One Day, Five Oaks
By Leif Palmer
Posted on May 19, 2022
No one wants to spend too much of their vacation time in traffic. Days off are a precious commodity, so once you're up and at 'em, it's only natural to want to spend as much time as possible doing fun stuff and as little as possible driving from one destination to another.
However, if you make one stop at the Five Oaks area of Sevierville, you can accomplish a lot with little to no additional travel involved. Our recommendation is to spend half a day at the Tanger Outlets, which is in the heart of the Five Oaks area, and spend the other half at the Adventure Park at Five Oaks, which is directly across the Parkway. Whether you choose to shop in the morning and play in the afternoon or vice versa, you'll have a full day of vacation fun without burning a lot of gas.
Tanger Outlets is considered the gold standard for outlet-mall shopping in the Smokies thanks to dozens of stores located in one convenient location. The mall features familiar name brands and a wide range of merchandise, from clothing and footwear to housewares and electronics. Best of all, because it's an outlet mall, you'll benefit from lower prices across the board, compared to what you'll find at most retailers.
Anchor stores at Tanger Outlets include Columbia Factory Store, Banana Republic Factory, Old Navy Outlet, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike Factory Store, Under Armour, Gap Factory, Loft Outlet, Polo and Victoria's Secret. There's an abundance of free outdoor parking, and there are even restaurants located on or adjacent to the property, including The Chop House and Joe's Crab Shack. For miniature golf fun, Ripley's Mini Golf is also within walking distance.
On the other side of the Parkway, the Adventure Park at Five Oaks offers 70 acres' worth of zipline and horseback-riding fun. The zipline tour features beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains while speeding along on seven unique ziplines, the longest of which is 2,000 feet. If horseback riding is more your speed, you can enjoy an hour-long ride on their shady, 3.5-mile trail that features trees, streams, mountain views and more. The horses are rider-friendly, and Adventure Park's guides will keep you smiling the whole tour. You can even purchase a zipline and horseback combo that will allow you to enjoy both activities for one discounted price.
Sevierville isn't the only place where you can knock out multiple activities with minimal travel. If you visit Gatlinburg, you can park in any of our downtown lots and leave your vehicle for the entire day. So many of that city's attractions, shops and restaurants are within footsteps or a trolley ride in the downtown area, and our parking rates in Gatlinburg 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.