Don't let rain stop you in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge! Check out these indoor activities
Sooner or later, it happens. You’ve planned a full day in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge only to have East Tennessee’s unpredictable weather bring in rain.
Though your plans might have to change at the last minute, there’s plenty of (indoor) fun to get into.
With interactive exhibits, museums, dinner shows, Dolly Parton and even ice skating, the communities near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have attractions for all ages that will keep you entertained out of the rain until the clouds break.
You’ll have to judge for yourself which attractions are worth the admission and time, but here are a few ideas to make the most out of a rainy day in the popular East Tennessee towns.
Rainy day things to do in Gatlinburg
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Have an aquatic adventure without getting wet! Get up close, and even hands on, with the thousands of aquatic animals at Ripley’s Aquarium. See the sharks and sawfish in Shark Lagoon, be mesmerized by the schooling fish and camouflaged flounders in Ocean Realm or brave the Tropical Rainforest with poison dart frogs and piranhas.
Price: $39.99 for ages 12 and older, $24.99 for ages 6-11 and $14.99 for ages 2-5
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday
Location: 88 River Road, Gatlinburg
Sugarlands Distilling Company
TripAdvisor has named Sugarlands as the No. 1 thing to do in Gatlinburg on a rainy day and as a top-rated distillery experience worldwide. The distillery producers award-winning moonshine, rum, cream liqueurs, rye whiskey and vodka. More than one million guests visit Sugarlands each year, and its spirits are distributed in over 40 states.
Hours: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. daily
Location: 805 Parkway, Gatlinburg
Ice skating at Ober Mountain
Ice skating in the summer? At Ober Mountain adventure park, the indoor ice-skating rink is open year-round and accessible for skaters at all levels. A handrail around the perimeter can help beginning skaters. The rink hosts the Tennessee Special Olympics ice-skating competition each year and has previously hosted the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) team competitions.
Rental skates are available in toddler size 6 through adult size 15.
Price: $49 for park wristband, $39 for seniors
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Location: 1001 Parkway, Suite 2, Gatlinburg
Hollywood Star Cars Museum
Featuring cars from the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “Transformers,” “Back to the Future,” Batmobiles and other famous vehicles, this museum brings Hollywood to Gatlinburg. Hollywood Star Cars Museum has over 40 cars from popular movies and TV shows and cars previously owned by celebrities including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Mike Tyson and Dolly Parton. Cars are displayed with recreations from their respective scenes along with history and details about the vehicle.
Tickets: $17.99 for adults, $9.99 for ages 6-12 and free admission for children 5 and younger.
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Location: 914 Parkway, Gatlinburg
Wild Bear Falls Water Park
Get out of the rain and into the water! Wild Bear Falls is an indoor water park accessible even without booking a room at the adjoining Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort. You can float along the lazy river, glide down a giant water slide or explore the interactive treehouse. The heated water and retractable roof makes the attraction adaptable to any season.
Tickets: $35 for ages 14 and older, $17.50 for ages 4-13 and free for children 3 and younger
Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Location: 915 Westgate Resorts Road, Gatlinburg
Rainy day activities in Pigeon Forge
Beyond the Lens
This is the place where technology and entertainment collide. Beyond the Lens has over 150 interactive exhibits, including virtual reality rides, escape rooms, a pop culture walkthrough from the 1960s through today and even a hunt for Bigfoot.
Price: $28.99 for adults and $16.99 for children
Hours: Opens at 11 a.m.
Location: 2115 Parkway, Pigeon Forge
Comedy Barn Theatre
The Comedy Barn Theater offers entertainment for the entire family to enjoy. Comedians, jugglers, ventriloquists, barnyard animals, live music and more are featured in this two-hour show. The theater is part of the Dollywood Company.
Tickets: $34.99
Location: 2775 Parkway, Pigeon Forge
Dinner and a show
Instead of dinner and a movie, how about dinner and a show on a rainy day? There are several dinner shows in Pigeon Forge. Stampede, Pirates Voyage and Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Feud are all part of the Dollywood Company. Enjoy a multi-course feast while being entertained by horses, acrobats or pirates.
More information about each show is available at Dollywood.com.
Dollywood
Dolly Parton’s theme park is one of the most popular East Tennessee attractions. Voted the best park in the world in 2023, Dollywood has the fast roller coasters and fun rides. But the family-friendly park is well-suited for those surprise rain clouds. The park has many indoor attractions, musical shows, a new museum experience, restaurants and shopping stores to enjoy.
Tickets: $92 for adults and $82 for children and seniors
Location: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge
Titanic Museum
Board the Titanic and experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, cabins and Grand Staircase of the famous luxury liner. The museum has over 400 artifacts and items from the ship and its passengers worth more than $4.5 million. Many of the exhibits are interactive including shoveling coal in the boiler room, learn how to send an SOS distress signal, experiencing the sloping decks as the ship sank and reaching into 28-degree water.
Tickets: $35 for adults and $15 for ages 5-12
It is recommended to reserve tickets and time at titanicpigeonforge.com.
Location: 2134 Parkway, Pigeon Forge
The Escape Game
Be a hero (or the villain) and stop a major international threat or pull off the ultimate museum heist. The Escape Game has four escape room scenarios for your group. Great for fun on rainy days, the attraction has highly immersive rooms where you crack codes, uncover clues and solve puzzles. The games are collaborative and story-driven.
Price: $39.99
Location: 131 Island Drive, Suite 9139, Pigeon Forge
Other activities in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to consider
There are many spots and activities in the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area to discover. You might even find a hidden gem to enjoy in any type of weather.
Wonderworks, Hollywood Wax Museum, Rockin' Raceway Arcade, Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, Country Tonite Theatre, Mysterious Mansion and other theaters, arcades, museums, axe-throwing places, indoor skydiving and wineries and distilleries could be worth checking out, too.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fun things to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge when it rains
