Well the g/f has some "vacation" that she bought which I'm sure is a time share type of thing as it was really cheap. She wants to go to Pigeon Forge, TN as that was 1 of the 3 choices. This would be over Thanksgiving (Thursday-Sunday). I know nothing about the area other than there are mountains and hopefully streams filled with trout. :-) So I ask of you if you are up to the challege and have the time and information to tell me about the area. Thank you!
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Their website says the have a Holllywood wax museum! :-):-):-)
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This is the one I'm looking at Bob. :-)

http://www.mypigeonforge.com/explore...mountains.aspx
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WOW.. This was the best choice out of 3? I can't imagine what the other two were! LOL
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Pigeon Forge is a little tourist trap on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, Andrew. You can go to Dollywood while you're there. :-)
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I aint much on the tourist trap towns up there like Pigeon Forge, Cherokee and the like. But it is an awesome area. You are close to Cades Cove which is a must see. It's not a long trip to take 441 through the mountains to Cherokee. I was just up there a couple months ago and have been there several time and always enjoy it Andrew.
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I'm not much for tourist traps either. We plan to be outdoors as long as the weather cooporates. She wants to do a night of camping and hiking in the mountains. Thanks for the info. so far.
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It's either this or Myrtle Beach or Orlando. We've both been to Orlando before seperately and neither of us has been to the Smokeys or Myrtle Beach.
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This has gotten me written all over it. I grew up 30 miles from MB and have been there more times than I care to count and I have spent several vacations in PF.

Both are tourist traps, but they are other things to do.

If you like the beach, plenty of places to eat and play golf, and some night life, MB is for you. Many, many miles of all of that. Lots of people, cars, but lots of scantly-clad chicks to look at :-). Really no where to get away from the bustle except in the middle of a good golf course or on the extremes ends of the strand. Huntington Beach and MB State park are a little quieter, as are some of the northern areas. Lots of shopping and seafood.

If you like the mountains, cool scenery, and Dollywood, PF is for you. We've taken our kids to Dollywood and to Splash Country a few times and it's perfect for our family. The ride through the mountains on 441 is cool. The trip back to Cherokee gives quite a few places to camp, hike, and explore. My kids aren't old enough for that yet. PF has plenty of places to eat and they have a lot of touristy-type places in the 5 miles major drag. You can also shop. You can also go to Gatlinburg, which is another tourist trap with a small drag of places to spend your money.

Comparison-wise: MB goes on and on and on while PF is a small 5-6 mile stretch. For MB, you can start at Pawleys Island in the south and go to nearly Little River in the north and it'll give you around 40+ miles of stuff to see and do. PF is about 7-8 miles from the southern city limits to Sevierville. Google both and look around.

Being a young buck with a GF, I'd choose MB. Thanksgiving in PF will be past the autumn leave changing prime and it'll be cold and a lot more drab than the summer months. I can't imagine anything to do that time of the year up there other than hike or camp. Dollywood is still open, but riding a coaster in cold weather doesn't sound appealing. MB in Nov can still produce pleasant, warm days and the crowds will be thinned from the summer bustle. Good deals can be had.
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^^This.
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One good thing about Pigeon Forge . . . it's upwind of Canton NC.


Believe me, you don't wanna be downwind of Canton. :-)



:-)
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Smoky Mountain Brewery

http://www.smoky-mtn-brewery.com/

Also a location in Gatlinburg. Get the sampler. 7-9 beers, 6.5 oz each. less than $10. Number depends on what seasonal beers are available. Your time frame, there will probably be 9 beers! Be aware, if you like their beer (which I do!), and want to carry some home with you..... Their beers ARE NOT pasteurized, and will require refrigeration 24-7, so I bring a cooler and keep the beers iced if I plan on carrying any home. Each of their locations has it's own micro-brewery on-site, and fully visible from the customer areas.

If you want a better shopping time, more "real" crafts, go thru 'Artist Valley" area off Hwy 321 going north out of Gatlinburg. shops are farther apart, require more driving, but they are mostly true artists and their output, verses mass manufactured trinkets you're more likely to find in PF and Gatlinburg. There's a good map on this site that gives you a good idea of what all is available on this 8 mile loop.

http://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/

If you plan a trip to Cherokee, plan it with enough time to turn off and travel to Clingman's Dome. And go to the top for the observation deck (it's a strenuous hike, but well maintained and more due to incline, not length.

There is an excellent cigar and pipe tobacco shop inside the Gatlinburg "Mall" on the right just past the aquarium (which is also a good trip). If you go to the Mall, make the trip to the top level for the pepper shop. Don't burn off all your tastebuds! They have some really hot stuff there, and they have samples for tasting for many of the items they sell. Including a 1 to 10 scale of hot sauces/salsas for the brave!

If you go into Gatlinburg for a day or two, consider riding the Tram to Ober Gatlinburg. Decent ride, and there's snow skiing and an ice rink at the top (though I don't know the dates they make snow (if not already present).

Depending on where you are coming from, find a route into PF that DOES NOT involve coming in on Hwy 66 thru Servierville. While it doesn't look that long on the map, when it's bumper to bumper, it takes a long time. However, your girlfriend may be interested in the outlet center in Servierville.

Cade's Cove was mentioned previously. Definitely a "Must See" plus there is a campground at the very entrance into the Cove, with tent-sites, RV sites, a store, bicycle and horse rentals. A good chance to see the cove and to get the camping in you would like to do!

http://www.reserveamerica.com/campin...O&parkId=70969

We (wife, myself and out children's families) do a semi-regular Christmas vacation to Gatlinburg, so we are there almost every year. Gatlinburg does a huge decoration drive for Christmas, and the lights and displays that will be in place from Nov 7, 2012 thru February 28, 2013. This will be the 37th year for the event.

In my opinion, PF is more of a tourist trap than Gatlinburg or Cherokee. Not a lot to recommend Cherokee to you, except for the casino. And it was 100% machines last time I was there, which interests me NOT A BIT. The ride over there is excellent, but can be congested and frustrating.

PF is too spread out to walk it all. Gatlinburg's downtown area can easily be walked in a couple of hours with time for stops in many stores. In half a day, you can almost look thru all the stores and walk it. Look to park on the edge of town near the aquarium, and leave the car there. Plenty of places to eat. Again, consider the Black Bear restaurant (The brewery's location) on the park end of town, its in a side retail center half a block off the main road to the left.

Enjoy the trip. There's lots of things to do that don't fall under "tourist trap". PM me if you have specific questions.
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BTW,

There is a stream running between the road lanes (dividing the highway's south and north bound lanes) between PF and Gatlinburg that I always see fly fishermen on, and there are other trout streams in the area, so if that's what you are looking for, pack your gear, it's available.
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Thanks for the excellent information Sville
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I just got back from there, Andrew, and I had a great time. If you are going, get rolling, its cooling off a bit and the
rates are way down. Look into this place... http://patriotgetaways.com/ They have an entire listing of cabins
that are half price right now, and you WANT them to be half price, believe me. In the Smokies, on the way to
Cades Cove there is a place called Tremont, on the west prong of the Little River. Excellent trout stream and
almost no one but trout fishermen go there. Find out HOW you can gain access to fish it, since it IS in a national park.
But I see people fishing there all the time. If you stay in the Wears Valley community of Pigeon Forge area, you will
be about a half hour from the stream. I doubt you will want to do much in pigeon forge itself, but the GSMNP is
AWESOME and there is a lot to do while you are there. Check out this website, too: http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/difficulty.htm
This is my favorite area of the country. it is one unbelievable place, just breathtaking beauty and biologic diversity.
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Another +1 for Pigeon Forge. I've taken my family there 3 times and stayed in the 'official Dollywood' cabins. We really had a great time.

Yes, tourist trap. Easy enough not to fall into it, though.

Can't say enough good things about Dollywood and Splash Country, if that's your thing. Really clean, nice places.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is right down the road, and offers a metric S-Ton of stuff to do, if that's your thing. Both in car and on foot, easily days worth of stuff to explore if you're looking for more natural experiences.

Plenty of rafting places, ATV tours and zip line tours around the immediate area as well. Hell, there are 3 helicopter ride places coming in on the main road! ($10!!!)

Several decent places to eat on the main drag in PF as well.

Oh, and a little cigar shop called Stogies in the Smokies! Its a hole-in-the-wall little place, but the woman who works in there has been very nice to me every time I've stopped in. Gotta take a picture sitting in front of it smoking a stick... :-)

Of course, just like cigars, its all a matter of taste so take this with a grain of salt and remember what you paid for it! :-)
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Pigeon Forge is a tourist trap shi thole that prides itself in 9.75% sales tax, high lodging tax and super expensive food. TGI Fridays admitted to me that they had a special menu for Pigeon Forge that was higher than national average. I hate the place and don't plan on going back anytime soon.
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I'd have gone with Myrtle Beach. Like was already said, miles and miles of Atlantic beach and plenty to do for anybody. Plus, there's Nick's Cigar World
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Been to PF twice now, once with just the wife and I and once with the family. Would go back in a heartbeat.
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I enjoyed it. Driving over to Gatlingburg and doing some hikes in between. Also Cades Cove. Bush's Baked Beans has their plant about 20min away. It has a restaurant that was pretty good( no beer). Bring sticks with you. And I did not go to Dollyworld. There is a winery in PF.
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