The towns surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park are designed to accommodate and entertain the ten million visitors that come to the park each year. We spent three days in Pigeon Forge, enjoying this tourist town that is set up for family fun. There are hotels, cabins, campgrounds, and resorts. And the activities offered are endless. You could spend a whole day just browsing the brochure racks and planning which attractions and activities your family wants to visit. Here are the places that we chose:

Dollywood!

Dollywood is an amusement park owned by the country singer Dolly Parton. It has dozens of rides, fifteen shows, and even characters walking around. It’s fun for all ages!

Highlights:

• My boys loved the stunt dog show where dogs performed amazing tricks.
  

  Meeting one of the dogs after the show

• The rides were super fun and there were no lines! We rode one of the big roller coasters 3 times in 15 minutes!
  

  Roller coaster fun

• Just when it started to get hot, we hit the family water rides! 
  

  Family water ride

Travel Tip: The park says that it opens at 10:00, but we arrived at about 9:15 (we thought the trolley would take a lot longer than it did) and the doors were open. Some rides were already running, and we more or less had the park to ourselves. 

For Kids:  I don’t know a child who doesn’t love to take the wheel. Be sure to hit up the cars and let the little ones drive. Liam’s top pick!

Rafting on Pigeon River

The best part of visiting Tennessee is the natural beauty of area. After days of hiking and driving to scenic vistas, we decided to see it from the water and booked a floating raft trip down the lower part of Pigeon River.

Highlights: During our rafting trip it started raining. It was an absolute downpour, but it somehow made the whole trip seem like a big adventure. Jack loved getting soaked head to toe.

Travel Tip: Buy a waterproof phone case bag to take pictures during the trip. I got mine for $8 on Amazon: Waterproof Phone Case. The photos taken by the rafting company cost over $40.

For Kids: They stopped to let the kids swim in the rain!

WonderWorks

WonderWorks caught the boys’ attention as we drove into town because it’s a huge upside down house. Inside is a combination of science museum, children’s museum, and amusement park. They have hands-on exhibits, a massive ropes course, and even roller coaster simulators. A great afternoon of fun!

Highlights: The entire family enjoyed the 6D movie experience with moving seats.

Travel Tip: Ask about discounts. They offered lower ticket prices for miltary families, police officers, teachers, and more.

For Kids: Everything here is for kids! There are height requirements for several of the attractions so check before you go. Liam had to sit quite a few things out, but there was still plenty to keep him entertained.

 
We were sad to say goodbye to Tennessee and the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. This is a perfect place for a family getaway!