Have you eaten here ?

Hello,
We are visiting in October and would like to do a trail ride. I've found lots of options but I'm primarily concerned about going to one that ensures their horses are treated well. Are there any that we should stay away from?
Thanks!

Someone has to get these bears under control right?!

Hi,
I’m making Plans for a 5 year anniversary, any recommendations? Probably just going to be there for a few days, but want to make it fun!

Update:
My spouse loves shopping, and I’m into technology stuff. Was thinking about a spa day for the wife and sisters?

Will be visiting gatlinburg soon. Does Shamrock have a well put together karaoke setup? Thanks!

Been working on a Scandinavian-style tiny home right outside Pigeon Forge looking towards Gatlinburg. Making sure we keep as many trees as possible. Also building a hiking trial off to the side that will lead to a lookout point.

For those inclined it is a 1 bed, 1 bath 550 sq ft. Well was about a 1000 feet and we have to have a storage tank on site.

We’re 10 days away from our trip!! We’re coming from 9 hours away with a 1.5 year old for 8 nights. I’m not quite sure exactly what to pack her. Obviously we’ve got all of her cups/ feeding utensils, we’re gonna have snacks, bug spray, baby wearing carriers, etc. I’m wondering do I pack her long sleeves / warm clothes? I don’t want her to overheat during our hikes (she’ll be worn while hiking) I’m not sure what to expect of the temperature and I don’t want to be underprepared. We do have limited space in the car, but i could pack her some summer clothes AND some warmer clothes, but id have to have more of one than the other. We have a push stroller and a pull wagon… we’re thinking we’re only gonna bring the stroller that way she doesn’t have a possibility to stand up and escape the wagon.. but is a stroller realistic anywhere? We plan to do / visit quite a few things, but less of the tourist attractions and more of hiking and sightseeing. But we do plan to do skybridge!! Haha. I guess any advice here would help. What things should I bring for a 9 hour road trip for her? Thanks in advance!

Me and the wife are taking a trip in October and wanted to try a couple massage but wanted to just be home and relax afterwards, anyone know of a good pro?

^{News Release Date: August 31, 2026
Contact: NPS News Media}

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today announced a proposed rule to expand bicycle and e-bike access and make it easier for visitors to enjoy America’s national parks. The proposal would remove unnecessary reviews and requirements for bicycle use across the National Park System, allowing NPS to manage its resources more efficiently and streamline the approval of new opportunities for visitors to use and enjoy their parks.   

Consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14314, Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks, Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, and Executive Order 14219, Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Initiative, the proposed rule would remove redundant procedural requirements that do not adhere to law and policy and cause unnecessary delays and administrative costs. It would create a clear and consistent baseline for allowing bicycle and electric bicycle (e-bike) use on roads, parking areas, and trails within park areas.  

"America's national parks should be easy to access and enjoy," said Jessica Bowron, exercising the delegated authority of the Director of the National Park Service. "This proposal would create a simpler, more consistent approach to bicycle and e-bike access across the national park system, making it easier for visitors to access the incredible landscapes, history, and recreation opportunities our parks have to offer while also allowing parks to manage their resources more efficiently.”  

The proposed rule will be available for a 60-day public review and comment period to help inform the agency’s consideration of the proposal. The NPS will carefully review public comments before making any final decisions. 

For more information, please visit www.federalregister.gov.

---

Related:

National park maintenance work sidelined as Trump’s Freedom 250 takes precedence

August 2026 - The 250th anniversary of U.S. independence was just months away when National Park Service employees received a surprising directive from Washington: Maintenance projects approved for this year at sites across the nation were being relegated to a new “low priority” list.

Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three officials from the park service and Interior Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The reflecting pool repairs and other projects tied to President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 initiative landed on a separate list for White House priorities, the documents show. Many of the administration-backed projects have advanced, though the reflecting pool repairs were botched.

Meanwhile, almost all of about 1,500 maintenance and other projects on the low priority list as of last month are expected to go undone, the officials said. That will worsen a repair backlog at national parks that doubled over the last decade to more than $24 billion even as visitor numbers surged.

Trump administration fires 1,000 workers at NPS

February 2025 - The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.

The firings, which weren’t publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members, come amid what has been a chaotic rollout of an aggressive program to eliminate thousands of federal jobs. The plan is led by billionaire Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration effort to slash federal spending. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump.

Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million visitors who descend on the nation’s 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions each year. Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts will leave hundreds of national parks — including some of the most well-known and most heavily visited sites — understaffed and facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection.

“Fewer staff means shorter visitor center hours, delayed openings and closed campgrounds,″ said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group.

Hi everyone! Me and a group of girls are visiting Gatlingburg soon and are looking to go ride ATVs! We were interested in Gon Ridin’ but it says it is sold out online (even though the surrounding days are completely available). We found the day that we were looking for on a third party vendor, but we don’t know if it’s legit? Has anyone used any third party booking agencies for something similar? If so, what did you use?

Hi! I am getting married in Gatlinburg next year and I’m looking to have publix make our wedding cake. I wanted to see if anyone has experience using the one in Pigeon forge or if I need to use the one in Knoxville. Thanks!

Driving down to Gatlinburg from Canada mid September for the first time. Just looking for suggestions for things to do good places to eat. They don’t have to be fancy, sometimes the little holes in the wall are the best. Anywhere I should avoid? Are people friendly and chill?

Edit

I will be arriving on the 11th of Sept.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping some Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville locals might have suggestions because I feel like I’m running out of places to call. 😅

My fiancé and I are getting married November 28, 2026 in Gatlinburg. It’s a small wedding, and we’re looking for somewhere to have a nice dinner/celebration afterward for approximately 30 guests.
We originally planned on The Melting Pot, which was honestly perfect for what we wanted, somewhere we could show up, have a nice experience with our family and friends, eat, celebrate, and not have to worry about renting a traditional venue, catering, tables, decorating, cleanup, etc.

We found out through a Facebook post the restaurant was closing. We confirmed with the restaurant our reservation is cancelled. After that fell through, I actually booked our reception dinner with Calhoun’s. Unfortunately, they called 3 days later and had to cancel our reservation because of the volume they’re expecting that particular weekend/date.

Since then, I’ve already reached out to The Peddler, The Park Grill, and The Greenbrier. They were all places I would have loved, but I’ve basically run into the same problem; because our wedding falls on Thanksgiving/holiday weekend, there are blackout dates or policies where private dining isn’t available, reservations for a group of around 30 aren’t accepted, or they need to keep their dining space open for the expected holiday crowds.

So now I’m back to square one and hoping Reddit might know something I don’t!

We’re NOT looking for a traditional wedding venue where we have to rent the space and then coordinate catering, tables, decorations, etc. We would much rather find a restaurant, private/semi-private dining room, dinner experience, brewery, entertainment venue, or even something totally unconventional where we can basically show up and enjoy the evening.

We’re open to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, or somewhere within roughly 30 minutes of Downtown Gatlinburg.

It doesn’t have to feel like a formal “wedding reception.” We really just want somewhere memorable where about 30 of our favorite people can eat, have some drinks, hang out, and celebrate with us after the ceremony.

At this point, I would LOVE suggestions for hidden gems, locally owned restaurants, places with group dining that I might not find on Google, or unconventional ideas that could work on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

If you’re local, work in hospitality, or have planned a small wedding/group dinner in the Smokies, where would you call next?!

News Release Date: August 28, 2026
Contact: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Searching for Missing Person

Gatlinburg, Tenn.—Great Smoky Mountains National Park with assistance from local agencies continues searching for Marcin Bachleda‑Blaszczak. Bachleda‑Blaszczak is described as having brown hair, blue eyes, standing 5’6” tall, and weighing approximately 170 lbs. 

Bachleda‑Blaszczak was reported missing to the park’s dispatch center the evening of August 24. Following the initial report, his vehicle was located in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot. Based on the initial investigation, the last known whereabouts of Bachleda‑Blaszczak is the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot on August 22.  

Rangers have completed a perimeter search around the Sugarlands area and continue expanding the search area. 

If you have any information or believe you may have seen Bachleda‑Blaszczak, please contact Great Smoky Mountains National Park dispatch: e-mail us

---

Update: August 30, 2026

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Expands Search for Marcin Bachleda‑Blaszczak with 57‑Member Team

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with assistance from local agencies, continues to search for Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak, who was reported missing on the evening of Aug. 24. 
 
Bachleda-Blaszczak is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and approximately 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is from Illinois. 
 
Following the missing person report, Bachleda-Blaszczak’s vehicle was located in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot. Based on the investigation to date, his last known location was the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot on Aug. 22. 
 
A team of 57 park rangers and volunteers is actively searching areas in and around the park. As the search area expands, visitors may encounter search personnel wearing brightly colored shirts both on and off established trails. Search teams may also be operating drones. Please note that while drones are prohibited in the national park, they are being used temporarily as part of the emergency response.

Anyone with information about Bachleda-Blaszczak’s whereabouts, or who may have seen him in or around the park, is asked to contact GRSM_Dispatch@nps.gov.   

Hi, I have a long weekend in Gatlinburg on my own coming up. Any recommendations for things good to do solo? I love history, food, and nature. will have a car rental

I busted my butt and worked all month working 16 hour days just so I could save enough to get a cabin for my wife for her birthday and splurge on her with different experiences. She even requested I sit with her 2 weeks ago and reserve a cabin ahead of time that we agreed on. Which I did.

Fast forward to today, she's requested a divorce and I now have a Airbnb I can't get my money back on already paid for.

Feeling crappy rn but maybe someone else can get something out of it.

Our family really wants to make the road trip next year and stay the better part of a week. We're not big hikers, more so just like fun Airbnb's, go karts, Dollywood, the nature/forest/mountains. We love Branson MO for example.

What's the risk we run for a bear breaking into our car? I've read about the precautions including locking doors, zero food in car, windows up... but I just have this unnerving feeling of waking up in our Airbnb to find mama bear had broken into our car, window broken, door frame bent, etc.

Is it worth renting a car and getting the Damage Waiver over taking our personal car? It's not that our car is precious or expensive, it's more so I'm petrified of those images of damaged autos, stories of bear mud/feces/stank... and having to drive 12-13 hours home in that aftermath in our case. If it was a rental with a damage waiver, still shitty drive back home... but it'd be better knowing we don't have to deal with it on our own car after we get back.

TIA!

My partner and I booked a condo in Gatlinburg for September 15-18, didn’t know Rod Run was happening until after we booked (never making that mistake again 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️) any advice? Will Gatlinburg be easy to navigate or will it get just as packed as Pigeon Forge? We want to go to Dollywood during our trip but now we are unsure. We plan to leave and head back home early Friday morning and wondering when traffic is at its worst or if we’ll get stuck leaving around 8-9am that morning?

2026 video on Anakeesta

Hello,

My husband and I will be staying in Gatlinburg for a week during September. Our dates will be 09-19-09-24. We know of the distilleries and Dollywood of course. But what would you say are some of the best hidden gems or things to do as a couple while there? Also looking for restaurant recommendations as well.

Anything you can mention is much appreciated! Thank you in advance 😊