I had a good time here all exept the Big Rock Dude Ranch at Ponderosa.  Party of 11 people cost over 300$.  Stocked fishing pond was about 100ft by 100ft.  Gem mining was a bag of sand with rocks in it that they furnished.  Museum  was a small room with old stuff in cases about a 10 by 20ft room.  I have to admit the horse back riding was fun but the trails were very sloppy and SELF PROCLAIMED OWNER was extremily rude.  Including swearing in front of our kids and chasing after our Niece about taking pictures even after the office had told us we could.  After our neice complained about the guy yelling and cussing at her he really got upset and chased us down for another yelling match.  I would not recomend this place

I visited smoky mountain with family last summer and enjoyed the calm and serene atmosphere for three days. The best thing was that cell phones and internet was not working so even if i wanted to check emails or work i could not. It was great.

debra

One more thing was the food in a restaurant along the river. The sound of flowing water was a soothing experience.

Debra

My first time to Gatlinburg was only because of traveling along I-40 and stopping at the Sevierville exit for a room for the night. We drove down to Gatlinburg and I was hooked.  The atmosphere of this place is fantastic. Because time was limited, we just was able to look around. But from then, every year we have stayed in Gatlinburg on our vacations. The trip from Cherokee to Gatlinburg was breathtaking with a stop at Clingman's Dome. Cade's Cove is a real nice day trip. Stay at different hotels every time. My favorite is Park Vista with a good view. Love to eat at the great restaurants in Gatlinburg. Took 3 visits before riding the tram up to Obergatlinburg. The shops along the streets are the best for splurging on vacation.

Some of the best times to walk and shop is later at night and seeing all the people and traffic cruising along the streets. Last year, got married there and shopped the artist areas. Was wanting to try the camp/inn up in the mountain but that's just a little too rustic.

my famliy  and i went to pigeon forge for 4 wonderful nights and had a blast...the only thing is we did not like the big dude ponderosa ranch.... the people there were extremely rude and very unprofessional...discriminated against heavier set people..there service is a very bad set up the horses are in very bad shape and definatly have not been taken care of....so if ur goin horse back riding i would highly recommend somewhere else...these people are rude and stupid..spend your money and time somewhere else..... PS. the brochure is a joke and a lie it says theres no weight limit but the catch is if u weigh over 200 pounds they act like u need an elephant..

We love Pigeon Forge~However when i have a bad experience I like to share so others will be aware...besides that's why people use reviews!!

The trail ride itself was good. It was all on a mountain side, up oneside back and forth and then down the other side.

I personally believe they should work on their marketing. My total price did not match up to what was written on the board as the price with my $4 coupon. Also we were not offered our bottle of water or ice cream that was included in the price. We had to pay $20 extra for my husband to ride due to the 250lb weight limit. Also they did not tell us there was an hour plus wait before we saddle up. They could have told us that and then offered us the option to roam and view the other actvities or eat at thier cafe.

And the part that really really has me DISTURBED is the "No Camera rule". When vacationing you want to capture those moments. I understand if they want to make money by using their photographer, but they only take one picture of you on your horse and charge a whopping $12.95 for the 4x6 print. That's all they offer!! No group/family picture, I have a family of four, that's outrageous! And no different sizes or a CD of the pics so you can re-size and print at your leisure. To top it off they print the pictures and have them there for you to view...so if you don't buy, they just THROW IT AWAY!! All I can say is these people are good for the horse ride and making money only! I will definately research reviews for my next horseback riding trip.

We have a good relationship with Smoky Mountain Riding Stables off of Hwy 321.  People seem happy with them, so you might give them a try next time!