Gatlinburg is a mountain resort town in East Tennessee that serves as the gateway to the Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited national park in America. You might know this area as the birthplace of country pop icon Dolly Parton. Gatlinburg is known for its beautiful mountain landscape and adventurous activities but also for its kitschy roadside attractions, mini-golf, go-karts, pancake houses, and homemade fudge. It’s a great vacation spot for families who like a mixture of entertaining shows, museums, and adventures in nature. It’s a bit like Disneyland with a mountain flare and there’s no shortage of natural and man-made attractions. In this video, we’ll explore some fun things to do in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Gatlinburg Space Needle
The Gatlinburg Space Needle is a 407-foot observation tower that overlooks downtown Gatlinburg and offers a 360 view of the Great Smoky Mountains. Glass elevators take you to the top of the observation deck where you can see stunning views and read about important historical markers in the city. Viewfinders on deck are free. And right below the space needle is Arcadia, a 25,000 square foot entertainment complex full of the latest games, amusements, and the area’s largest prize center.
Anakeesta
Anakeesta is a mountain top theme park. In Cherokee, the name means “the place of the balsams.” The park has zip lines and scenic rides on their “Chondola” chair lifts that lead to FireFly Village full of quaint shopping and dining in the midst of mountain scenery. Guests also enjoy unlimited rides on the park’s Ridge Rambler adventure truck for an adventure to the top of Anakeesta Summit, where you might catch a glimpse of a black bear or a bobcat. Or enjoy a meal at the cliff top restaurant.
Anakeesta is also home to the longest tree-base skywalk bridge in all of North America called the TreeTop Skywalk, with 800 feet of connected bridges hanging 50-60 feet in the air. Their AnaVista tower is the highest point in downtown Gatlinburg and offers sweeping views of the mountains. And if you enjoy thrills, you can also ride their Rail Runner Mountain Coaster, the only single-rail mountain coaster in the United States.
Gatlinburg Sky Lift Park
The Gatlinburg Sky Lift is an open-air chairlift ride to the top of an 1800 feet overlook. At the top, you’ll find the Gatlinburg SkyBridge, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. It’s 680 feet long and 140 feet high. At the Gatlinburg Sky Lift Park you can also hike the SkyTrail and enjoy the view of the Smokies at the SkyDeck.
Ober Gatlinburg
Ober Gatlinburg is the only place you can ski in Tennessee. The ski-themed amusement park includes ten skiing trails, chairlifts, and terrain parks. There’s also an indoor ice-skating rink, ice bumper cars, a coaster, and a shopping mall. In the winter, in addition to skiing, they also offer snow tubing and snowboarding. In the summer months, they also offer summer tubing and wildlife encounters.
Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster
The Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster is a family-friendly thrill ride. The roller coaster will take you through forest terrain around a mountain and features individual cars with brakes for single or double riders. You can ride during the day or at night.
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Dollywood & Splash Country
Dollywood is a Smoky Mountain theme park created by the legendary Dolly Parton, right in the heart of her homeland. It has been awarded the friendliest park in the entire theme park industry. At Dollywood, old fashioned charm meets modern thrills. It’s located just a little bit outside of downtown Gatlinburg in Pigeon Forge and is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee. You’ll find the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world here called the Lightning Rod. In addition to roller coasters, rides for the kids, and a white water rafting adventure, there are also wonderful displays and demonstrations of traditional Smoky Mountain music and crafts.
Travel around the park on the coal-powered steam train, The Dollywood Express. Visit the Chasing Rainbows museum to see some of Dolly’s spectacular costumes through the years from her live performances and from her films such as 9 to 5. Here, you can also view some of Dolly’s many awards on display and follow the story of her life from an East Tennessee mountain girl to a Country Music Legend and Pop Icon. The park also includes a replica of the cabin Dolly grew up in and the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame.
There are also always extra events depending on the time of year you decide to go. In the spring The Festival of Nations takes place, a celebration of cultures from around the world and includes traditional dance, music, art and food from an array of countries. The Spring also includes the Flower and Food festival, where you can experience botanical wonder with blooming sculptures and spring-inspired food (including lavender funnel cakes). The Summer Celebration includes later nighttime hours and 3D drone fireworks shows. The Harvest Festival in the fall is full of autumnal activities, Halloween festivities, and lots of carved pumpkins on display. Dollywood (and Gatlinburg in general) go all out for Christmas, so if you go in the winter, expect some magical light displays and a lot of festive activities.
And if live shows and music are your thing, don’t forget to check out Dollywood’s concert and dinner show schedule.
Dollywood also has an adjacent water park called Splash Country that features over 23 slide and thrill rides as well as a wave pool, a lazy river, and more.
Ripley’s Attractions
Ripley’s has a number of attractions in downtown Gatlinburg. One of the most popular is the Ripley’s Aquarium, which has been voted as the Best Aquarium in North America by USA Today. At this aquarium, you’ll find underwater tunnels with 12-foot sharks, giant sea turtles, and thousands of exotic sea creatures. You can touch stingrays, take a tour over Shark Lagoon in a glass bottom boat, let your children play in the 3-story Discovery Treehouse, and so much more.
Another attraction attached to the aquarium is The Penguin Playhouse, where both kids and adults can have interactive experiences with penguins.
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is a fun way to explore the bizarre events and strange items that Ripley’s is known for. The exhibits are full of some of the weirdest and most remarkable items and stories from around the world. There are also various interactive activities including The Kaleidoscope Room and an Optical Illusion Room. Plus a section devoted to the Great Smoky Mountains, featuring exhibits on synchronized fireflies and the tallest underground waterfall.
Other Ripley’s attractions include Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Gatlinburg’s number one haunted house, Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini-golf, Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze and Candy Factory, Ripley’s Moving Theater, and Ripley’s Super Fun Zone.
Gatlin’s Fun Center
At Gatlin’s Fun Center, there is an array of activities to choose from including mini-golf, blacklight golf, laser tag, bumper cars, escape rooms, and a maze challenge. There’s also a ropes course challenge where adventurers, safely harnessed, can climb three stories and partake in 38 challenges in an aerial obstacle course.
Hillybilly Golf
Dubbed as the world’s most unusual miniature golf, at Hillbilly Golf you’ll ride an incline to 300 feet above the city to play two challenging 18-hole hillside courses with mountain-themed hazards.
Hollywood Star Cars Museum
Hollywood Star Cars Museum houses over 45 vehicles from famous movies and television, including the 1966 batmobile.
Fannie Farkle’s
Fannie Farkle’s is a 40-year-old establishment famous for its legendary Ogle dogs and sausage subs. This vintage arcade is equipped with loads of games for all ages.
Westgate Wild Bear Falls
Westgate Wild Bear Falls is a 60,000 square foot indoor water park open year round. The park includes body slides, tube slides, a 900-foot lazy river, hot tubs, infant-only areas, swimming pools, and grills.
Pigeon Forge
In the neighboring city of Pigeon Forge, where Dollywood is located, there are a plethora of extended attractions from outlet mall shopping, go-karts, outdoor mini-golf courses, and dinner theaters, including Dolly Parton’s Stampede, a 4-course Southern feast, featuring music, comedy, and live animals. You’ll also find museums including the Titanic museum, built to look like a replica of the Titanic, the Hollywood Wax Museum, and WonderWorks, an interactive museum that looks like an upside-down building, just to name a few. There are also more hotel options here, including Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa, Margaritaville Island Hotel, and the Inn at Christmas Place, a christmas-themed hotel that stays decorated all year long.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
And last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to spend some time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That is, afterall, the reason Gatlinburg is a tourist hotspot. There are tons of trails to choose from, including the leisurely Gatlinburg Trail that leads directly to downtown Gatlinburg. Other popular trails in the area include Chimney Tops, Charlie’s Bunion, Grotto Falls, and Mt. Leconte. In the spring and summer, there are plenty of wildflowers and wildlife to see.
In the fall, you’ll experience a display of colorful mountains as the leaves change. When hiking trails in the park, you’ll find the quiet and tranquility of the Tennessee mountains, streams, and waterfalls. And you might even spot a black bear or two. There are plenty of options for easy to difficult trails depending on whether you want a leisurely hike or a more intense experience. Any trail you choose, you’re guaranteed to experience a little bit of the magic of the Smoky Mountains.
Whether you’re looking for thrills, family fun, or some downtime in nature, you can find all these things and more in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Are you planning a trip to Gatlinburg? And if you’ve been, what are some of your favorite spots?