While in Gatlinburg we needed a family activity to do, so I went on Groupon and found a deal for 4 tickets for $32. You have to enter through the Arcadia arcade in order to get into the tower. Once we gave our Groupon voucher to the worker she advised us that we can ride the tower again the same day as long as we brought back our receipt. We entered the elevator and took it all the way to the top. When we got to the top deck it was a nice view with breeze. It's a spacious deck with a 360 view and that's about it lol. Great for photos and videos. Overall this was a good family activity for cheap. Once we were done we did play in the arcade at the bottom which is huge. I feel for $32 for a family of 4 it was worth every penny and you got a second ride out of it. read more

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First of all the arcade is amazing, there are so many things in this building, they have a pizzeria, arcade, a space needle, and a bowling place. The only reason I'm writing this review is because of the manager Amanda, they are the best human being In Tennessee I swear, she was so kind and generous that they gave us a hand in the arcade game we played, and not only that the girl in the prize counter was amazing too. She had so much patience helping us to choose between so many prizes and I really love what she helped me pick out definitely a 10/10 family hangout place read more

Space Needle - My prizes - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Ok so here is the deal: I did not look at reviews before we went - our plans changed last min and we saw this place and thought that would be cool. We got tickets online. Parking nearby cost $15 flat rate - ok we planned to check out the area anyway. The cost for the VIP online $34 came with a game card and the trip up and a bonus trip within 24hrs (great because we went at night to see Xmas lights - but not much to see other than that). Staff girl was super friendly. There is a rather large arcade which would be fun by itself. Many retro games, a few vr games, and lots of interactive basketball/football/beanbag throw stuff - all for tickets to trade in. We honestly had way more fun in the arcade- total date night for two mid life young at hearts. There is a snack bar and pizza shack there also. Now the elevator- its old/rickety and sure its glass panels but you just see stairs. Its kinda sketch but I didn't feel unsafe. We went on Dec 4 when it was 32 degrees out snd it's cold at the top. We were the only people so that was fun to have the place to ourselves. The viewfinders are old and need to be replaced (very hard to focus) I suggest bring some binoculars that would have been cool. One section was yellow taped off. I think during the day would be a very nice view - sadly we didn't make it back for that. The whole thing needs a major refresh - i hope some money can be dumped in for that. I will say we had a good time, the town was neat with Xmas lights, and we had a blast in the arcade read more

Space Needle - game room. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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As a local content creator here in Gatlinburg The Gatlinburg Hussey, I highly recommend going here and having a blast! I've lived here 30 years and it never gets old how amazing the views are from the Space Needle...An absolute must do while here in Gatlinburg read more

The staff was kind in helping us since we had issues with our tickets that were purchased thru a 3rd party company. The elevator did seem a bit rundown so don't move around too much while on it or you can somewhat sense the momentum of people's movement while on the elevator if that makes sense. Once you're at the top, it was great, especially if you enjoy people, car, city, and mountain watching. There's a few telescopes as well. read more

Space Needle - Photo facing the south eastern direction - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This thing is old and rundown and does not feel safe at all. There are plenty of other places that you can go to see the same views. The glass elevator hardly offers any views going up because you're mostly just looking at the rusty stairs. During our visit there was a sign saying that one elevator was down so all guests must be able to return via stairs in case of emergency which really means in case our other rickety old elevator also breaks down. It takes about 2-3 minutes each direction. We literally stayed at the top for as long as we had to wait for the elevator because this place just seems unkept. Don't waste your money. Luckily I had a Groupon. read more

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First, it was closed due to maintenance, the kid had no idea how long. We came back after an hour, it was open. The internet had ticket prices but they were not updated so they were increased by $2! The elevator was sketchy, dirty! Once on top, views were good, the whole area needs a refresh. They need to have an older cashier that is people friendly! The kid was not! read more

Absolutely forgot that I was afraid of heights until I got to the deck of this thing and it was swaying in the wind. WHOOPS. But, being up there for awhile calmed me down. There are some great views from up here. As a photographer, I had an absolute blast shooting the surrounding mountains and down into Gatlinburg streets. I took a few photos of people I was with (who didn't want to go up) far down below. Staff as nice, admission was reasonable. They also had a cool arcade on the first floor. There doesn't seem to be a time limit for how long you can be up there, so that's cool. Maybe I will bring a lunch and have a picnic on the deck up top next time. Not a bad experience at all! read more

Space Needle - A scene from the top of the Space Needle. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Some great views at the top. Elevator was definitely old and needed repair but overall a good experience. You can stay up there as long as you want but with so many places in Gatlinburg that have Mountain View's, this one is not the best but for the price, not the worse either read more

This place made me develop a fear of heights -- not because of the height, but because of the rickety elevator, broken floorboards with caution tape, and rusty beams. Listen, having a space needle in Gatlinburg is a really good idea and was probably great in the 90s! But one of the elevators is broken and while going up in the other one you really don't wonder why! My friend described the view from the elevator as "the opposite of reassuring". We went up once at night and once in the day (you can use your ticket twice in 24 hours.) The view was so stunning during the day. I'm torn on whether it was worth it but I will say this place needs to be updated or else one of these days, the second elevator will go down for good too. Also, the sinks don't work in the arcade bathrooms and the whole place stinks like vape. read more

Space Needle - The view during the day was gorgeous. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The Space Needle offers an elevator ride to the top to view a 360 perspective of Gatlinburg. It's a great photo opportunity of the Great Smoky Mountains. The experience takes no longer than 30 minutes depending on how long you choose to stay and take in the scenery. It was a windy day and the tower was swaying back and forth, which felt uneasy. read more

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It was nice but the elevator is so hot and uncomfortable I'm going back to Gatlinburg but I won't be mad if I miss this place read more

Space Needle - Family trip - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

I'm torn on a 3 or 4. 4 is for the views and photo opportunities. 3 is for the price. It's $15 per adult. You spend as much time as you want at the top but think it's a bit expensive. Definitely not worth the price on a cloudy or rainy day as you want to be able to see the mountains. There's a public parking lot across the street. read more

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Another huge tourist trap, but the views are AMAZING. Bottom has a arcade and a pizza place. But were there for the observation tower, one of the higher points in the city. The elevator to go up was super old and scary and i was nervous the whole ride. But you get to the top and it was worth it. Was it worth $11 bucks tho? The views and pizza at the end is what will bring me back. read more

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Their website allows you to buy single rider tickets and doesn't have any mention that you will not be allowed to go up, then when you're making an out of state trip to Gatlinburg they will tell you you're not allowed to go up by yourself and they do not honor the tickets they sold on their own website read more

The sspace needle is cool but honestly there are better places to go if you want to see the view of the Smokey Mountains. This is located on the strip in an arcade so it can be hard to locate if you don't know that you have to look at arcades. The view is nice but it costs 15 dollars to go so I think it's a little steep. The view is nice but if you go at night, you are wasting your time because you will not see anything. It is a nice concept if you don't want to go in the national park but there are other places to go if you want to see the mountains read more

Space Needle - I should be a photographer - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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We had dinner nearby, saw the Space Needle, and decided to try it out to have something to do. The bottom line is that it's just an okay attraction. My biggest regret was that we did it in the black of night, so there wasn't much to see after going up there. But it is something different to do and I'm sure you can get some awesome views during the day. This place is oddly located inside of an arcade, which pretty much screams tourist trap. Our ticket was good for 24 hours, which was nice because we could have just saved it for the next day. Being in a bachelorette party, we were carrying around inflatable "things" (We'll just say that their names were Peter and Willy) and while the elevator attendant was nice, he started making some inappropriate comments about them and was asking us weird questions about them that made me suuuper uncomfortable. No bueno. I'll probably skip this next time. It's not really a huge deal and there's tons of better stuff to do. read more

For $12.99 adult price it gets you 2 rides to the top in the same day, so you don't have to chose day or night views. Speaking of which, great 360 degree views. Placards tell you what you're looking at and a bit of history. Well worth every penny. read more

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I think this used to be a big attraction in Gatlinburg. However, it seems pretty rundown and dated today. You buy your ticket at the arcade below and someone leads you to the elevator. There is no employee to ride up with you and tell you about the history of the space needle. You get to the top and that's it. There is no employee at the top to answer your questions or call for the elevator to go back down (you figure out which button to press yourself). The place seems really irrelevant now that the big suspension bridge on the mountain is open (you're actually above the space needle when you take the lift up to the SkyBridge). Save the $10 you would spend here and pay the $17 to ride up to the SkyBridge instead. read more

Very awesome the guy at the register "Adam" was really cool and knocked the price down a few tickets on the items I wanted, very cool again awesome games and great pizza! read more

Not great views, but ok. Elevator was kinda dirty and a little sketchy. But, worth heading up.

It was fun, and a nice view. You enter through the arcade below it, which we didn't expect, but it was simple to purchase passes to go up. We used a Groupon, and didn't have any troubles. The elevator is a bit slow, and the carpet inside it was sticking to all our shoes, and then it took a bit of a wait for the elevator to return to the top so we could descend. Happy we did it, but I wouldn't go again. read more

Great 360 view of Gatlinburg and surrounding areas. I definitely didn't think it was $16 worth just to go up on an elevator to see 360 view. All they had up there was magnify glass on each 4 corners to take a look around the area. read more

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Worth it when purchasing a ticket at a discount (e.g. via Groupon) but really just a great view for maybe 15 minutes, however we went at night so maybe the view is better during the day? It's like the lookout tower at an amusement park....you don't *need* to do it bit you always do just because, right? We actually spent an hour in the arcade at the base and had more fun there even though the games are average and of course the stuff you get with the tickets are as well average and not worth it read more

I think your policy of not letting solo people take the ride up on the needle is horrible. Can't even join a group going up. I was there 4/30 at about 8:00 PM. I will tell everyone I know and post this on social media and everywhere. read more

Waste of money, it felt so dangerous and unsafe to be up there. The elevator was suspicious only one door was working. This place should be remodeled and made safer for everyone. I'd never come back here or recommend anyone else to come.. read more

Pretty cool place... But! It doesn't stand out from any of the million other arcades these days. If you've been to one, you've basically been to them all. They have a really good selection of games. I think the payouts are a bit low, especially in relation to how many tickets some of the items in the prize stand costs. But it is what it is, a good place to kill some time (and potentially hurt your wallet). They have the world's largest Pac-Man here btw. Not sure if that's true or not, though I find it hard to believe that the makers of that unit only made ONE, and that ONE just happens to be right here at Space Needle. Oh! One last thing. The pizza stand in here actually have good pizza. It's pricey for what it is, but at least it was surprisingly good. On the wall it says "NY Style Pizza", and being that I lived in NY for 16 years and have eaten my share of pizzas there I can totally vouch that it IS NY style pizza (huge slices, thin crust, crispy and light). read more

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My warning to readers: Do not pay full price for this attraction. It is not worth $13. My wife and I caught the Space Needle on a Groupon deal for $9 for both of us. It's worth $4.50 a person but certainly not $13. Why not? Because it's an elevator ride up a mere 8 FLOORS (approximately.) We counted the stair flights and it is not even as high as office buildings in large cities! Of course they don't admit that, but even a casual observer can see it's not very high. Not only that, the Space Needle has steadily increased the ticket price each year while offering no improvements or perks. In 2015 it only cost $9 a ticket. After we rode up the ancient creaky, slow elevator, we got off, read a few signs about Gatlinburg, snapped a few photos, and headed back down. You can do Ober Gatlinburg or Anakeesta for longer, better views and other activities and get a lot more out of the money you spend. I agree with others; the attraction is dated and the arcade is loud and obnoxious. I'm surprised it hasn't gone out of business. It was a nice view for the reduced price, however. read more

Let's make one thing abundantly clear. I am more than biased to the Space Needle and my 5 star review reflects more nostalgia than anything. I have been here recently as well. You pay $13 to go to the top. You have a great 360 view of the town, and at the top you also have signs spelling out the history of the region, too. The ride to the top is 4 1/2 minutes and it is in a glass elevator. Not for the faint of heart, but I do not think it is that bad and I have severe motion sickness. The Needle has been here since 1969. Keeping that in mind, you should also realize that they do maintain it, but the vintage features still very much exist. To maximize your enjoyment, I encourage you to take the Skylift in the day and take the Space Needle by night. It offers different experiences and you really can get lost up there in enjoying the scenery. During the New Year, they will shoot off a fireworks show from the top. It is super cool to watch and adds flair to the Space Needle. Occasionally, they will do other things like this around the 4th of July and change the Space Needle colors to reflect the different seasons of the year. At the bottom of the Needle, they a pizza joint with jumbo slices and an arcade. Your kids won't want to leave the arcade. If you have family members who suffer from seizures and can't deal with heavy amounts of noise or flashing lights, this also might be somewhere that might be difficult to enjoy due to all of the racket the arcade makes. I love the Needle. I can't express that enough. I come here every time I visit, and it always feels like a new experience. Very happy it is a staple here in Gatlinburg. read more

Definitely the best arcade in Gatlinburg. They serve beer and huge slices of pizza too! Great selection of games. The view from the top is gorgeous! read more

Great value for the price. Visted in the evening (a really long line to get up there) and we returned in the morning for our second viewing. The tickets are good for 24 hours-2 rides up during that period. Great views. We got great night shots of the lights and days shots of the mountains. If you have a problem with heights it can be a challenge. The elevator has windows. Also, due to the height and design, movement from the wind can be felt. It is not dangerous or unheard of for buildings of that type to have some sway so this is just an FYI. It can freek you out if you don't expect it. Regardless, we had a blast. read more

Attraction has been "closed for maintenance" for weeks but they don't indicate this online at all! Asked for a refund when we attempted to use tickets purchased online and was advised it would be refunded right away. Several days later, still awaiting a refund. read more

This place was easy to locate but, finding free parking is almost impossible. Once you enter the building you'll be met with loads of arcade games. After we figured out where we needed to be we checked in and set in the lobby for over 30 minutes waiting for our turn to go up. However, due to our place in line we had to stand near the elevator so we wouldn't miss our turn to the top which was a bit tight for the size of our group. The elevator was also small so, we were taken up a few at a time which also wasn't an issue. It provided an excellent photo opt and aerial view of the city which was beautiful. The only true issue was dealing with crying kids who would rather play in the arcade than stand in the line however that may be a personal problem more than a draw back. I do recommend this place but only at a coupon discount! Have fun and remember to check coupon sites first before you pay full price. read more

Space Needle - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This was the single most terrifying and exhilarating thing that I have ever done. I have severe anxiety and this was one of my biggest fears (heights), I had to close my eyes and bury my face in my husbands shirt the entire way up (the walls to the elevator are glass but the floor isn't), then when I got to the top I tiptoed out and tried to make myself steady. The building sways a bit (it happens with a building that shape and of that height), so I had to sit down and do a breathing exercise... I felt horrified and kept asking myself why on earth I would have ever wanted to do this and wondered how I was going to get down without having a panic attack. And then I looked up, and the view just took my breath away. It was so beautiful. The breeze helped me to feel like I could breathe better and the sight helped to ground me so that I could stand and make my way to the railing. I could see all of Gatlinburg (even my car far away) and tons of mountains all the way around. It was breathtaking and wonderful. I spent about 30-45 minutes up there just taking in the beauty before finally deciding to go down. I even felt okay enough to look out the elevator walls on the way down and I took a video of it :) Tips: Take some food and water up with you, in case you want to spend the day or something. There is food at the bottom but not at the top. You get to do two trips with your receipt, so try the view during the day and at night both. I'm a bit to afraid to go back tonight. I may do it, if I feel brave enough! If it is early spring or late fall, bring a jacket, its generally cooler up top than down below. read more

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Great overlook, very open at top and great staff. Pay once and get to go up twice in 24 hrs!

Super rude manager we were talking to. We called the night before our last day in the city to check if dogs could come up since the ski lift allowed dogs surprisingly. They man said yes the were allowed as long as they were small and carried/in a bag. We show up the next day to the girl telling us only service dogs are allowed. Then asked for a manager who said dogs are allowed. She then talks to her coworker and suddenly she again is not allowed. We already had our Groupon's bought for it and it was outside the time to get a refund. The girl would not even consider giving us a refund. She was clearly already ready to fight us instead of help us out. It's ridiculous cause it's not even the highest point in the city and is a pointless attraction. read more

The view was great. We went around 10:30 am so no crowd and no wait. The glass elevator ride to observation platform was very smooth. The view finders we're free to use but about half we're broken. They do offer senior discounts off the ticket price. I saw it online and we asked because it wasn't posted on the sign with ticket prices where we paid. Only negative was that you have to enter and exit through an arcade this might be considered a positive by some. read more

We wanted to see up kind of view you had at night. You go into the arcade to get on the elevator to go up. The elevator we got on seemed to be the original and needed some love. The ride up is slow but doesn't take too long. I was worried about how big the area would be to view as I am afraid if heights. When the doors opened, i was pleasantly surprised to see the viewing area was about 20 wide all the way around. It was bright with lights and the flooring appear6to be newer. I did not make it the edge but didn't need to. The views of the lights of Gatlinburg and surrounding mountain sides was great. I can only imagine the views on a clear day. It is must see. When we came down I noticed that there are elevators on both sides. The other appears to be new and being installed. They appear to be upgrading the elevators. The arcade at the bottom had some of the best games in Gatlinburg. If you need somewhere to take the kids or a rainy day escape, check it out. read more

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The views from the Space Needle are beautiful! The viewfinders at the top are free for people to use. We also enjoyed the arcade at the bottom of the needle. I'd recommend! read more

Space Needle - View from the top of the Space Needle - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The Space Needle is actually an entertainment complex. Mostly you'll find arcade-style video games (best state-of-the-art collection in town), pool tables, and air hockey tables. The star attraction if, of course, the needle itself--a 400 foot observation tower in the heart of downtown offering 360 degree views of Gatlinburg. Why the observation tower is a must: First, it is one of the most inexpensive attractions in town. Second, on my many visits, there is almost always a ticket "special" allow the same ticket to be used for a return trip (inquire when purchasing your ticket in person). Go once in the day and once again at night for two different experiences. I almost always visit this attraction anytime I visit Gatlinburg--good bargain. read more