Quote:
Originally Posted by BnaBreaker
Haha well, to each their own, but although it is pretty kitschy and cheesy, I'd suggest that anyone who found it "boring" is probably just a boring person themselves. There is so much to do there and in the surrounding area it's ridiculous. The one thing it's really lacking in terms of entertainment value is a bar scene, although it is slowly improving. There are only a handful of bars, and they all close at about 1AM, but I mean it sells itself as a family destination, and there couldn't be more than 3,000 or so people who actually live there year round, so that is pretty understandable I think.
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I was also only in Gatlinburg for grand total of 2 hours in the late 90's as a 12 year old, but I loved it. I knew it was a tourist trap back then, but that sort of stuff appealed to kids. Also, we only played miniature golf along a cool elevated section slightly above the town, so the mystique of the town sort of lies in what else I didn't do back then. So many Ripley's, Earthquake rides, and other kitsch.
Nowadays, I'd imagine I would be less cool with the town slowly siphoning money out of my wallet.
Nearby Pigeon Forge was also a tourist trap, but I recall it was situated along a wide roadway. Gatlinburg definitely felt more intimate.
BTW, here is a cool excerpt from a book about the original National Park gateway town - Hot Springs, AK:
https://www.theringer.com/2020/6/29/...rkansas-casino