The “Gateway to the Smokies” is a Charming Town with Euro-Themed Main Street & Amazing Pancakes

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Before Gatlinburg became the tourist hotspot we know today, Cherokee hunters roamed these mountains and locals called the place “White Oaks Flat.” It only became “Gatlinburg” in 1856 when Radford C. Gatlin opened a post office in his store.

Tourists started showing up in the early 1900s after the Appalachian Club resort. And once it became the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg quickly became one of the best spots to visit in the state. Here are some of the best things to do during your trip.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This park literally made Gatlinburg what it is today, a tiny mountain community that exploded into a vacation destination overnight.

Walk from downtown straight into a wilderness playground with mountains, waterfalls, and more plant and animal species than you can count.

Grab your hiking boots and hit the Little River Trail where you’ll discover old homesteads among the trees, or take the Gatlinburg Trail that connects town directly to nature.

Stop by the Visitor Center to get your bearings before heading out to spot black bears, wildflowers, or the mist that gives these mountains their “smoky” name.

Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community

North of downtown sits an 8-mile loop of shops where real craftspeople make things the old mountain way. Started in 1937, this is the oldest attraction in town.

More than 120 artists work here making everything from handmade brooms to dulcimers, quilts, pottery, and leather goods. Many learned their skills at Arrowmont School, which opened in 1912 as the first real school in Gatlinburg.

Hop on the Yellow Trolley route instead of driving, it stops at all the best shops and studios where you can talk with artists. Many folks spend a whole day here hunting for one-of-a-kind souvenirs you won’t find on the main strip.

Ober Mountain

Looking for the only ski resort in Tennessee? It’s right here in Gatlinburg.

Ober Mountain has eight ski trails, three chair lifts, and a wildlife area where mountain animals live. A local entrepreneur named Joe Baker bought and renamed the place in 2022, then added mountain biking trails and ziplines.

Take the Aerial Tramway from downtown for amazing views on your way up the mountain. The Swiss-style tram cars have been carrying visitors since 1973, becoming as much an attraction as the mountain itself.

The place transforms Gatlinburg into a four-season playground beyond just fall leaf-peeping. Not into skiing? Try the Alpine Slide, rock climbing wall, or summer tubing.

The Village Shops

Duck off the busy main street and suddenly you’re in what looks like a tiny European village with 27 specialty shops and eateries.

The Village has become one of those spots every Gatlinburg regular knows about since the 60s. Cobblestone walkways lead you between buildings that house classics like

The Donut Friar, where locals line up for fresh-baked goods every morning. Fountains bubble in little courtyards where you can sit and enjoy coffee between shopping sprees.

Pancake Alley

Nowhere else has as many pancake houses per mile as Gatlinburg.

The town’s pancake fixation started in the 1960s and shows no signs of slowing down with lines outside these breakfast joints every morning. The Pancake Pantry kicked things off as Tennessee’s first pancake specialist in 1960.

Now spots like Log Cabin Pancake House and Crockett’s Breakfast Camp keep the tradition going with towering stacks of flapjacks made with mountain recipes.

Order cornmeal pancakes topped with maple syrup, buckwheat cakes with fresh blueberries, or banana pancakes with Tennessee honey.

Ripley’s Aquarium

You’re miles from any coastline, but Gatlinburg houses one of America’s top aquariums.

This place packs 1.5 million gallons of water and over 350 different sea creatures right in the heart of mountain country. Nothing beats the underwater tunnel where you stand on a moving walkway as sharks swim inches above your head.

The penguin exhibit draws crowds too, especially during feeding time when these tuxedoed birds waddle around on parade. Touch rays in the shallow pools, watch divers feed tropical fish, or catch the mermaid show that kids go crazy for.

Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum: Only in Gatlinburg

Where else would you find a whole museum dedicated to salt and pepper shakers?

This quirky spot houses over 20,000 sets from around the world, starting as one couple’s collection that got seriously out of hand.

Shakers shaped like vegetables, animals, buildings, and people fill glass cases organized by theme and color. Some date back hundreds of years. Located just off the main drag, this affordable attraction counts your admission fee toward any shaker purchase.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Weird & Wonderful

Robert Ripley spent his life finding strange and unusual things from around the world. His Gatlinburg museum carries on that tradition.

Opening in the 1970s, this was one of Gatlinburg’s first major non-nature attractions. Inside the castle-like building are 500 exhibits across 16 galleries. You’ll see everything from shrunken heads to a vampire-killing kit from the 1800s.

Weird enough for teens and interesting enough for adults, Ripley’s now runs eight different attractions, including a haunted adventure, mirror maze, and moving theater.

Candy Kitchen Row: Sweet Tooth Paradise

The smell hits you first: warm sugar, chocolate, and vanilla wafting onto the sidewalk from candy shops that line Gatlinburg’s main strip. Watching taffy being pulled on old machines is as much a Gatlinburg tradition as buying it.

Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen started the sweet trend in 1950, pulling taffy on machines that still run today. Places like Aunt Mahalia’s and The Fudgery keep the tradition going with fudge made in copper kettles right before your eyes.

The town’s newest sugar celebration is Sweet Week, launched in 2025 as a February festival where every bakery, candy shop, and ice cream parlor creates special treats leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Hollywood Star Cars Museum

Car nuts and movie buffs both get their fix at this downtown museum housing over 40 vehicles that starred on screen. Since the 1990s, this collection has brought Hollywood glamour to the Smokies.

Get up close to the Batmobile, the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, and the Back to the Future DeLorean. Each comes with stories about how it was used in filming and its role in pop culture history.

The museum adds something different to Gatlinburg’s attraction mix and gives everyone great photo ops behind the wheel of famous rides. Its downtown location makes it an easy stop while exploring the main strip between other activities.