Fun things to do while in Dollywood and Pigeon Forge Tennessee!
We took a family trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which is about 30 minutes outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised! I assumed it was going to be sort of slow and boring, but after visiting, my mind was COMPLETELY shifted. I definitely want to go back and think it would be beautiful to explore in the Fall season. Here are the fun things we did on our 5 day-4 night trip to Pigeon Forge Tennessee and Dollywood
Accommodations:
Dollywood HeartSong Lodge and Resort
We stayed at the Dollywood HeartSong Lodge and Resort, which just opened in October 2023. When I booked our stay, I had no clue that it wasn’t even a year old yet. It was absolutely beautiful!!! From the decor, to the style of the resort, to the amenities, planning a trip and staying at the HeartSong Resort should definitely be on your list of fun things to do in Pigeon Forge Tennessee.
Also, by staying at the resort, they had a special where we received 4 Splash Country Tickets (Dollywood’s Water Park), and free Timesaver Passes (to Dollywood). We opted to add timesaver passes to the water park, which were called h20 passes, and it was worth it. I will never visit a theme park and not purchase the express passes. Worth it EVERY TIME:)
Activities we did in the Pigeon Forge Area:
Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge:
I am a HUGE Titanic fan. If I can learn about the history of Titanic, I want to be there. That’s why a visit to the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge was a must for me. There is no detail too small, and this museum delivered. Upon arrival, you are given a ticket with the name of a specific passenger. You hold on to the ticket until the end, where you learn you particular fate as a passenger on the ship. Juju was given a kids ticket and me and big Julius were given adult tickets. We were all survivors, thankfully!
Walking throughout the ship, you learned the history of so many 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class passengers, the ships crewman, captain, etc. You get to see examples of the State Rooms, touch 28 degree water (the temp the water was the night of the sinking), see different artifacts, etc.
We even got a pic on the Grand Staircase replica.
Its definitely worth visit if you go to the Pigeon Forge area.
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster:
Mountain coasters in this area are a big deal, and you can’t visit this area without trying one. Since there are so many, I just went to Google and picked the one with the most reviews. These coasters usually run during the day and night, but I highly advise you to ride at night!
It’s so much fun, and the coaster tracks are lit up with multiple colors. We really enjoyed this. If you are over 56 inches, you can either ride alone or with another person. My son is right at 56 inches and he chose to ride with me. My husband rode alone. It was sooo much fun. I would definitely do this again!
Splash Country Water Park
On the first full day of our vacation, we visited Splash Country Water Park. As guests of HeartSong, and during the summer promotion, we received 4 tickets. We HAD A BALL! I haven’t been to a water park in likely over 15 years or more, and my son has never been to one.
My poor baby was tired, lol.
Dollywood
We really enjoyed Dollywood as well! They had rides to accommodate all ages. Some were too scary for my son to get on, which was fine, because me and big Julius didn’t want to get on them anyway:) As a family, our favorite rides were the Big Bear Mountain Coaster and the Fire Chaser Coaster. They both had the perfect amount of thrill, but were smooth. I hate the bumpy and jerky coasters.
Apparently the Summer is the off season for Dollywood, (much busier in the Fall), so wait times were’t horrible at all.
We had an express TimeSaver Pass through the resort, but never really used it. Most wait times on the rides never exceeded 30 minutes.
We also got a caricature drawing. I love it. It captures the caricature side of us for sure.
The Drone and Firework show was AMAZING!!! I cannot emphasize that enough. Breathtaking!!
Pink Jeep Tours
This was a ton of fun! You can read the history of Pink Jeep Tours here (where they get their name), but this is a must do! We took a guided 3 hour jeep ride through Gatlinburg, and into the Smoky mountains, learned history of the area, and even had a little off roading experience. Definitely another must do!
Alcatraz East Museum
We took this tour on the tail end of our vacation and I wish we had more time. You will need at least 2-2.5 hours to explore all of the history, articles, and artifacts in the museum. This museum basically shares the history of crime from the beginning with stagecoach robberies, all the way to today with forensics, etc. They have exhibits on famed murderers, hate organizations, assassinations, mob history, etc.
Y’all they even have the Ford Bronco that OJ used in the infamous police chase. They have Ted Bundy’s Volkswagen Beetle and the old Ford used in the Bonnie and Clyde movie on display as well.
We definitely plan to go back and spend more time exploring this museum. It was incredible.
Restaurants
I can’t recommend many restaurants because I don’t think Pigeon Forge is really known for its food. But we did eat and explore The Island, which is a touristy area surrounded by activities and restaurants. You are sure to find food and other activities to do in there as well. We did eat at this one place, Junction 35 Distillery and the food was really good! They also have a distillery and have tastings. You get a free tasting ticket as a patron of the restaurant.
***************************************************************************************************************
Overall, I give Pigeon Forge a 9 out of 10. If the restaurants were on point, they would have gotten 10, lol. They weren’t bad, but I just know that this area is not known for its food. But what I love about the area is that even without Dollywood, there is soooo much to do. There were areas as we were leaving that we made note of to come back and visit. So these were all the fun things to do in Pigeon Forge Tennessee! It was a wonderful place for a mid summer vacation and I can’t wait to get back soon!
Tell me would you take a visit to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?
This looks like a fun trip! The Tiranic museum would be fascination and I would bet there’s so much to explore outdoors in that area. Saving for future reference.
We had so much fun!