Family Friendly Activities and Hiking in Pigeon Forge, TN

Pigeon Forge is one of the top family friendly vacation spots in Tennessee. Its' location is right next to the quaint downtown of Gatlinburg and minutes away from world class hiking in the Smoky Mountains National Park.

The first thing I recommend when staying in Pigeon Forge is to rent a cabin. Cabin rentals in the area are plentiful and by choosing to stay in a cabin, you are adding to the mountain feel. We rented from Patriot Getaways. They have many options available, and we were very happy with the location, size of the cabin and amenities it offered. The kids often did not want to leave the cabin. They wanted to stay and enjoy the basement, balcony and woods nearby- which made it very family friendly!

The main street in Pigeon Forge is similar to International Drive in Orlando (meaning it has a plethora of family friendly activities and tourist traps). They range from arcades, mini golf, go carts, museums and souvenir shops. We did a few of them...

The first was MagiQuest. This is a giant indoor play area for kids. They had an indoor glow in the dark golf course that was pretty fun! It was raining that afternoon, so we decided on an indoor activity instead of staying in our cabin. The black lights added an element of fun, and for $9 a child, I thought...why not?

Another fun family friendly activity was the Alpine Coaster. This one was a little pricey at $15 a ticket, so I decided to go hunting on Groupon, and found 2 for $20 (so I just bought two of them for our family). Although $10 a ride is still a little steep in my book, it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. You start off at the bottom of the mountain, and then slowly your "coaster" goes up the track. Once you are at the top, the coaster is ready to go down the track. Notice in the picture below, there are two levers that act as brakes (in case you feel you are going too fast). You never really go very fast, but this is a good option for those with small children (38" can ride with an adult).

Our favorite family friendly activity do when in Pigeon Forge is hike a trail or drive around Smoky Mountain National Park. Once you get to the main road, follow the signs to the park. You can drive around and stop at the many overlooks to take pictures, and enjoy the mountain scenery.

We have hiked a few trails in the Smokies, yet our favorite remains Laurel Falls.

We have done this hike twice in the winter (the first time the kids were 3 and 5, and the second time they were 5 and 7). It is a very easy, short family friendly hike (2.6 miles round trip).

There are a couple of sections where you scramble through some rocks (see pictures above), and even though there are steep drops, the trail is wide enough that you can safely hike with smaller children.

Most of the path, however, is level and paved (see above). There are many places to stop and take pictures, or just to relax and enjoy nature.

As with most family friendly trails, there is a payoff - the reward of a gorgeous waterfall. We love waterfall hikes, and if you enjoy them too, you should definitely do this hike. To read more in detail, read my post on Laurel Falls - family friendly hike in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge. Click here to check out another Smoky Mountain Hike.

Pigeon Forge has no shortage of family friendly activities. Had we been there in the summer, we would have likely gone to Dollywood Theme Park or rafted nearby in the Pigeon River. They also have a Ripley's Museum and a Titanic Museum that I heard are both pretty good! Check out more options on Viator's site or click below.

One last recommendation...The Old Mill area. They have a walkable section of shops, restaurants and a park to play around in. We ate at the restaurant and then had some ice cream at the creamery across the street. Old Mill Restaurant and Creamery

If you are up for some adventure, check out this post about ATV rides in Pigeon Forge.

Both times we visited Pigeon Forge was on a road trip around the South. We rented a huge SUV and traveled with family members for the holidays.

We drove up from Miami and have stopped along the way at St. Augustine, Savannah, Atlanta, Helen, Greenville, and Charleston. For options on where to stay in Pigeon Forge, click here. If you are traveling around Tennessee, check out our weekend getaway in Nashville or this post on Chattanooga.

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