Two sisters and their husbands who are passionate about the Smokies, travel and connecting with family. CabinConnection.com is a gathering place for those who love the Smokies. We hope to overload you with information while sharing your stories with other Smoky Mountain aficionados.
I know what it’s like, because I’ve been married to a romantically-challenged guy for 11 years now. He sometimes needs a little help in the romance department. Here are 5 companies that will help you make your Smoky Mountain getaway a romantic weekend to remember. 1. Invite your special someone to a romantic cabin getaway with a message in a bottle. You pick the bottle and the message, and they send it to you. Kind of pricey — prices range from $50-$100. But might be worth it for... (more...)
The view from beautiful Clingman's Dome. Courtesy of ER Post, http://www.flickr.com/photos/edpost/2179195150/ By guest blogger Stephen Beutler, lifelong Smoky Mountain enthusiast There are roughly 900 miles of hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Over the years our family has hiked many of them. The various trails have been a highlight of our visits there. We love to hike. While I would not say that we are “advanced” hikers, we do enjoy the trails and have spent... (more...)
Photo by Linda Gross, http://keystonestatephotograper.blogspot.com; http://www.flickr.com/photos/pa_shutterbug/ Who you travel with to the Gatlinburg area determines how you’ll spend most of your time. Some people love to hike and go straight to the Smokies, some love a bargain and head to the outlets. Others love the mini golf and other touristy things, and head to Pigeon Forge. Most people, though, find time to browse the little shops along the Gatlinburg strip. While you’re browsing,... (more...)
By Guest Blogger Jayna Beutler, lifelong Smokies enthusiast There are 70+ trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We have hiked a good majority of these trails. However, we find that we keep coming back to 2-3 of them when we bring someone new to the park. Our very favorite trail is the Chimney Tops. This trail is 4 miles long and is rated a “moderate” hike — for definitions on the ratings, go here. It is a very popular trail, I suppose, because it is a “lot of trail”... (more...)
Poor planning can lead to too much time sitting in traffic or waiting for a table. You may think this seems silly. Budget your time on vacation? But, this will help you enjoy your time even more. Seriously! I admit it; I am a very planned out person and I think about stupid details like this. But, I beg of you, hear me out. You see, the GPS (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville) area is a busy one. There is a main strip that most restaurants, activities, stores, etc. are located on. Because... (more...)
The Gatlinburg United Way Shark Race is coming up on Monday, Sept. 27. Saturday, Sept. 25th. Sounds like a lot of fun! The day begins at the Ripley’s Aquarium with live entertainment, food and fun. Here’s how the race works: you buy a little rubber shark for $10, then enter it in a race in the Little Pigeon River. The first shark to cross the finish line wins $10,000! This is a fund raiser for the United Way, so you must know that there are a maximum of 15,000 sharks in the race, but... (more...)
Everyone loves a fair! Who doesn’t love an old fashioned county fair with all the fixin’s — carnival rides, animal barns and plenty of good ole junk food. Well, if you’re in the Smoky Mountain area over Labor Day, stop by the Sevier County Fair. It looks like quite a party. The fair takes place from Monday, Sept. 6 though Sat., Sept. 11 at 754 Old Knoxville Hwy. in Sevierville. One thing this fair offers is beauty pageants galore! On Monday at 6 p.m., there is a tiny miss,... (more...)
Photo by Flickr user FlaSunshine -- photo available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/70063259@N00/3025889804/ My recommendations for entertainment budgeting in the GPS (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville) area is going to sound very simple. However, most people do not follow these simple steps to set a budget for their “fun” things to do while in the area. All you have to do is decide how much money you can spend on entertainment for your trip and then (here’s the hard part)... (more...)
You’ve packed the basics: clothes, food, movies, games. You’ve planned everything down to a T, in fact. You think. But you’ve never traveled with my family. Here’s my favorite example. We were heading to Gatlinburg for a long weekend with my sister and bro-in-law. My husband and I are classic under-packers. We are the people who will end up wearing the same thing 3 out of 5 days or begging to borrow toothpaste or deodorant. My sister, Megan, and her husband, Chris, are the... (more...)
Driving into Gatlinburg, it’s one of the first sights you see. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has a prime location, right behind and above the beginning of the downtown strip. It sits majestically on the river, with flags flying and a quaint bridge in front. You can’t help but wonder about it. Now, I know for years my in-laws wondered about this aquarium without stopping in. In fact, we usually park in its garage when visiting downtown (it’s fairly inexpensive and very... (more...)
