Early last week, Ryan and I were both hit with the desire to go on a quick family adventure and centered our planning around Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, one of top-rated aquariums in the country. Since we had such a good time in Atlanta during our visit to the Georgia Aquarium, we figured we’d piggyback on that trip and Chase’s intense interest in marine life and plan a similar getaway. We tried to be just about as spontaneous as life with a 3 1/2 year old and a 9-month old allows us to be these days and didn’t do much planning beyond finding a hotel within walking distance of the aquarium in downtown Gatlinburg.
We checked into the Edgewater Hotel around 6 p.m. and unloaded our stuff as quickly as possible before I nursed Ryder and we headed out to explore.
I had a short list of “must try” restaurants on hand thanks to your recommendations but the timing of our arrival was less than ideal for an enjoyable restaurant experience with two kids who usually go to bed between 7 and 8 p.m. We ended up walking around for a bit before grabbing pizza and candy from an adorable little candy kitchen to bring back to our hotel room and eat in bed.
Whatever works, right!?
To be honest, ever since we began traveling with kids, I’ve tried to let go of any expectations of hitting up every “must see” attraction and dining at every “must try” restaurant. It’s simply not realistic and feeling some kind of weird vacation pressure to see and do everything doesn’t make for the best experience for anyone. Now our vacation itineraries usually include a loose list of things we’d like to do and we try our best to be flexible and account for plenty of stops, breaks and downtime to do things like watch a man reel in a trout from the river outside of our hotel because that’s what a 3 year old thinks is amazing.
So our itinerary for Gatlinburg looked like this: Check out the aquarium. Grab doughnuts at The Donut Friar. Ride a mountain coaster. Simple, realistic and flexible. Were there a handful of things we wanted to do that we didn’t get the chance to explore? Yes! But Gatlinburg is only 3 1/2 hours away and we will be back. (First up on our list for next time: Explore Pigeon Forge and Dollywood!)
Exploring Gatlinburg
Saturday was our day of exploration! We hit the ground running and arrived at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies the minute it opened at 9 a.m.
We’re all early risers in our family and that worked to our advantage because the aquarium didn’t feel the least bit crowded despite the fact that downtown Gatlinbug was absolutely crawling with people. (It’s definitely a very touristy-feeling area.) We followed the natural flow of the aquarium and spent most of our time looking at sandtiger sharks and a green sea turtle in the shark lagoon, watching the penguins during their 10:30 a.m. feeding and playing with Chase as he had a ball in the various kid-friendly play areas.
Ryan and I both agreed the aquarium was well worth the trip to Gatlinburg and is a must-see, especially for those with little ones. While we both preferred the Georgia Aquarium based solely on the amount of incredible marine life there is to see there, we agreed that Ripley’s Aquarium was even better for kids around Chase’s age because of the interactive exhibits and play areas. Chase had the best time pretending to be the captain of a big submarine, climbing up the jungle gym, touching the back of a jellyfish and peeking his head up into the observation peek-throughs in the various fish tanks.
The aquarium is very family friendly and while Chase was all about the sharks and stingrays, Ryder was most enamored with the big schools of little fish and seemed to love watching them swim around and around. (Since I’m always curious how other people handle traveling and exploring with kids of different ages, Ryder took his morning nap on me and snoozed in the ErgoBaby for about an hour during our aquarium adventure which worked well for us.)
We spent around two hours at the aquarium and left in the mood for doughnuts! A number of you recommended doughnuts from The Donut Friar during our visit and since we’re a doughnut-lovin’ crew, we knew we had to make that happen! As we made our way to The Donut Friar, we caught the tail end of a giant Santa parade and had to stop to watch and wave to more Santas than I’ve ever seen in my life.
Seeing so many Santas in one place prompted “the talk” with Chase about how not every Santa is the Santa and there are a lot of Santa helpers out there to help the “real” one. Crisis averted.
Once we made it to The Donut Friar, we wasted no time and ordered doughnuts and lattes.
The Donut Friar totally lived up to the hype and we were only slightly embarrassed to get back in line and order a second round of doughnuts for our crew less than five minutes after our first round. The plain glazed doughtnut stole the show for me but Ryan and Chase were all about the frosted sprinkle doughnuts.
With doughnuts in our bellies, we had a renewed burst of energy and made our way to Rowdy Bear Mountain to try out a mountain coaster.
Chase just made the height requirement (kids must be 38” to ride) and was thrilled to be able to hop on the coaster with Mom and Dad!
I’ve never been on a mountain coaster before but it was so, so fun!! Since I had Chase riding with me, I loved the ability to control the speed of my cart but was honestly surprised by just how much Chase loved flying around on that thing at the top speed!
Our final adventure of the day took us to Ober Gatlinburg, an adventure park and ski area. To get to the park, we boarded a large tram which took us high above Gatlinburg and up to the top of a mountain. Despite it not being too crowded, it wasn’t the most seamless experience and we waited for a while to board but thankfully managed to nab a spot on the tram near the windows so we could enjoy beautiful views. I also took advantage of our wait time to nurse Ryder which worked well.
Ober Gatlinburg was packed with plenty to do for kids and families and Chase loved the bumper tubes on ice and the carousel.
He was a little too small for some of the really awesome-looking adventures, including skiing, the alpine slide and the mountain coaster but we made the most of our visit and grabbed sandwiches and fudge and had a great time before boarding the tram and returning back to the base of the mountain. (Note: We really did enjoy Ober Gatlinburg but just in case any of you give it a try, be prepared for some long wait times for the tram and bumper tubes. I’m not sure if it’s always like this but it didn’t feel that crowded to our family and yet we still waited a lot. It seemed like it wasn’t operating as seamlessly as it could have been so I’m not sure if we were there during an “off” day or what but just wanted to be upfront about our experience!)
Since we had to be back home for an event on Sunday morning, our trip to Gatlinburg was a short one but still felt more than worth it for our family. We ended up heading home around dinnertime after a very full and very fun day!
The drive home actually ended up being one of my favorite memories from our trip. Ryder figured out how to make this little mouth noise that we’ve been teaching him for a while which cracked us up and we taught Chase how to play 20 Questions: Animal Edition and he was all about it! Ryan and I laughed really hard whenever it was his turn to think of an animal because he’d inevitably volunteer way too much information about the animal and give it away after one of our questions. When I asked, “Chase, does this animal swim in the ocean?” he replied, “Yes and it’s big and it’s blue and it has a blow hole!” He LOVED the game and we played many, many rounds.
The week ahead should be a relatively normal one around here and I’m off to get this Monday rollin’. I hope you all had a great weekend and, as always, I appreciate you stopping by PBF today!
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Looks like a lot of fun! That’s great there are interactive exhibits and play areas…so important for kids!!! I’m definitely looking forward to some little trips this summer! Do you find Ryder’s sleep/routine to be affected when you get home? That’s always my biggest concern about traveling, haha!
No thankfully!! He napped longer than usual yesterday morning and woke up a bit earlier in the morning which was a little odd but other than than, he seems to have fallen back into his usual groove. Phew! Honestly, the hardest part for us is bedtime when we’re away because our kids definitely have a set routine they’re used to at home that works well and it can be a little challenging to navigate that one away from home… especially when Chase shares a bed with us and is so excited about a “sleepover!” This time we booked a suite-style room so Ryder slept in a pack-n-play in the living room area and that worked well!!
Yes I’m a bit worried about bedtime. We have two beach trips planned so far, And both times we’re staying at friends’ beach houses. Which is awesome cost wise, but we will all four be sharing a room. It’ll be interesting if nothing else 🙂
Julie, I understand that you have little ones who are high maintenance, but if you and your husband ever have the chance, please drive through the mountains (especially in the spring or fall)! The beauty is breathtaking!
Better yet, take a hike to one of the many waterfalls in the Park!
Better even than THAT, take the leisurely drive through Cades Cove. Bring a picnic lunch and watch the deer and black bears!
I’ve been going to “The Mountains” since the 1950’s, and believe me, Gatlinburg is fun, but the scenery is beyond words!
Thank you for the recap! We are headed to Gatlinburg in May with our 3 year old and 15 month old. The aquarium is big on our list.
The aquarium was the highlight of our trip for sure!!! You guys will love it! And The Donut Friar is a 5 min walk from there so if you guys love doughnuts, I’d absolutely add that to your list!
Always love seeing your adventures! At the GA aquarium did you go upstairs? That’s where most of the kids activities and interactive exhibits are, just FYI for next time! It’s called aquanaut adventure – https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/gallery/aquanaut-adventure/
We’re headed on our first big trip to London with our 6 month old and I’m getting worried about napping on the go! He naps on me in his carrier half of the time anyways, but it’s when were home and I get him to fall asleep bouncing him in his dark bedroom. Does Ryder just naturally fall asleep eventually if you put him in the carrier while he’s tired? That’s what I’m hoping will happen if we are out sightseeing!
Yes!!! Honestly this scared me a bit as well since he’ll fall asleep in a car seat & crib fairly easily but likes to face out in his carrier. I wasn’t sure he’d nap facing in but it worked pretty well & he only really fought it for a minute or two & I just did some extra bouncy walking and gave him his pacifier and that seemed to help!
Hey Julie!
Is that the Bravofor 2 stroller. I am a new Mom (due in June) and struggling to find a great stroller. I would like one for 2 but wondering how the Bravo holds up on rougher terrain (gravel, grass, etc) and if you are happy with it? Thanks!
It is!!! We LOVE this stroller for traveling and running around town because it’s SO easy to collapse and doesn’t take up nearly as much space as strollers that have kids sitting side-by-side. It’s definitely not idea for “off-roading” though, so if you’re looking for one that you can zip around easily on gravel and grass, I’d look another direction. We love our double BOB for that!!
I always love reading about your family travel adventures! My husband and I are planning to go tent camping on the Oregon coast with our 2 year old for the first time over Father’s Day weekend and it will be an adventure for sure, but we are both excited. Thank you for all your tips and tricks for traveling with little ones!
P.S. I love that comfy pink sweatshirt you were wearing? Where is it from?
I hope you have a blast!!! That trip sounds incredible and Oregon is just so gorgeous!! My sweatshirt is Reebok and I bought it on RueLaLa in the fall!
Thank you! You always look so put together and stylish even in casual, comfy clothes. 🙂
I am ALL about comfort these days so I really appreciate you saying this!! I actually had an alternate non-athleisure outfit in my bag but opted for comfort which seems to happen more and more often. 🙂
Nothing wrong with comfort! I am the same way since becoming a mom!
Hi Julie – I think going to the aquarium is an awesome idea. Do you think a 16 month old would enjoy it too or would you recommend waiting until my son is a bit older? Looking to do something fun with him! Thanks!
Love, love, love Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. You will love Dollywood too.
So excited I seen this. We’re headed to gatlinburg the 29th and also from NC (kings mountain) and also plan to go to the aquarium. I also nurse my 5mth old and we have a 3yr old and older kids so it was a great post to see that it’ll be enjoyed by the little ones as well as the big kids
My husband and I have grown up in East TN, yet we’ve never been to Ripley’s Aquarium together. I remember going on a school field trip & loved it! I think it’s cool you were in our area. ? I love seeing our sweet spot on the map highlighted. So glad you all enjoyed your quick stay, & you’ve inspired me to get up there & explore more soon!
FYI..If anyone has TN Farm Bureau insurance, its members can get several discounts: the aquarium, Anakeesta, the Wonderworks and Titanic places, Dolly’s Stampede and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge ?….I have used our membership discount code several times on various hotels too. They have an app you can download and then look at all the discounts!$$$ They even have discounts for Universal Studios in FL, wish I had known that last year when we went ?
Wow looks like you had an awesome trip to Gatlinburg. My wife and I have owned at one of the Resorts now for 20 years. It seems like you hit some of the Great spots. The Donut Friar is fantastic. The next time you visit try the glazed croissant. One place you did not mention was the restaurant Best Italian the food there is also fantastic. We also live about 3 1/2 hours from Gatlinburg which allows us to visit about 3 or 4 times a year.
Hi we are a small family business and own cabins in the Gatlinburg area. We would love to host you on your next visit! Our website is www blackbearvacations.com you can contact me for more information. We would be honored to have you blog about our cabins.
Thank you. Tara Tinsley Ledbetter
I love Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee. I live in Kentucky and remember my parents bringing me here at least two times a year when I was a young child into my teens . We would stay for a week . Daddy always took me up the chair lift in the middle of town . Always went to museums and shopping. Of course went up the mountain. We love the mountains. And ate at some good restaurants.
I’m 60 years old now my sister and I and my husband still come here to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of this beautiful place . Our home away from home. Make memories here relax and enjoy !!!
We were there last week also. We were leaving on Saturday but got wind of the, as they called it, “Santa Family Reunion” and watched the whole thing. Donut Friar was also very good. Ole Red, Blake Shelton’s new restaurant, was opening night when we arrived so way too busy for that night but had lunch the next day and was very good and great live music.
Gaaah I literally cannot even tell you how many memories I have in GBurg!! I grew up going every winter at least, and my parents still get a cabin up there almost every fall. Ober is so fun, I learned to ice skate there as a little girl, and in college my husband broke his elbow snowboarding down the ‘snow’ aka ice mountain. HA. And oh the knives, fudge, airbrush tees – the main drag HAS IT ALL hahah. Glad you got to experience it! You knew there were really bad fires there a few years ago, right? They had a really scare forest fire and lost quite a bit of forest and many, many cabins!
I love reading your travel posts! I am moving to Morganton, NC in June and will have to check this out!
You should check out Steeley Condo on Facebook for an excellent place to stay in downtown Gatlinburg within walking distance to the strip and aquarium!
Ryder’s hair kills me! I love it! Also, I’m so excited to take Brady to an aquarium this summer when he is about 20-months old, because I can tell he’ll already be ready to oooh and ahhh at everything! Glad you had a fun trip, Julie — thanks for sharing your adventures with us.