Gatlinburg, TN

Besides all the incredible country music Tennesse has to offer, there’s no better place to take in the picturesque Great Smoky Mountains than Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This underrated place boasts Tennessee’s only ski resort, as well as several museums and its 32-story Space Needle. Whichever season you choose to go, Gatlinburg offers a wide variety of attractions and activities.

Adventurers can hike, bike, and even ride horseback through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can ski and snow tube in the winter at Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort.

Year-round, this mountain town offers plenty of unique distractions you won’t find anywhere else, including moonshine tastings and an 8-mile loop of galleries and boutiques featuring Appalachian arts like wood-carving and broom-making. To get a bird’s-eye view of the city, take the elevator up to the observation deck of the Space Needle or go on the Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tram.