Thinking of getting a family vacation planned this summer. Considering the Smoky Mountains for a variety of reasons. I visited the park for a week as a youth trailer camping with my family. Was very nice back then and has obviously become more commercial in 40 plus years. This will be a group of adults/adult children as big as 8-10+.

An awesome mountain chalet with many rooms and all the amenities and awesome views seems the easy choice. Can get tricking if you stay as long as a week. Maybe another thought is a group of smaller cabins centered around a general/pool area for gathering etc. Really open to ideas if anyone has been in recent years.

As far as the exact area it seems to me anywhere between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg works as long as not actually in town. Gatlinburg being closer to the National Park I think?

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

we were going to take a spin through there on a family drive to florida about 25 years ago. The line to get in was about 10 miles long. We turned around and skipped it.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

As per tradition, I'll give you completely different advice you didn't ask for.

For a similarly long drive you can head up to Vermont and New Hampshire which was one of my favorite places I ever visited.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This.

I'd steer clear of Gatlingburg, which I would describe as hillbilly Vegas.

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Everybody politely nodding in agreement? Sounds like your personal hell.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Stay as close to Gatlinburg as you can. The further north you are, the more of a pain it is to get to that area which is where most of the more interesting stuff is.

We went horseback riding last year with the kids. Takes about 90-120 minutes and it was a fun experience for the family.

Bring your own booze or you'll be hitting whiskey tastings and drinking cheap beer and wine coolers. But, hit a whiskey tasting. Worth it.

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You know me like that.

I thought the Whiskey tastings sucked. But yes, bring your own booze. You can buy beer and wine pretty much anywhere, but I think there was like 1 liquor store in the entire county.

I think there was a thread about this with Free Ajent a few years back.

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We went in the spring a few years back, mid-march maybe. It was great - very quiet, traffic was low and we had easy access to the entire park. Plus the bears were starting to wake up at that time (still a little early) so there was at least a chance of observing them (we didn't see any that trip).

I have been to Vermont many times and can verify that it is awesome and much less traveled. The northern Adirondacks of New York are phenomenal as well.

Gone

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I appreciate that Rick but I have been to both many times. My previous position had me visit north of Boston.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Yeah I heard though that out of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge one is more like the Dells and one is more like Nashville/Austin. At any rate I would be in woods and streams and so on more.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Thanks Doc.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Thanks Rick. My remaining kids are going to be 22 and 20 then.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

We've been there twice. The first cabin was in fairly flat area and access was pretty easy. The second was much nicer up high in the hills and driving down those one-lane roads up and down at night with 100-foot drops right off the shoulder and no guardrails was white-knuckle time.

No wonder it is a dry county. Everyone in the county would be dead driving around there.

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You know me like that.

When you are on family vacations do you do like you do on this message board and go on random drunken rants and make everyone uncomfortable?

No I generally leave them sleeping at night and go on late night mafia hits like other polish hitmen.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

cool. Have a good time!

No I just pretend to be a real annoying person like you!

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Pretty sure Bob isn't pretending.

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The in laws were talking yesterday about this exact sort of trip. Last week of July. Early celebration of my FIL's 80th. 4 couples and 6 kids(1,3,5,8,10,12). Talking about a big vrbo, lake, sites that we usually drive past on the way to florida.

I think taking over 4 small cabins at a resort would be less stressful.

I'd also rather do Michigan or northern Wisconsin.

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