Tolbert Travels

Fall Break 2025 led us to Tennessee for the first time, and we really soaked in the three-day weekend. Tennessee was Elias’s 12th U.S. State he’s been to & the Great Smoky Mtns National Park was his 5th National Park. It was my second time to Gatlinburg, but K and E’s first time.

Where did we stay?

Clarion Pointe Downtown Gatlinburg (We spent $204 because we used a little bit of our credit card points to lower the cost)

Check-in: 4pm // Check-out: 11am // Free, AMAZING breakfast included Address: 200 East Pkwy., Gatlinburg, TN, 37738, US We stayed here on October 11th, 2025, and arrived right at 4pm. By 4:15pm we were walking out of our hotel to check out the downtown, insanely busy Gatlinburg scene. It was a great location to stay.

What did we do in Downtown Gatlinburg?

We walked from our hotel straight to the Village Shoppe area because we had pumpkin heads to locate! We also popped into a few stores and enjoyed watching taffy being made (free samples). Kristoff tried a sample of beef jerky and found a bag for his Christmas stocking. We couldn’t have asked for better weather … it was perfect. After wandering through this area for about an hour we headed to dinner at No Way Jose. This is one of two locations in TN, and it was incredible!! Think real salsa (not like anything we have by our house haha!) and delicious, sizzling fajitas for 2. We only waited about 10 minutes for our table because we were there by 5:15pm on a Saturday night. The line got a lot longer after we were seated. Our server was great, the food was delicious, and we all shared fajitas (steak, shrimp, & chicken).

We had leftovers, so Kristoff ran them back to our hotel mini fridge (it was the perfect amount left for the three of us to have for lunch the next day after hiking over 2 miles), while Elias and I waited in front of Ripley’s Aquarium. We spent around 3 hours here and we weren’t the last to leave since they are open until 10PM on Saturdays! Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies was amazing and worth the money. The shark tunnel with a moving conveyor belt through it, the “touch a ray bay,” playground, jelly fish touch tank, and penguin exhibit that allowed our 2yr old to pop up “inside” the exhibit were a few of the highlights. Elias got to touch his first jellyfish this past summer at the DC Aquarium and touch a ray at the SC Aquarium, so this experience brought both back to the surface for me. Fun times!

We all slept super good after showers that night and woke up early to our alarm clocks blaring at 7am. We quickly got dressed and ran to the free breakfast offered by our hotel. It was WAY better than the free breakfasts we are used to since it had sausage gravy + biscuits, a yogurt parfait bar, fresh fruit, eggs, sausage, and more to enjoy before a hike! We spent a little long here and probably didn’t check out closer until 8am. By 8:30am we arrived at Sugarlands Visitor Center to print our Great Smoky National Parks parking pass since we didn’t plan ahead and print a pass at home before arriving. Around 9am Kristoff dropped Elias and I off at the trailhead with the bulk of our stuff, while he took the car to find parking. We couldn’t believe how busy it was!! Right around 9:30am when I started to worry, he popped around the corner and was ready to begin the hike. I had put Elias in the carrier on my back, so my shoulders were starting to get tired. I was relieved when Kristoff walked around the corner.

Alum Cave Bluffs Trail

We hiked 2.3 miles there and 2.3 miles back, plus quite a bit to the car …. so, all in all, about 5 miles. At 31 weeks pregnant it was amazing to get so many steps in and push my body. I was proud of myself and even carried E for a little bit on the trail (maybe like the first 10 mins. haha!). CLICK HERE for information on the trail we enjoyed.

We took advantage of the public restrooms located at the trailhead parking lots, but I also peed 2x along the trail because #pregnancy. To the far right of the restrooms, you will find the trailhead marked by a sign indicating the distance to each major landmark along the way. We turned around at the bluffs after eating lunch there and just really enjoyed the diverse terrain on this hike. Elias walked for 10% of the way up and mostly road in our hiking carrier, but on the way down he walked for probably 85% of the trail which was great for Kristoff.

So, 1.4 miles in we traveled through Arch Rock, and this was super neat! As the name implies, Arch Rock is a large concentration of black slate that formed a natural, arch-like shape over time. You will hike through the arch via a set of rock stairs and the assistance of cable handrails, then continue on to the bluffs. Elias loved walking over the bridges and seeing the water underneath. I love that he already loves these types of challenges.

Our Hiking Time Stat according to K’s “All Trails” App:

• 2hours 51 minutes of actual hiking time (pretty good considering the majority of the way down we were walking at E’s pace), as he paused the app during breaks.

When we got back to the car we felt pride, excitement, and joy to have just spent the day in nature together. We drove to our AirBnb in Pigeon Forge (more off the beaten path), which was just what we needed after spending a night in busy, busy Gatlinburg. Firefly Bungalow had a private mini-golf course that we enjoyed with Elias, but also as a fun date activity after we put him to sleep. It also offered a firepit and lots of animals for our 2yr old to feed. We would definitely stay here again in this adorable treehouse! E’s favorite part was feeding the goats, mini horses, and donkey. Click here to view the listing if you are interested in booking! It was very cozy and clean. The decor inside the treehouse was incredible too and made me want to turn our kid’s bathroom/guest bathroom into a “bear themed” oasis.

So grateful for a fun, relaxing final vacay as a family of 3! We had one more trip planned for November, but that was with our parents and brother, so this one was the final one as just a family of 3. Wild! Time flies.