Gatlinburg vs Pigeon Forge: Picking a vacation destination
Picking Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge for a family vacation can be confusing; at least, it was for us before we moved here.
Both towns are in the Smoky Mountains, so you’ve already made a great choice! Even if you pick the wrong town, you’re less than 30 minutes away from the other one.
Even though these cities are close, they’re different. We’ll carefully compare these two destinations to help you choose.
Key Takeaways
- Gatlinburg is a village town in a valley. It has a mostly walkable downtown area. If you’re staying in downtown Gatlinburg, you can get by without a car.
- Pigeon Forge is bigger, busier, and spread out, with attractions throughout its Parkway. You’ll need a car to drive between them.
- In Pigeon Forge, you’ll need a car to go everywhere. If you’re staying in downtown Gatlinburg, you can get by without a car, and walk most places. And you’ll want to walk. The traffic in Gatlinburg makes driving slow on a weekend.
Gatlinburg Vs Pigeon Forge Overview
Let’s see how they compare by looking at an overview, then how to get around the city, and finally, the attractions in each city.
Gatlinburg Overview
Gatlinburg is in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. It feels like you’re in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (apart from the traffic).
There are scenic views in the town of the mountains around and from the top of the mountains looking down into the town. Multiple rides will take you up the mountains, like Ober Mountain’s aerial tramway or Anakeesta’s chair lifts.
The attractions are unique and mountain-themed. They differ from Pigeon Forge, which we’ll discuss below.
The downtown area is a cluster of tourist shops and many restaurants, nearly all centered on the main road, the Parkway. Lodging is different than most towns in Gatlinburg. There’s more older motel-style lodging, along with a few newer resorts, which you can read more about here.
Pigeon Forge Overview
Just outside the mountain valley that Gatlinburg sits in, Pigeon Forge is only a few miles away. But it has a whole different look than Gatlinburg. While it’s still hilly, the city is wide open and spread out.
Pigeon Forge is also centered on the Parkway. But it’s a large multi-lane road, and the attractions are spread out. It doesn’t have the village charm that Gatlinburg does.
But with more space, there are a lot more attractions in Pigeon Forge. Especially large attractions that Gatlinburg doesn’t have room for.
Navigating Pigeon Forge vs Gatlinburg
The two cities have a much different layout. You’ll see how nearly everything is walkable in Gatlinburg, while in Pigeon Forge, everything isn’t. Remember that on a vacation to the area, you’ll likely end up doing things in both cities.
Getting Around Gatlinburg
Our only dislike of Gatlinburg is the traffic. The one main road that makes the town so walkable also makes driving in and out of town hard. There’s only one main road, with three entrances to town.
The traffic can back up for miles on a summer weekend. If you’re planning on driving in to town and staying in the area for a few days, Gatlinburg is perfect.
The Parkway is a four-lane road with only a few stop lights and plenty of pedestrian crosswalks to stop at.
There’s no left-turn lane in most places, either. You’ll need to rely on the courtesy of Tennessee drivers to make a left turn. Tennessee is the only place we’ve lived where you only have to wait a couple of cars before someone stops to let you make a turn!
So if you’re visiting many places outside of the downtown area, the traffic in and out of town can add a lot of driving time getting in and out of town.
Getting Around Pigeon Forge
Getting around Pigeon Forge is much easier, too. While the Parkway does get packed entirely with traffic, it’s easier to navigate. It’s a wide road with plenty of stoplights and turn lanes.
But more importantly, there are backroads you can take to avoid the slowdown on the Parkway.
Veterans Blvd is just east of the Parkway and runs parallel to it . So if you’re going from one end of Pigeon Forge to the other, it’s much faster to take Veterans Blvd, then go back over to the Parkway.
But Pigeon Forge is so spread out, a rental car is needed for almost everything. There is a trolley system in Pigeon Forge that we’ve used, but we find it more convenient to drive.
Attractions Pigeon Forge vs Gatlinburg
The city’s attractions are also very different, so you’ll often find yourself traveling between the two cities to see everything they offer.
Gatlinburg Attractions
Gatlinburg is an excellent place for attractions you won’t find elsewhere. Because space in the town is at a premium, many of the newer attractions are built into the surrounding mountains.
Like the Gatlinburg SkyBridge. It’s the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the U.S. Ride a ski chairlift up to the mountain, then walk across the bridge, which even has glass floor panels.
Or Anakeesta, a newer mountaintop destination accessible via ski lift with some huge playgrounds for kids, restaurants, and several mountain-coaster-type rides.
And one of our favorite things at Anakeesta is the tree-top walk across these hanging bridges.
There’s more to cover in Gatlinburg than we can fit in this comparison, such as Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and Ober Mountain, which you can read our review on.
Pigeon Forge Attractions
Over in Pigeon Forge, there are enough attractions to entertain you for the whole trip. With much more open space, there’s room for theme parks like Dollywood and other big attractions.
Dollywood is a must-visit! It’s one of our favorite theme parks in the country, and we renew our annual passes most years for it. Read more on our Dollywood guide.
Dollywood merges historical experience with modern thrill rides. There are some of the fastest rollers around here, but there’s plenty to do for everyone else. You can ride an authentic steam train, watch blacksmiths at work, or witness the art of glass blowing and candle making.
The Island in Pigeon Forge is a newer entertainment and shopping hub. Everything is centered around the dancing fountain area. It’s a great place to spend part of a day and an excellent walkable area if you want to stay at one of the nearby hotels.
If you’re visiting in the summer, there are a few large water parks in Pigeon Forge, too, including one of our favorites, Soaky Mountain.
Read more about things to do in Pigeon Forge on our list, there’s plenty!
Accommodations in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
Whether you’re leaning towards a cozy cabin with mountain views or the convenience of a hotel near all the action, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge offer many accommodation options.
The two main options are a cabin in the mountains or a hotel in town.
Cabins
We love staying in cabins, but if you want the great mountain views, you’ll be a bit of a drive from town and the attractions.
Many cabins with great views are west of Pigeon Forge, up some fairly steep, windy roads. There are also cabins close to town in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, which puts you close to the attractions.
Many cabins now even have their own private indoor pools: check out our list of those here.
On our last stay in the cabin above, we had some excellent views right from the back porch. We were often above the fog and cloud layers in the valley below.
But we were about 20 minutes from Pigeon Forge, and the road up to the cabin wouldn’t have been possible to get to if we’d received snow (which only happens a couple times a year).
Hotels in Gatlinburg
If you’re staying in Gatlinburg, we recommend staying at one of the hotels on our list in downtown, that are within walking distance to the attractions. Gatlinburg has several newer hotels, including our favorite Margaritaville Resort, which we reviewed on our last stay.
Hotels in Pigeon Forge
For a hotel in Pigeon Forge we’d recommend somewhere in or around The Island. Our favorite there is also a Margaritaville, the Margaritaville Island Hotel, viewable in the picture above (not to be confused with the adjacent Margaritaville Island Inn).
We don’t have any ties to the Margaritaville brand; they’re just newer hotels in great locations, both in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
Another option in Pigeon Forge is one of the resorts with a water park at it, which are listed in our water park guide.
Which is Better for Your Family?
Do you love the outdoors and a small-town feel? Choose Gatlinburg. Do you prefer lots of activities and easy to get to other places? Go with Pigeon Forge.
Our pick is Gatlinburg, but we’d recommend splitting your stay if you have more than a week. A few days in Gatlinburg, and the rest in Pigeon Forge. But either way, you’re close to all the attractions in the area.
