Forest. Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts. The first stop was at a coffee joint at Lafayette, Indiana. If you're going on a road trip from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Chicago, we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way with Pigeon Forge . After doing an availability search for your desired vacation date, our site will produce a list of available cabins. What makes Chicago one of the best cities to visit is that it has a cosmopolitan feel with none of the attitude of similar-sized cities on the coasts. Simply click the "+" sign on the lower left side of the property you are interested in. A good way to break up this drive is to stop for the night at a hotel along I-75 past Lexington, KY. You could allot two weeks for the trip. After a filling continental breakfast, we left for Gatlinburg to visit the Skylift, one of the most coveted places in Smoky. A third of the way into the journey, 472 miles from Chicago, Nashville is a fabulous place to visit. questions regarding any content should be directed to the appropriate organization and not necessarily to Cabins Geez, some people are easily amused. to honor the goddess of Athena. Falls of the Ohio State Park is in Indiana, just across from Louisville, offers great photos of the downtown Louisville skyline across the river. Gretto Falls - 2.5 mile round-trip trek to the waterfalls. Thanks to SMO rafting team who did us a solid by pushing our reservation otherwise we would have kissed our rafting money good-bye. Cabins USA Gatlinburg does not endorse any of We choose this because of the easy length (2 miles) and prospects of seeing bear (which did not happen ). Next, stop by the mesmerizing Crown Fountain, which features the faces of 1,000 Chicago residents on two 250-foot glass towers, each one at the opposite end of a shallow reflecting pool. However, with stops and traffic, the whole drive can take up to 11 hours. Distance: 2,448 miles Recommended time: 7+ days Best time of year: September-Early November. The chicken cheesesteak was really amazing. Get a free Great Smoky Mountains National Park trip planner for inspiring itineraries and essential information. Other popular stops include Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Ark Encounter, and Market Square. The Sherman Minton on I-64 is toll free but the bridge is currently under construction. Amit is a financial engineer by profession, road trip addict, wannabe tennis player and has a gregarious personality. :). Luckily, United Airline's largest hub is based in O'Hare and this airline also services Knoxville's airport. The citys Market Square is a fantastic place to spend some time as the restaurants and shops lining the area are great. There is currently construction on I-65 N after you exit I-265. the products, vendors, consultants, or businesses referenced in these web pages. Really. Key stops are Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg as well as Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If you're lucky you will see a truck unloading potatoes. Prices start at $100USD per night. When browsing results, you can add them to your "favorites" by clicking the red plus mark on the bottom left of your desired property. As you wander around, be sure to see these three architectural attractions. Would highly recommend carrying picnic chairs and some water floats for kids to enjoy the stream. It is located in downtown Louisville and not too far from. Again, mostly a wilderness type area, which you could find in Great Smoky Mountains area. From Gatlinburg, take the US-441 south to Cherokee and then join the US-23 passing through Franklin and Tallulah Falls, continuing for 197 miles as you make your way into the Deep South and the city of Atlanta. Additionally, it contains an archive of documents and Historical photographs. There is also an abandoned Fallstaff Brewery on the east side of the City. At some point, you will be driving through mountains on the interstate. Berea KY us at exit 76 on I'75 and has several nice craft shops. Clingmans Dom highest point at Smoky with stunning views. Prepare yourself for the best Smokies vacation possible with your favorite people by knowing what to pack when going to the mountains! Making the trip in May will also appeal to sports fans, with both the Kentucky Derby and the Indy 500 usually taking place at this time. For travel flexibility, you can board or get off a Greyhound bus at official Greyhound stations, partner stations and curbside stops. Don't forget the annual Watch Grass Growing Festival and the ever popular See (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? If you are into historical hotels, the Boone Tavern Inn and Restaurant would be worth a stop. Forgot to mention leaving Chicago around 4am on Saturday morning so baby can hopefully sleep for most part to Nashville Ill of course plan to stop a few times alone the way. You will cover a distance of 657 miles should you choose to drive without making a stop. A road trip from Chicago to Miami is an epic north-to-south adventure. We are travelling from Canada to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The distance between Chicago and Smoky Mountains is 2206 km. The beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee are world-famous for their beautiful views, impressive forests, lovely waterfalls, amazing wildlife, and historic sights. Bring a blanket to sit on and enjoy the tunes (and the excellent people watching). This luxury resort offers incredible views of the Smoky Mountains making it the ideal place to stay during your time exploring this beautiful destination. After doing this, you will have to perform a new availability search.The number next to the favorites tab is the number of properties you have selected. The main route is red, while the alternative route is in blue. And the glass bridge was totally worth the hype! Rising 73 floors above downtown Atlanta, the hotel offers world-class service and impressive amenities. Next day morning we started after the breakfast and enjoyed driving on the beautiful highway that connects kentucky with Smokey Mountains, and passes through valleys and hills full of life. Stayed in Chattanooga for two nights and saw the sights there, then ended up in Gatlinburg for two or three nights. Another Tip: The Little River Scenic Drive is full of tiny little splash pods. Taking you from Lake Michigan to Biscayne Bay, a trip of such proportions will be one you will never forget. This one-way route takes you through three Midwestern states: Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. By joining our email list, you give LazyTrips permission to use your email for sending you newsletters, emails and updates including for marketing purposes. Second, you might be able to find a direct flight from Chicago to Tyson McGee Airport near Knoxville. The 1,385-mile journey from Chicago to Miami takes 21 hours and 10 minutes of pure driving, passing Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Montgomery, Orlando, Tampa, and the natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains. Wheres the best place to start exploring this city that sits on the turquoise shores of Lake Michigan? USA Gatlinburg. The national COVID-19 helpline number in Smoky Mountains is 800-232-4636. The most visited National Park in the country needs no commentary from my side to extoll its virtues. However, (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Greyhound carries around 18 million passengers a year who travel 5.4 billion miles (8.6 billion km) a year on their fleet of around 1700 vehicles. Lots of lodging and restaurants. From here you are just 18 miles from Maryville in Blount County, one of the gateway counties to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I-65S from Indy: Columbus, IN is known for their architecture. customize this trip Day 1 11:00 am start in Chicago drive for about 2.5 hours 1:41 pm Crawfordsville stay for about 1 hour and leave at 2:41 pm drive for about 2.5 hours 5:00 pm Sellersburg (Indiana) Three hours east of Nashville, clocking in at 180 miles, make a pit stop in Knoxville. Its Luhville to you. Passing many fantastic towns and cities, discover the home of country music, gorgeous national parks, and the homes of some famous US icons. Churchill Downs officially opened in 1875, but the sport of horse racing can be traced back to 1789 in Kentucky. READ MORE - Road Trip from Chicago to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Make yourself known to an official member of staff and/or call the national coronavirus helpline number on 800-232-4636. Thrill-seekers can take a ride on the rocky top alpine mountain coaster. The shortest route from Chicago to Gatlinburg is to take I-65 Louisville. The population was 1,406 at the 2010 census, down from 1,427 in 2000. Rent an RV with Outdoorsy Amtrak is a rail service that connects the US and three Canadian provinces. Visitors to Sun Valley are relatively close to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, accessed over Galena Summit on Highway 75, the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. . Elk on Route 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park A Stop For Elk On a Smoky Mountains road trip you can see many things right from your car. Simply provide a contact name and email so that we can reach you. Gatlinburg sky lift, Gatlinburg scenic overlook, Gatlinburg space needle were some of teh other attractions that we covered in the Gatlinburg town. From Indianapolis, continue on I-65 and consider a detour to Bloomington city, where you can visit Indiana's oldest park, McCormick's Creek State Park, and marvel at the impressive limestone canyon. You'll soon arrive at Bryson City, a peaceful mountain town, where you can ride the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad or simply enjoy the local crafts and cuisine on offer in downtown Bryson. Day 1 - The Drive and the Cottage. Keep on reading to discover many amazing places to visit, the best route, where to stay, and when to go. On third day of our trip, we started driving back towards Chicago, and this time we stayed in Indiana for the night and drove back straight to the house next morning. The treeless Dollar caters primarily to beginner and lower intermediate skiers; the primary mountain for advanced skiers is Bald Mountain, or "Baldy", next to the city of Ketchum. The rooms are spacious and beautifully designed, and their signature heavenly bed will ensure the perfect restorative sleep, so you are fully refreshed and ready for the day of adventure ahead. Louisville is an ideal place to stay, located around the halfway point between Chicago and the Great Smoky Mountains on the Direct Route. On your return, head up 1-26 to I-40. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. Chicago is 587.3 miles away from the Smoky Mountains by car. Chicago is 587.3 miles away from the Smoky Mountains by car. From here, head south and join Interstate 75 where you will arrive at Lexington, where our main route continues. After a quick pit-stop at Louisville, KY to feed our V8 engine hauling us; we had lunch at Taco Bell in Lexington city. With the help of car insurance comparison and broker app with help from Jerry Take in the great outdoors and stretch your legs with a trail walk, or visit the Wild Bear Falls Water Park. We drove initial 50 miles very slowly as we tried to cross our way through Chicago downtown and skyway. Expect to see lush greenery as you drive down the route and hit the mountains. We had rafting reservation at Lower Pigeon River which was in jeopardy thanks to a chock-a-block jam in Gatlinburg. The top stops along the way from Chicago to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (with short detours) are Horseshoe Hammond, Louisville Mega Cavern, and The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Fun Fact: Interstate 65, which takes you down to Nashville on this road trip, connects the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The cheapest way to get from Chicago to Smoky Mountains is to train and bus which costs $200-$290 and takes 42h 55m. Find all the transport options for your trip from Chicago to Smoky Mountains right here. It is currently at MM 6not sure where it might be in May. The museum has many exhibits, including robots, science puzzles, timeline of atomic discoveries,a display devoted to nuclear weapons and the Y-12 Plant, and a solar energy demonstration project. We treat any information that you share as confidential. Louisville has a tourist website you can check out for other ideas. An important thing to know is the citys name is actually pronounced Luhlville by the locals and everyone else in Kentucky. A springtime trip will still have glorious weather and less traffic than the summer season. Also it helped us to party hard every night when we came back tired from the sight seeing and outdoor activities. There are a few things to see in the Louisville/S. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. We started on Thursday evening before the long weekend, and we had threecars carrying the group of 12. The bridge over the Ohio is not as high and slightly shorter by Cincinnati. Cades Cove is the most popular destination in the national park due to its plentiful wildlife and many historic buildings you can explore. There are several bridges in the Louisville area. Bald Mountain (9150 feet, 2789 m) is a mountain in south central Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in Blaine County. To the best of our knowledge, it is correct as of the last update.Visit Rome2rio travel advice for general help. The ride was smooth and once at the top, plenty of panoramic views were on offer. After spending few hours in Oakridge, we continued our driving and entered into Smoky Mountain park from the Gatlinburg side and drove around Gatlinburg city for some time before going to our rental home that we had booked up in the mountains. When using our "search" feature, you can make a list of favorites. The Lincoln Bridge handles northbound traffic. Given the distance between Chicago and Miami, the route is filled with amazing tourist destinations, and you'll be spoilt for choice when deciding where to stay on your overnight stops. There are many excellent restaurants, bars, and cafes nearby. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. (Photo: Alamy) Your next stop on your Smoky Mountains family vacation is Sevierville, which lays claim to Dolly Parton and her eponymous family amusement park. If you plan to check out the city, the Hyatt Centric Downtown is a fabulous place to stay. Find all the transport options for your trip from Chicago to Great Smoky Mountains right here. The River Rat Water Tubing Outpost river tubing, swimming and cliff jumping, highly recommended. Smoky Mountain Brewery Trails Gatlinburg Trail.very close to Riverhouse at the Park and Bearskin Lodge Laurel Falls.very popular.try to be at trailhead by 7 AM. Stop 1: Sevierville Distance from Knoxville: 29 miles Pay homage to the great Dolly Parton at her Dollywood theme park. Catch a tour from Pigeon Forge. Wearing a face mask on public transport in Smoky Mountains is recommended. And history buffs will feel right at home with these historic treasures. Greyhound is a leading bus company based in Dallas, Texas, serving over 3800 destinations across North America, Mexico and Canada. The road here takes some dramatic twists and turns and there are plenty of viewpoints to stop and savor the views. They included short trips to nearby cities like Milwaukee and Indianapolis, and longer drives to places like South Dakota and the Smoky Mountains. Shells08, what route are you taking to get to P.F.? Walk along sloped decks, see the grand staircase, touch an iceberg and witness hundreds of original artifacts. If you plan to see the annual Kentucky Derby, the hotel is close to Churchill Downs, home to the racecourse and also the Kentucky Derby Museum where you can learn all about the history of the world's most famous race. Indiana area. Ghoomaphirna is all about passion for travel and road trips. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The 580-mile road trip from Chicago to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park takes 8 hours and 50 minutes. Take a tour of the Mysterious Mansion, a haunted house that delights in frightening visitors all year round. Gatlinburg, Tenn, is the busiest, most touristy gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I've never really stopped anywhere along the way, though I've done some research on the areas and might visit them in the future.