
• Any food places you visited that were mouthwatering? 

Also, leave me any questions you have and I will try and find the answers while I am there. We are definitely counting down the days to our Gatlinburg vacation! Who else loves the Smoky Mountains and the family fun Gatlinburg has to offer?