If you're tired of Gatlinburg's many miniature golf courses and shopping malls, there are plenty of more manly activities in the Tennessee town that sits just outside the borders of the Great Smoky Mountains. Sample the local brews, participate in some extreme sports or take a more leisurely stroll to get the full Gatlinburg experience.
To experience winter sports, ride a chairlift or tramway to Ober Gatlinburg, the mountain resort overlooking the town of Gatlinburg. In winter and early spring you can ski down the slopes or snowboard on some challenging courses. The indoor ice skating arena is open all year. There are also two 1,800-foot alpine slide tracks open year-round. You can also enjoy the sounds of local music during most summer days.
Sample local beers at Smokey Mountain Brewery, which serves a variety of brews from Tennessee, along with steaks and pub food. For something a bit stronger, head to Ole Smoky Distillery to taste the moonshine. Tour the facility to learn its history and day-to-day processes, and cap your visit with a sip of the stout stuff. You can even purchase a container of White Lightin' and other distillery selections before you depart.
Whether you'd prefer a smooth ride or rougher rapids, you have choices in the Gatlinburg area. Nantahala Outdoor Center provides trips on the Pigeon River in Hartford, 30 miles east of Gatlinburg. The 5 miles of the Upper Pigeon River offers rapids between class II and IV, while the 4-mile trip along the Lower Pigeon River is a calm voyage. Each trip last about 90 minutes. Trips are dependent on dam releases, which are more common between Memorial Day and Labor Day -- but releases in other months allow for the occasional whitewater trip outside the normal summer months.
You can get a nice sampling of the Smoky Mountains just outside of Gatlinburg. Head for Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a one-way loop road past early 20th-century homesteads in forests along the fast-flowing stream Roaring Fork. This 6-mile road has plenty of interpretive signs to tell you the story of the region, and you can tour the secluded former farm of Noah "Bud" Ogle. You'll also have the opportunity to visit one of the park's most scenic waterfalls, Grotto Falls, accessible by a 3-mile round-trip hike. The trail passes through a hemlock-filled forest before reaching the base of the 25-foot falls. Or try the downhill walk to the 40-foot Baskins Creek Falls, a trail that provides great views of the mountains if you walk it in colder months, when foliage doesn't block the sightline.
