One of the surprising favorites for autumnal activities here in the city of Gatlinburg are the hayrides. Starting at the crossing of Mountain Mall to the Gatlinburg Aquarium, you and your young ones (or older ones if they prefer) can climb in, find a haystack with your name on it, and take it nice and slow around the city.
What drives visitors to try a relaxing ride on the haystacks is that it gives them a free tour of the city and the many, many colors of the leaves in the distance mountains and right here in the downtown area. It's the perfect way to cap off the end of a day in Gatlinburg. An evening in the Smoky Mountains just isn't complete without a hayride under the autumnal glow of the colors.
And from Highlands, the downtown section of Gatlinburg is just a quick 7-10 minutes by car down the hill. There is never a bad season to come to Gatlinburg, but Fall has a certain magic to it that a great, long weekend would be perfect for.
