Ober Mountain

Ober Mountain is Tennessee's only ski area, which honestly surprised us the first time we visited — you don't think "skiing" when you think Tennessee. The tram ride up from downtown Gatlinburg is half the experience, giving you those classic Smoky Mountain views before you even get to the attractions. We've been up there in both summer and winter, and it's like two completely different parks.

Winter's when this place really shines if you're into snow sports. They've got 10 trails across 38 acres, and the longest run is nearly a mile — not Colorado, but pretty decent for the Southeast. The snow tubing is what our kids always want to do first, though fair warning: you'll need a lift ticket for most slope activities even if you're not actually skiing. That caught us off guard our first winter visit.

Oh and the Tennessee Flyer mountain coaster runs year-round, which is great because the zip lines shut down in colder months. The ice bumper cars are a weird addition but the kids love them.

One thing though — check their slope report before you go in winter. Conditions change daily and nothing's worse than planning a ski day only to find half the trails are closed. We learned that lesson the hard way on a January trip when it was 55 degrees and raining.

The Spring Fling event in March looks fun if you're into pond skimming and don't mind dressing up in costume. It's $131 for the two-day pass, which includes lift access, but honestly we've never made it up there for the events — too much chaos with the crowds.