If you’re looking for a place to stay while you explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee may be your best bet. It offers hotels, condominiums, and cabins just steps from the entrance to the park.

I have a love/hate thing going on with Gatlinburg. On the one hand, it has a lot to offer in the way of places to stay, restaurants, outdoor outfitters and more. Its location is ideal for visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On the other hand, during the park’s peak seasons Gatlinburg is beyond crowded. The crowds that come to see the park have caused tons of touristy shops to pop up full of t-shirts, key chains and shot glasses. Not one of my favorite things. I do appreciate the fact that unlike some of its neighboring towns, Gatlinburg has some restrictions and requirements on the buildings that go up, trying for a ski chalet theme that fits in with the backdrop of the Great Smokies.

There are some things, however, that I think give Gatlinburg its own special charm - one of them being that Gatlinburg has made kitschy into an art form. It’s second only to Las Vegas when it comes to marriages - hence the number of cabin rentals boasting heart-shaped tubs! There is a ski lift that starts right in the middle of town and carries you up the mountain. There’s a mammoth aquarium in town which to me is an especially interesting quirk – especially considering Gatlinburg is no where near the sea. Gatlinburg is also home to the “world’s only” Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, and the Guinness World’s Record Museum.

One of my favorite things about Gatlinburg, aside from its proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is the Arts and Crafts Community. This loop holds the shops and studios of artisans and craftsmen, from glassblowers and woodworkers to potters and painters. There are also some of the more interesting coffee shops and restaurants that Gatlinburg has to offer here.

For those interested in finding out more about places to stay and other things to do in and around Gatlinburg, check out the Chamber of Commerce website.