Hiiii friends!!! It’s been FOREVER since my last blog post, but I’m jumping back into it with a fresh perspective and new ideas. Including a brand new category: TRAVEL! I just got home from the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and I have to say, it was one of my favorite trips to date! I live by the beach and always considered myself a “beach person” but honestly I’m starting to realize that I’m actually more of a “mountain person.”
There is something magical about the way the body (and soul) respond to being elevated so high (in every sense) and tucked away in the trees.
Being surrounded by mother nature.
Waking up to the quiet hum of the forrest.
Mornings on the balcony sipping coffee while wrapped in my Mexican blanket.
The view from so high up, nothing but tree tops and the valley below.
There is truly no place on earth quite like the mountains.
Aside from the spiritual aspect of being nestled in a cabin the mountains, I also feel like my primary dosha (the three Ayurvedic body types or constitutions), which is Pitta, really benefits from being in a cooler, dryer environment. I feel so refreshed.
Before this trip, I didn’t have a particular desire to visit Tennessee. My favorite place in the US is California, so to be honest, I was only concerned with going there… over and over and over LOL.
But I’ve gotta say… the Pigeon Forge, TN area really blew me away with all of it’s natural beauty, rich history, and fun things to do. I would totally go back, In fact, I can’t wait until we do!
All of that being said, I wanted to share the highlights of my trip with you guys and hopefully inspire you to visit this absolutely beautiful place!
Getting There & Where To Stay
When booking your flight to the Smoky Mountains, there are usually two destination options: Asheville, North Carolina (just outside the TN border, Asheville is another gorgeous city that I LOVE!) and Knoxville, Tennessee. We opted for Knoxville, rented a pickup truck, and drove approximately one hour from the airport to our cozy cabin rental in Sevierville.
Our neighbor and close friend here in South Florida is familiar with the Gatlinburg, TN area and travels there often, so he helped us plan our trip and decide where to stay. Rather than stay in just any hotel, his suggestion was to book a cabin from Cabins USA to get the full Smoky Mountains experience. And he was totally on point about that!
There are definitely other cabin rental companies (or Airbnb, of course) and if you would rather stay in a hotel, there are tons of options on the main strip in Pigeon Forge. Cabins USA was just the company we happened to use per our neighbor’s recommendation and we were very pleased with our stay. Our rental had two bedrooms with on-suite bathrooms, a full kitchen, living room, wifi (we watched Netflix at night), and two large balconies, one of which included a hot tub!
My favorite part about the cabin was waking up in the morning, relaxing on the balcony (health-ified homemade pumpkin spice latte in hand) and inhaling that crisp, clean mountain air. Completely at peace. I can’t recommend this little escape enough, especially if you live in a busy city, like I do.
In my opinion, the best time to visit would be in the summer or fall. Spring would be great too, but I’m not sure about winter (unless you’re into snow and winter sports!). We got so lucky and had awesome weather the whole time because it was still summery but not too hot since the season was just starting to transition. I almost wish we went a little bit later in the season though so we could’ve seen the amazing fall foliage like we did on our trip to Asheville a couple of years ago.
What To Do
When my boyfriend Matt and I go on trips, I am usually the “planner.” How very Virgo of me. I operate best from a place of structure and organization while he is definitely the more laid-back, “let’s just get in the car and see where the road takes us” one. Which is great because we balance each other out quite nicely!
But this time around, Matt was the one doing most of the planning of activities since he essentially planned this entire trip. Which, trust me, doesn’t happen very often LOL. But it worked out really well and we ended doing almost everything we wanted to do!
Granted, we aren’t the type of couple who can do a million activities in one day. We prefer to keep it to 1-2 per day so we can spend our time and energy creating a few quality memories rather than rushing around from place to place.
So, in true Virgo fashion, I’ve decided to sum up my top recommendations based on places we visited on our trip in this nifty bullet-point list:
Chimney Tops Trail in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This trailhead is a beautiful and easily acessible beginner-friendly 3.3 mile hike. Although it is on the shorter side, just keep in mind that the majority of the trail is on an incline, making it a primarily uphill hike. Regardless, it’s a perfect way to spend your morning. We spent a separate day driving through the park and making stops at various different attractions and trails so we covered a lot of ground, but even if you only hike one trail, I recommend this one! You’ll come across several bridges, streams, waterfalls, and all-around gorgeous views. On your way there, stop off at the visitor’s center to grab a map of the park and ask the park rangers any questions you might have. Pack up some food to take with you and head over to the park’s picnic area for a post-hike lunch. Remember to always clean up after yourself to avoid an encounter with a bear! 😉
Forbidden Caverns
Being guided through this underground river and cave formations was a crazy experience! A guide leads the group through a one hour walking tour of these underground tunnels full of onyx, stalagmites, natural chimneys, streams, and the most beautiful mineral formations. They also have special lighting effects in sections of the cave as well as handrails to make getting around a little easier. At only $16 a person ($10 for children 5-12 & under 4 free) it’s definitely worth it!
Smoky Mountain Deer Farm & Exotic Petting Zoo
Animals make my soul so happy and this petting zoo in Sevierville (that also offers horseback riding and pony rides for kids) was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Tons of farm animals live here like goats, bunnies, chickens, cattle, horses, ponies, donkeys, and pigs. But the cool part about this farm is that they also have quite a few exotic animals on the premises! Such as camels, reindeer, elk, a zebra, even a kangaroo! And you can purchase food to hand feed most of them. They also allow visitors to go inside the gate and play with the goats and deer which was such an awesome experience. I absolutely loved getting up close and cuddly with them. I had no idea how much I loved goats!!! There is just something about scooping up a baby goat! Can you tell that I’m dying for one of my own?
Where To Eat
When you’re a gluten-free vegan, it can be difficult to find a healthy place to eat while traveling, especially when your significant other is not a gluten-free vegan and honestly just wants a good ol’ slice of pizza.
My motto when on the hunt for healthy meals while traveling is always this: “do the best you can with what you’ve got.” You are traveling, after all, and who wants to spend half of their trip worrying about food? If you want to indulge a little bit, then go for it! This isn’t a free pass to go absolutely crazy on the junk food, but if there’s a special something you’re dying to try, by all means try it! You won’t be on vacation forever and you can get right back to your healthiest routine as soon as you’re home.
That being said, I did find it a little difficult to stick to a 100% healthy diet in the mountains. I didn’t find the nearby city to be particularly health-oriented either. BUT where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Since we were staying in a cabin with a full kitchen, I took the opportunity to grab a few essentials to make most of our meals there, rather than eating out for every single meal (which, as we all know, can really add up financially, too). I bought things like salad ingredients, canned beans, pre-made brown rice, raw veggies to snack on, hummus for dipping and to use as a salad dressing, organic coffee (to brew at the cabin instead of buy at coffee shops), etc.
The one night we did go out to eat (yes, one night! haha) we went to Mellow Mushroom in Pigeon Forge, a pizza place that offers gluten-free and vegan options. It was very good, but a little on the expensive side. I would recommend it, though! Other than that, we primarily made our own dinners and packed to-go lunches in Stasher bags.
We also visited a bakery in Pigeon Forge called Gigi’s Cupcakes that came highly recommend by our neighbor. Matt was obsessed. We actually stopped there twice during the trip… lol. Gigi’s offers gluten-free cupcake options as well.
Well, there you have it! Those were most of the things we did while in Tennessee. I hope this blog was informative and possibly has inspired you to take a little trip! I truly can’t recommend this area enough. If you are considering visiting, don’t hesitate! You will not regret it!!
Have you ever been to Tennessee or the Smoky Mountains? Tell me about your experience in the comments!