Why I loved Gatlinburg’s tacky side

I admit it: I love kitsch. I can’t help it. Give me a vacation with an animatronic Zoltar or Wild West character and I’m a happy camper. Give me a shop filled with tacky souvenirs and I’m in heaven. So it should be no surprise Sweetums and I loved our recent trip to Gatlinburg. We hadn’t intended to go but ended up there on our way home from the North Carolina mountains. It had been years since either of us had seen the town, so we decided to spend the night.

The main strip was lit up like Vegas. The next morning, we strolled along the street, stopping at souvenir stores, fudge shops, about six Ripley’s Believe It or Not attractions, animatronic flying trapeze figures and, yes, an animatronic Wild West figure.

In addition, because it’s fall and Halloween is approaching, the strip was lined with numerous adorable pumpkin people, most of whom we had to stop and selfie with. Check out some of the weirdness we found in Gatlinburg. I hope you love it like we did.