Our national parks are such a treasure and the Great Smoky Mountains Park was no exception. We…read morevisited in mid Oct and the leaves were just changing so lots of bright greens and yellows and just the start of the reds. When the sun hit the colors it was just so beautiful. All the trails were lovely. We really enjoyed Rainbow falls with its 80 foot drop. The Alum Cave Bluff Trail was so cool at the top as you rested under a huge rock overhang. The views from Kuwohi were stunning. I would suggest taking the trail rather than the paved path. It's a little bit longer but it's shady. The paved path is so steep. We were not a fan of Cade's Cove. Apparently, there are often bear sightings there but all we saw were a few turkeys. The traffic was atrocious. We did do Abrams trail at the middle of the loop. Parking for that trail was the easiest of all trails we did. A national park pass is not required but you do need a parking pass. Ours was $10 for the week. You are allowed to drive through the park for free but if you park longer than 15 min you need a pass. I did see rangers ticketing cars.

Been wanting to visit the Smoky Mountains and Appalachia and wow it is so beautiful. It's a free…read morenational park, which makes it even better. If you are parking for more than 15 minutes anywhere, you must buy a daily parking pass though ($5 per day). These can be purchased at any information center. The mountains and nature are breathtaking. We even saw so many elk and wild turkeys early in the morning while we drove through!! We also saw a black bear. Many hikes and nature trails to choose from, including ones that are completely drivable. Kuwohi Observation Tower: Easy paved uphill walk. Do not go in the early morning when the fog is thick because you will not be able to see anything. Alum Cave Trail: Pretty easy trail. Beautiful nature and cool rocks to look at. Took about 3 hours roundtrip to reach inspiration point. Cades Cove: A drivable scenic loop road. 11 miles one way. Took about an hour or so driving very slowly enjoying the scenery. Saw a black bear that held up traffic. It is closed to cars on Wednesdays to open it up to walkers and bicycles.

The island is always a wonderful stop for everyone. My son…read moreloves Dino's and they currently have the dinosaur experience going on. Our big girl was finally big enough for the harness adventure here. Mom and dad got to do a moonshine tasting.

The Island in Pigeon Forge is one of those places where you can easily spend several hours…read morewandering around without really having a plan--and that's part of the fun! There's a great mix of shops, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, and plenty of colorful details that make it an enjoyable place to explore. I visited during the fall, and I especially loved all of the seasonal touches. Pumpkins, mums, hay bales, a vintage tractor, and other autumn decorations made the entire area feel festive and gave me plenty of fun photo opportunities. Of course, the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is the landmark you can't miss. Riding it gives you a completely different perspective of Pigeon Forge and the surrounding area, and the enclosed gondolas make for a comfortable ride. My biggest hesitation is the price. Since you pay per person, taking an entire family up in one gondola can become expensive pretty quickly. Overall, The Island is a fun stop whether you want to ride attractions, grab something to eat, shop, people-watch, or simply walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. Even if you don't ride the wheel, it makes a pretty spectacular backdrop! Four stars from me--fun, photogenic, and definitely worth exploring, but some of the attractions can make a family visit pricey.

The World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville is a historic and active public space built for the…read more1982 World's Fair. It is home to iconic landmarks like the Sunsphere, a 266-foot gold-domed observation tower, and the Tennessee Amphitheater. Today, the park serves as a hub for major festivals, community gatherings, and recreation. Very welcoming space, lots to enjoy, always busy! The sphere is a focal point, when you go through Knoxville on I-40.

The historic World's Fair Park in Knoxville is lovely in the Spring. Dogwoods and other flowering…read moretrees were in bloom during my visit. The Park was at the center of the 1982 World's Fair. Today, the park is a beautiful green space for residents and visitors. The Sunsphere and the Amphitheater are the only remaining structures from the World's Fair in the park. The Sunsphere is opened to visitors. The Amphitheater was shuttered for the winter and in need of a facelift. Several interesting architectural features (posts and statue) are located throughout the park. A colorful bridge passes over the park and waterway. The Park is filled with accessible walkways, a water feature/fountain. A rail trail passes through the park for walkers and runners. We found free parking at the south side of the park. I did not see restroom facilities. Dogs on leases are allowed everywhere except in the fountain area.

This was my first visit to Dollywood, and I absolutely loved it! We had such a wonderful time…read moreexploring the park and enjoying everything it had to offer. We started our day by riding Lightning Rod, which was so much fun! The wait was over an hour and a half, but the ride was definitely worth experiencing. Later, we rode Wild Eagle, and that was an absolute blast as well! We also spent time exploring the many shops throughout the park, enjoying delicious food, and listening to the Smoky Mountain String Band. Their bluegrass music was wonderful and gave us the perfect opportunity to relax and take a break from walking. The Halloween and fall decorations made the park especially beautiful. Since we visited in October, the entire park had such a festive and welcoming atmosphere, which made the experience even more memorable. We didn't have enough time to see everything, including the Dolly Parton exhibits, so we'll definitely be back! There is still so much more to explore, and I would absolutely recommend visiting Dollywood, especially during the fall season! :))

I've been a loyal visitor to Dollywood since the earlier 90's and have never missed a season…read more However, over the years I believe they have slowly lost the "mom and pop" feel that Dollywood is known for. Last year we were excited to get our passes for 2026! With the excitement of the new ride, we couldn't miss it! Funny thing is, here we are in October and we still haven't ridden it... We visited once in November (2025), and then didn't even use the passes again until August. For us it's a 6 hour drive. Monday, August 24th I called the park to find out some information as we would be visiting on that Friday. I explained to the customer service representative that we had not visited for 2026, partially due to Nightflight being delayed. She apologized and was nice, then we talked about how we had 2 Diamond Passes and 1 Silver, but 1 Diamond hadn't even been activated yet. As we know, August 25th was not a good day, as we all lost Miss Dolly, however before the news broke I had called and asked about indeed lowering our Diamond passes to Gold, especially since one had not been used at all for this year. The young lady on the phone reassured us that it wasn't necessary to do that over the phone, but we could do it in person. After Dolly passed we weren't sure if we should go, but ultimately decided it was the best place to be to celebrate the life of Dolly. When we arrived on Friday we went to the window to inquire about the downgrades, to which we were told they don't do that, and if they do, it's only over the phone. Thankfully, I had time stamps of when the call(s) happened and after 30 minutes, decided they honored the request. Also, at the window we were told that the special entitlements would still be intact (free mug, bring a friend passe, etc), even though we had downgraded to Gold (2) & Silver (1). Next week we were coming to Dollywood... we were excited to bring friends who had never been to Dollywood and have been having some tough times. My app says we still have entitlements, so that would be a perfect way to use Bring a Friend Tickets. My plan was to renew our 3 passes and then purchases 6 others for 2027. Today I called because I wanted to make sure they weren't lying about the whole thing. Sure enough, they said we had no entitlements. As I type this, our entitlements are still populated. According to my screenshots, we do get entitlements. Needless to say, we are no longer making the trip to Dollywood. Passes or not, it's principle now. We have folks in our family who have worked at Disney and give me a hard time about Dollywood. For years I've came to the defense of Dollywood, but I'm over it. It's not "mom & pop" anymore, it's all profit. I know Disney is as well, but I expect it. I expect better at Dollywood. You can look at our passes and see we never went to Splash Country, we didn't get our mug, we never rode Nightflight, and we only visited twice since November of last year, one being 2025. I work in customer service and the quickest way to lose a loyal customer is to lie about what you're offering them. If the passes weren't still available, Dollywood should have removed those. Literally, in my app even now it shows they are active and ready to use. Dollywood should honor that. Y'all are losing 9 pass holders for 2027. If you can live with that, we can live without it. Dollywood is such a beautiful, peaceful place. It will always be special to me, but I don't think y'all handled this correctly. The customer service agent even realized that she could still see it populated in the app. Admitting the mishap, but not fixing it. We'll give our money to The Mouse. Below is a photo proving they are lying about pass holder entitlements. This is why you're getting 1 star.

Finally, a convenient Stand Up Paddle (SUP) rental on Norris Lake!…read more John is an excellent instructor and is willing to stay late during the week (by appointment) so that I can do an afternoon workout paddle on the glassy lake.

We had a great experience renting a peddleboat! We weren't familiar with the area but the staff…read moreprovided great recommendations for coves to check out on the lake. He even recommended some hiking locations close to where we were staying. Very knowledgeable and definitely a highlight of our trip, would love to come back and try the other watercraft options!

If you've got kids with energy to burn and you're looking for a low-effort, high-reward activity…read morethat won't have you breaking a sweat (or the bank), Pigeon Forge Snow is the move. Indoor snow? Check. Non-stop fun? Check. A place where parents can actually sit while the kids go wild? Double check. This place gets it. The kids get their winter wonderland fix--sliding, tubing, and living their best snow-filled lives--while parents get exactly what they want: a comfy seat to watch them play until their hearts (or energy levels) tap out. It's one of those rare finds where both sides win. No complaints, no "Can we go now?" Just pure, budget-friendly, independent fun. And when the snow play winds down? Candy shop time! Bright, colorful, and the perfect sugar rush to cap off a solid half-day of play. Quick in, quick out, no regrets. If you're in Pigeon Forge with kids, just go. Trust me.

Yes yes yes. This was the best activity for our whole family. Now, we did arrive RIGHT at opening,…read moreso it was not crowded until it was time for us to leave. Which allowed us to ride a lottttt of times. We only did the tubing, but the snow area looked fun! We would 10000000% come back if we came back to the area.

Goats on the Roof was one of the most fun laid back and unique stops on our trip! We originally…read moreplanned to ride the Alpine Coaster down the street, but the wait was over an hour, so we came here instead, and we're glad we did. The mountain coaster was a lot of fun, had a short wait, and was only about $15. My favorite part, though, was feeding the goats on the roof! You buy goat food inside the gift shop for about $3 a cup, ($1 refill) pour it into a bowl, then pedal a bike that carries the food up a conveyor to the rooftop. The goats are already waiting, and it's hilarious watching them compete for the food. It's a unique experience that's fun for both kids and adults. Definitely worth the stop!

I always see this place advertised on TikTok and happened to drive by it on our way back into town…read morefrom Jeep Invasion, so we decided to stop.We went around the back of the building where they have a bunch of goats that you can feed. The goats were super cute and definitely made the stop worth it. The coaster was pretty fast and at a couple points it honestly felt like you might fall off, but overall it was a lot of fun and definitely a fast ride. It's a little cheaper than some of the other coasters in town, but still a little pricey at about $17 a ticket after the 12.5% tax. The store is HUGE and just kept going and going. They have all kinds of different knickknacks and random stuff to look at. They also have rocking chairs where you can sit and chill or buy one. Overall, it was a fun place to stop and check out.

So much fun! Worth the money for all of the activities that are available to do. I would suggest…read morehaving more food options available.

Wanted to like this like I liked anakeesta at gatlinburg...but it wasn't the same. hint buy your…read moretram ticket online to save 5$ per person, net 29. Was excited it was supposed to be octoberfest.... but something about their fryer being out they didn't have big pretzels... grilled corn was dried out and tried bratwurst on pretzel roll, while the roll was fine but the bratwurst was tasteless. We had hoped for views both on the tram [views on tram were fine] but when your at the ski lodge at "base" of their ski slopes there were no views. They do offer indoor ice skating and zip lines, but we had no interest. Their nature preserve does have an albino racoon, but otter cages empty and the reserve felt a little sad overall. Won't be coming back.

we did the waterfall hike a moderate of u are a beginner hike with Luci who was spectacular. it was…read morea lovely hike with a slight bit of incline. Note to those who hike in any mountainous region wear good footwear with tread on ur shoes! Take water and mind the guide as it pertains to bears and don't bring a dog as I will put yourself and others in danger! Respect nature and the surrounding area. would do it again and use them for sure!

An Unforgettable Experience with Sam!…read more If you're visiting the Smoky Mountains, do yourself a favor and book a tour with A Walk in the Woods. And if you're lucky enough to have Sam as your guide, you're in for something truly special! From beginning to end, Sam was absolutely incredible. Her knowledge of the mountains, their history, wildlife, and hidden treasures was remarkable, but what really made the experience exceptional was her warmth, enthusiasm, and genuine passion for what she does. She made our day feel less like a guided tour and more like exploring the Smokies with a wonderfully knowledgeable friend. She was thoughtful, engaging, patient, and attentive to everyone in our group, making sure we were comfortable and enjoying every moment. What I appreciated most was the freedom to simply be present. No worrying about where to go, what to see, or what we might be missing. Sam took care of everything, allowing us to relax, connect, laugh, learn, and truly appreciate the beauty surrounding us. Experiences like this remind you that the people you meet can be just as memorable as the places you visit. Sam made an already beautiful destination extraordinary. Five stars simply aren't enough. Thank you, Sam, for giving our family such a wonderful day and memories we'll carry with us long after leaving the mountains. We cannot recommend you highly enough!

WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge was such a fun experience for the kids! We took four children, ages 6,…read more7, 8, and 10, and honestly, they were all the perfect ages to enjoy everything this place has to offer! There was so much to see, do, and explore, and every activity seemed to be a hit with our group. The kids were entertained the entire time, moving from one experience to the next and having an absolute blast. There were only a couple of rides they weren't quite tall enough for, but with so many other activities available, it really didn't take away from their experience at all. One thing we especially appreciated was being able to leave in the middle of the day to grab lunch and then come back to enjoy more. That made the day so much easier with four kids! We returned and finished up with laser tag and a few other activities, which was the perfect way to end our visit. I really loved how much variety WonderWorks offered. There was something for every age in our group, and we never felt like we were struggling to keep anyone entertained. It's not always easy to find an attraction that keeps kids of different ages equally excited, but WonderWorks absolutely delivered! If you're visiting Pigeon Forge with kids, I highly recommend adding WonderWorks to your plans. It's a fantastic way to spend several hours, let the kids explore, and make some really fun family memories. Definitely worth the visit, and we would absolutely go back!

WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge absolutely earned a 5-star review from me for the value alone. For one…read moreadmission price, you get hours of hands-on fun: interactive science exhibits, the 4D motion theater, glow-in-the-dark ropes course, and unlimited laser tag and rides. It feels like more than just a "museum," and we easily could've spent half a day exploring and still not hit everything.What really stood out, though, was the military discount. As soon as we asked, the staff knew exactly how it worked, applied it with no hassle, and knocked a nice chunk off the total. That savings made a big difference for our group and turned an already good deal into a great deal.. Between the amount of stuff included in the ticket, the chance to replay laser tag and rides as much as you want, I honestly don't understand how anyone could rate this less than 5 stars. If you show up early, plan a few hours, and take advantage of the discount, it's one of the best values in Pigeon Forge. Try to plan the trip in the off season as it is nowhere near as crowded as it was doing the summer where it was too crowded to stand in line to get in. Definitely worth my money and something I would do again with my grandchildren.