The 5 Best Things to Do in Gatlinburg Around Sunrise

Waking up can be hard to do once you’re officially on vacation, but in my opinion, the best parts of your time off can easily spent enjoying Gatlinburg just prior, during, or shortly after the sun rises in the mountainous East Tennessee sky. This is how my love for this popular tourist spot burgeoned into something I couldn’t live my life without thinking about on a daily basis. All of things I’m about to list have all had an impact on my time spent here, and I believe these are the 5 best things to do in Gatlinburg around the sunrise hours.

1. Eat at a Gatlinburg Pancake House

Everyone talks about the lines at the Pancake Pantry, but a real pro knows when to get there if they want to avoid the lines. Heck, depending on when you visit, there may not even be a line all day. Generally speaking, if you arrive before 8 in the morning during any time of the year, (they open at 7) you’ll be good. This holds true if you’re also a fan of all the other breakfast restaurants in Gatlinburg: Log Cabin Pancake House, Little House of Pancakes, Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin, and Crockett’s Breakfast Camp. Obviously, some of you have your favorites, and that is totally fine. I’ve enjoyed breakfasts at all of these esteemed establishments!

2. Take a Drive and Hike in the Park

Our daily lives do not revolve around us looking for our next hiking adventure. It’s just not us; however, we always planned a day where we took a hike and did some sight-seeing in the incomparable amazement of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That’s the thing. Even if you are like us and don’t do hikes, take it from us, you won’t regret it. There is so much information out there regarding easy to moderate to difficult hikes, ranging from Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail and Cataract Falls, to Laurel Falls and Grotto, to Chimney Tops and Mt. LeConte. Take a drive that cuts through the park on Newfound Gap Road and find yourself in Cherokee, North Carolina without even doing a hike. Either way you plan it, make sure you, at the very least, see this national park and all its beauty!

3. Walk the Parkway

It’s funny to look back on our Gatlinburg vacations realizing that this was one of the things I did after getting in touch with nature. Ironic, with what I revealed about us in the last paragraph. Honestly, this happened as my wife and son wanted to do what most people did as tourists here: sleep in. Since I didn’t want to, I wanted to explore, not knowing how at peace and awakened I would feel in a spiritual sense. I would walk the Parkway, almost totally alone on most occasions, and with coffee in hand, just absorb the serenity of the town before the crowds filtered in. While I don’t do this every day as a Gatlinburg resident, I think you may get a similar feeling if you let that alarm clock get you out of bed to experience something most don’t think to do when they’re here.

4. Visit The Donut Friar

This can also be part of your morning walk routine. No visit to Gatlinburg is complete unless you visit The Donut Friar, located in the very un-Gatlinburg-looking, Old World European-style aspects of The Village. Even though they slowly trickle out all varieties of donuts as the morning progresses, you’ll still get a basis of delicious donuts early in the morning. When I say early, I’m talking 5 A.M. Yep, if you’re truly an early riser, you’ll be happy to see and smell this foundational business in The Village churning out trays of sugary breakfast treats. No donut shop can operate without offering coffee as well, and you can also compliment your yeast or cake handheld with some wake-up juice. It’s something generations have enjoyed here in Gatlinburg!

5. Sit and Enjoy the Silence and Serenity

Yes, nothing says you can’t enjoy the morning early sunrise time doing…well, nothing. Sometimes the best medicine is to shake off that sleepiness by stepping out on your balcony and breathing in that cool mountain air. Whether you have a mountain view, creek view, street view, or pool view, I know many people—including myself on multiple visits—will be happy not straying far from their typical morning routine, with the only change being the environment. And boy, what an environment Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains are! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing virtually nothing at all, as long as it makes you happy, and you really feel like you’re on vacation. That’s the most important ingredient!

Thanks for reading my latest opinion list on my publication! Let me know what you think, and if you have any alternative favorites you enjoy at sunrise in Gatlinburg. Please consider subscribing if you haven’t already. You don’t have to pay to read about 90% of articles I write, but if you want some background on my story or if you just want to support my work, I would be extremely grateful and appreciative of your gesture! Stay tuned for more!