7 Best Sights in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Of the three attractions that whisk visitors to the top of nearby mountains from downtown (Ober Mountain and SkyLift Park are the others), Anakeesta is the flashiest and most polished. Choose between an enclosed gondola and a chairlift for the 600-foot elevation gain, arriving at a ridgetop village featuring 16 hanging bridges, two mountain coasters, dueling zip lines, and an observation tower at the summit. There are elaborate rope-bridge-and-tree-house play areas for kids, a pleasant garden, and three restaurants, including Smokehouse, on an outside porch with million-dollar views of the mountains, and Cliff Top, which serves entrées like a rib-eye steak and soy-ginger trout.  A 2023 addition, Astra Lumina, is a stunningly beautiful nighttime walk through a synchronized light show and soundscape.

This well-organized hospitality center operated by the Visitors Bureau will help you customize an itinerary to make the best use of your time and money in the Gatlinburg area, including info on the best hikes for your fitness level and hours available. Pick up a trolley map, buy a National Park parking pass, and browse the "Made in Gatlinburg" store.

Housed in a century-old former church, this gallery is one of 120 shops and studio spaces along the 8-mile Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community Trail. In the truest sense of Appalachian spirit, Jim Gray tells stories through creative expressions—watercolors, oil, pencil drawings, pen-and-ink sketches, and sculpture. Viewing his work is like meeting a new friend: you'll learn what Jim did and where he did it. Behind the gallery, Ogle's Broom Shop is home to third-generation broom makers whose functional and decorative brooms and hiking sticks are treasured by craft aficionados. Next door, meet six gallery artists who show and sell works at Cliff Dwellers. Pick up a map to the entire arts-and-crafts trail from the Gatlinburg visitor center.

Generations of visitors have ridden the 120-passenger tramway up the 2.1-mile ascent to Ober Mountain, a ski resort in winter and amusement park in summer. Attractions include indoor ice skating, bumper cars, and a small zoo featuring black bears, bobcats, and otters. In warm weather there are waterslides, a roller coaster, and daily live bluegrass music. Even when the crowds are heaviest, there's plenty to do at the restaurants and shops "up top."   The attraction changed hands in 2022, rebranding to Ober Mountain, and upgrades to the attractions are underway.

You don't have to whisper anymore to find moonshine in Gatlinburg—you can visit the state's first legal moonshine distillery. Take a tour to see the painstaking production process, then let the spirit of recipes 200 years old trickle down your throat as you sample these magical mountain elixirs made with local corn. Just down the street, the "Barrelhouse" tasting room shows off their white oak barrel-aged whiskey.

This 1.4-million-gallon saltwater aquarium highlights the wonders of the underwater world. You can get up close and personal with a penguin, pet a stingray, share space with 12-foot-long sharks swimming in overhead tunnels, and stick around for the dive and feeding shows. Groups that include 10 or more children can schedule a sleepover with the sharks!

Gatlinburg has several "mountain coasters" (gravity-controlled, single-car coasters), including options at Anakeesta and Ober Mountain. But to experience one without a huge time commitment—and that the operators claim goes a little bit faster, thanks to banked turns—this smooth double track is a winner that loops through the forest and tops out at 35 mph. There's also a mountain glider, where riders descend while suspended from a track in a harness.