5 Romantic Things to Do in Gatlinburg for Two

A shared view from Gatlinburg’s SkyBridge is one way to spend a date, but it need not define your trip. You can also browse The Village Shops together, compare spirits at Sugarlands or make dinner at The Greenbrier the evening’s main event. Choose the experience you both enjoy, rather than treating these five ideas as a single day’s checklist.

Choose a date for two

Approaches from the Parkway outside Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Mountain-attraction distances end at the boarding area. Visit lengths are approximate.

Criterion	SkyPark	Anakeesta	The Village Shops	Sugarlands	The Greenbrier
Time to allow	1–2 hours	3–5 hours	—	About 15 minutesBest	—
Approach distance and mode	about 150 feet, walking	about 0.4 miles, walking	about 0.3 miles, walking	about 100 feet, walkingBest	about 2.4 miles, driving

Gatlinburg suits a honeymoon if you want mountain views alongside easy downtown dates and a special meal. SkyPark focuses on the bridge and views, while Anakeesta leaves more room for gardens, a tree walk and eating. Choose either bridge experience only if you both enjoy heights.

The Village offers a low-commitment courtyard browse. Sugarlands is an indoor option for couples who both want alcohol. If you would rather explore a collection together, Gatlinburg’s museums offer indoor alternatives with different subjects to choose from.

1. SkyPark and the SkyBridge

Gatlinburg SkyPark pairs a steep chairlift ride with a suspended bridge whose glass-floor section lets you look beneath your feet. Cross the SkyBridge together, then pause at the viewing areas to look over the town towards the mountains. Late afternoon into sunset is a good choice during the spring-to-autumn operating window.

The visit requires managing the chairlift and walking around the mountaintop, so it is not an entirely step-free outing. Decide together whether the ride and bridge sound enjoyable before making this your scenic date.

SkyBridge access is included in general admission, and a standard visit needs no advance reservation. You can buy tickets online or at the ticket window. The ticket prices below exclude tax.

The spring-to-autumn hours shown above extend to 9am–10pm each 26–30 December. On New Year’s Eve, the operating window is 9am–8pm.

2. Anakeesta’s mountain park

Anakeesta gives you a longer mountain outing, with gardens, the Treetop Skywalk and places to pause around Firefly Village. Go in daylight to give the landscape its share of your attention, and leave room for a meal rather than rushing between viewpoints.

General admission includes the Skywalk and unlimited uphill rides on the Crystal Express Gondola, with open-air chairs or enclosed cabins, and the Ridge Rambler vehicles. An enclosed cabin or Ridge Rambler avoids the open-air chair ride, but reaching the park is different from managing the tree walk.

The Skywalk involves swaying bridges, stairs and uneven surfaces. Its route becomes one-way after the second bridge, so you need to walk it without assistance. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers. Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes, and choose the gardens and views instead if the bridges do not appeal to both of you.

Standard admission needs no advance reservation, and tickets are available at the gate. The starting advance-ticket price below excludes tax. Hours vary by date rather than following a fixed seasonal window. Separately paid activities have their own arrangements, including timed reservations for Astra Lumina, an after-dark light experience, and encouraged reservations for the zipline.

3. The Village Shops

The Village Shops offer a date built around choosing a small keepsake together rather than entering a major attraction. Head into the fountain courtyard, then browse the small shops at whatever pace suits you. This is a shopping district to wander through, not a single bookable experience.

The Donut Friar gives you a concrete place to head for if a snack appeals. A drink or something sweet can be a pause in the browse rather than the centre of the date, leaving you free to linger around the courtyard or carry on shopping.

Choose a morning browse or use The Village as a break between other activities you have picked independently. It is particularly useful when one of you wants to shop and the other would prefer a gentler outing than a mountain attraction.

4. A tasting at Sugarlands

Sugarlands Distilling Company offers an indoor date centred on comparing flavours. Moonshine, a local distilled spirit, comes in a sampling flight that lets you talk through what each of you likes. Choose this only if you both want to taste alcohol, rather than making one person a spectator.

Late afternoon is one possible time for the tasting, not a required stop before dinner. The standard flight covers 12 flavours and welcomes walk-ins without an appointment. Its price below is per person, plus applicable tax, and each tasting gives you a $5 credit towards a merchandise purchase.

You must each be at least 21 and present valid government-issued photo ID to drink during the tasting. Bring your own identification, even if only one of you would ordinarily carry the wallet.

Arrange onward travel without driving after drinking. If you also choose dinner at The Greenbrier, treat its road journey as a separate decision and organise a sober driver or a taxi for both directions.

5. Dinner at The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier Restaurant is a considered romantic-dinner choice if you want steaks and cocktails away from the busiest downtown attraction frontage. Its wooded mountain setting makes the meal itself the outing, rather than a quick stop between Parkway attractions. It suits a special occasion for two, though a couple who prefers casual browsing may enjoy a different kind of date.

Treat this as a higher-priced dinner and leave space in your plans to enjoy it. Reservations are available. Reserve if you have a preferred evening, especially when dinner is the main event of your visit.

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, dinner service runs from 4:30pm–10pm, giving you an extended evening for a holiday meal.

The Greenbrier needs a separate road approach from the Parkway to Newman Road, rather than a continuation of a downtown stroll. Arrange your return before ordering cocktails. A sober driver or a taxi in both directions lets you make the meal the focus without relying on driving after drinking.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, opening hours, services, and closures.

• Gatlinburg SkyPark — fares and charges
• Gatlinburg SkyPark — opening hours
• Gatlinburg SkyPark — service
• Anakeesta — fares and charges
• Anakeesta FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions
• Anakeesta, LLC — opening hours
• Hours, Location & Directions
• Sugarlands Distilling Company — fares and charges
• Sugarlands Distilling Company — service
• Sugarlands Distilling Company — closures