5 Smoky Mountain Attractions That are Great Alternatives to Dollywood
Have you been to Dollywood recently or have a day planned to go to Dollywood but want to know what else there is to do? There’s plenty of Smoky Mountain attractions your family will love other than Dollywood! Check out these 5 Smoky Mountain attractions that are great alternatives to Dollywood:
1. Lumberjack Feud
Do you love the shows at Dollywood? Then you’ll love the Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge! The lumberjacks compete against each other in 13 different events, from sawing to climbing to chopping. Hold your breath as you watch two lumberjacks try to knock each other off the log roll. Watch them as they throw axes farther than the other. There’s even audience participation you can do and a special event at intermission for kids. Plus, go to the Adventure Park to see if you can do the events shown in the show! You’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire show watching these amazing events!
2. The Island
Another great alternative to Dollywood is The Island in Pigeon Forge! With plenty of specialty shops, the people in your group who love to look around in stores will love this area! You’ll find restaurants and lots of places to grab snacks at this Smoky Mountain attraction. The Island is home to the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, the large ferris wheel that lights up the Pigeon Forge skyline. There’s also lots of other attractions, like bumper cars, a ropes course, and a bungy dome. Let the kids play in the arcade and win prizes they want to take home. Before you leave, be sure to watch the Fountain Show with moving geysers set to music!
3. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Kids love to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies! Seeing creatures that live in the rainforest and ocean gets them excited and interested in learning more about them. Walking through the aquarium, you’ll see rainforest creatures, penguins, sharks, eels, manta rays, horseshoe crabs, hundreds of fish, and a sea turtle. Plus, there’s plenty of hands-on exhibits, like the horseshoe crabs, touching moon jellies, and Touch-A-Ray Bay. Kids will love the Gallery of the Sea exhibit since it includes unique looking animals, such as an octopus, cuttlefish and a lion crab. Your whole family will love visiting the aquarium instead of going to Dollywood!
If you want to visit other Ripley’s attractions like Ripley’s Old MacDonald Miniature Golf or Ripley’s Believe It or Not, take advantage of Ripley’s combo deal! Click here to see how you can save up to $68 per person.
4. Ober Gatlinburg
No matter the time of year, you’ll find something your whole family will love at Ober Gatlinburg. During cold months, you can snowboard, ski, or tube on snow. Any time of the year, you can ride the Aerial Tram from downtown to the top of Ober for incredible views. They have an indoor ice skating rink and indoor ice bumper cars. The alpine coaster is something everyone loves. During the summer, you can ride on water slides. There’s so much to do at Ober Gatlinburg, making it a great alternative to Dollywood!
5. Arts and Crafts Community
Love the crafts you get to see at Dollywood? Then Gatlinburg’s Arts and Crafts Community is the place for you! There’s over 100 craftsmen along the 8 mile loop, and an even wider variety of the type of art and crafts you’ll see. Find instruments, dolls, paintings, basket weaving, wood carvings, pottery, and so much more. Just like at Dollywood, you can watch these amazing people work. No matter what kind of work you’re interested in, you’ll definitely find something along the Craft Loop!
Dollywood is a great family friendly attraction, but you don’t want to miss out on all the other Smoky Mountain attractions. You’ll find plenty of fun things to do in Pigeon Forge everyone in your group will love!
