Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Day use area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Let me preface this post by saying that this area provides enough content for dozens of posts. The amount of attractions, restaurants, lodging, and entertainment that are packed into this area is overwhelming. We love this area for a variety of reasons, but always visit on our way somewhere else, so we usually don’t spend more than two nights at a time. You could easily spend a week or more exploring and not scratch the surface. This post will cover what we did in the 2 nights we visited in July 2023. I will add on and link additional trips and national park info in the future.
Our most recent stay in Pigeon Forge was part of a last-minute route change on our way from New Jersey to Florida. Click on the trip link for more information on why and how we changed our trip at the eleventh hour. Since we were working within the confines of a previously mapped-out route, we were limited to two nights in Pigeon Forge.
We had Best Western points and opted for The Best Western Toni Inn located on Parkway in Pigeon Forge, across from Dolly’s Stampede. The rooms were clean and updated, with no carpet, which I love. The hotel has an indoor and an outdoor pool, which were both easily accessed from our room. As my kids are outgrowing naptime, we find that an afternoon rest allows us to continue exploring into the evening hours. If a nap is not happening, some pool time will usually be enough to get them to at least lay down for a bit before heading out for dinner and the evening. Breakfast was included. I am not the biggest breakfast fan to begin with and I don’t love hotel breakfasts, but my husband and boys really enjoyed this one. They offered indoor and outdoor seating, there were to-go boxes if you preferred to go back to your room to eat, and the attendants were amazing keeping everything stocked and clean. Location-wise, you are at the far end of Parkway before heading into the National Park. I highly recommend this location, as it is a great value for the money.
Scenic overlook of Gatlinburg, TN from a pull-off in Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park adopted a permit system since our last visit and since this was a last-minute trip, we had not applied for said permits. We also did not have a lot of time to explore the park this visit as the kids were set on riding some mountain coasters and playing mini golf. On our first evening there, after getting settled at the hotel, we planned to take a ride up to Cades Cove to see some wildlife. In the past, this is where we have been able to view black bears in the park. (Cades Cove is just one of several scenic drives in the area. Be sure to check out our friends at Our Wild Wanderers and their list of 3 scenic drives in Gatlinburg.) We know better than this, but we went into the park where there is little-to-no cell service, without a paper map. I thought I had been there enough times that I would remember my way and/or be able to follow the signs, but I must have gotten distracted and missed our turn. We got to enjoy some of the pull-offs that overlook Gatlinburg, but we never made it to Cades Cove. The kids were over being in the car and instead, we opted to head back to the hotel and call it a night.
Fun mini golf course on Parkway in Gatlinburg, TN
The following day was our only full day in the area and we planned to make the most of it. We started the day with Hillbilly Mini Golf in Gatlinburg. If you are an early riser or have little kids that force you to be, take advantage of that time in the morning. People are on vacation, they may have overindulged the night before, or they take their time starting their day. When we arrived there was ample parking and barely any line to play. By the time we finished, cars were lined up waiting for spots and the line was quite long. There are so many mini-golf courses throughout Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, but we noticed this one on a previous trip and wanted to return. This course is built on the side of a mountain where you take a ride in an incline car to the top, play through your course, and then catch the incline car to return you to the parking lot. There are two courses you can choose from when you reach the top of the mountain. If you are looking up the mountain, we played the course to the right. The theming was great, there were some fun surprises along the course, and there was a good amount of shade, which is not typical on most courses. We found this to be a great value, especially if you return for the discounted 2nd game.
Pro-Tips:
Hang on to that date-stamped scorecard because you are welcome to come back anytime in the next two days to play again at a discounted rate.
There are no restrooms on the course, so be sure to go before boarding the incline car.
Longest Alpine Coaster in the U.S.
We originally intended to try out some mountain coasters that we had not previously tried, but I found a Groupon for Alpine Coaster that was too good to pass up. This is the longest coaster in the area, and Groupon made it a great deal. It was our 3-year-old’s first time riding and he was immediately hooked. Every time we go on vacation now he asks if there will be a mountain coaster. Mini golf ran a little longer than we had planned so we got there a bit after opening. If we had another day, we would have come back at opening the following day, but we needed to get on the road early the next morning. We knew the line would only grow throughout the day, so we sucked it up and got in line. It moved faster than we expected, but we still waited about 30-40 minutes, which with two little kids can be a lot. We all loved this ride, but I would highly recommend arriving slightly before their 10 a.m. opening to avoid the longer wait.
Pro-Tips:
Check Groupon for discounted tickets. We saved quite a bit this way.
Hang onto those stamped receipts. You are able to come back later in the day at a discounted rate. We have not yet made it for a nighttime ride, but I understand it’s a must-do!
Pedaling hard to get that feed up to the goat, at Goats on the Roof, Pigeon Forge, TN
After The Alpine Coaster, the kids were looking to “keep the fun rolling” as my 6-year-old told me, so we went just down the road to Goats on the Roof. This is a kitschy roadside attraction at its finest. They have a sluice for gem mining, a gift shop, a mountain coaster, and of course, goats on the roof. You can’t leave without buying a cup of goat feed and using the bikes to pedal a cupful up to the roof to feed them. My husband and I love mountain coasters as much as the kids do, so when they asked to ride this one, we of course said yes. This coaster is not quite as long as The Alpine Coaster, but I honestly don’t notice much difference. This one is less expensive and there was no line when we went.
When we road trip I usually pack a fully stocked cooler with us for several reasons. My kids are picky, it can be hard to decide on a place to satisfy everyone, food quality and service can be hit or miss, and eating out 3 meals a day for weeks on end can be unhealthy and expensive. With that being said, we were pressed for space this trip and knew once we reached our destination we would have a full kitchen, so we opted to not pack a cooler, which I will never do again. I have heard a lot about The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge and we had yet to experience it. At this point, it was past the lunch rush (I thought) so we decided to head over and cross it off our list. There was a wait for a table, but we were able to explore the gift shop and check out the ducks on the river. The food was delicious with very generous portions, and we all left with doggy bags. However, the restaurant was crowded and loud. We lucked out with a table in a corner overlooking the water, which kept the kids entertained. Service was slow, I would assume because of how busy they were, or because I am a northerner in the south and my expectation of timing does not align with their lifestyle, which I understand and accept. If it were my husband and I, I would love a leisurely lunch, but with two kids in tow, we need to eat and go. Overall, this is a solid choice, and we will likely return once the kids are a bit older and can sit through a full meal.
Our youngest fell asleep soon after returning to the car, so my husband took that opportunity to take our oldest on some go-karts while the little one napped. Last year they did a wristband at Ripley’s for unlimited rides for an hour, so this year, they opted to try some of the pay-per-ride places. We started on Parkway near the Old Mill and worked our way toward Sevierville. It seems that you really can’t go wrong at any of the spots. They spent a little over an hour riding and paid similar to what they would have paid at Ripley’s. They preferred moving from track to track and experiencing different courses vs. riding the same track over and over for the full hour.
After go-karts, we head back to the motel for a swim. The pool was nice, the weather was perfect, and we all enjoyed cooling off after a day of fun. We were going to head over to The Island later that evening. The Island is an outdoor entertainment venue with shops, restaurants, a giant Ferris wheel, and an arcade. The kids were having a lot of fun playing, so we instead decided to head to Wear Farm City Park. We discovered this playground a few years ago and it has been our go-to whenever we are in town. Regardless of our daily activities, my kids function best when they have outdoor, free play. My oldest met a friend in the pool at the hotel, and they were thrilled to hear about a nearby park, I am sure for the same reasons we love it and ended up meeting us at the park. My kids love making new friends and it was a nice opportunity for the parents to have some downtime while the kids played. I can’t recall if the section we played on was new, or newly covered with sun shades, but either way, both kids had a blast. In addition to the playground, there are fields, a walking path, and a stream to explore.
Playground at Wear City Park in Pigeon Forge, TN
With so many leftovers from lunch, we made a quick stop at the Publix around the corner from the park to grab some fruits and veggies and had a picky dinner back in our room. We had an early exit the next morning, so after showers, it was lights out. Two nights is not enough time in this area, especially if it is your first time, but we worked with what we had available, knowing we would likely be back in the near future. We travel often between New Jersey, Florida, and Michigan, so Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg end up being a regular stop for us. Have you been to the area? What’s your favorite thing to do? Head over to our Instagram or Facebook and let us know!