ā TOP 15 ā
Things to Do in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains
Fifteen favorites on one page, with the free ones first. Trolley rides, river walks, the national park and the big views, all in one place.
FREE KIDS SCENIC DRIVE OUTDOORS RAINY DAY PAID
My heart is in the Smokies. I have learned one thing being in business in this area: we are all a team. I feel their business is my business. I want you to explore all we have to offer.
Will Cupp
FREE FUN IN TOWN
Free things to do in downtown Gatlinburg
Park once and walk, or let the free trolley do the driving. Everything in this section is free to ride, walk or browse.
1
Free Gatlinburg Trolley
FREE KIDS
Downtown and around Gatlinburg
Free
A fun ride for kids, and no parking hassle
Gatlinburg’s trolleys have no fares and run 365 days a year. Park at the Welcome Center Park and Ride at 1011 Banner Road and ride into town, or out to the Arts and Crafts Community.
2
Downtown Parkway Stroll and Murals
FREE KIDS
The Parkway, downtown Gatlinburg
Free to browse
Watch taffy pulling and fudge making in the shop windows
Walking the Parkway is a show by itself, with candy shops pulling taffy and making fudge right in the windows. Keep an eye out for the colorful murals along the way.
3
River Road Riverwalk
FREE KIDS OUTDOORS
One block off the Parkway
Free
Ducks, and trout fishermen in the river
Step one block off the busy Parkway to River Road, where the walk follows the Little Pigeon River. Look for ducks, and for people fishing for trout.
4
Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community
FREE KIDS
An 8 mile loop just outside downtown
Free to browse
Studios to peek into, and the trolley goes there
An 8 mile loop of artisan shops and studios that got its start in 1937. Browsing is free, and the free trolley runs out there too.
5
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
FREE RAINY DAY
Downtown Gatlinburg
Free
Galleries to wander
An arts school founded in 1945, with galleries that are open to browse at no charge. It is a quiet break from the Parkway crowds.
6
Mynatt Park
FREE KIDS OUTDOORS
Gatlinburg, along LeConte Creek
Free
Playgrounds and creek fishing
A city park along LeConte Creek with playgrounds, picnic areas, accessible paths and fishing in the creek.
THE NATIONAL PARK IS NEXT DOOR
Up into the mountains
No entrance fee to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You just need a parking tag if you stop for more than 15 minutes ($5 a day, $15 a week, $40 a year).
7
Sugarlands Visitor Center
FREE KIDS RAINY DAY
About two miles south of Gatlinburg
Free (the Junior Ranger book costs a little)
Junior Ranger badges and wildlife exhibits
The park’s main Tennessee visitor center has a free 20 minute film about the park, wildlife exhibits, rangers and maps, and you can buy your parking tag here. Kids can pick up a Junior Ranger book and work toward a badge.
8
Gatlinburg Trail
FREE KIDS OUTDOORS
Sugarlands Visitor Center to Gatlinburg
Free (parking tag at the trailhead)
Mostly flat, river views, and old chimneys to find
A relatively flat 1.9 mile (one way) walk through the woods along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, with a footbridge and the stone foundations and chimneys of old homesites. It is one of only two trails in the park where dogs and bicycles are allowed.
9
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
FREE SCENIC DRIVE OUTDOORS
Turn at traffic light #8 in Gatlinburg
Free (buy your tag before you go)
Walk behind Grotto Falls, about 2.6 miles round trip
A narrow, winding 5.5 mile one way road past rushing streams, old growth forest and log cabins. About two miles in is the trailhead for Grotto Falls, and near the end you will pass a roadside waterfall called the Place of a Thousand Drips. It is open April 17 to November 29 in 2026, and buses, trailers and motor homes are not allowed.
10
Newfound Gap Road and Kuwohi
FREE SCENIC DRIVE
US 441 from Gatlinburg into the park
Free
Cool mountain air and a photo right on the state line
US 441 climbs out of Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap, 5,046 feet up on the Tennessee and North Carolina line and the lowest drivable pass across the park. A side road leads to Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) and its lookout tower, open April 1 to November 29 in 2026. Pack a jacket, because it can be raining in town and snowing at the gap.
11
Horseback Riding
PAID KIDS OUTDOORS
Sugarlands, near Gatlinburg
Paid
Age and weight limits apply, so call ahead
Stables inside the national park offer guided rides on park trails from mid March through late November, from about 45 minutes to several hours. One of them is at Sugarlands, just outside Gatlinburg.
12
Ober Mountain and the Aerial Tram
PAID KIDS
The tram leaves from downtown Gatlinburg
Paid
A 2.1 mile tram ride up the mountain
A 2.1 mile aerial tram carries you from downtown up to an amusement area on the mountain. After Thanksgiving it becomes the only ski area in Tennessee.
The national park is right next door.
THE BIG ATTRACTIONS
The ones the kids will beg for
These cost money, but they are the reason a lot of families come. Check hours before you go.
13
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
PAID KIDS RAINY DAY
Downtown Gatlinburg
Paid
Shark tunnel, penguins and touch pools
Walk under sharks and a giant sea turtle in the underwater tunnels, watch the penguins, and touch horseshoe crabs and stingrays. It is open 365 days a year, which makes it the go to rainy day plan. It sits on River Road, where all the free Gatlinburg trolleys stop.
14
Gatlinburg SkyPark and SkyBridge
PAID KIDS
Downtown Gatlinburg
Paid
A chairlift ride up, then a walk across the SkyBridge
Ride the chairlift up the mountain, then walk across the SkyBridge, the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. The views over town and the mountains are a big part of the fun.
15
Anakeesta
PAID KIDS
Downtown Gatlinburg
Paid
Gondola ride, treetop walkway and a lookout tower
A mountaintop park you reach by gondola, with the 800 foot TreeTop Skywalk and the AnaVista Tower for big views.
Seasonal tips
Every season has its own Smokies. Here is what to know before you go.
Spring
Kuwohi Road reopens April 1 and Roaring Fork in mid April (2026 dates). Wildflowers start blooming in late winter and keep going all season, and the waterfalls are at their fullest.
Summer
Ranger programs at Sugarlands and around the park peak June through October, and the synchronous fireflies light up Elkmont in June. The free trolley saves you from hunting for a parking spot downtown.
Fall
Color usually peaks in the second half of October, starting up high. No parking tag is needed on the fee free days, October 27 and November 11, 2026. Roaring Fork and Kuwohi Road close after November 29.
Winter
Ober Mountain turns into Tennessee’s only ski area after Thanksgiving. Newfound Gap Road stays open, weather permitting, and the trolleys and the aquarium run 365 days a year.
Good to know Park once at the Welcome Center Park and Ride and let the free trolley do the driving downtown. The national park has no entrance fee, but you need a parking tag to stop more than 15 minutes ($5 a day, $15 a week, $40 a year); Sugarlands sells them, and none are sold along Roaring Fork. Hours, fees and road openings change, so check the official link on each card before you go.
Thinking about calling Sevier County home?
Will Cupp has helped folks buy and sell homes, cabins and land in Sevierville and the Smoky Mountains for more than 30 years. If you have questions about living here, give him a call.
Will Cupp, Realtor and Real Estate Broker, Realty Executives Associates
Photos: Public domain and CC0: Sugarlands Visitor Center (Warren Bielenberg, NPS), Heintooga Ridge Road in autumn (NPS). Gatlinburg from the SkyPark (APK, CC BY 4.0), West Prong of the Little Pigeon River (Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0), Roaring Fork (Missvain, CC BY 4.0), Newfound Gap Road (Andrew Heneen, CC BY 4.0), Gatlinburg from the SkyPark (APK, CC BY 4.0), Morning mist (Gary Millar, CC BY 2.0). All via Wikimedia Commons, resized. Licenses: CC BY 4.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY 2.0.