I’m sure for many of you it’s no wonder as Gatlinburg continues to stand out for its numerous ascetic attractions like Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Ober Gatlinburg, the Space Needle, and restaurants like the Hofbrauhaus. All of these lying along a downtown parkway adorned with the best and brightest in seasonal decorations.
Accordingly, Forbes.com came to decision on a final rankings based on input from such renowned sources as The Travel Channel and National Geographic. To see the listings, please visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngiuffo/2012/03/29/americas-prettiest-towns-2/.
“With its charming, quaint old buildings in the center of town, its dramatic mountain backdrop and the only ski resort in Tennessee, Gatlinburg has become a popular tourist destination for regional fun-seekers. Located on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg benefits from its location as a tourist draw and reinforces it with attractions such as an aerial tramway, an aquarium, whitewater rafting, hiking, and even a haunted house. But let’s not kid ourselves: as pretty and irresistible (as) the town is, the real draw in this part of Tennessee is the nature. ‘The wildflowers around Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are absolutely spectacular in the spring as they burst with wildflowers at their peak,’ says Zain Habboo, National Geographic’s director of travel.” Forbes.com
“We are very thrilled with this honor from Forbes,” said Cindy Cameron Ogle, Gatlinburg city manager. “We are blessed to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and we take pride in being the gateway community to the country’s most-visited national park. It truly is a wonderful place to enjoy.”
To further the beauty of town, the City of Gatlinburg is in the process of completing the sixth phase of its Underground Utilities and Streetscape Project. Since the late 1990s, Gatlinburg has been working to bury its utilities, thus further improving the aesthetics downtown. It’s teamwork personified by the city, its downtown and community businesses, its residents, everyone.
“Of course, it has taken a lot of people doing a lot of good things to allow us to earn this lofty recognition,” Ogle said. “It’s been a great public-private collaboration of dedication that has dramatically improved the aesthetics of the Parkway and helped us blend in with the Smokies.”
Gatlinburg is calling, Forbes listened. Now, will you? Come spend a day, weekend, or a week or two in Gatlinburg and see why it really is one of the prettiest towns in America.