Planning a trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Area with 3 children, 9, 6, 3. We know it is touristy and are prepared for that!! The kids are excited to see the mountains and other natural scenery. Any comments on nice places to stay with kids, activities, food, etc. Thanks!!!

There's a great aquarium in Gatlinburg.

There are literally a gazillion places to stay in the area. Hotels, cabins, condos......Here are some really good websites to give you a start...

gatlinburg.com
pigeonforge.com

One thing is for sure...take yourselves and the kids to The Comedy Barn. It is a great show. You will laugh yourselves silly. Also, Dollywood is a very nice amusement park..clean, good rides, good shows, etc.

I'm headed that way this weekend. Beautiful area of the country.

Take the aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg. There is an ice skating rink, skiing, and a few shops.

We stayed at Riverhouse At The Park, which is one block from the entrance to SMNP. Great location. There is no indoor swimming pool, so beware if that is important to you.

The Ole Smoky Hoedown is also a great show (in Pigeon Forge).

There are 2 great restaurants in G'burg: No Way Jose's (Mexican) & "Best" Italian Restaurant (yes that is the name!)

There's a nice Hampton Inn behind Davy Crockett mini golf that seems like a fun place to stay. This mini-golf looked to be the nicest one of all. The aquarium is great, my kids (and us) loved it. Dollywood has the best wooden roller coaster I've ever been on, and the park itself surprised us with how nice it was. It's well-done highlighting the culture and history of the area. There is a beautiful picnic area in Smoky Mountain National Park called Chimneys (you'll see it off of Newfoundland Gap Road) that has a great location next to a boulder-strewn river. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a good map of the town to be able to take secondary roads if you don't want to be stuck in traffic. The Gatlinburg trolley has quite a bit of stops at all the touristy sites.

Ditto on Ober Gatlinburg, the aerial tram ride will be fun for the kids. The prettiest scenery in my opinion is in Cades Cove, inside the park. Traffic can be bad, but it's worth it. There's a good chance you will see lots of wildlife, including bears.