The closest airport to Pigeon Forge is McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville. Luckily, we met our family there who picked us up to drive to our Airbnb. Otherwise, renting a car would be necessary since it’s an hour drive and no public transportation is available.
Our Airbnb was in Pigeon Forge in the mountains which was beautiful, quiet, and about 30 minutes from Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains National Park, and Sevierville. This Airbnb had a hot tub, pool table, and incredible views. This was the perfect spot to spend a weekend as it was easy to access and allowed us to do all these things in Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas.
Three things to do
When visiting, here’s three top things to do in Pigeon Forge! All three of these things were easy to get to and puts you in a perfect spot to keep the adventure going and see other towns like Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Clingmans Dome
- Drive through the Smoky Mountains to Clingman’s Dome
Here you pass through Gatlinburg which is another fun town. If you’ve been to Nashville, it’s like a mountain version of that. Lots of restaurants, wine tastings, bars, and an amusement park. After you spend time here, you can head back into the car to drive through the Smoky Mountains. The scenery is beautiful and at the end of April in the Spring, the trees are popping with greenery.
Shopping
- Visit the Nike Clearance store as well as other stores in the Island of Pigeon Forge
I’m not a big shopper when traveling, but this was a must do for me. It was fun to go to and check out what they had to offer. Nike can be pretty expensive, but this has deals going. I got shoes for about $40 which are normally $80+. Close by are other shops like Guy Fieri’s restaurant, other bars, coffee shops, and souvenir shops.
Moonshine tasting
- Do a Moonshine tasting at Ole Smoky Holler
To get the full Tennessee experience, we were surprised with a Moonshine tasting that was super cool! We got a tour of where the Moonshine is made and sent out all across the nation. It was interesting to see the corn meal and hundreds of pounds of sugar heat up due to the chemical reaction itself. Afterwards, we got 12 samples- including peaches, blue flame moonshine to sour watermelon, and finished with two cream like samples of butter pecan and orange shinesicle cream. At the end of the tour, they give you a t-shirt and discounts to purchase the moonshine.
Plenty of options
These three things to do in Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas will have your weekend set up for a great time. Each spot has other activities or shops or things to see to keep the trip flowing. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do. They have a variety of family friendly places like attractions to see and interact with if you want to try something different from what was mentioned above!