This event was absolutely terrible! We didn’t see much in the way of Christmas lights other than going down the main streets in Gatlinburg. We did drive up to the top of a hill to look down, but we didn’t stop and there was nothing to see. In Pigeon Forge we had to view most of the lights as we drove through parking lots and viewed the lights through trees, as they were part of a walking tour. I had already seen the lights on this tour by driving or walking around myself. The best part of this event was when it was finally over!
Response from Host
Dec 2022
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the tour. We operate a lights tour on a bus/van. It's a driving tour not a walking tour. We drive through each of the cities through different areas to view the lights from the vehicle. We do this for several reasons ...
1. Some people have mobility issues and can not easily get in and out
2. It's cold outside and we like to stay warm, opening the doors all the time let's the heat out
3. We are limited on time, the tour already last 2-3 hours with no stops so adding those would make it last much much longer and we do not wish to keep people out late at night.
4. We advertise and market the tour as a bus tour viewing the holiday lights in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
5. We must view them from the parking lot because they don't like it when you drive a bus onto the grass or sidewalks.
You say you had to view most of the lights through trees. Might I remind you of the snooty deer, the cat and the fiddle, the 12 days of Christmas, the nativity scene, and the other 4 dozen displays we passed that I pointed out so you knew where to look. Not to mention the 3 bridges covered in lights, the butterflies, and countless other displays to numerous to recall in this response. Im sorry you had already seen these lights but we do not put up special lights or go to any special place built just for us ... we simply drive through each of the 2 cities looking at the lights on display while the tour guide gives you 2+ hours of stories and information.