WHERE: Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
WHEN: Arrive Thursday, Oct. 20; depart Sunday, Oct. 23 (or other arrangements as you prefer)
AIRPORT: McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, TN: It's about 40 miles from the airport to Gatlinburg and a taxi is $65 and up. If you're flying in, best to rent a car at the airport.
MOTEL: Quality Inn Creekside, 125 Leconte Creek Road, Gatlinburg, 37738. Rates: night of Oct. 20 is $74.99; next two nights are $89.99 for a total of $287.48 including tax for Oct. 20-24. If you wish to arrive earlier that week, it will be $74.99 for each night before Thursday, and the same rate should you choose to stay an extra night on Sunday and not leave until Monday. To reserve, call the motel at 865-436-4865, and tell them you're reserving at the XI rate for that weekend.
PARKING: Pigeon Ford and Gatlinburg are both crammed with tourist attractions. They are about seven miles apart and shuttles run between them several times per hour. You will not need a car to drive to any events and it's suggested that you park at the motel and leave your vehicle there because the roads are very heavily congested every hour of the day.
.....................................................................................................................................
(XI OFFICIAL EVENTS)
Notes:
- Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is one of the largest tourist areas in the country. You should Google for information on dozens of other events if any of the following are not what you are interested in.
- We have not reserved any of these events because we don't know who will be attending them.
THURSDAY, OCT. 22:
- Early arrival dinner Thursday evening is MAKE YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS: Here are the best restaurants in Gatlinburg. You should post here which one you plan to use and ask others to join you. https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Best+Restaurants&find_loc=Gatlinburg%2C+TN+37738
FRIDAY, OCT. 21:
-8 a.m.: Breakfast. Atrium Pancakes, 432 Parkway. 8 a.m. http://dininginthesmokies.com/_gatlinb/dgatrium.htm
-9:30 a.m.: Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.700 Parkway. Adults: $30; child, $16. (Save money on combo passes to more than one Ripley event: http://www.ripleys.com//gatlinburg/ ) The top rated aquarium in the United States. The aquarium’s 1.4 million gallons of water is home to over 100,000 exotic sea creatures.
- 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The Village Shops. 534 Parkway. A collection of 27 unique boutiques, clothiers, eateries & galleries in a quaint Old World setting. Have lunch here and shop. http://www.thevillageshops.com/
- 2 p.m.: Xtreme Racing: 3144 Parkway, Pigeon Forge (between lights #5 and #6). Single cart: $11; double cart, $13; Grand Prix special, $30 (includes 1 qualifying race in the Pro Kart and one additional race in cart of choice.) Choice of three courses totalling 3,500 linear feet. The ‘Xtreme’ track is filled with winding turns, narrow straightaways and thrilling adventure as guests race inside one of our professional-grade Sodi GT-5 go karts. http://www.xtremeracingcenterpigeonforge.com/our-tracks
- 5 p.m. on: Dinner and drinks: Dick's Last Resort. This place is a hoot and you'll have tons of fun with your XI buddies. 903 Parkway, Gatlinburg (This is within walking distance of our motel. Park at the motel and walk to Dick's if you plan to drink a lot.) http://www.dickslastresort.com/citypage.cfm?store=gatlinburg
SATURDAY, OCT. Oct. 22:
8-9 a.m. Breakfast. Crockett's Breakfast Camp, 1103 Parkway (Three blocks from the motel.)
http://crockettsbreakfastcamp.com/
- 10 a.m.: Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster. 306 Parkway. Single rider, $16; double rider, $27; child/parent combo, $24. An uphill lift system will carry you to the top, just sit back and enjoy the view. Then, once you reach the top, away you go down the mountain in your own coaster car (single or double) with individual speed controls that let you set your speed. The track carries you up and over the forest floor with lots of twists and surprises. http://www.gatlinburgmountaincoaster.com/
- Lunch (Wherever you please)
- 1:30 p.m.: - Mysterious Mansion. 424 River Rd. Just a short walk along the river from the aquarium. Adults, $13; child, $9. The area's most terrifying haunted attraction. http://gatlinburgsmysteriousmansion.com/
3 p.m.: - Ripley's Believe it or Not. 800 Parkway. Adult, $17; child, $10. (Save money on combo passes to more than one Ripley event: http://www.ripleys.com//gatlinburg/ ) Shrunken heads, a 12ft tall scrap car parts robot sculpture, an authentic vampire killing kit, one-of-a-kind artwork, tons of hands-on interactives, and a wicked spinning vortex tunnel
5 p.m. Smoky Mountain Brewery, 1004 Parkway (next to motel. Park at motel and walk across the street.) 2016 XI Fest Reunion. Dinner and drinks. (They do NOT take reservations. First ones to arrive should ask for reserved space for 20-30.)