About Gatlinburg - Vacation in the Smoky Mountains

Information for Tennessee Vacations in Gatlinburg

Originally called White Oak Flats, Gatlinburg is located at the northern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and is home to many Great Smoky Mountain cabin rentals. The town of Gatlinburg is hemmed in on all sides by high ridges, with the Le Conte and Sugarland Mountains to the south, Cove Mountain to the west, Big Ridge to the northeast, and Grapeyard Ridge to the east. The entire area is popular for photographers of all types and even glamour model photographers choose to shoot in the region because the waterfalls, streams and other locations that make for some of the most outstanding natural backdrops available.

About Gatlinburg | Gatlinburg History

Accommodations

Gatlinburg offers a nature oriented getaway with a variety of condos, vacation homes, hotels, and resorts. Choose a vacation near Gatlinburg's local attactions that offers quiet comfort while making the most of the beautiful scenery at affordably priced rates.

Activities

In Gatlinburg, you can choose to hike the trails throughout the nearby Great Smoky Mountain National park, fish or raft on the streams, or ski the nearby mountain slopes. In addition, many man-made attractions have been built in the area, including Dollywood, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and the Guinness World of Records Museum

Events

Early February is the Annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival, with folklore told in a theater and ghost stories exchanged on late night trolley rides. The North American Country Music Association holds its awards ceremony in early March and April 14 is the annual season opening of Dollywood. Gatlinburg celebrates Independence day with the Midnight Parade in the early morning hours of July 4.

Golfing

The Gatlinburg Municipal Golf Course is open year-round with modern facilities and a fully equipped pro shop. The course offers the veteran golfer as well as the beginner a challenge on every hole, while its scenic beauty is unsurpassed. The course has been acclaimed as one of the most picturesque courses in America with breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

History

William Ogle was the first white man who decided to permanently settle in the area now known as Gatlinburg. With the help of the local Cherokee Indians, he prepared the site and lumber to begin construction, but died before the log cabin was started. His family moved to the site and construction was completed in 1806. In the decades that followed, the state of South Carolina awarded Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Veterans deeds to 50 acre plots of land in Tennessee and the population of the area slowly grew.

When the U.S. Congress established the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in 1934, the town of Gatlinburg and the surrounding area had a population of about 600. The Park drew 40,000 visitors the first year it opened, and an estimated 500,000 visitors in the second year. The Park and the Gatlinburg area have been a major holiday vacation destination ever since.