The Ultimate List of Things to Do in Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is well-known for the amazing attractions, dinner shows, and family fun, but did you realize there are literally hundreds of things to do in Pigeon Forge that the whole family will love?!

When you’re planning your next Smoky Mountain vacation, be sure to check out this list of some of the BEST things to see and do during your My Pigeon Forge vacation!

This post is sponsored by Pigeon Forge. All opinions are my own.

For more information about Pigeon Forge, visit their official website here.

My family is no stranger to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We live just about an hour and a half away from the busy little mountain town and visit multiple times a year, sometimes just for the day and sometimes for the weekend.

In fact, when I was a little girl, I often touted to anyone that would listen that my second home was in Pigeon Forge.

And it was semi-true. My parents had a camper that they left at a campground in the Smoky Mountains for the entire summer.

So each weekend we packed up our clothes and enjoyed a weekend away from home… at our second home. So, technically I didn’t live there, but we did spend a lot of time in the foothills of the Smokies.

And spending time there didn’t stop when I grew up. My girls will tell you that it’s one of our favorite places to visit and for good reason – because there are so many things to do in Pigeon Forge!

There is literally something for everyone in the family to enjoy and so many for families to enjoy together, which is why it’s definitely our happy place.

But sometimes being a “regular visitor” has it’s disadvantages too.

You see, we often visit the same Pigeon Forge attractions and restaurants again and again. We have our favorites and as creatures of habit, we often find ourselves sticking to them and not really trying anything new.

That changed this past weekend as we challenged ourselves as a family to do as many new-to-us Pigeon Forge activities as we could… and did we ever!

You can see all our adventures, and some behind the scenes, in this Instagram Story I shared during our trip.

Pigeon Forge Attractions

There are a ton of things to do in Pigeon Forge – in fact, if I shared them all this blog post would be really long.

So today I’m sharing a summary of our favorites and a list of others that you’ll definitely want to check out, including the best Pigeon Forge attractions and tips and tricks for visiting them!

Pigeon Forge Snow

On our first day in Pigeon Forge we went to Pigeon Forge Snow. It was one that I had been looking forward to since I saw the building spring up just two years ago.

Pigeon Forge Snow is a unique, one-of-a-kind indoor snow park and is located on Teaster Lane, near the old Belz mall building, just off the main parkway. It’s easy to find and offers plenty of parking.

We visited in the morning when it first opened and am so glad we did. I would definitely recommend early or a later visit as we drove by a few times mid-day and the parking lot was full!

And for good reason as this place is SnOw FUN!

Not only do you get all-the-tubing-you-can-do in 1 hour increments, there’s also a fun Snow Play area. But be sure to bring along snow gloves as it’s real snow and very cold on hands!

The tubing was definitely our favorite part of Pigeon Forge Snow. We were able to go about 10 times in our hour and it’s exhilarating and fun every ride down.

I love the fact that the belt takes you up the hill – the lazy Mom’s way of snow tubing for sure!

Here’s what you need to know about Pigeon Forge Snow: Although it’s not quite as cold as snow tubing outside, it’s chilly. I would definitely recommend a coat as it’s about 60-70 degrees inside.

There’s not a ton of storage locker space, so leave everything you can in your car/hotel. 1 hour of tubing will cost you $21.99 and you must be 38 inches tall to snow tube. 

MagiQuest

If your kids are into Harry Potter at all, do yourself a favor and go ahead and schedule a stop at MagiQuest.

I’m embarrassed to say that we had never even given this super cool building a second thought every time we drove by it on the parkway and now it’s definitely going to be one of our steps every time we’re in Pigeon Forge!

First, there are 4 attraction inside the castle building and on your first visit, I’d recommend getting the MagiQuest combo for $22.99. You’ll get to experience the largest mirror maze in America, a laser maze, indoor blacklight pirate golf, and 60 minutes in the MagiQuest game experience.

The downstairs activities are fun and definitely worth doing, but once you’re upstairs, you’re not going to want to leave.

We did the 1 hour MagiQuest game and we walked, moved, hunted, waved our wands, put on our thinking caps… and even more for the entire 1 hour.

It was SUCH fun for both of my girls and hubby and me enjoyed it just as much too. They kept saying this was their favorite thing they’ve ever done and want to go back more to finish their quests!

Here’s what you need to know about MagiQuest: Both girls enjoyed it immensely so I think it’s best suited for kids ages 6 and up.

After your first initial visit, the price does go to $10.99 for 60 minutes of the game. They offer birthday packages and I know that I have 2 girls that are going to be requesting a party here in the next year!

Pigeon Forge Winterfest

As a regular visitor I often get asked, “When’s your favorite time to visit Pigeon Forge?” My answer is always – there’s no bad time to visit, but there is a best time and it’s definitely from November to early January during Winterfest.

I have a shirt that declares “My favorite color is Christmas lights” and if you happen to enjoy the magical twinkling colors too – you’re going to love Pigeon Forge at Christmas time!

Our favorite light display of Winterfest is actually right on the parkway in the median. You’ll find light displays that go through “The 12 Days of Christmas” so we like to sing the song as we drive along!

You’ll find amazing displays all throughout the town, including at Patriot Park. 

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

Pigeon Forge is known for it’s attractions and one type of popular attractions in the city are dinner shows!

There’s no shortage of dinner shows available, but there is one that I think stands out above the rest! Dolly Parton’s Stampede is the ultimate dinner show and is celebrating its 32nd Christmas season… yes, it’s been around THAT long and still sells out multiple shows a day.

There’s a reason why – actually a lot of reasons why. The entertainment is above and beyond – even before you get into the show. We love the pre-show band and family saloon drinks!

The food once you get into the show is the perfect Southern feast – a whole chicken, pork tenderloin, potato, soup, bread, corn on the cob, and the most delicious apple turnover you’ve ever ate!

And the entertainment and animals – amazing. The Christmas show is different than the regular show and even if you’ve seen them before, you’ll want to see them again.

Racing pigs, chasing chickens, camels, and even trick horse riding will keep you entertained while you eat!

Here’s what you need to know about Dolly Parton’s Stampede: Shows do sell out so if you plan on visiting, buy your tickets before the day of your show. You’re going to have a lot of food on your plate so come hungry!

The Island

While we’ve visited The Island in Pigeon Forge many times, there’s always something new to discover, it seems.

This area is a fun stroll in the middle of Pigeon Forge and offers one-of-a-kind shopping and dining experiences. On this trip, we took a ride on The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and checked out the amazing outdoor ropes course.

Here’s what you need to know about The Island: It’s totally free to visit and walk around – even parking is free, but it can be a bit of a walk from the parking lot so take a tram. Be sure to ride the ferris wheel. Even if you’re scared of heights, it’s NOT scary – the views are breathtaking!

Mountain Coasters

One of these newest types of attractions to pop up around the Smokies are mountain coasters.

There are about 4 different ones that we’ve seen in Pigeon Forge and we kept saying we would ride one, but just hadn’t taken the time. Well, we did on this trip and it for sure won’t be our last ride!

We ventured down Wears Valley Road to the Coaster at Goats on the Roof and had a blast riding down their mountain coaster. It’s a fun, easy thrill ride that you’ll want to do again and again!

Here’s what you need to know about Mountain Coasters: You can control the speed, but go fast… you won’t regret it!

Even More – Top Things to Do in Pigeon Forge

While I could talk on and on about all the amazing things to do in Pigeon Forge, this post could get a bit lengthy. I’ve shared some details above on our favorites, but there are even more family faves too.

Here’s a quick look at some other Pigeon Forge attractions to put on your vacation schedule.

Pigeon Forge Hotels

Lastly with so many things to do in Pigeon Forge, you’re going to need somewhere to stay [and rest] between all the amazing family attractions. We have a few favorite Pigeon Forge hotels and this past weekend we added another to the list.

We stayed at the Riverstone Resort & Spa and I can’t recommend it enough for the amenities and location. While it was our first time staying in the hotel, I’ve visited the spa several times before and it’s my favorite in the area.

Our room was a spacious suite with a king size bedroom, large bathroom, small kitchen, living room with pull-out sofa, and even a balcony that overlooked the back of Dolly Parton’s Stampede.

We even had a dishwasher and washer and dryer in our room – so if you’re looking for a place to really enjoy the amenities of home, you should definitely consider the Riverstone Resort.

And the indoor pool overlooking the beautiful mountains is definitely a highlight too!

If you’re looking for a few other hotel options, our other favorites include the DreamMore Resort and the Music Road Hotel.

There you have it – lots of thoughts on all the best things to do in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. While I’ve shared a dozen or more of our favorites, there are still tons more – literally hundreds of things to do while you’re visiting the Smoky Mountains!

Still looking for even more? I also shared some great Rainy Day Activities to do in Pigeon Forge too!