Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
In the opening image above, that village nestled in the valley at the end of those descending tram wires is Gatlinburg. The aerial photo was captured from the open front window of the Sky Lift, a tram that travels from Gatlinburg up the mountain to an amusement park and ski resort known as “Ober Gatlinburg.” The small town of some 4,000 residents feels much bigger than it is due to the large amount of tourist traffic.
Gatlinburg is a gateway to the Smoky Mountain National Park for those arriving from the west. For us, it was a destination. We left Asheville, North Carolina earlier in the day, traveled through the park and followed the road into Tennessee just in time for a late lunch. To be honest with you, we weren’t sure what we would be doing there when we arrived. It was a last minute decision to continue past the park westward instead of spending more time in the park.
Our stop for lunch, Howards Steaks, turned out to be a great choice. The staff is friendly and our meal didn’t disappoint in the least. We were offered a seat inside or out and chose inside. After we ate, we wandered outside to see the view of the restaurant terrace with a stream paralleling the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. The site is a beautiful location, but we were glad we were inside for our meal. The olfactory glands were not happy with the scents they were picking up, not sure from where. Don’t let that take you away from a great place to eat. I don’t know whether the smells were transitory or not. I’ve included a view of the creek in the gallery of images below.
After lunch, we walked around town for a bit, explored some of the shops and generally played tourist. On our walk along the main street, we saw a sign for “Ober Gatlinburg”, a tram that heads up nearby Mount Harrison. My main experiences with trams have been for sightseeing. That was an assumption I made when I plunked down the plastic for tickets.
Of course, the views were spectacular… for those who could see them. This is the largest tram I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride. It holds 120 people with minimal seating around the edges and standing room only for the vast majority of riders. Unless you get on the tram first or are at least 6-ft 7-inches tall, you won’t see much but people’s heads. On the rides up and down, the tram was full. We were among the last to board on the way up, but we were lucky in boarding for the ride back down. We were among the first to board, so I made a beeline toward the front of the tram where I could capture some images out the open front window.
We were to discover that this tram is not about the journey, it’s about the destination. Ober Gatlinburg is a theme park and ski resort at the top of the mountain. It’s a very popular place with plenty of activities even when there is no snow about. The surprise is what happens when you don’t do your research about a location in advance. In this case, it was a pleasant surprise. We spent some time wandering around the park and stopped to buy some fudge to enjoy on the drive back to Pittsboro, scheduled for the next day.
The park has a large mall with plenty of shops and restaurants and an indoor skating rink for all year use. On this bright, warm, sunny day, there wasn’t much activity on the ice rink. I suspect that even in the winter, on the coldest days especially, the skating rink is a welcome place for those who want to come inside to warm up.
For those who want to climb even higher on the mountain, the ski lift will take you to the top of the mountain. We could have taken the lift to the top of Mount Harrison, but opted to save that experience for another time. For those who might be afraid of heights, the tram ride is a bit unsettling. It sways and bumps as it traverses the towers. That’s normal and the tram “driver” warns everyone as we get close. There was never a moment’s safety concern, it’s just that I know there are people who might find the tram’s motion less than comfortable.
A bit of “research” via Google on getting to the park by driving told me that it is possible, but it appears from personal comments, that the drive is an experience in itself, a winding mountain road that can end up with overheated brakes on the descent if one isn’t prudent. Given that, I submit for your review, a gallery of images captured in the short time we spent at Ober Gatlinburg and some views of the mountain as seen from the tram.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
Gatlinburg looks to be a great destination, much in thanks to your great photographs, John. I must confess that, despite the possible views, cable cars make me rather nervous and I’d probably opt for the drive up and down the mountain instead!
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2019!
Understood. Going over the support arms caused a noticeable distress among some of the passengers.
I have been to Gatlenburg 2 times, so far. We found it a great place to visit. Lots of sights to see. The Great Smokies are always amazing to view no matter how you do it. However, there is one thing that we noticed. Gatlinburg is getting way to commercial with so much there. Seems that it takes away from the Mountain views. The whole purpose is to enjoy what Nature has provided. Not all the rides, hotels, and commercial property.
Not having a history there I don’t know what it was like, but I have to agree it is “touristy”. Thanks for stopping by.
How cool! I’m glad you chronicled this as N’s motion condition rendered us unable to come with! What a fun surprise, next time I’m bringing my ice skates!
Huh! I missed your comment posted here until I saw it this morning! What’s up with that? Anyway, next time you’re nearby, take the road to the park on the top. That will probably be easier on the motion sensitive. If it seems like it’s going to be too much, you can always turn around and head back.