Smoky Mountain native gives an honest review of Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
Growing up around the Smoky Mountains, I often saw it while riding down the Parkway. Itโs too large and too cheesy lookinโ to miss. Yes, my friends, today Iโm talking about the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride. Is it an area icon? Or is it nothing more than a tourist trap?
For the uninitiated or perhaps just oblivious, Iโll quickly explain what this attraction is. Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is a standalone ridable indoor attraction located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. It features a โboat rideโ through a dark warehouse jungle filled with pre-historic animatronics dinosaurs. The boat, while surrounded by shallow water, does not actually float as one might suspect. Instead, itโs led by a track. It has animatronics that, after years of use, are admittedly showing their age.
The Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is a stand-alone ride in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Itโs an indoor boat ride where animatronic dinosaurs show off their jerky movements and rawr as you travel through the indoor warehouse. Some people argue that the ride is iconic, while others call it a tourist trap.
IN THIS ARTICLE
My experience on the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
From the moment I arrived at this attraction, I only saw one employee on-site during the course of our visit. He both worked the ticket booth and waved guests on and off the ride. In the queue, I saw an assortment of mismatched mannequins. Some of them were missing limbs. At first, I wondered if it was on purpose for effect. But after taking a suspicious amount of photographs of one of the detached limbs, the lone employee came over to remove the limb and tuck the now-armless sleeve into the mannequinโs pocket to be a bit less obvious. Spoilsport.
Overall, the queue was fairly short and the wait time was minimal. I was able to board in just under 10 minutes. The best way to describe the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is to imagine Disney Worldโs โItโs a Small Worldโ. Except, this ride has far less funding, more dinos and is missing the annoying music. Itโs also three times darker. The โboatโ is mildly jerky, but I would say that itโs no more jerky than the Blazing Fury at Dollywood just much slower. And I canโt mention this enough โฆ this ride is DARK. As in, perhaps the darkest ride Iโve ever been on.
In fact, you spend the vast majority of your time on the ride barely being able to see a thing. Every few seconds a spotlight shines on a featured animatronic dinosaur who performs its obligatory shaky movement and maybe lets out a roar. You hear some sound effects until the scene goes dark again and you move on.
What to expect on the ride: Pricing, ride length and more
If youโre riding this with your family, I would note that this ride could be scary for toddlers. But you know your child better than I do. That being said, I think most adults will find the ride to be fairly uneventful. Also, you will not get wet on the ride. Not even a light sprinkle. In fact, I had kind of hoped there would be a light sprinkle or mist since the ride was a bit humid. The total ride time is exactly 10 minutes long.
I think the ride is a little expensive for what it is. In my experience, general admission for the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge runs at $18.99 per adult, $13.99 for children ages 5-11 and $6.99 for children ages 3-4. Pricing is subject to change. Also, you must buy your tickets on-site.
Is the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride a tourist trap or a beloved icon?
Now itโs time for the great debate. Is Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride simply a tourist trap or a beloved Smoky Mountain icon? I think the answer depends on your personality. And I could see it going both ways.
Pro tourist trap arguments
Those who would put this attraction in the category of a tourist trap would argue that itโs overpriced, outdated and poorly maintained. After all, youโre paying nearly $20 per adult for 10 minutes of โentertainmentโ. Compare that to other popular area attractions that can offer a day-long experience. Soaky Mountain, for instance, is under $50 for general admission for an entire dayโs worth of entertainment. Tourist trap opponents might also argue that itโs outdated. As one hilarious Google reviewer put it:
โThis ride transports you back in time โฆ to the 1960s to be specific.โ
It may be worth noting, that at the time of this writing, Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is rocking a 3.0-star review on Google. On my last visit, I noticed that the phone didnโt even seem to actually work. To be clear, it rings. But no one ever seems to answer the call. In fact, I tried calling the attraction using the phone number listed on their website to no avail. Upon arrival, I happened to notice a landline phone sitting next to the ticket agent. Curious, I decided to call the number one more time while standing beside their ticket booth. And the phone never rang.
Pro beloved icon arguments
I could also argue that Jurassic Jungle Ride is the stuff that pop culture icons are made of. Itโs the Sharknado of rides. Who are we, as a culture, to lift up Dollywoodโs Blazing Fury, which is from a similar era with similarly dated animatronics, as a beloved piece of Dollywood history only to turn around and make fun of Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride? Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride has been around for years. Itโs part of Parkway history.
And if I am being really honest, Blazing Furyโs mannequins and props are just as cheesy, mismatched and (at times) just as creepy as Jurassic Jungle Boat Rideโs mannequins. Blazing Fury has a few more thrills, but is it fair to say that Blazing Fury is โnostalgicโ and has โpersonalityโ while Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is criticized as being โoutdatedโ and โworn downโ? And while half of their Google reviews are less than kind, half of them have words of praise for the attraction. They say itโs probably great for little kids who donโt mind the dark and love dinosaurs.
So to be honest, Iโm on the fence. What do YOU think about the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee? Let me know in the comments below.
RELATED VIDEO: Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride: Is it a Tourist Trap?
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Way out dated and needs to be refurbished bad and way overly priced. Total tourist trap.
Years ago, we paid over 100.00 for our whole family to ride this. It was a disappointment for sure!
Mydaughter likes to ride the the Jurasdic jungle everythime we goto pigeon forge. I like the firey blaze ride bettet
Iโm team pro icon.And as mentioned โฆgreat ride for dinosaur loving children who donโt mind the dark.
Tourist traps are fine. This is a scam and a money trap for unsuspecting tourists. You feel robbed after you emerge from the outdated, stale water, 3 minute ride. Save your money. A more reputable tourist trap will give you more bang for your buck.
It was awful ๐คฃ definitely a trap a best!
It was an ok ride for adults but a better ride for kids. They are the ones itโs really for. Would I go again no,but your there to have a fun day so enjoy it for the little ones.
I would love it if thev4ide could be updated. Dinosaurs will always be popular among all ages. Why waste a great opportunity?
Absolute waste of money should of took a note from the kids getting off looking bored worst thing to do in pigeon forge
My Children love it .We usually come to visit once or twice a year.
Definite tourist trap. Every time we pass by I want to stop and tell people itโs not worth it lol. Looks poor from the outside, and evidently within as well
Scream a lot while you are on the ride ! We laughed and it made our experience much more fun. Leaving those yet to ride wary of what they had paid for. We love it in a nostalgic sort of way. You forgot to mention the nice hill climb with a dip and bump at the end.
Way overpriced, for 5 of us it was 85.00, itโs a tourist trap, big disappointment
My grandson absolutely loves we have to ride it Everytime we are in the forge with him but thatโs the only time I will ride it but I do agree with the resurgence of dinosaur movies such as Jurassic Park they should spend a little money on refurbishing and it could be a really good ride
Tourists trap for sure. Paid almost 100.00 for family and very disappointed. Not worth it. Did it twice and never again
I have went in this ride, not worth the money, Felt it was just a tourist trap
For my dinosaur enthusiastic son .. it is worth it. Do I always think money can be thrown away? No โฆ I would be happier if they at least dropped the price a bit
It was a trap. Me and my wife paid 44.00 and it was very dark and I could hardly see any animals. I stood in line longer than the ride. Very disappointed
This place is definitely outdated and isnโt worth the time or cost. Thereโs other places in PF that is worth what you pay for Jurassic.
W4e went to pigeon forge July 24th through 27th 2021โฆ.we went to this and it was horrible very out dated..very darkโฆand pretty run down..there was two girls working in the booth to enter
โฆeverything looked cheesy and dirty I would not recommend this to anyone save your money
I was there on family vacation in 2014. At the very least it is a boat ride to take your children on as a family. Some will say it is outdated, overpriced, and a short ride. But in the end it is for the kids. Is it any more expensive than Dollywood or the midway rides at the local county fairs? Consider the location you are at in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Everything in the parkway is an amusement park type setting and pricey. If you are on vacation there its about the fun and not the cost. But the whole town is a tourist destination like Dollywood. An Icon of the parkway that needs some updating!!
Its a TRAP
Itโs a trap! Completely outdated, overpriced for what is offered, nothing to write home about, and we experienced the same lack of customer service/attention. Definitely a location we could have skipped on our trip!!!
my grandson loves this place, we now live here and pass by it each day
we take a boat ride a couple times a month. the joy it brings to him is worth it and the folks that own and run it are awesome. we love it
Even the dummies out front playing tourists want to escape.
Not worth at it would do it again
It isnโt pretending to be Disney world ! It is a cheesy ride but all I see is the memory of my son being so excited to ride this. He was little but I remember him being so happy .
We ride it everyone we goโฆkids love it..doesnโt matter if itโs updated ..itโs dinosaurs..
This is a good ride and the animatronics are way better than anything in Blazing Fury. This is a Mom and Pop attraction. They donโt have a Ripleyโs budget.
Our daughter has loved this ride since she was just a toddler. She is now a teenager and still begs to ride every time we are up this way. Most times we just let her ride by herself now. Itโs not worth the money for all of us to ride but she loves the cheesiness of it so why not let her enjoy it when we can. Honestly though, Iโve always been so surprised that itโs managed to stay in business all these years!
Blazing Fury opened in the late 70s, Jurassic Boat Ride opened in the late 90s or early 2000s, not exactly a similar era.
Not worth the money they charge for it drove by and seen it wanted to try it and we did but probably wonโt be doing it again