We went here yesterday. It was a really nice park. We got there about 12, and stayed until a little after four. The kids (14 & 13) LOVED the waves in the lazy river. They were a little disappointed that the wave pool wasn't working for some reason. You could still get in, but the waves never came. The Beehive area for little kids was awesome. We walked around it and through the sprayers. There was also an area where they had small slides for kids, which we thought was cool. There were tons of slides, but we didn't do any of them. The Lazy River is just that until certain intervals throughout the day when waves form and go for approximately two hours at a time. A tip from us to you is that you get a tube and make your way into the Lazy River about thirty minutes prior to the waves starting (they have signs telling you the times of the waves) and then stay in there until the ways start. Otherwise, the tubes will be few and far between, as it gets busier for the waves.
The food options inside the park were practically endless. They even had a macaroni and cheese truck! We had lunch here, but we opted for the grilled chicken salad, while the kids had a cheeseburger with fries and chicken tenders and fries. All the food was made fresh and delicious. We also got Dippin Dots, which was yummy as always. They also had a taco truck and very unique milkshakes.
I have seen some reviews that say there isn't enough shade, but we had no problem finding shade. Twice we found an empty table covered by an umbrella to enjoy lunch first, and then our tasty snack. There are tons of umbrellas and wooden pavilions scattered throughout the park.
It's not as big as Splash Country, but it's also not as packed and less expensive. When we went to Splash Country, regular admission for the four of us for one day in just the waterpark was right at $300. Yesterday at Soaky Mountain, we paid adult general admission for the four of us, which was less than $175. General admission for anyone over 42" is $46.99 each. You can stay all day, or you can get a bracelet to leave and come back later the same day. After 4pm, general admission is $27.99 per person. They also have cabanas available to rent, but they will run you anywhere from $130 for 2 people to $300 for up to eight people. We didn't get a cabana, but still managed to find empty seats throughout.
The lifeguards here are much more attentive than at other waterparks we've been too (specifically Splash Country and Aquatica in Orlando). Three times, lifeguards jumped in to help struggling guests while we were here (once in the Lazy River, once in the wave pool, & once when a tube got stuck in one of the slides).
They have lockers for your towels and such, but we didn't use those. I saw where most of them were $12 for the day.
Parking is $15 per car, while RVs and larger vehicles are a tad more. The parking lot is literally huge!!! There are letters on the pavement marking the areas. Remember where you parked so you can easily find it later.
I have saw reviews referring to the pathway leading down to the park from the ticket booth. It is a good little walk down, and then obviously it's uphill when you leave; but the whole park is on a 'mountain', so it's logical to have some uphill and downhill pathways. Anyways, neither direction is too bad. They have speakers with music going along the way.
If you are visiting Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, or Gatlinburg in the summer, I highly recommend checking out Soaky Mountain Waterpark. read more