Top 10 Kid-Friendly Things To Do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

August 15, 2017

Nestled in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge, TN is known for a unique combination of beautiful rolling mountains and some of the best entertainment in the country. While your options are nearly unlimited along the Gatlinburg strip, here are 10 suggestions for our favorite kid-friendly things to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Xplorie has partnered with over a dozen wonderful Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge activity providers to offer an incredible array of free activities for guests.

RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF THE SMOKIES

You may be in the mountains, but you don’t want to miss visiting the seas at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, voted “Best U.S. Aquarium” in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice of 2017. Your kids can get up-close and personal with penguins, splash with stingrays or even spend a night with sharks at the aquarium’s unique sleepover experience.

GO KARTS AND LASER TAG

Create lasting memories through smiles and joyful shrills at LazerPort Fun Center by drumming up friendly competition driving go karts or playing a heart pounding game of laser tag at the Smoky Mountain’s largest laser tag arena. The center also features blacklight mini-golf and a 10,000-square foot arcade.

LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY

As the most award-winning family comedy variety show in the area, The Comedy Barn has been proudly producing 23 years of good, clean fun. Laugh the night away with your whole family as magicians, jugglers, ventriloquists and musicians take the stage in this show that features amazing pet tricks, audience participation, and hilarious comedy skits.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Maybe it’s the beauty of the mountains, the stunning (nearly) year-round wildflowers, or the historical reminders of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, but there’s something special about Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you don’t take our word for it, take everyone else’s—it’s the most-visited national park in the U.S.! Take a day trip here to reconnect with nature and your family by exploring some of the 800 miles of trails for hiking and sightseeing.

VARIETY SHOWS

Make time to enjoy the ultimate variety shows in the Smokies, like the Smoky Mountain Opry, featuring music ranging from swing to country, as well as laser lights, dazzling costumes, and an energetic cast of singers, dancers, comedians and musicians! Or try the Amazing Animals Exotic Animal & Pet Show, with a cast of fuzzy, furry, feathered and four-legged characters performing a side-splitting show that will leave you laughing in this happily hysterical hootenanny of critters.

MAMA’S FARMHOUSE

What better way to spend quality time together on a vacation than by sitting down at a family-style restaurant? Enjoy award winning biscuits and authentic southern food at Mama’s Farmhouse. Your kclasss will love Mama’s fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, we promise!

INTERACTIVE FUN HOUSE

Embark on a journey to a strange land at WonderWorks Pigeon Forge. Rumor has it, a great scientist attempted to harness the power of a tornado in the Bermuda Triangle, and things quickly went sideways. What resulted was WonderWorks, a colorful, upside-down laboratory with more than 100 family-friendly hands-on exhibits and interactive displays. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild!

RAFTING THE PIGEON RIVER

Whether you’re looking for a scenic float trip by tubing the Little River or something more adrenaline inducing like white water rafting, Smoky Mountain River Rat has the perfect trip for your family’s day on the water.

DINNER AND A SHOW

The Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show isn’t exactly your average family meal. Feast on all-you-can-eat country cooking and drink in the shenanigans of the longest running feud in history, complete with comedy, singing, dancing and exciting stunts.

TRY ZIPLINING

Go above and beyond ordinary family vacations and zip through the trees with Legacy Mountain Ziplines or Adventure Park Ziplines zipline courses. Legacy offers 7 different ziplines across 400 sprawling acres, while Adventure Park features an oasis of Smoky Mountain Beauty with towers above all obstacles to give you the perfect view. Both include ziplines that are over 2000 feet long which means more fun for the family!