Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #10

This is a terrible pix, but such a good photo op! Go on...stand beside that gorilla in front of Treasure Quest golf in Gatlinburg and get your pix taken! It's fun!

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #9

Visit one of the churches in Cades Cove. Go in and play the piano. Sit in a pew and pray. Stand behind the pulpit. Walk out into the cemetery.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #8

Keep your eyes open for strange and wonderful things. We found this tree behind a cabin in Cades Cove. The bottom was just a hollow shell of what was once a large tree. Only the bark remained. From the shell grew two smaller "trees".

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #7

Play the giant stringless harp in front of the Guinness World Records Museum.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #6

Enjoy the scenery! Enjoy the peace and quiet.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #5

Throughout Gatlinburg this year there are several groups of traveling musicians who wander in and out the town performing for free. You never know where they are going to turn up, so keep your eyes open and your ears pealed. We found them once performing on a roof top. They are very talented. The shows do not last very long, but we caught three in a short period of time while we were walking around.

Also in Pigeon Forge, look for the small white gazebo near the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. It is on the right side of the strip heading toward the park. A bluegrass band plays here at night. Many people bring their clogging shoes and dance in the parking lot. You can bring a lawn chair and sit and watch, or just stand as we do. They pass a bucket for tips, but the show is free.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #4

Don't miss the huge tree on the riverbank in front of the aquarium. For scale, there are two people standing on the rocks in the lower left corner of this pix. You may be able to see them better if you right click the pix and open it in a new tab or window. Walk across the bridge and look for the ducks in the water and on the bank.

While you are in this area, walk across the street to Mountain Mall and visit the teeny, tiny music shop called The Rhythm Section. It's on the ground floor. Notice the pond and fountain in the small lobby of the mall. Follow the fountain all the way to the top floor.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #3

Look at all the huge tubes of candy in the lobby of the Candy Factory AND watch people on the monitors trying to find their way through the Mirror Maze.

Ripley's Marvelous Mirror Maze and Candy Factory