Tucked in along the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the Eastern Tennessee Mountain town of Gatlinburg. Just a few minutes from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (home of Dollywood), Gatlinburg offers many things for families to do, including natural and indoor attractions.
Read more about fun things to do with your family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and an overview of how to get there and where to stay.
Disclosure: Our trip to Gatlinburg and our activities were complimentary. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, and a purchase/click through one of these items may result in a commission paid to us at no cost to you.
Family Things to Do in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Anakeesta
Anakeesta, a family-friendly mountain adventure park, has its entrance right in the center of Gatlinburg. Admission includes access up the mountain by either Chondola (chair lift or gondola—your choice) or Ridge Rambler (a road vehicle).
Once you get to the top, you’ll find many fun things to do among various little villages throughout the park. Included in your admission ticket are the following:
- AnaVista Observation Tower -iconic tower where you can walk up and get magnificent views
- TreeVenture Challenge Course / Treehouse Adventure Play Area- climb and swing in this area with treehouses
- BirdVenture – adorable little tree houses with slides and other play features
- Vista Gardens – walk through area
Several other attractions can be added, including two mountain coasters, Astra Lumina (a nighttime light show walk-through), and the Dueling Zipline Adventure.
Anakeesta also offers several different restaurants, including the beautiful Clifftop Restaurant. Guests must have tickets to Anakeesta to access the restaurants. Reservations aren’t accepted at the Clifftop Restaurant, but they do operate a waitlist.
I loved my dinner at the Clifftop Restaurant. In addition to beautiful views, the restaurant offers delicious food options, like cheddar cheese curds, steak burgers, and honey bourbon salmon. It has both indoor and outdoor seating.
Other food options at Anakeesta include the Smokehouse Restaurant, Kephart Café (pizza), and Rocky Top Tacos. There are also snack options and bars. Looking for a souvenir? Several shopping venues are offered.
I enjoyed my evening at Anakeesta but would have liked more time to explore. I’d recommend at least reserving a half day for this visit, longer if you want to do everything. Keep in mind that Astra Lumina is a nighttime show.
Tickets to Anakeesta can be booked in advance here.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the highlight of any trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and it was also the highlight of my trip to the region. If you’d like a guided trip or tour, we recommend booking with Smoky Mountain Guides. They can also provide shuttle services and all the equipment you need.
We spent a little more than half a day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We started with a ride from our hotel, the Embassy Suites Gatlinburg, to the Elkmont area of the park by the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Elkmont is home to the Millionaire’s Row “ghost town,” filled with reconstructed cabins that were summer cabins.
If you aren’t going with a guide, I’d recommend stopping at the Visitor’s Center, where you can purchase a required parking pass (these can also be bought online). We had very limited cell service in the park, so you’ll want to be prepared.
While we took a short hike (about 2 miles total), I’d recommend a longer hike if you are up for it. With 150 official trails in the over 500k acre National Park (in both North Carolina and Tennessee), there are many options. These include waterfall hikes and family-friendly hiking options.
After our hike, we traveled to the Chimneys Picnic Area to eat our boxed lunches. This large area includes charcoal grills, picnic tables, and restrooms. It’s a beautiful area and a nice spot to rest and enjoy lunch.
The next item on our itinerary was fly fishing. Smoky Mountain Guides helped us register for our required fishing licenses and brought along all of the needed equipment. You can contact them directly or book a fly fishing trip here.
Fly fishing was such a fun, bucket-list adventure. While we didn’t catch anything, I just loved being in the chilly water (but not getting wet, thanks to the waders) and enjoying this peaceful area. I’d highly recommend booking this type of adventure if you visit the Gatlinburg area.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
As you drive through Gatlinburg, you’ll see that Ripley (from the famed Ripley’s Believe It or Not) offers many different attractions, including Ripley’s 5D Moving Theater, Ripley’s Davy Crocket Mini-Golf, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Ripley’s Mirror Maze, Ripley’s Super Fun Park, and RIpley’s Believe It or Not. The highlight, however, is Ripley’s Aquarium.
This aquarium offers exhibits, including a shark lagoon, coral reef, tropical rainforest, and penguin playhouse. I didn’t have a chance to visit the aquarium, but I saw several families at our hotel with younger kids who had been and loved it.
Dollywood
Located in nearby Pigeon Forge, Dollywood is a destination in itself. In addition to the famous theme park, it also has several resorts, cabins, and dinner shows. However, if you are staying in Gatlinburg for your family vacation, you can also visit the Dollywood Theme Park for the day.
With over 160 acres and 50 rides, Dollywood is definitely at least a full-day vacation destination. You will save money by purchasing multi-day passes, although you could just spend a day if Dollywood is just a part of your Gatlinburg vacation. When choosing a one-day pass, you can either choose your day or pay a little more for a ticket that is valid any day. Purchase tickets here.
Mountain Coasters
My family has always enjoyed mountain coasters, and the Gatlinburg area is filled with them. When you plan your vacation, you’ll have plenty of options.
In addition to the two mountain coasters at Anakeesta (mentioned above), other coasters include:
- The Rocky Top Mountain Coaster (in Pigeon Forge and the longest mountain coaster in Eastern Tennessee)
- The Moonshine Mountain Coaster
- Ripley’s Mountain Coaster (combo passes available with the other Ripley’s attractions)
- Lost Mine Mountain Coaster and mini golf (also in Pigeon Forge)
Ziplining
Ziplining is one of my family’s favorite adventure activities. The picturesque Smoky Mountains offer beautiful views while ziplining.
Anakeesta offers ziplining for an additional charge. Other options in the area include Ober Mountain, CLIMB Works Smoky Mountains, Smoky Mountain Ziplines, and Legacy Mountain Ziplines.
I recommend looking at these options and checking operating dates and timing. Depending on your vacation time, you may opt for a shorter adventure.
Getting Around Gatlinburg
The Parkway, the main road in Gatlinburg (technically the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway/US Route 441), is where you’ll find many attractions, shops, and restaurants. It’s very walkable, and I’d recommend reserving some time to stroll down the street.
Don’t want to walk? Gatlinburg operates trolleys every day of the year that are completely free to ride. There are several different lines, and they connect at the Mass Transit Center, located by the Aquarium. This page has more information, including a trolley map and links to their app.
Where to Stay in Gatlinburg
The brand-new Embassy Suites Gatlinburg was our host for my trip to Gatlinburg. Located a short distance from the Parkway, this recently opened hotel is the perfect home base for your Gatlinburg vacation.
The hotel offers 164 spacious suites, each with a wet bar, queen sleeper sofas, mini-fridges, coffee makers, and microwaves. A separate main sleep area can be closed off from the living space.
I was especially impressed with the full morning breakfast, which is complimentary to guests. There’s also an evening reception.
Want to spend time at the hotel? You’ll definitely want to reserve time to enjoy the spacious pool area, which includes an indoor pool, a huge hot tub, an outdoor pool with a waterslide, a small lazy river, and two fire pits. We enjoyed sitting in the hot tub every night as we unwound from our busy day.
While Gatlinburg is filled with delicious places to eat, the hotel offers options. These include Fireside Cove (patio and pool-side dining), Roaring Fork Restaurant (a full-service restaurant), and Sugarlands Coffee and Cream Shop (ice cream and specialty coffee).
The Embassy Suites Gatlinburg also offers the Guide Room with Smoky Mountain Guides. Located right off the lobby, the Guide Room is where you can learn about adventure in the Smoky Mountains and book tours. However, for the best availability, you may want to contact them in advance of your trip.
You can find more information and book here.
Getting There
Many Gatlinburg guests choose to drive there. If you plan on flying, like I did, the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville (TYS) is the nearest airport. From there, it was about a 70-minute ride to Gatlinburg.
