Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Gatlinburg (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ober Gatlinburg, Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers, and Gatlinburg Space Needle. Also, be sure to include Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Gatlinburg (Tennessee).
Table of Contents
Ober Gatlinburg
Amusement park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Ober Gatlinburg is a ski area and amusement park located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. Established in 1962, the area also contains a large mall with indoor amusements, an indoor ice skating rink, snack bars, a restaurant, and stores. An aerial tram connects Ober Gatlinburg to downtown Gatlinburg, about 3 miles east.[1]
Address: 1001 Parkway, 37738-3138 Gatlinburg
Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers
The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers is located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It houses more than 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers from all over the world. There is also a sister museum in El Castell de Guadalest, Alicante, Spain, which displays another 20,000 pairs. The museum was founded in 2002 by Andrea Ludden, a Belgian archaeologist. Her stated goal was to show the creativity of all the artists that have crafted an everyday item into a myriad of shapes and materials.[2]
Address: Winery Square, 37738 Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg Space Needle
Tower in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Gatlinburg Space Needle is a 407 feet tall observation tower in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States. The tower has an outdoor observation level that provides a 360 degree view of the Great Smoky Mountains and the city of Gatlinburg. Upon completion in 1969, it was the second tallest tower in the state of Tennessee. Currently it is the fifth tallest in the state, after several non-guyed TV and radio towers.
Along with being the tallest structure in the city of Gatlinburg, the Space Needle base also hosts an arcade with video games, escape games and the Impossibilities magic show theater.[3]
Address: 115 Historic Nature Trl, 37738-3321 Gatlinburg
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
Aquarium, Park, Zoo, Museum
Address: 88 River Road, 37738-3261 Gatlinburg
Christ in the Smokies Museum & Gardens
Museum, Specialty museum
Address: 510 River Rd, 37738-3127 Gatlinburg
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
Art school in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is an Arts and Crafts center in the U.S. city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The oldest craft school in Tennessee, Arrowmont offers workshops in arts and crafts such as painting, woodworking, drawing, glass, photography, basket weaving, ceramics, fiber arts, book arts and metalworking. The School has an 11-month Artists-in-Residence program for early career artists. Arrowmont's campus contains the oldest buildings in Gatlinburg and comprises two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Arrowmont's history is rooted in a settlement school founded by the Pi Beta Phi women's fraternity in Gatlinburg in 1912. The school provided the only public education for children in the Gatlinburg area until Sevier County assumed control of its public schools in the early 1940s. The early writings and reports of the settlement school's teachers provide an important glimpse of Gatlinburg in the days before the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park radically changed the city's economy and culture. Pi Beta Phi helped prime Gatlinburg for the coming tourism boom, and also helped Gatlinburg residents tap into the national market for the crafts of Southern Appalachia with the establishment of Arrowcraft in the 1920s.
After the county gained control of the settlement school in 1943, Pi Beta Phi and the University of Tennessee established the craft workshops that evolved into what is now Arrowmont.
The school's campus was damaged on November 29, 2016, when a wildfire from the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park spread throughout Gatlinburg. Arrowmont lost two dormitories and a maintenance shed. All other buildings were unharmed.[4]
Address: 556 Parkway, 37738-3202 Gatlinburg
First Methodist Church
Church in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. First Methodist Church, Gatlinburg, also known as Gatlinburg First United Methodist Church, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee was designed by Charles I. Barber in Late Gothic Revival style. It was built during 1945–1950, with first worship in 1947. A second building, its education building, and a porch that joins them, was completed in 1961. Both were designed by architectural firm Barber and McMurry. The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2007 for its architecture.
It is located on a hillside above the main area of Gatlinburg. The original building is built of Crab Orchard stone from Bluff Mountain, used in foundation and exterior walls, Indiana limestone around the doors and windows, and Illinois slate shingles for the roofs.[5]
Address: 742 Parkway, 37738-3206 Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg Convention Center
Convention center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Gatlinburg Convention Center is a convention complex located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States.
The complex was recently renovated by Johnson and Galyon.[6]
Address: 920 Parkway, 37738-3104 Gatlinburg
Ripleys Marvelous Mirror Maze
Museum, Theme park, Amusement park, Entertainment
Address: 623 Parkway, 37738-3203 Gatlinburg
Guinness World Records Museum
Museum, Specialty museum, Entertainment, Science museum
Address: 631 Parkway, 37738-3230 Gatlinburg
Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum
Museum, Specialty museum, Entertainment, Art museum
Address: 800 Parkway, 37738-3247 Gatlinburg