Things to do in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg: Summer fun for kids and grown-ups alike

• Beating the heat indoors? Try an aquarium, museum or trampoline park.
• If you’re ready to take on fun in the sun, roller coasters, waterparks and mini golf await outside.
• If you’re summer vacationing on a budget, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a low-cost parking pass, and the Gatlinburg Trolley is free.
• To get all that energy out after fueling up, check out restaurants that combine dining and play, such as Downtown Flavortown in Pigeon Forge.

School is out, and summer vacation is here − which means the kids are ready to play! Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, along with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, are a just short drive away and full of fun activities that allow family members of all ages to enjoy a much-needed break.

Whether it’s at the aquarium or onboard a go-kart, these East Tennessee spots will keep you engaged on breezy, sun-filled mornings or even summer afternoon thunderstorms.

With over 100 attractions between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, there are plenty of activities to choose from, but don’t be overwhelmed. Knox News has narrowed down some options that are sure to be a hit with the kids for any season or budget.

Indoor things to do on hot or rainy days in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg

At the peak of summer heat or on a rainy day, sometimes it’s just easier to keep the fun indoors.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

• Stop by to see an assortment of ocean critters ranging from cute to totally bizarre. Catch the curious axolotl and zebra moray eel, or watch African penguins jump and dive at the Penguin Playhouse.
• Tickets prices range from $14.99 for ages 2-5 to $39.99 for ages 12 and older. For an additional fee, visitors can explore the aquarium on a glass-bottom boat tour. Ticket combos also are available, allowing visitors to visit multiple Ripley’s attractions − including the mountain coaster and mirror maze − at reduced prices.
• Location: 88 River Road, Gatlinburg

WonderWorks

• The eye-catching upside-down attraction along the Parkway offers a hands-on approach to discovery and is made up of “Wonder Zones,” each with a different scientific theme. The Extreme Weather Zone allows you to feel the power of an earthquake or hurricane, and the Physical Challenge Zone lets you rest on a bed of nails.
• Ticket prices range from $25.99 for ages 4-12 to $34.99 for teens and adults.
• Location: 100 Music Road, Pigeon Forge

MagiQuest

• Kids can take an interactive journey, armed with a magic wand and clue book as they encounter fairies, princesses, the Goblin King and a dragon. For $27.99, kids are admitted to play for 90 minutes, plus they can keep their wand as a souvenir.
• Location: 2491 Parkway, Gatlinburg

TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena

• For more active indoor activities, TopJump offers a chance to run, jump and play.
• Location: 3735 Parkway, Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge Snow

• Have snow day fun indoors – snow tubing and building snowmen and forts – any month of the year, no coat required.
• Location: 2533 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge

Crayola Experience Pigeon Forge

• Slated to open in 2025, the Crayola Experience Pigeon Forge will provide visitors with more than 20 hands-on attractions, including naming their own Crayon and making art with melted wax, plus a chance to shop the world’s largest selection of Crayola products, according to a media release.

Fun things to do outdoors in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg

Goat Coaster at Goats on the Roof

• Keep things exciting with twists and turns, plus riders get the chance to see goats as they whoosh their way down 4,875 feet of track. Kids must be age 3 or older and at least 38 inches tall to ride, and must ride with a driver who is at least 16. Those 54-84 inches tall can ride alone.
• Tickets cost $12 per person.
• Location: 1341 Wears Valley Road, Pigeon Forge

Dollywood

• If one roller coaster isn’t enough, try everyone’s favorite theme park, Dollywood, with rides galore plus live shows and more. Dolly Parton’s park is celebrating its 40th season, which runs through Jan. 4, 2026.
• Ticket prices for adults are $92, so you’ll want to plan this as an all-day excursion.
• Location: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge

Water parks

• Interested in splashing around this summer? You can take your pick of Dollywood’s adjoining water park, Splash Country, or Soaky Mountain Waterpark just outside Pigeon Forge in Sevierville.
• Ticket prices are around $50 for either water park. The Splash Country season runs daily through Aug. 9, and weekend operation through Sept. 21. Soaky Mountain Waterpark’s daily season lasts until Sept. 1, and then continues on the weekends through the end of that month.
• Locations: Splash Country, 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge; Soaky Mountain Waterpark, 175 Gists Creek Road, Sevierville

Mini golf or go karts

• Ride the incline to the top to play some mini golf at Hillbilly Golf, or check out the 45-hole course at Gatlin’s Mini Golf.
• Or head off to the races in a go kart at Xtreme Racing Center. Riders age 11 and older and 56 inches or taller can hit the course solo. For double karts, drivers will need to be at least 16 and 56 inches or taller, and riders must be at least 3.
• Locations: Hillbilly Golf, 340 Parkway, Gatlinburg; Gatlin’s Mini Golf, 716 Parkway # 219, Gatlinburg; Xtreme Racing Center, 3144 Parkway, Pigeon Forge

Parrot Mountain and Garden of Eden

• At Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge, kids can “see, touch and feed” hundreds of exotic birds, according to its website.
• Location: 1471 McCarter Hollow Road, Pigeon Forge

Free and inexpensive activities in the Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• At the country’s most popular national park, the only fee is for parking, which costs $5 for a one-day parking pass. Take a family hike on a shorter, kid-friendly trail like the Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail, a paved, half-mile loop. For a completely free choice − unless you plan on parking for over 15 minutes − drive the scenic Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail or the Cades Cove Loop and see some of the park’s streams, forests and historic buildings. If you’d like to walk or bike it, the Cades Cove Loop is vehicle-free on Wednesdays between June 18 and Sept. 24 in 2025.
• Kids ages 5-12 can work on becoming junior rangers. Purchase the Junior Ranger Activity Guide online or at one of the visitor centers − Sugarlands is closest to Gatlinburg − for $4.50, then complete at least five activities and five experiences to be sworn in as a junior ranger at one of the park’s visitor centers.
• Locations: Sugarlands Visitor Center, 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, Gatlinburg; Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, 117 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg Trolley

• Back in town, tour the city aboard the Gatlinburg Trolley for free, hopping on and off to view sites as you please. The hub is the Mass Transit Center outside Ripley’s Aquarium. More information about routes is available on the Gatlinburg website.
• Location: Mass Transit Center, 88 River Road #101, Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg parks

• Looking for an easy location to let the kiddos stretch their legs? Try Mynatt Park or Herbert Holt Park, both in Gatlinburg and equipped with standard playgrounds and picnic tables.
• Locations: Herbert Holt Park, North Park Lane, Gatlinburg; Mynatt Park, 622 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg

Restaurants with game rooms and arcades

You finally get the chance to sit down for a bite to eat, and suddenly you hear those two dreaded words: “I’m bored!” These restaurants provide plenty of activities to go along with the dining, so the kids can stay occupied from apps through dessert.

Downtown Flavortown

• “Play with your food” is the philosophy of this arcade and dining concept by Guy Fieri. Here, kids can check out video games, arcade classics and bowling, while parents enjoy dishes like Nashville hot chicken nachos and blackened salmon, or even hit the tiki bar.
• Location: 2655 Teaster Lane, Suite #100, Pigeon Forge

Fannie Farkle’s

• At this Gatlinburg mainstay, kids can try the “legendary Ogle Dog” before exploring the game rooms, which feature Ticket Time, Robot Storm and Sink It, according to its website.
• Location: 656 Parkway, Gatlinburg

Big Daddy’s Pizzeria

• The Pigeon Forge location has an arcade with skee ball and air hockey and pizza options ranging from classic to more adventurous.
• Location: 3053 Parkway, Pigeon Forge

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email [email protected].

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