Here are 5 fun facts you may, or may not know, about Gatlinburg!
1. What's greater; the number of people that get to call Gatlinburg home or the the number of aquatic animals in Gatlinburg? There are just over 4,000 residents in Gatlinburg. The number of aquatic animals is well over double that amount though! Ripley's Aquarium is home to over 10,000 exotic sea creatures!
2. Gatlinburg is actually the 2nd most popular place in the United States to get married. The only place that hosts more weddings is Las Vegas. As a side note, I've always been so glad to say that Gatlinburg is where my wife and I got married!
3. If you've ever been to Gatlinburg, there's a good chance you've stood in line, anxiously waiting to get through the doors of the Pancake Pantry. If you've been there, you know how good the pancakes are. What you might not know though is that in 1960 they were actually the first pancake house to open in Tennessee! If you haven't been, I'd definitely recommend going. The fact they are still open after so many years speaks on just how good they really are!
4. There are roughly 1,600 black bears in the national park. Everyone hopes for a chance to see one when visiting the Gatlinburg area. A couple of the best places to see one when visiting the area are Cades Cove and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. If you're not lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one there, you can always go to the Ober Gatlinburg Wildlife Encounter. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children. There you will actually get to see a family of bears; dad (B.J.), mom (Minnie), and their two children (Holly & Chief). Also keep in in mind that despite not being in the wild the bears at Ober Gatlinburg still hibernate and may not be visible in December, January, and February.
5.During peak season the population in Gatlinburg balloons from around 4,000 to over 40,000 people! There are two peak seasons; June 15th -August 15th and the entire month of October. Those are wonderful times to be in Gatlinburg, but if you want to avoid some crowds you might want to pick a different time to visit.
Stay tuned for more blog posts about Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. If you have any comments or questions you can reply here or on any of my social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Vero, or Twitter) @GatlinburgLife
