Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
5 Things You Should Do In The Smokies In August
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on August 4, 2015
August is a weird time of year here in the Smokies. Technically, it's still summer – a fact that some of these hot-and-humid days we've been having won't let you forget. But now that most schools in the region have started back, that usual peak-season level of activity on the roads and at our local attractions and shops has slackened noticeably.
This is good news for those of you who may not yet have had a chance to make your annual pilgrimage to the mountains this year, especially if you don't have kids in school and are able to travel on weekdays. Visiting in August gives you access to all the fun things you can do during warmer weather, but because overall visitation has hit an annual slump (until the fall colors kick in), you can take advantage of less traffic, shorter lines and smaller crowds.
So this week, we're giving you some ideas for things to do that will let you make the most out of this time of seasonal transition in the Great Smoky Mountains.
1. Make A Splash
Weekends at Dollywood's Splash Country and the original Dollywood theme park still draw huge crowds, but if you can manage to plan your trip for a weekday, you'll benefit from less overall congestion and shorter lines for rides and slides. This is a great time in particular to check out Splash Country, which provides a way to beat the still-raging summertime heat. The water park closes after the Labor Day holiday, so there are only a few weekends left to get your splash on this season.
2. Play Ball
Yep, it's still baseball season, and folks are still heading out to Smokies Park in Sevierville to watch the Tennessee Smokies play their home games. Our AA minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs is headed into its last few weeks of regular-season play, but there are still several home stands left on the schedule. Many of those games may very well determine who comes out on top in the Southern League this year and who heads into the league playoffs.
3. Save Some Money
When booking your overnight accommodations, you might want to take a little extra time to do some comparison shopping. Some hotels, motels, condos and rental cabins may offer lower rates between now and the fall color season in October. It could be worth the effort to save a few bucks.
4. Get In The Loop
The Cades Cove and Roaring Fork auto loops are top attractions within Great Smoky Mountains National Park – so much so that at times, traffic can be at almost a bumper-to-bumper standstill (more so in Cades Cove). But if you can venture out to these sites during the middle of the week, you'll likely benefit from less road congestion. Not that Cades Cove or Roaring Fork is a tour you want to speed through by any means, but you'll at least be able to move along at a pace that's more to your liking.
5. Get Zippy With It
Actually, any time of year that we're open is a great time to visit us at Smoky Mountain Ziplines. But if you come to our Pigeon Forge attraction on a weekday in August, you might very well wind up in a less-than-capacity tour group. That means shorter waits at each platform, which means less time watching other people have all the fun and more time coasting through the trees on our canopy tour.
6. Get Crafty
The Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community in Gatlinburg is this area's go-to spot for people who appreciate the beauty and skill of handmade creations. This 8-mile auto loop, located just north of downtown Gatlinburg, draws people year 'round, especially in the fall, to visit the hundreds of shops, galleries and studios that make up the community. A mid-week visit in August means you're likely to enjoy smaller crowds, which can really be helpful when you're jockeying for limited parking spots in front of some of the shops.
