10 Best Things to Do in Pigeon Forge

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. It's one of the most famous dashes of the Appalachian chain, and Pigeon Forge is one of the best jump-off points for the great wilderness – the town is within a 20-minute drive north of the reserve boundaries.

You can spend days and days exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of the closest hiking paths to Pigeon Forge include the Gatlinburg Trail, which crisscrosses gurgling rivers on old-school timber bridges, and the Chimney Tops Trail, which whisks you to jagged boulders with sweeping views of the wooded mountains. For something more challenging, push on to Clingmans Dome. It's the highest peak in the range, with a UFO-like observation deck that might just take your breath away.

The TITANIC Museum is all about unravelling the fateful tale of the world's most famous ocean liner. The museum is right on the side of the famous Parkway entertainment drag, as it enters Pigeon Forge from the north. It's actually a complete replica of the boat itself in half-scale. It's even surrounded by water to give visitors the feel of being out at sea.

Tours of the make-believe Titanic last around 2 hours apiece. They're hands-on from start to finish. You'll muck in by shovelling coal in the boiler rooms, experience what it was like to scramble up the decks as the ship sunk, and walk down a compete replica of the vessel's iconic grand staircase. 

The Hollywood Wax Museum gives you a chance to stand in the presence of your favourite celebs and movie stars. The huge exhibition space on Showplace Blvd in north Pigeon Forge focuses on a collection of life-sized wax works. They depict all manner of famous faces, from Michael Jackson to Charlie Chaplin, Bill Murray to John Wayne.

The Hollywood Wax Museum also encompasses 2 additional family entertainment centres. There's Hannah's Maze of Mirrors, where you'll try to rescue the fantasy princess Hannah in a labyrinth of reflective glass. And there's Outbreak, where you and your crew will need to outwit bands of undead zombies. 

The WonderWorks fuses science and entertainment to create a family attraction that's both enthralling and educational. You can hardly miss this entertainment centre  – it's all housed in one of WonderWorks's trademark upside-down buildings. Look for it on Music Road, between the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River and the Parkway.

The centre is split up into 6 zones, each dealing with a major scientific phenomenon. Hit the Extreme Weather Zone to whizz around in hurricane-force winds. Go to the Space Discovery Zone to channel your inner astronaut, or the Light and Sound Zone to try your skills on the keys of a gigantic piano.

The Island is one of Pigeon Forge's most important meeting spaces. It's got a bit of everything, from high-street shopping to international dining to heart-thumping attractions, all of it wedged into a single block on the side of the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River to the east of the Parkway.

Retail buffs and souvenir hunters can windowshop from morning until night – you've got Tiki souvenir stalls next to handmade glass art workshops. Foodies may love the mix of local peach wines and spices that's offered between Bootleggers Winery and the Pepper Palace. Then, there's the main plaza, which has impressive fountain displays and regular evening music shows during the summer months. 

Pigeon Forge might just be the zipline capital of Tennessee. With the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains on one side and the soaring Smokies themselves on the other, the town is uniquely positioned for whizzing through the canopies on these high-octane wire slides.

There are more than 10 providers in the immediate vicinity. Some of the best-rated include the Legacy Mountain Ziplines to the east of town, which boast ziplines with broadside views of the Grapeyard Ridge mountain in the distance, and Smoky Mountain Ziplines, which are known for their in-forest zips that skim past ancient oaks and hemlocks. 

Dollywood is one of the best family attractions in the whole of southern Tennessee. Located in Pigeon Forge, it's a medley of whirling rollercoasters and Wild West-themed rides that sits in a great bowl of the Smokies to the east of the town centre. It takes about 5 minutes to drive there from the Parkway.

Curated and designed by namesake cowgirl Dolly Parton herself, the amusement park has 2 main sections. There's the dry-land theme land, which is home to the hair-ruffling Barnstormer coaster and the old-school Dollywood Express train. Dollywood's waterpark section is a doozy for balmy summer days, offering tube rides like Big Bear Plunge and relaxing lazy rivers.

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is the mainstay attraction in The Island, an all-in-one gastronomy and shopping precinct right in the heart of Pigeon Forge. The vintage Ferris wheel rises 200 ft into the skies to offer sweeping views of the Appalachian Mountains in the distance.

Each ride includes 3 complete turns on the wheel, taking around 10 minutes in total. You'll travel in comfy, all-glass pods that maximize the panoramas of Pigeon Forge town, the 2 forks of the Pigeon Forge River, and the Great Smoky Mountains to the south. Not one for heights? Don't worry, there are stacks of cafes, bars, and eateries to enjoy at base level.