Arts, Crafts, Food And More!
By Leif Palmer
Posted on August 10, 2019
On your next trip to Gatlinburg, TN, seriously consider making the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community a part of your travel plans. This eight-mile loop, located on the north end of Gatlinburg, is home to dozens of galleries, studios and shops, where hundreds of talented artisans practice their skills daily and offer a wide range of arts and crafts for sale to the public. The community is known for its hand-crafted work, including leather work, woodworking, painting, sculpture, photography, basketry, jewelry making, soap making, candle making and pottery just to name a few.
Visitors are always welcome to drop in and browse the merchandise, and often, you'll be able to meet the artists and possibly catch them while they're working. They're always happy to chat and tell you a little more about their art/craft form and give you a live demonstration, if possible. In addition to all the artists' studios, the community is home to a number of restaurants, coffee shops and other eateries, so you can make an entire day out of your time there.
The two-way auto loop is comprised of Glades Rd., Buckhorn Rd. and U.S. Hwy. 321. It's easy to drive from location to location, but if you're visiting Gatlinburg for the day, there's another alternative for working in the Arts & Crafts Community – one in which someone else gets to do all the driving. You could park in one of our seven downtown lots and pay one price to stay for the entire day. Then just take the Gatlinburg trolley system Yellow route, which goes to the Arts & Crafts Community for just $1 per person (April through December) for the entire day. Just board the trolley at traffic light #5 in downtown Gatlinburg, and it will cover the entire eight-mile loop, making multiple stops along the way. So you can hop off and board again later when the next trolley comes along.
The good thing about this strategy is that when you're done visiting the Arts & Crafts Community, the trolley will take you back to downtown Gatlinburg, where you can continue playing, shopping, dining and otherwise enjoying everything the city has to offer – without having to get back in your car and relocate. At the end of the day, your vehicle will be waiting for you, ready to go. And once you've compared all the Gatlinburg parking garage prices, you'll find that our rates are hard to beat.
About Leif Palmer
Leif Palmer loves residing in Gatlinburg. He is an avid outdoorsman: rowing for exercise on the lake, trail hiking, and free climbing rocks in the mountains. He indulges his arty side by periodically beating up pieces of marble by sculpting. He is always frustrated by his inability to sink long putts, and hates his curly hair (but his wife loves it). Leif has been known to muster enough courage to change a diaper, and hopes his son will become a chip off the old block.