In this episode, Local Travel Mom Cassandra takes us beyond the Great Smoky Mountains with kids to Chattanooga and East Tennessee adventures within a few hours’ drive. Traveling with her husband and six-year-old son, Cassandra shares what her family has discovered in their area.
For more family vacation inspiration, check out all the podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!
Tell Us About Yourself
Most families know East Tennessee for the Great Smoky Mountains. Living here, we’ve found there’s so much more to do nearby.
My husband and I were lifelong Floridians. About two years ago, we moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with our six-year-old son. It was a big change. We had to learn a whole new area and figure out what there was to do around here.
Now we explore Chattanooga and take day trips up to two or three hours away. From here, you can reach Nashville, Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountains, Atlanta, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We look for festivals and unique spots that are worth the drive.
Chattanooga, Trains, and Lookout Mountain
When people think of Chattanooga, they think of trains, thanks to the 1940s Glenn Miller song “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” The Tennessee Valley Railroad runs out of Chattanooga and offers history train tours.
One of our favorite rides is the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain. It climbs at a 72.7% grade and has been running for 130 years.
It’s all glass roof, so you’re going up the mountain sideways, but you’re looking out over this view. It’s amazing.
Then there’s Rock City. If you’ve driven through East Tennessee or North Georgia, you’ve probably seen a barn roof painted with “See Rock City.” It’s a great marketing campaign for an attraction with trails through caves, holiday events like Enchanted Garden of Lights, and a lookout where they say you can see seven states.
MoonPie and Little Debbie both come from Chattanooga, too. Little Debbie Park in Collegedale has life-size snack cakes you can climb on, plus a huge playground. My son loves it, and it’s a great photo op.
Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the Smoky Mountains
In Pigeon Forge, the big stop is Dollywood. It’s bigger than we expected. It took us about three visits to see the whole park and ride all the rides. Pigeon Forge also has fun stops like you’d find in Orlando, such as WonderWorks and Ripley’s.
Gatlinburg has Ripley’s Aquarium and a free shuttle that takes you around the main points of interest. We rode it from the aquarium to the Smoky Mountains visitor center, where our son picked up his National Parks Passport book to get stamped. The shuttle is a big help, since traffic through Gatlinburg can back up in busy seasons.
For views from the top, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, and SkyBridge all take you up the mountain, and each one is a different experience.
Something to Do Every Season, and How to Find It
Fall is a wonderful time to come to the area to see the leaves changing. I went to my first real pumpkin patch, where the pumpkins grow on the vine, and you cut your own. In Florida, a pumpkin patch is just stacks of pumpkins.
We also went to Mayfield Dairy Farm Park in Athens, Tennessee, for their corn mazes. They had three mazes that each make a picture when you see them from above.
In winter, we visited Foster Falls, about 45 minutes from Chattanooga, right after it snowed, and saw icicles all along the waterfall. In summer, you can swim at the bottom.
Any time of year, you can hike the Appalachian Trail, find waterfalls, or just enjoy the mountains.
The area is also full of themed festivals. We went to the MoonPie RC Cola Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and it was really cool. The Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, is on our list. I hear a lot of people rave about it.
To find what’s happening, I start with tourism sites. Visit Chattanooga, for example, lists fun things to do. I also check Facebook Events, where local businesses and festivals post what’s coming up. And I’ve joined Facebook groups like “Things to Do in Knoxville” and “Things to Do in Pigeon Forge,” where people share upcoming events.
Next Family Adventures
This summer, we’re doing our biggest road trip yet: all of Route 66 for its 100th anniversary, in a 1965 Nova my husband has been restoring. We plan to start in Chicago with a day at Six Flags (our Six Flags Prestige Pass covers parks across the country), make stops along the way, and finish in Santa Monica with a visit to Knott’s Berry Farm.
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Follow along on Cassandra’s adventures on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook at @thenextpursuit.
For more family vacation inspiration, tune in to all the podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!
