A Gatlinburg 4th of July Vacation: On- and Off-Road!

Fourth of July flags and colorful flowers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Welcome to Gatlinburg.

…The weekend forecast?

Well, Lynnette and Jim are coming, so you can expect showers.

Chances are good that you’ll see plenty of rain.

And, some thunderstorms too.

Other than that, it should be nice and pleasant.

Enjoy your stay!

 

We did a lot of driving in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee this weekend. While we dodged the rain for the most part, it finally caught up with us here at the NC/TN border. This is a picture of rain on the windshield.

This was certainly a last-minute trip like none other…

 

We would’ve liked to camp on this visit to the Smoky Mountains, but on July 2nd, every campground within 40 miles of Gatlinburg was booked solid over the Fourth of July holiday. (Fortunately, we got our camping “fix” a few weeks earlier.)

 

Jim and Lynnette - Gatlinburg, Tennessee 2005.

 

Sometimes we get bonus points for being “spontaneous”. Other times we consider ourselves complete idiots for our lack of planning!

 

So we found a cheap (by “Gatlinburg on the 4th” standards: only $89) hotel near Light #8.

It was the Sidney James at 610 Historic Nature Trail/Airport Road.

The view from Gatlinburg's traffic light number 8. For those who don’t know, you find your way around downtown Gatlinburg in relation to the street lights — numbered 1 through 10.

We’re not really into all the “touristy” stuff there, so we were glad to be somewhat near the end — easy in, easy out in terms of traffic.

 

In reality, we got a couple of great “bonuses” at our bargain hotel:

  • There was a great little Mexican Restaurant right down the street — and everyone knows how we LOVE Mexican food!
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  • The trolley made frequent passes up and down our street — taking people from the hotel anywhere from traffic light #1 to Pigeon Forge
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  • Watching the Gatlinburg fireworks from our hotel with a<br />     fellow tourist.Our hotel room came with a balcony which faced the street — in PERFECT view of the Gatlinburg fireworks display which took place at midnight on July 4th. Talk about a party on the porch!
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  • There was a hidden gem at the end of our road… Where our hotel’s parking lot ended, a little-known auto touring route began. It’s called the Roaring Fork Auto Driving Tour, and it’s a haven for black bears, deer, and turkey by the dozens

Sidney James...Courtside.

 

Highlights Of Our Weekend In (& Around) Gatlinburg

Lynnette photographing the winding roads and scenery. Here are the highlights, with complete details to be posted in the coming days — including photographs and video!

Jim video blogging the beautiful scenery and things to do 'off the beaten path'. For the most part, I did the photographing, while Jim did the video blogging. In all, we shot more than 600 photos and 100 MB of video during our 3-day/2-night/825-mile Jeepin’ adventure in and around Gatlinburg.

The highlights…

 

Jim and Lynnette enjoying Gatlinburg... off the beaten path.

 

Both the Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Highway are favorites of motorcycle drivers. They drive from all the surrounding states just to experience these narrow & twisty roads. But trust me, it’s fun in a Jeep too!

 

We've got Jeep hair!

 

And, like usual… we saw plenty of deer and bears that we spotted all along the backcountry roads of Gatlinburg:

 

A Gatlinburg black bear we spotted along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. A deer caught staring us down along the backcountry road to Townsend, Tennessee.

Overall, it was a weekend filled with lots of spontaneous adventure. We definitely had a ton of FUN.

 

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Lynnette Walczak

I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money -- so I frequently write about "outside the box" ideas that most wouldn't think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I worked in Higher Ed several years until switching gears to pursue things I was more passionate about. I've worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo -- to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. You can always find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun websites).

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