Gatlinburg,
Tennessee: A Smoky Mountain Resort City
 Of
the many, varied attractions that draw people to the Smoky Mountains
region of Tennessee, Gatlinburg is one of the major ones. Gatlinburg's
unique blend of European style and Smoky Mountain culture combines
to offer Tennessee visitors something truly unique and entertaining.
While Gatlinburg started as not much more than a place to host
visitors of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, today it
is a destination mecca in its own right. The fun and flare of
Gatlinburg has only added to the recreational appeal of the
Smoky Mountains region; a vacation destination that hosts millions
of tourists each and every year.
Even the earliest settlers to East Tennessee recognized the
spectacular beauty of the Smoky Mountains. As more and more
people began to travel through and to the area, the fame of
the local Tennessee hills increased. It wasn't until 1930 however
that the federal government officially christened the area a
national park. Once the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park came into being, this
region (that stretches from East Tennessee into North Carolina)
began to grow as a major east coast tourist destination. Today,
tourism is the major industry here; based in the major Tennessee
resort cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
Gatlinburg, TN is in a natural basin- surrounded on three sides by the sprawling glory of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Less than a century ago, Gatlinburg was a small mountain hamlet. At that time the area was knows as White Oaks Flats- for the Oak trees that populated the area. Many of the people that first settled in the area were Revolutionary War veterans who moved into East Tennessee to claim their promised 50 acre lots of land. None of these early settlers could have imagined what their little settlement was to become.
 The
first hotels in Gatlinburg were built to offer Smoky Mountain
accommodation to businessmen who came into the area to purchase
lumber- which was in abundance. It really wasn't until the establishment
of the national park in 1930 that Gatlinburg emerged as a tourist
center. Many of the mountaineers who had lived in the Tennessee
hills moved into Gatlinburg to become part of the growing tourist
industry. Officially, it wasn't until 1945 that Gatlinburg was
incorporated. Since then it has seen rapid growth as a world-class
resort city that attracts people on a year-round basis.
Early on in the development of Gatlinburg as a tourist destination, developers caught on to the idea of building the town in the image of a quaint European mountain village. The aim was to build a city that looked like it could just as likely be situated in the Alps of Switzerland or Austria. Even today, all new structures are designed in such a way as to seamlessly match this early European architectural flavor.
Many Tennessee visitors like to explore Gatlinburg on foot. There are a host of interesting and entertaining attractions to enjoy in the city center; everything from art galleries to craft shops to museums. The world renowned work of the local Smoky Mountain Arts and Crafts Community is on display at many of these locations; where you can take home a little bit of Smoky Mountain culture with you. Perhaps the most famous attraction of all in the city is the Ober Gatlinburg gondola- which takes you up the side of the mountain in class and comfort and offers stunning, panoramic views of the valley and the surrounding mountains. No daytrip in Gatlinburg would be complete without a tour on the historic Gatlinburg. The trolley meanders along at a pace that lets you take in all the wonderful sights and sounds of downtown Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee is also well known for its diverse and delectable cuisine. The city features a wide variety of dining establishments, some of which include: the Greenbriar, the Smokey Mountain Brewery and Restaurant, the Hofbrauhaus Restaurant and Cheese Cupboard, the Cherokee Grill and the Log Cabin Pancake House. No matter what your preference when it comes to eating out- whether it be fine dining or a rustic Smoky Mountain pancake breakfast, Gatlinburg has you covered.
Considering that Gatlinburg is a city built in the image of
a European mountain village, its not surprising that mountain
log cabins have emerged as one of the most popular lodging options
in the area. Today both Pigeon
Forge and Gatlinburg are home to a thriving cabin rental
industry. In Europe, mountain chalets and villas are the accommodation
option of choice. It seems that Gatlinburg and the greater Smoky
Mountains region has followed suit.
 The
cabins
available in Gatlinburg are a far cry from your average
mountain cabin. If you associate "roughing it" with a stay in
a mountain cabin, then you have yet to experience the true lodging
luxury afforded by the magnificent mountain homes. On the exterior,
these Smoky Mountain cabins are beautiful to behold and blend
in seamlessly with their spectacular surroundings. On the interior,
these Gatlinburg cabins are fully equipped with exquisite furnishings
and every modern convenience- right down to a state of the art
audio-visual system and an on-deck hot tub to take in the surrounding
Smoky Mountain splendor.
Yes indeed, the thriving vacation mecca of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
certainly has come a long way from its humble beginnings as
a small, out of the way, mountain hamlet. Today Gatlinburg is
a world-class vacation destination that not only hosts people
who've come to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
but entertains them with its many, varied recreational attractions.
If you've yet to see the Smokies in person, why not make plans
to visit historic Gatlinburg and the surrounding region- today.
|
|
