Fun Stops to Add to Your Pigeon Forge Family Vacation

Posted by Phil Rodgers in Family Activities

A Pigeon Forge vacation can fill an entire week with things to see and do, but some of the best vacation memories come from the smaller stops you discover between the day's major activities. Instead of trying to pack every hour with a complicated itinerary, leave some room for interesting shops, mountain scenery, family photos, sweet treats and places that simply look like fun.

That approach works especially well in Pigeon Forge. The Parkway and surrounding roads are filled with colorful destinations, while Great Smoky Mountains National Park is only a short drive away. You can spend the morning surrounded by mountain scenery, enjoy a few fun stops during the afternoon and still have plenty of time to relax with the family.

Here are several types of stops worth adding to your Pigeon Forge family vacation, including one place where you really can see goats walking around on a rooftop.

Start With Something You Don't See Every Day

Vacations are supposed to feel different from everyday life. That is one reason unusual roadside attractions have remained such a popular part of American travel. When you see something unexpected, everyone in the car starts paying attention.

Goats on the Roof of the Smokies definitely qualifies.

Our Pigeon Forge attraction is based around an idea that is almost guaranteed to generate the same question from first-time visitors: Are there really goats on the roof?

Yes, there really are.

The goats are the stars, and visitors can watch them high above the ground as they explore their rooftop environment. The unusual setting makes this a particularly fun stop for children, but adults often find themselves spending just as much time watching the goats.

Take Time for a Few Family Photos

It is easy to return from vacation with hundreds of photographs but surprisingly few pictures that capture the personality of the trip. Look for places where the setting itself tells part of the story.

The Smoky Mountains provide plenty of opportunities. A mountain overlook, a rushing stream, a rustic building or even goats standing on a rooftop can immediately remind you where the photograph was taken.

Try to capture some candid photographs as well. Pictures of children watching something interesting or family members laughing together often become more meaningful than carefully posed photographs.

Make Room for the Great Smoky Mountains

No list of fun stops around Pigeon Forge would be complete without mentioning Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

You don't necessarily need an all-day hiking expedition to experience the park. Families can enjoy overlooks, streams, picnic areas, historic structures and scenic drives without committing to a strenuous outdoor adventure.

For first-time visitors, simply driving into the park from Gatlinburg and exploring Newfound Gap Road can provide an excellent introduction. The road climbs through changing forest environments and includes numerous places to stop and enjoy the scenery.

If exploring the national park is an important part of your vacation, our Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guide can help you decide what to include in your itinerary.

Explore Some Local Shops

Shopping can be more interesting when it becomes part of the vacation experience instead of simply a trip to buy something.

The Pigeon Forge area has plenty of specialty stores where browsing is part of the fun. Look for Smoky Mountain souvenirs, locally themed gifts, toys, crafts and items that remind you of your trip.

At Goats on the Roof of the Smokies, the gift shop is part of the experience. It gives families an opportunity to browse after visiting the goats and find a souvenir to take home.

Children may especially enjoy choosing something that reminds them of seeing the rooftop goats. Years later, that small souvenir can still bring back memories of a Smoky Mountain vacation.

Add Something Sweet to the Day

A vacation is also a good excuse for a special treat.

Rather than planning every meal and snack before arriving, consider leaving room to discover something along the way. Pigeon Forge has plenty of places offering candy, fudge, ice cream and other treats that can turn an ordinary afternoon into another vacation memory.

Our own sweet shop at Goats on the Roof is another reason families can spend some extra time with us instead of simply stopping long enough to see the goats.

Look Beyond the Pigeon Forge Parkway

The Parkway gets most of the attention, but don't assume everything worth seeing is located directly along the main road.

Exploring some of the roads surrounding Pigeon Forge can quickly change the atmosphere. Within a relatively short distance, busy commercial areas give way to wooded hillsides, mountain views and quieter communities.

This is also a good way to appreciate what makes the Smoky Mountains unusual as a vacation destination. Family attractions and natural scenery exist remarkably close to one another.

You can learn more about exploring the entire region in our Smoky Mountain Adventures Guide.

Turn the Drive Into Part of the Vacation

Parents sometimes think of driving between activities as lost vacation time. In the Smokies, it doesn't have to be.

Choose a scenic route occasionally. Watch for mountain views. Let the children look for interesting roadside landmarks. Stop when you find an overlook or another safe place that catches your attention.

Some of the most memorable discoveries happen when a family sees something from the car and collectively decides, "We need to stop there."

Those spontaneous stops provide a nice contrast to reservations and scheduled activities.

Don't Try to Do Everything

Pigeon Forge offers so many activities that first-time visitors sometimes make the mistake of trying to fit too much into a single vacation.

A packed itinerary can eventually turn a fun trip into a schedule everyone is racing to maintain.

Instead, select a few priorities for each day and leave open spaces between them. Those spaces give you time for unexpected discoveries, traffic delays, longer meals and attractions where the family decides to stay longer than anticipated.

They also give children some breathing room. A vacation doesn't have to involve constant activity to be successful.

Combine Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the National Park

One of the biggest advantages of vacationing in this area is the variety available within a relatively compact region.

Pigeon Forge provides family attractions, shopping and entertainment. Gatlinburg offers a walkable mountain-town atmosphere and convenient access to the national park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park adds waterfalls, forests, wildlife, historic sites and some of the most impressive scenery in the eastern United States.

You don't have to choose just one.

A well-planned Smoky Mountain vacation can include all three while still leaving time for smaller stops along the way. Our guide to things to do in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville offers more ideas for putting the different parts of the area together.

Make Goats on the Roof One of Your Pigeon Forge Stops

There are plenty of places where you can shop while visiting the Smokies. There are plenty of places where you can pick up a sweet treat or take a family photograph.

There aren't many where you can do those things while goats wander around overhead.

That's what makes Goats on the Roof of the Smokies such an easy addition to a Pigeon Forge itinerary. It doesn't have to consume your entire day. Instead, it can become one of those memorable vacation stops that gives everyone something to talk about afterward.

Whether you're spending several days exploring Pigeon Forge or using town as a starting point for a larger Smoky Mountain adventure, remember to leave some open space in your schedule. Visit the big destinations you've been looking forward to, but also give yourself permission to stop when something interesting catches your eye.

After all, you never know when you might look up and see a goat standing on a roof.

This content posted by Goats on the Roof of the Smoky Mountains. Visit our home page, goatsontheroofofthesmokies.com for more information on the goats and their coaster.

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