High Gas Prices Force Smoky Mountain Tourists To Change How They Vacation

In a May 29, 2006 WATE News 6 story by CATHARYN CAMPBELL she reports that thousands of people from all over the country spent their Memorial Day weekend visiting the attractions in Pigeon Forge. But the climbing cost of fuel is forcing lots of tourists to change how they vacation.

Elisa Pipkins and her family traveled from Georgia. They stayed at an all inclusive hotel and went to entertainment events that offered meal deals to help cover the cost of traveling. "The money we would've spent food outside of a show we were able to put into our tanks."

Some people say a destination close to home was their only option for a vacation.

Matt Holland and his family drove three hours from Kentucky. "We chose Pigeon Forge because it's a little bit closer. We actually planned on going to Florida but the way gas price are, it wasn't feasible to drive our truck."

I understand that gas prices are historically high but do they REALLY add that much to the cost of a vacation?

For me, a round trip to the Smokies is over 1,100 miles. I just did a quick analysis to see how the current prices would would effect my travel budget. Using 15 mpg, 20 mpg, and 25 mpg gas usage estimates, the cost of my round-trip travel would go up $46, $57, and $76 using a hypothetical price differential of $2 per gal. and $3 per gal.

That means visitors that are one-day way from from the Smokies would only have an average increase in their vacation cost of +/-$60.00.

Looking for the least expensive gas while you're in Gatlinburg try this utility at Automotive.com

Other ways to save money and offset the increased fuel costs?:

1. Try some of these "20 Cheap Date" tips
2. Save money on meals by packing lunch on your travel days.
3. If you're renting a cabin, plan to spend at least one day just hanging out - It's FREE

Gatlinburg , Smoky Mountains , Log Cabin , Attractions