My wife and I have been together for 24 years. In that time we've gone horseback riding 3 times,…read moretwo of which have been here in Pigeon Forge. Our most recent excursion @ Goldrush Stables and the other @ Big Rock Dude Ranch. Naturally, I can't help making comparisons between the two. Simply put, after this experience we've come to the conclusion we really don't like riding horses, even though we love them! It's just not for us, but we are so glad for all the opportunities. . [ THE RIDE ] We arrived 15 minutes early as requested by the stables to sign waivers and prep for the ride. Our trail guides were saddling several horses as we watched from outside the fence. Once ready, we were summoned to the mounting platform, which makes it much easier for beginners like us. Because COVID-19 has given me a little extra girth, I was given one of the larger horses named Blondie, while my wife rode Fanny. It was Blondie's first ride in weeks (they tend to rest their horses for long periods), so she proved to be rather eager on the trail. Fanny, as my wife soon discovered, doesn't like to get her feet wet. Once all the riders were mounted & instructed, we walked across a wooden bridge to a field and began our ride. Normally the ride would begin by walking the horses through the creek, but rain from the night before had water levels up, so we bypassed it via the bridge. We also bypassed another creek walk further down the trail, which was disappointing since it was one of the main reasons we chose this stable over Big Rock. It was one of the best selling points. We then arrived at a smaller, more narrow creek crossing that both Blondie and Fanny decided to jump, startling both me & my wife. Immediately after the creek the terrain goes uphill, which my horse decided to run. She headed straight into some low-lying branches, almost knocking me off. Her eagerness caused her to not listen very well when pulling back on her reigns and my inexperience handling her didn't help. My wife's horse ran her knee into a tree just after jumping the small creek, so clearly we were having a few issues! LOL Our guides yelled out after my wife's accident "steer your horses", but even after 3-minutes of instruction it's hard to do that properly when the horse seems to have other plans. At this point the trail follows a path into the woods and up and down a fairly good-sized hill. On a dry day I think this would have been a very pleasant ride, but because the trail was muddy, my particular horse kept sliding... BADLY, like something you'd see in a cartoon! It was very nerve racking and made it difficult to relax and enjoy the experience. In truth, I felt sorry for my horse. She was seriously soaked in sweat by mid ride and seemed to walk under every low branch along the way! I believe she was intentionally trying to get me off her back, fo'realz... hahaha! Poor thing. My wife remained frazzled most of the ride as she wrestled with her own fears of not feeling in control. At midpoint the trail loops back into itself and we follow the same path back to the beginning. . [ THE VERDICT ] We learned something about ourselves that I suppose we've always known. Some of the experiences we've had were greatly enhanced because of the joy we felt showing our children how to live life. We did so many things in the name of giving them great memories and now we must reprogram to pursue our own like as a couple, not just as parents. We thought we would enjoy the more open fields & smaller slopes @ Goldrush versus the mountainous trail @ Big Rock, and probably would have if not for the muddy conditions. That being said, the ride time was far shorter and there is little else to do here. Overall we felt like Big Rock was the better value. So why 4 stars you ask? Well, for one I believe most of our dislikes for this ride were either OPERATOR ERROR or just conditions that couldn't be helped. It's just the luck of the draw when dealing with nature. Secondly, I think despite the shortness of the trail, it is perfect for beginners and families with children old enough to ride on their own. [ NOTE TO OWNERS ] I would like to suggest regularly trimming low lying branches along the trail, adding colorful signage reminding riders to watch their knees in at least TWO critical areas and/or add a guide rail to deter the horses from walking so close. Most of us city folk just don't know how to handle a horse!!! Also, since the trail is short and most people these days love photo opportunities, why not build a second mounting/dismounting platform at the top of the hill where riders can have a chance to pause & take pics on or beside their horses. I personally think this would go a long way in improving the experience. TIP WHEN PLANNING A VISIT: Currently they do not allow doubles, so smaller children or kids fearful of riding alone cannot ride (unlike Big Rock which allows small children to ride with parents). ENJOY 2020 / 71

This place was great! We wanted to do something different in this vacation and horse back riding…read morewas something we never have done before! It was cool to get to go up hills and see the beautiful views from riding the horses! I rode rebel and he was great! He wanted to lead the whole time but we stayed in the second spot. Highly recommend trying this place out!

What a wonderful experience. Everyone is so kind and helpful. We had a great guide and very relaxed…read morehorses to ride. We chose the 1 hour tour and enjoyed all the beauty around us. Will definitely do again

beautiful scenery on the ride but the ride guide was horrible, very inattentive and not at all…read morehelpful during the ride.

I had wonderful 1st timer zipline experience! The instructors Gabe, Riley and Kyle are all…read morewonderful fellas! They thought me how to be a like web slinging maniac and flip off the platform like I was in the circus. Lol!! Thank you for showing me how to not just ride down the zip line but how to have a blast while cruising down the lines!! David G

This was a disappointing experience. Everything looks very run down. The staff that we interacted…read morewith was friendly but I wouldn't not recommend spending on this when there are so many other experiences.

This was the best part of our trip. A 90-minute guided horseback trail ride. Easy to book and easy…read moreto find. Nicole was an amazing guide and she's doing a great job. Highly recommended!

From the owner: Experience the beauty of Country Manor Acres in Townsend, your perfect destination for…read moreunforgettable weddings, charming vacation lodging, and private guided horseback rides. Our picturesque venue offers everything from elegant ceremonies to farm-fresh adventures in a stunning mountain setting. Make your special occasion or getaway truly memorable with us!

Amazing experience, thank you to our guide Dale for the great and relaxing experience. The horses…read moreare full of personality and you can see how this place cares and love their horses, mine was Nebraska twin of Colorado. I would totally come back to this place for more rides.

The 3 mile trail ride at Ponderosa was absolutely gorgeous! We had riders from age 50-15 and all…read morehad an amazing time. The ride was about an hour long and took us through beautiful greenery. The price beats many other facilities and includes more experiences. The facility is extremely clean and put together with many activities like fishing and the petting zoo to do outside of horse riding. The horses are very well taken care of with calm temperaments and know the trails well. The employees are all very kind and helpful, our personal favorite, our guide, Dale. I was the first rider behind Dale and I loved listening to his interesting stories, as-well as his funny commentary and helpful advice for comfort on our ride. You can tell that all employees care not only for the business but the horses, customers, and wildlife. 10/10 experience!!!

Great experience. Very organized and we had such a blast going zip lining with our family of four…read more(two children 8 and 10) The staff made it exciting. We enjoyed our entire time there! We'll definitely be back !

This was our first time ziplining as a family. The workers were amazing, making us laugh and really…read moreseemed to enjoy their jobs. They had to rescue me twice, but were very kind about it and joked with our group. Ziplining in the mountains is a lifelong memory that can only be made here.

The horses seemed tired. I was watching the first group leave as we got there. As they were…read morewalking, I seen the horses "knees" shake and looked painful for them to walk. My horse seemed to have something wrong with its mouth. When we mounted, my horse was chewing on the bridle angrily. The guide instructed me not to pull on the reigns, but my horse kept getting to close to my daughters horse in front of me and making my daughters horse kick mine. I had no choice but to pull on the reigns a bit. The guide did say they have days off. But from what I've seen, they seemed tired and in pain. Their manes were full of tangles and burs. The trail was beautiful.

I left my heart in Tennessee when I first visited Twin Valley Ranch! Literally! It's a magical…read moreplace, just a slice of heaven with all the animals and the cheerful cowboy spirit! Not only that, we ended up buying a property across the street and now own our own slice of heaven! Janice is a great teacher about horses and all the animals, Jadyn is a seasoned guide on trail rides and horses in the ring and kids connect with both quickly. My grandkids keep crying wanting to visit her ranch again... every time they visit Tennessee they are welcomed there!

Extremely Frustrating Experience - Please Fix Your Address Info…read more We had a really disappointing experience with Sugarlands Riding Stables due to serious issues with their address and lack of communication. We originally mapped "Sugarlands Riding Stables" on Apple Maps -- it led us to the wrong location (see attached image). So we tried the address listed on their actual website (1409 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN -- sugarlandsstables.com), typed it into both Apple and Google Maps -- and again were taken to another incorrect location, this time to a random candle shop downtown (see image of 1409 parkway mapped). Our friends in another car finally found the correct spot only because they physically clicked the address link in Google, which took them to the right location. Turns out the stables are actually located off Newfound Gap Road, near the Two Mile Lead Concession Horse Trailhead ( see image on Google maps)-- not downtown, and nowhere near any of the addresses they list. When we arrived, we were told they couldn't take us because the second car was 20 minutes late -- even though we had booked online a month in advance and had no way of getting accurate directions. I had also tried calling multiple times over several days, and no one ever answered. When we got there, the staff even admitted that many people are getting mapped to the wrong location but offered no real solution -- just that "you have to click the link" instead of typing the address in. How are people supposed to know that? Especially when the website sugarlandsstables.com is the one giving the wrong address? The owner responded to our review saying we must have looked at the old contractor's website -- but we absolutely didn't. We looked at the correct, working website (again: sugarlandsstables.com), which clearly lists the incorrect 1409 Parkway address. The old stables aren't even in operation anymore, so not sure why that was suggested. If you know this is a repeated issue, why not: * Update the address on your actual website * Add a clear note with real directions * Mention landmarks like the cemetery or the trailhead * Add a Google Pin that clearly marks "Sugarlands Riding Stables" at the right location * Set up a working phone line or at least a live chat They claimed their phones were down from storms, but if you're running a business, there should be a backup -- like a cell phone or an auto-reply that helps people. There's clearly WiFi because they process online bookings, so the excuse doesn't cut it. They did refund us, but then said the booking company is based in Florida and they don't really have a connection with them -- and they couldn't give us a phone number or contact to follow up. Also, the confirmation email had no address at all, so there was nothing helpful to go off of if you didn't already know exactly where to go. The worst part? Their attitude. Their responses to reviews are so defensive, blaming customers rather than just being understanding or proactive. It's really unprofessional. If you know people are regularly being misdirected to downtown Gatlinburg, just fix it. Don't accuse the customer. TL;DR: We lost out on a paid booking because of mapping issues, no communication, and a lack of transparency. They gave a refund, but the way they handled it -- and how they treat customers -- left a really bad taste in our mouth. A simple website fix and better attitude could go a long way.

We had a ride scheduled for December 29 that was canceled due to weather. This was planned during…read moreour vacation and was meant to be a special experience for our daughter. Since the cancellation, I have made multiple attempts to follow up. I have spoken with three different people and even came in person on the scheduled date. Each time, I was told that a refund would be issued. Last week, I was informed that the refund was being processed and that I should have received it by the beginning of this week. It is Mid January and still no response or update. Sad. We live in a different state.

My two kids enjoyed the day (age 2 and 8). I recommend this place. There arA lot of games for young…read morekids plus animals for hours of fun.

Today was raining lightly on and off. So we decoded to give this a shot for some animal feeding…read more Boy are we glad we did. This is as close as you can get to tame/wild animals that we have every found. Now with the rain you would think it would not be good to do. However not alot of people came so we had it almost to ourselves. Just were a water resistant jacket and good foot wear and your good to go. The paths inside are gravel and only on a few areas was the dirt exposed on the main trails. Inside the pens is a different story of course because the animals are in there. We were able to feed them by hand of either pellets and corn or slices of apples. Whole apples were like 50 cents a piece and a small cup of feed was 2.50. Very cheap in my opinion for how much feeding you can do with one cup. We started with one small cup (which you get to keep plastic cup as souvenir) and 5 apples. They gave us a bag for the apples so you don't have to hold in your hand loose. My wide was floored at how much fun she had feeding all the animals and so was I. We loved it and will be back. The have the following animals there: large bunnies, goats, ostriches, reindeer, fallow deer, elk, highland cows, small ponies, donkeys, pigs, pheasant, camels, and so much more. A must go for us.