Fall In Tennessee – Our Autumn Vacation To Pigeon Forge

Want to hear all about our recent vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee during this fall? While this might not be my normal type of article, I still thought it might be interesting to some of you who might be considering a vacation to Tennessee.

We typically don’t go anywhere in the fall. It’s usually a time when the kids and I go help my parents a bit on their farm as they harvest corn and soybeans. My kids are usually both deep into soccer season and it’s hard to work around their schedules.

It’s also a busy time for me as I work to finish harvesting the garden of the remaining vegetables and fruit. Once I get that done, I am busy clearing out all the old dying plants and buttoning up the homestead before winter takes over. The fall is definitely a bittersweet time, that’s for sure.

But this fall, we decided to take a little break away from Illinois and go spend a week in Tennessee. We have never been before but have always heard amazing things from anyone who has been. From the perfect weather to amazing views, Tennessee sounded amazing!

My kids have never really seen any type of mountains and we planned on spending one of the days at the infamous Dollywood. I was also looking forward to the possibility of seeing a black bear! (Spoiler alert, it didn’t happen much to my husband’s pleasure and my disappointment!) All in all, it was a nice time away with the family.

Our Trip To Tennessee This Fall

Day 1 – Getting Ready To Leave

The night before we left, I rushed to get my garlic planted. I had waited until the very last minute and knew that if I didn’t get it in the ground before we left, it might be too late by the time we got back. It was raining, cold, and miserable. (To learn how I plant garlic, check out “Planting Garlic In The Fall For A Huge Summer Harvest.”)

That’s what I get for procrastinating I guess! Between that, packing, and cleaning the house, I was spent and vacation hadn’t even started! (Isn’t that normally the case for us moms?!)

We finally left on a Saturday, straight from my son’s soccer tournament. The reason we did this is because we were able to shave off about two hours of drive time by leaving from there instead of heading back home and then leaving for Tennessee.

My husband had rented a car and we planned on splitting the drive into two days since it took several hours from Illinois. While I’m sure we could’ve done the trip in a day, none of us really wanted to.

The drive down was nice, but nothing fancy really. Between road construction and traffic, we were ready to find a hotel for the night. Besides, we knew that the more beautiful part of the trip would be the next day as we went further South and into Tennessee.

Day 2 – Driving To Tennessee In The Fall

We decided to drive until we hit Louisville, KY, and then find a hotel to spend the night. Since we only had about 4 hours left to drive the following day, we were able to sleep in a little bit before we got a nice hot breakfast at the hotel (you have to love those Belgian waffles!). None of us slept that great thanks to some loud stomping for about an hour around midnight on the floor above us!

The drive to TN was a bit interesting. While the scenery was definitely beautiful, the traffic was unreal! Fall and summer are considered to be the busy months in Tennessee, so I knew it would be congested. I just didn’t realize it would be quite so bad. I don’t do well with lots of traffic, so my husband drove most of the time.

We did stop at Buc-ee’s and got to experience that craziness! The parking lot and gas pumps were packed with people, most of whom were cranky and not very nice. The employees were nice at least.

We didn’t stay in there too long because it was so packed. But my son got a pair of PJ pants, my daughter a plush blanket, my husband some beef jerky, and I got a Christmas ornament. We got some cheap gas (for an Illinois resident!) and then quickly as possible hightailed it out of there and got back on the road.

Finally, we made it to the mountains! After driving up a super winding road with blind turns, we arrived at the VRBO we rented for the week.

The House We Rented In Tennessee This Fall

The house itself was really pretty. It was at the top of Cove Mountain and was stunning! It had unobstructed views of Wears Valley and felt like we were in a picture book.

The house had three stories and each one had its own full King suite (much to my kids’ delight). It had a wrap-around porch on the second and first levels as well as a game room in the basement. The porch featured a hot tub as well as several places for sitting.

The inside was really nice, but we agreed that the layout of the home didn’t really take advantage of the stunning views. Instead, it seemed like the TVs were the main focus. We could watch TV any day but would’ve rather spent our time indoors looking out the windows at the mountains and valleys.

So the inside was a bit of a bummer from a view standpoint. The best view was from the small kitchen sink window as well as the landing on the third story. The top bedroom did have good views, but it just wasn’t quite what we expected.

The other negative things about the place were that the couch was rather uncomfortable and the house wasn’t as clean as we expected. For example, the dishes in the kitchen still had food on them and the washer was gross. That’s not quite what you expect when you rent a VRBO and pay a hefty cleaning fee! (I did contact the owner and the cleaning issue was supposed to be taken care of for the next guest.)

But you couldn’t beat the view from outside of the home. It was absolutely stunning and made you feel like you were in a fairytale. Overall, we were happy with the VRBO choice.

Day 3 – Dollywood

We woke on Monday (day three) with the plan to go to Dollywood. We packed a light lunch and planned on eating in the car to help save some money.

The drive was only about 30 minutes and we got there around 9:15ish (the park opened at 10:00). The first thing we did was get in line for the Lightning Rod. Since my daughter had never been on a roller coaster before, we thought that would be a nice smooth one for her to try first. Unfortunately, we found out after being in the line for 30 minutes that it was going to be closed.

We were able to enjoy several other rides though. Some rides had around a 30-minute wait while others were more around 90 minutes. My son and husband ended up doing a few more rides while my daughter and I walked around the little shops and whatnot. (My husband and I both realized that we aren’t able to do roller coasters like we used to!)

Dollywood was decorated for fall for the Great Pumpkin Lumi Nights. It made the place feel pretty special and magical if you ask me. I just wish it hadn’t been quite so busy, but it was still a good time. We made sure to share one of Dollywood’s infamous Cinnamon Breads. Man was that delicious! I’m going to have to try recreating that sometime here at home!

Day 4 – A Chill Day (Fall In Tennessee)

After basically closing Dollywood down for the night, we were exhausted and decided to have a chill day at the VRBO. We slept in, ate food that was overly processed and bad for us, read, watched TV, spent time in the hot tub, played in the arcade room, and just sat outside looking at the scenery. It was glorious!

I also made the family dress up a little and took our annual family pictures. I have been taking them myself for the last several years. While the pictures aren’t “professional” or likely as good as a pro would take, they are a lot cheaper and still fun to do. Well, usually. The family humoured me and we ended up with a perfect backdrop for the images this year!

Other than that, we didn’t do a whole lot on day four.

Day 5 – Smokies & Clingmans Dome

Since we were lazy the day before, we decided to do a few touristy things on Wednesday. The first stop was into the Smoky Mountains National Park and up to Clingmans Dome.

The drive there was utterly stunning! (I know I keep using that word but it fits.) The colors of the leaves had started to change and the Smoky National Park road had multiple opportunities to pull off and take in the gorgeous views. The drive alone was a destination in my opinion.

Clingmans Dome

Clingmans Dome is a mountain between the Tennessee and North Carolina border. It is the highest mountain in the Smokies, with an elevation of 6,643 feet. It is also a stop along the Appalachian Trail and a big tourist destination.

We got there around 9:45 am and luckily were able to get a parking spot right away. The concrete observation tower is a short half-mile walk up a paved sidewalk from the parking lot. The view even from the parking lot was breathtaking.

While a half-mile walk might not seem like a lot, the path to the observation tower is a little tough for some due to the elevation and steepness. Thankfully, my family toughened it out and we made it all the way up without stopping.

The view was pretty amazing from the top of the tower, even though it was cloudy and a bit hazy. We could see the backside of the mountain we were staying on as well as several other mountains in the Smokies. It was pretty cool knowing we were at the highest point in the Smokies!

Being Tennessee Tourists

After a quick stop at the Clingmans Dome visitor’s center, we left the area. It took some time to leave due to people wanting to find parking spots.

Eventually, we escaped and ended up stopping along the road somewhere in the park next to a stream. We had a quick picnic lunch sitting on a fallen log and watching the river flow. It was a neat way to enjoy the park without a ton of people nearby.

We then left the Smokies and I made my husband stop at a few “mom and pop” stores in Pigeon Forge to do a little shopping (it’s his favorite part, lol!). I got a few things for my parents and my father-in-law and, of course, myself and the family!

Another touristy stop was to let the kids “mine” for gems along a stream. Of everything we did though, that was probably our least favorite since it was a little too fake. I’m sure younger kids would’ve really enjoyed it though.

But a big hit, especially with the kids, was riding the Alpine Coasters (twice)! I highly suggest trying that at least once if you are ever in the Pigeon Forge area.

Finally, we went back to the VRBO and enjoyed the hot tub for the last time.

Day 6 & 7 – Heading Home

On day 6 (Thursday morning), we headed for home. Again, we didn’t want to do the whole trip in one day so we stopped a little outside of Indianapolis for the night before finishing the drive.

Overall, it was a great family vacation! I loved getting to see the Tennessee mountains in the fall and all the colors that went with them. It was the perfect combination of touristy stuff and relaxation all in one trip.

While it is a bit sobering to be back to the reality of work, school, routines, chores, and general parenting expectations, it’s always nice to be back on the homestead! If you’ve ever experienced Tennessee in the fall or want to hear more about our experience, feel free to shoot me a message!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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