Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Christmas Shopping Ideas'
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on November 21, 2023
With only weeks to go until Santa Claus makes his annual visit to our living rooms, we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday-shopping season. Whether we're trying to get our hands on this year's toy craze or trying to find the perfect gift for that special someone, it's the time of year when a lot of us go all out when it comes to retail spending.
While it's likely that a lot of us will do a fair amount of shopping online, all of us at Smoky Mountain Ziplines would like to offer another approach, one that you can use to complement or perhaps even completely replace all that mouse clicking this season. Instead, consider a visit to the Smokies in the next few weeks and kill two birds with one proverbial stone. You can get a lot of Christmas shopping done while you're here, and you will probably have a lot of fun in the process.
A great place to start would be the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community in Gatlinburg. Located along the triangle formed by U.S. Hwy. 321, Glades Rd. and Buckhorn Rd., this enclave of artists is home to more than 100 craftspeople. In their various shops, studios and galleries, these talented artisans produce hand-craft works representing a wide range of media and products, including pottery, candles, metal work, woodwork, blown glass, brooms, photography, paintings and much more. In addition to the studios, the community has several food vendors and other eateries to satisfy at mealtime.
You'll also have two chances to access the work of these artisans outside the community. Their Thanksgiving Arts & Crafts Show runs 11/21 through 11/26, while their Christmas Arts & Crafts Show runs 11/27 through 12/3. The events take place at the Gatlinburg Convention Center and include live demonstrations by many participating artisans.
Another obvious place to get some shopping done is an outlet mall. We have several in the Smokies, including Tanger Outlets Sevierville, Governor's Crossing Mall (also in Sevierville) and Pigeon Forge Factory Outlet Mall. These shopping centers contain as many as dozens of different stores, each specializing in a particular type of merchandise, such as clothing, footwear, electronics, housewares, books, specialty foods and more. In many cases, you'll find this merch at prices that are marked down compared to typical suggested retail prices.
There are also cool specialty shops all over the Smokies, located in various shopping centers and retail plazas. For example, The Island in Pigeon Forge is home to stores that carry unique products like beef jerky, homemade candies, home décor, popcorn, wall art, toys and sunglasses, just to mention a few. You'll also find similar collectives of specialty shops in other parts of Pigeon Forge as well as in Gatlinburg. At The Village in downtown Gatlinburg, for example, you'll find shops that specialize in candles, coffee, donuts, hiking gear, soaps, footwear and more, and they're all located in a charming Old-World-style village. The Mountain Mall in downtown Gatlinburg is another site where you can get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of finding multiple shoppertunities in one convenient location.
Finally, don't forget about gift cards to attractions and other experiences. How about giving someone tickets to a music theater show or free admission to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies or the Titanic Museum Attraction? And you can also give the gift of ziplining Gatlinburg. Contact us today to find out how to purchase gift certificates to our attraction. We'll be closing for the season at the end of the year, but a zipline experience is something that the recipient can look forward to for next spring or summer. It's a great way to extend the holiday cheer into next year!
