Our Trip to the Smoky Mountains | Wilderness at the Smokies
School starts in less than two weeks for my littles so I wanted to take them on one last trip or last “hoorah” to make a few more memories before the summer break ends. We decided to drive the almost 8 hour trip to the Smoky Mountains in Sevierville, Tennessee. I have always loved the moutains and living near the beach, I wanted a change of pace so off we went for our 3 day adventure.
We chose to stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tennessee which was a REALLY cool place. Why you may ask? Well, it has its own freaking water park! That’s why. It was the perfect place for a family wanting to get away. The vibe was that of a cabin in the woods and it felt super refreshing to be in. If you are a golf fan (or your hubby that is), there is a golf course on property as well as a gym.
What I loved most about Wilderness at the Smokies is that you did not have to leave the resort if you didn’t want to-it had not only a waterpark, it also had an arcade, indoor climbing/adventures, a ton of places to eat including a taco truck and fro-yo joint, and the rooms were super cute with bunk beds that the kids adored. Also… drumroll please… Wilderness at the Smokies features Tennessee’s largest indoor water park. YES!! There is also an indoor waterpark in addition to the outdoor one. Holy cow…….. but that is not all!
Across the road, there was an even LARGER water park called Soaky Mountain which owned and operated by Wilderness Resorts and Waterparks as well. We snagged some ticketsand decided to visit Soaky Mountain waterpark on our second day. First off, this was probably the best waterpark I have gone to. I’ve gone to Splash Country and it was okay, but I felt Soaky Mountain was wayyyy better (sorry, Dolly).
We only got to spend around 3ish hours at this park because my son unfortunately fell and needed stitches (of course), but I have to tell you, even I as an adult thoroughly enjoyed this place. They had the taco truck (YAY!), fro-yo, bars, cheesesteak truck, and a bunch of other places to eat and drink for the family. Also what amazed me was that my daughter, being 45 inches tall, was able to ride almost everything!
Side note: even when my son got hurt, the response team at Soaky Mountain were great. They arrived super fast, cleaned him up, wheeled us to a golf cart so we could get out as soon as possible to take him to the Urgent Care. They even called us the next day and offered us tickets for next season since our day was cut short-what a rad place.
Our favorite ride was called The Edge and we were all able to go. It felt like a rollercoaster but on water! You start off in a two-person tube where youre shot up the slide with water pressure-the drop tickled my tummy like a rollercoaster. Then you go through an array of colorful tubes (it reminded me of rainbow road from Mario Kart honestly) followed by a large drop that proceeded to push you to… The Edge. What’s the Edge? Checkout the photo below and find out for yourself. The drop pushes you up the wall as far as you can go-the point is to try to reach the edge. I have found the heavier the two people are, the better chance you got!
Some other fun things we did one our trip……
After checking out of our two day stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies, we decided to stay one more day to explore more of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, the two surrounding areas.
We went to Dolly’s Stampede in Pigeon Forge which is a must do featuring a 4 course dinner show with a pretty cool view.
We went to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg which was one of the better aquariums that I have ever gone to.
My favorite part was standing on t he conveyor belt and being taken through a large underwater world where we viewed stringrays, hammerheads, saw tooth sharks, and more. I also LOVED and I mean LOVED the penguin area.
Also apparently they have fun events such as breakfast with a mermaid, pj party with penguins, and even sips and sharks/pints and penguins for adults, and more fun things!
We also went to the Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge.
We visited the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge and got to tour many authentic artifacts from the ship herself. On the tour, we were each handed a card of a real person who was once on the ship. We got to be that person and learn more bout them, then by the end of the tour, you learned if you survived or not. Pretty cool way to remember them.
On the tour, we got to visit the replica of the captains room, place our hands in 28 degree water to mimic what that night actually felt like, experience the slant of the deck as the ship was sinking at different angles, and got photos on the lovely grand staircase.
Chills! This is a must do.
Oh yeah, and we did manage to find some snow in July at Pigeon Forge Snow. Don’t worry about my Florida kids, it was 70 degrees in the building and they did not seem to mind although dressed for a beach. They also had snow tubing which my kids loved!
As far as some good places to eat, we loved the Apple Barn for breakfast in Sevierville. The Flapjacks pancake house also rocked. For other food, I highly suggest the Local Goat in Pigeon Forge but beware-the wait is long, but worth it!
If you are thinking about booking a trip to the Smoky Mountains, be sure to check out some of these places. It is soooo worth it.
Your trainer and friend,
