Pigeon Forge is one of Tennessee’s hidden gems. As a mountain town located at the foot of the Smokies, Pigeon Forge has all the qualities required for a quiet, relaxing retreat. While at the same time, being home to attractions such as Dollywood makes the city an excellent spot for a fun-filled group vacation! All these qualities make Pigeon Forge the ideal holiday destination for families with kids! If you’re planning to spend your holidays with your family at Pigeon Forge, check out these great family-friendly activities!
1. Family Fun at Dollywood
When you think of Pigeon Forge, the first thing that comes to mind is Dollywood! A theme park designed to appeal to all ages, Dollywood is a wonderful experience for a family. With specific areas for young kids, such as the Country Fair, and exhilarating rides like the Tennessee Tornado for your pre-teens and teens, Dollywood caters to all members of the family. It comes as no surprise that Dollywood has been rated as the # 1 theme park in the country by Tripadvisor!
Dollywood also offers excellent dining spots for the family, as well as entertaining live shows that showcase fantastic local talent. You can even take a shopping break at one of the many outlets within the park or have your portrait caricature made by an on-site artist! Whatever you choose to do, your day at Dollywood is bound to be full of fun for all!
2. A Different Kind of Dining
Another specialty of Pigeon Forge is Dolly Parton’s Stampede. The highlight of this dinner attraction is enjoying a delicious multi-course meal while watching a live entertainment show. If you’ve researched the city, you know nothing is quite like this Pigeon Forge show! Aerial performances, exhilarating stunts, delightful musicals, mind-blowing sets, and special effects all live in front of you while you have the best meal of your life. What could be a better experience for your family?
Dolly Parton’s Stampede is one of the most popular shows in Pigeon Forge. There is both a regular season show and a holiday show. Be sure to book your tickets in advance so they don’t sell out!
3. Exploring Anakeesta
Another fantastic theme park for you to explore near Pigeon Forge is the beautiful mountain park Anakeesta. Located within the Great Smokies range, Anakeesta provides a different kind of family fun with activities such as ziplining, hiking, and rail running on offer! The theme park also houses the world’s only fixed-grip chondola, where guests can experience an aerial summit of the Anakeesta mountain. If you and your family have the adventure-lover bug, a day at Anakeesta is just what you need!
However, even if one or two of your kids would rather sit out the high-thrill experiences, they can opt for milder activities such as gem mining or play in the treehouse village play area!
4. Go Xtreme Racing
Source: xtremeracingcenter.com
Another fun-filled family activity you can try in Pigeon Forge is go-karting at Xtreme Racing! Available for adults and kids 11 and up, Xtreme Racing is a great activity to try out with kids! The racing course offers three tracks, so you can choose one that is suitable for your kids. However, if they’re nervous, you can opt for a double cart and drive them around yourself! The thrill and excitement of race-karting at Xtreme Racing are phenomenal, and everyone is sure to have a blast!
On most days, Xtreme Racing is operational from 10 AM to 10 or 11 PM. However, weather conditions may cause the track to close down. Hence, call ahead and check before planning your race-karting trip!
5. Relax at the Hollywood Wax Museum
After a few days of fun and adventure, you must be tired and looking for a break. For a quiet day out with the family in Pigeon Forge, plan a trip to the Hollywood Wax Museum. Open year-round; the wax museum can be considered a fun, pop-up version of Madame Tussauds. With iconic Hollywood character wax figures, you can finally get that picture of King Kong that you’ve always wanted! Or, if you want more, you can book a ticket for a 5D adventure in the Castle of Chaos while your little princess can spend time exploring Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors!
The Hollywood Wax Museum is a complete entertainment center for the family. A day spent here will allow you to recover from all the thrilling adventures you’ve been having while also promising you a fun-filled family day!
6. Down at Wonderworks
Another must-visit attraction at Pigeon Forge is WonderWorks. It is an upside-down mansion that hosts an indoor amusement park for children! With interactive activities for kids and a wondrous art gallery, the place ends up being the highlight of a family trip due to how much fun the kids have here! WonderWorks offers over 100 different exhibits targeted toward children of all ages. Split into areas such as the Imagination Lab, Space Discovery Zone, and Physical Challenge Zone.
The best part is that WonderWorks is open 365 days a year, so anytime you visit Pigeon Forge, you can plan a visit to the best indoor amusement park in Tennessee!
7. Meet the Bears
Our final recommendation for a family trip to Pigeon Forge is to visit the Three Bears General Store. Although it has the word store in its name, Three Bears has not made it to our list solely for being a shopper’s paradise (even though it truly is). The thing which makes Three Bears a must-visit for a family vacation is its Bear Habitat. Over 25 years ago, Three Bears started as a rescue haven for bears and slowly evolved to house a bear habitat. For a minimal charge of $4 per person, you can visit the habitat any time during the day and see the bears up close!
Seeing live bears up close in their natural surroundings is bound to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for kids. So whatever you do, don’t miss out on this attraction while at Pigeon Forge!
Final Words
Pigeon Forge is a perfect family holiday destination, and depending on your family; you can find innumerable other activities to participate in. However, if you take the time to visit each attraction on this list alone, you will have a fantastic vacation that the entire family will remember for years to come!
