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Pigeon Forge / Dollywood
Posted on 3/4/26 at 10:02 pm
Posted on 3/4/26 at 10:02 pm
Originally planned to do Universal over Easter break, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the hassle. We’ve now moved on to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. Already booked the resort stay. Plan to hit the theme park for 2 days, not back to back since it’s closed on Easter, and have 2 days to explore the surrounding areas. Any recs or tips. Thanks
Traveling with wife, 7 and 9 year old.
Traveling with wife, 7 and 9 year old.
This post was edited on 3/4/26 at 10:04 pm
12
Posted on 3/5/26 at 8:46 am to bosoxjo13
I'd recommend either Dolly's Stampede or Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show. My kids loved both, but preferred the Pirates show.
Apple Barn Winery is also another potential stop.
We're going June/July when the kids are out of school.
Apple Barn Winery is also another potential stop.
We're going June/July when the kids are out of school.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 9:54 am to EnragedPlatypus
Cades Cove would be a good non-Dollywood thing. Also, Downtown Gatlinburg.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 1:08 pm to bosoxjo13
Laurel Falls Trail is currently closed. It was a 2.5 mile paved trail to a nice waterfall, but they have been repaving it for a while now. I highly recommend downloading AllTrails and looking for trails that would interest you. Pack a lunch or prep some burgers / hotdogs, charcoal and get out to the trail heads early before the crowds build. Spend the morning on a trail or two and then go to one of stops near a stream and bbq pits and have a nice lunch and let your kids play in the stream. Theres a easy trail that you can access from the main welcome center called Cataract Falls (1 Mi). Unless you prepurchase youll have to stop there to get a parking pass.
These are some of the trails and places we stopped in the park:
Peregrine Peak Via Alum Cave Bluff Trail - 4.5 mi - 1161' Elevation Gain
Cataract Falls - mentioned above - flat
Chimneys Picnic Area - Lunch Spot
Rainbow Falls Trail - 5.1 mi - 1617' elevation gain
Twin Creeks picnic Pavilion - Lunch Spot
Metcalf Bottoms Trail - 1.4 mi
Theres plenty of other trails but those are the ones we did.
We spent one day at Dollywood. The cinnamon bread is awesome! The park is busy early in the morning, but by mid afternoon the wait times went way down and a lot of the rides had very short waits. Avoid going to the bubble show or whatever its called as it was lame. We went July 3, 2024 for reference.
Hope this helps some.
These are some of the trails and places we stopped in the park:
Peregrine Peak Via Alum Cave Bluff Trail - 4.5 mi - 1161' Elevation Gain
Cataract Falls - mentioned above - flat
Chimneys Picnic Area - Lunch Spot
Rainbow Falls Trail - 5.1 mi - 1617' elevation gain
Twin Creeks picnic Pavilion - Lunch Spot
Metcalf Bottoms Trail - 1.4 mi
Theres plenty of other trails but those are the ones we did.
We spent one day at Dollywood. The cinnamon bread is awesome! The park is busy early in the morning, but by mid afternoon the wait times went way down and a lot of the rides had very short waits. Avoid going to the bubble show or whatever its called as it was lame. We went July 3, 2024 for reference.
Hope this helps some.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 3:24 pm to bosoxjo13
It's the nicest, cleanest amusement park I've ever been to. Not sure you need 2 days there, it's not very big but it is for sure a good time. I second Cades Cove. We rented a side-by-side ATV and drove it to the park, saw several bears within 20' of us. There are several dinner theaters that are there. Gatlinburg is a very touristy town but it's not too far from Pigeon Forge and there are several things to do there. The suspension bridge was a good experience and there is an aquarium. Anakeesta adventure park looked pretty good, we didn't make time for it and there is a sky tower like in Hot Springs. There is a ton of things to do in the area, y'all will have a good time for sure.
Posted on 3/5/26 at 4:14 pm to bosoxjo13
Love Dollywood!
Adventure Is Out There
We follow this guy on YouTube. He and his family live in Sevierville, Tennessee. He is originally from Florida.
We are looking to build in the Maryville, Seymour, Tenn. area so we follow his YouTube channel.
He is the most informative on Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smokies, etc.
Adventure Is Out There
We follow this guy on YouTube. He and his family live in Sevierville, Tennessee. He is originally from Florida.
We are looking to build in the Maryville, Seymour, Tenn. area so we follow his YouTube channel.
He is the most informative on Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smokies, etc.
This post was edited on 3/5/26 at 4:16 pm
Posted on 3/5/26 at 7:45 pm to bosoxjo13
Depending on how much adventure you're looking for, there are some pretty intense ATV tours up that way. Some pretty crazy terrain running up and down those mountains.
Posted on 3/9/26 at 8:59 am to bosoxjo13
Spend a day in Gatlinburg. Parking can be a little dicey, but it's infinitely more walkable than Pigeon Forge. Anakeesta, Skybridge, the 'Space Needle', Ripley's Aquarium, and Crockett's Breakfast Camp are all fun places to take a couple of kids.
Posted on 3/9/26 at 9:44 am to bosoxjo13
My kids are a little younger than yours and absolutely love Anakeesta.
You should be able to do everything you want in Dollywood in a single visit, so I would not buy your tickets too far in advance unless you have some sort of deal. Every time we've gone, we would buy the tickets the day before (planning around weather).
Apple Barn is a great breakfast or lunch stop that will take about 1/2 a day checking out the stores, winery/distillery.
Wife loves to plan a day just hitting the shops by The Island. We've heard great things about the Aquarium, but haven't made our way too it yet
You should be able to do everything you want in Dollywood in a single visit, so I would not buy your tickets too far in advance unless you have some sort of deal. Every time we've gone, we would buy the tickets the day before (planning around weather).
Apple Barn is a great breakfast or lunch stop that will take about 1/2 a day checking out the stores, winery/distillery.
Wife loves to plan a day just hitting the shops by The Island. We've heard great things about the Aquarium, but haven't made our way too it yet
Posted on 3/9/26 at 11:01 am to bosoxjo13
We were there during fall leaf change last year, opted to avoid Cade's Cove due to fear of traffic and how long it would take us to get through it with a 5 year old. We did the Roaring Fork Motor Trail instead, enjoyed it so much that we did it 2 mornings in a row.
Another vote for Anakeesta with kids also.
Another vote for Anakeesta with kids also.
Posted on 3/9/26 at 3:04 pm to bosoxjo13
NASCAR speed park in PF.
You can haul arse in those go karts. Your kids would love that . Plus it has mini golf and arcade and other rides too
They have these adult only karts that go like 70. One of my favorite memories as a kid was watching members of my family who are no longer here flying by and having the best time on those things
You can haul arse in those go karts. Your kids would love that . Plus it has mini golf and arcade and other rides too
They have these adult only karts that go like 70. One of my favorite memories as a kid was watching members of my family who are no longer here flying by and having the best time on those things
This post was edited on 3/9/26 at 3:06 pm
Posted on 3/9/26 at 7:27 pm to bosoxjo13
There are Dollywood and G’burg/PF FB pages you can join peruse. Also know that there are car shows/rod runs one weekend per month through Sept if I recall and those really jam things up. You might want to not visit at that time. Someone posted a reminder today of those shows as a warning.
Posted on 3/9/26 at 10:00 pm to Mark Makers
I did Roaring Fork a few years ago and a family of bears came out and blocked the road. Then an owl flew by. I never saw so much nature from the car. And we did Cades cove and give hikes but that Roaring Forks I recommend to everyone. Though first time in it was in an RV scraping sides after a wrong turn. So it looks tight for your suv bbut you'll fit.
Posted on 3/11/26 at 7:40 pm to bosoxjo13
quote:
opted to avoid Cade's Cove due to fear of traffic and how long it would take us to get through it with a 5 year old.
THIS. We did it because friends recommended it. We found it very boring with almost standstill traffic, and all this to maybe see some deer and some old pioneer type cabins. I located an unpaved exit road through the woods and got the hell out of Dodge.
Posted on 3/11/26 at 8:34 pm to EnragedPlatypus
quote:
recommend either Dolly's Stampede
This is a fun show and it is geared to entertain the whole family. The mountain costers are also fun. You could also go walk the Gaitlinburg Trail along the river between Gatlinburg and the national park. It is an easy trail along the river.
Posted on 3/11/26 at 10:09 pm to bosoxjo13
We went last year, stayed in Gattlinburg. Saw a Bear open the car door in the cabin across from us and was inside. That bear came back every night trying to get into cars.
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