Hiking is one of the more popular outdoor activities, especially along the many trails in the Smokies. Note that some of these will be closed in the higher elevations during winter due to snow and ice. You can also bicycle sites like Cades Cove, although you'll have to bring your own bikes in winter, as rentals cease in the fall. If you want a motorized ride, check out the hummer off-road tours given by Off Road Voyages. Gatlinburg is also home to Ober Gatlinburg, the only ski resort in Tennessee, with trails for all skill levels and even nighttime skiing. You can try your hand at snow tubing there, too, with its 10-lane, 400-foot snow tubing park, boasting a 50-foot vertical drop, as well as ice skating. To access Ober Gatlinburg, you can drive up the mountain or take an aerial tram ride.
Gatlinburg has a host of museums and indoor attractions that are open year 'round. You can see hundreds of species of fish in the saltwater Ripley's Aquarium, voted the number one aquarium in the United States by TripAdvisor; check out the exhibits at the Hollywood Star Cars, Hollywood Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not; try your hand at mini-golf, arcade games, mirror mazes, indoor go-karts or laser tag in places like Cooter's, Old Gatlinburg Golf & Games and Fort Fun Family Entertainment Center; check out movies in 4D at Ripley's or at the Motion Ride Movie Theater; satisfy the thrill seeker in your family with the Space Needle 400-foot glass elevator, Ripley's Haunted Adventure or Earthquake: the Live-Action Ride; or relax and enjoy play time at the Wild Bear Falls indoor water park.
The December holidays are a special time in Gatlinburg. The Dollywood amusement park stays open for its Smoky Mountain Christmas Celebration throughout the season, and features a winter wonderland of more than three million holiday lights, along with rides, shows and food vendors. You can also enjoy hayrides or a guided trolley ride past Gatlinburg's Winter Magic lighting displays during the season, as well as the annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade. For crafts fans, Gatlinburg has an annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Show early in the month.
