These are the best attractions in Pigeon Forge in 2025, says Smoky Mountain local
Growing up, my favorite thing to do in Pigeon Forge was the Slick Track, a fairly tight circular go-kart track next to the indoor skydiving place. The appeal of the Slick Track was it was – well – slick. The cars weren’t faster than any of the other tracks in town but the relatively small size of the track and the slickness made it feel more like competitive racing.
My uncles came down from Indiana and we’d have a blast racing on that loop, bumping and racing and jawing and occasionally getting in a little trouble for too much bumping and racing and jawing.It was great.But now, I’m not sure it was the Slick Track that was the real attraction. It was a conduit, so to speak, for us to enjoy each other’s company. Could we have had as much fun at mini-golf on a mountain coaster or even watching a show? Maybe we could have, although the Slick Track let us bond over our competitive spirit in a way the Louise Mandrell stage show could have never.
And so now, thinking about the best attractions in Pigeon Forge, my lens is very different than when I was a young kid. When considering the best Attractions in 2025, I tried to look beyond the fastest or slickest. I tried to look at the overall experience.
How to characterize an attraction
One issue is how to characterize an attraction. My first thought was that it needed to be an activity in which you participate; mini golf, roller coasters, rides, those sorts of things. But as I thought more about it. Aren’t the various museums in town attractions? Shouldn’t we consider the various dinner theaters?
Ultimately, I decided on a fairly big tent attitude in selecting the best attractions in town. One caveat is that Dollywood does not factor into this list. My reasoning is two-fold. First, it would be automatically No. 1, there’s no fun in that. Secondly, I just feel like an amusement park is a bigger thing than an attraction.Now that we have those formalities out of the way, let’s rank.
The Top 7 Attractions in Pigeon Forge in 2025
1. Sky Pirates of Mermaid Bay Mini Golf
Mini-golf is one of the prongs upon which the economy of Pigeon Forge is built. For decades it has been a staple of the Pigeon Forge vacation and also identified early as a popular moneymaker. I don’t know how many mini-golf courses are within the confines of the Pigeon Forge city limits. But centuries from now when the archeologists try to piece together the broken puzzle pieces of our generation, they’re going to think ours was a society based upon Putt-Putt.
As such, Sky Pirates gets the nod here for top attraction. It’s new and shiny with a fun indoor/outdoor concept involving Sky Pirates and Mermaids that adds to the experience. There are mini-golf courses all over town with various levels of theming but none of them can touch Sky Pirates. It’s the best attraction in town right now.To play both courses is $22.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids 3-11. It is located at 2420 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.
2. Rowdy Bear’s Smoky Mountain Snowpark
If mini-golf is Pigeon’s Forge’s past, Mountain coasters and such are the present and it seems, the future. The idea is exceedingly simple. Find a mountain, build a track and a pulley system to take riders to the top then let gravity do its job. The Smoky Mountain Snowpark – located next to the Local Goat – offers more than just its two mountain coasters. It also has in-season snow tubing and summer outdoor tubing. The Avalanche Snow Coaster also operates year-round. Riders zip through the mountain hill in control of their speed. More interesting, however, is the Ski-Lift Shootout Coaster which is essentially a mountain coaster in the sky with an arcade-style shooter aspect. This alpine flyer is a two-seat suspended coaster that swings, dips and flies while the riders’ feet dangle in the air.Rowdy Bears is located at 2155 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.
3. The Mountain Monster
Located at The Mountain Mile on 2655 Teaster Lane just above the strip, the Mountain Monster offers a trio of heart-pounding experiences based on launching, dropping or swinging from or in the direction of its platform 200 feet in the air. The Monster Drop is as you’d expect, a drop in a handle less ride vehicle with nothing but a lap belt for safety. The Launch is the opposite. You get sling-shotted up into the air in a two-person ride vehicle. The Swing is like the drop except at the bottom of the free fall, you swing out through the other structure, swinging toward the strip. It’s a phenomenal view … if you can keep your eyes open. Prices are $15 for the drop, $25 for the launch or $40 for the swing. You can also bundle the drop and launch for $30 and all three for $60.
4. Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
I am on record as not being a big fan of the dinner shows in town, mostly because the “dinner” provided is lame. I’d be much happier if they knocked $20-$25 off the ticket price and just gave me the show.
That said, Pirates Voyage is the best of the shows in town. The aerial acrobatics and dives are legitimately entertaining, and the animal act with the seal is good as well. Frankly, the swashbuckling could be kicked up a notch. But there’s enough here to keep you entertained enough that you might not notice how bad the dinner is.
If I’m not a big fan, why is this ranked so highly? Well, because the dinner shows do big business and draw lots of repeat customers. I can recognize that while something isn’t for me, it doesn’t mean that it should be dinged. This is the best dinner show in town and worthy of this spot. Tickets start at $69.99 but can fluctuate depending on the season.You can find the Pirates Dinner Show at 2713 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.
5. The Hollywood Wax Museum
There are several inexplicable “museums” in town such as Titanic, Alcatraz and Beyond the Lens! which was formerly associated with the National Enquirer. So why is there a Hollywood Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge? Why not?
I was skeptical on my first visit to the Museum which is located at 106 Showplace Blvd. I’ve been to Madame Tussaud’s in London and didn’t expect the one in Pigeon Forge to compete. However, while the quality of the wax figures varies wildly from quite lifelike to somebody working with Play-Doh, I’ve been more than once and always enjoyed the experience. Some of it is that my kids get a real kick out of the museum and pose for pictures near the figures. Their enthusiasm rubs off on me. But honestly, I find the exhibits fun and the experience enjoyable. Also, the Museum has given us years of giant monkey butt jokes thanks to King Kong on the outdoor edifice. That has to count for something. Tickets start at $29.99 for adults and $17.99 for kids. There are some bundling options available.
6. The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel
It’s a big old Ferris wheel located on The Island but it’s also become one of the signature attractions on the strip. While it touts views of the mountains, the real showstopper is the view of the strip, especially at night. This isn’t something – in my opinion – you’re going to want to do every trip, but it is a nice once-in-a-while kind of thing. An adult ticket is $17 and a kid’s ticket is $12. They do offer a day/night combo so you can get the best of both views.The Island is located at 131 The Island Drive in Pigeon Forge.
7. The Track
I thought long and hard about this ranking. There are better and faster go-kart tracks in Pigeon Forge. And there are better arcades and certainly better mini-golf courses. Seriously, do not spend money on this mini-golf course. Are there better bumper boats? No. All the bumper boats are pretty much equally lame. But what I like about the Track is that it is a place where a 12-year-old can get out there and safely race with his uncles without worrying about messing up anybody else’s experience. There’s a variety of tracks – including some for kids – where young riders can get ready to compete with the big boys later.
The first couple of times my son, JP got on the track, he was a competitive cuss but these tracks aren’t necessarily built for racing. The other kids were just trying to get around the track and JP was out to WIN. The attendants were patient but also good about protecting the other kids from my menace while I tried to yell instructions from the sideline. We had a lot of safety talks, including why you have to use your brakes and not just slam into the car ahead of you when you’re ready to stop. God help me when he gets his license.
Anyway, there are a lot of go-kart tracks on the strip that offer fairly similar experiences and a couple designed for more serious racing. But this is – for my money – the best of the group in terms of multiple available options. The Track’s experiences operate off a points system. You buy points and get to do things. As I didn’t graduate with a degree in Algebra, we will not be breaking that system down here.The Track is located at 2575 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.
Are you planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains soon? Make sure to check out our coupons page before your trip!
Have a question or comment about something in this article? Contact our staff here. You may also contact our editorial team at info@thesmokies.com.