{"id":3879,"date":"2017-02-20T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/?p=3879"},"modified":"2026-04-28T11:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T11:12:19","slug":"family-fun-attractions-in-smokies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/attractions\/family-fun-attractions-in-smokies.htm","title":{"rendered":"Top Picks for Family Fun in the Smokies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millions of people visit the Smokies each year because of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The most visited national park in the National Park Service, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts 800+ miles of trails<\/a> ripe for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The 11-mile Cades Cove loop road is home to an impressive diversity of wildlife, wildflowers, and trees. Roads in and around the national park are perfect for scenic drives and feature interesting historic sites and buildings.<\/p>\n

With so many things to do and see in this massive natural playground, it\u2019s no wonder it\u2019s such a draw for tourists. And while families can find plenty of fun in the national park and in community parks in the area, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are also home to dozens of family-friendly attractions that are also a big reason so many people visit the area.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning a family vacation and are looking for some fun outside of the national park, read on. Our top family-friendly attractions in the Smokies have something for every age, from the little ones to the grandparents!<\/p>\n

Dollywood<\/a><\/strong>
\nDollywood in Pigeon Forge is the ultimate family-friendly attraction in the Smokies. The 150-acre campus boasts 40+ rides, 15 live shows, tons of great restaurants and cafes, plenty of shops, and lots of carnival games and prizes. The Dollywood Express is a fun ride around the park, and 2017 brings 3 new rides! Dollywood also hosts the annual Festival of Nations, taking you on a virtual trip around the world with music, food, art, dance, and more.<\/p>\n

Dollywood\u2019s Splash Country<\/strong>
\nIf you\u2019re in the Smokies with family this summer, don\u2019t miss out on Dollywood\u2019s Splash Country. Named a Top 10 Waterpark by TripAdvisor, the 35-acre park features rides, slides, and water features for every age. You can fly down Tailspin Racer, get soaked at Bear Mountain Fire Tower, relax on a float at the Downbound Float Trip in the lazy river, or let the little ones splash around at Little Creek Falls. They even have canopies and retreats where you can keep cool and shaded (and order food!) between rides.<\/p>\n

Gatlinburg Space Needle<\/a><\/strong>
\nTake a glass elevator 400+ feet in the air for 360-degree views of the city below at the Gatlinburg Space Needle in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg. It also has an arcade and pizza place, and it\u2019s the host of the annual New Year\u2019s Eve fireworks show in Gatlinburg.<\/p>\n

The Escape Game<\/a><\/strong>
\nIf your family loves a challenge, be sure to book a spot at The Escape Game at The Island in Pigeon Forge. You\u2019ll have 1 hour to break out of a locked room, figuring out riddles, decoding secret messages, and putting together puzzles \u2013 all while working together. Try Gold Rush, The Heist, Prison Break, or Classified \u2013 or try a new one each day during your getaway!<\/p>\n

Ober Gatlinburg<\/a><\/strong>
\nSkiing, snowboarding, and tubing in winter…the Ski Mountain Coaster, Alpine Slide, and mini golf in spring and summer\u2026indoor ice skating, arcade games, and shopping year-round\u2026Ober Gatlinburg is a one-stop shop for family fun no matter what time you visit the Smokies. Take the Aerial Tramway up from downtown Gatlinburg for incredible Smoky Mountain views (and save when you stay with Cabins for YOU).<\/p>\n

Ripley\u2019s Aquarium of the Smokies<\/a><\/strong>
\nGet hands-on at Touch-A-Ray Bay, explore underseas below the sharks and fish in the underwater tunnel, get up close and personal with the waddling creatures in the Penguin Playhouse, or explore Gallery of the Seas, the Discovery Center, Shark Lagoon, Coral Reef, Ocean Realm, Tropical Rainforest, and more!<\/p>\n

Smoky Mountain Ziplines <\/a><\/strong>
\nIf your family likes to get their adrenaline pumping to have fun, head over to Smoky Mountain Ziplines in Pigeon Forge. Their guides will take you flying through the trees, giving you beautiful views of the Smoky Mountain woods and a thrill at the same time.<\/p>\n

Ripley\u2019s Haunted Adventure<\/strong>
\nNot for the faint of heart, this downtown Gatlinburg haunted house features Hollywood-grade makeup and props. Live actors are always ready to pop out \u2013 365 days a year \u2013 in the 10,000+ square-foot space.<\/p>\n

Hollywood Wax Museum<\/a> <\/strong>
\nThe perfect place for funny shots with the family, the Hollywood Wax Museum lets you \u201cmeet\u201d celebrities, from the kids\u2019 favorite pop stars to the grandparents\u2019 favorites from classic movies. There is even trivia throughout the attraction, a horror movie section, and a VIP ticket option. When you\u2019re on your way to the Smokies, you can\u2019t miss the celebrity \u201cMount Rushmore\u201d on the Parkway.<\/p>\n

WonderWorks<\/strong>
\nWith 6 wonder zones \u2013 Natural Disasters, Physical Challenge Zone, Light & Sound Zone, Space Discovery, Imagination Lab, and Far Out Art Gallery \u2013 WonderWorks (the upside-down building on the Parkway) is the ultimate hands-on attraction for families. There\u2019s something exciting around every corner, perfectly blending education with entertainment. They even have an indoor ropes course and laser tag arena!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Millions of people visit the Smokies each year because of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The most visited national park in the National Park Service, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts 800+ miles of trails ripe for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The 11-mile Cades Cove loop road is home to an impressive diversity of wildlife, wildflowers, and trees. Roads in and around the national park are perfect for scenic drives and feature interesting historic sites and buildings. With so many things to do and see in this massive natural playground, it\u2019s no wonder it\u2019s such a draw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[289],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11426,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3879\/revisions\/11426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinsforyou.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}