July 28, 2023
Now that I’ve covered the really important topic of best places to eat on this page, next I’ll cover the best activities. Let me preface this by saying, we live in the mountains so while the Smokies are beautiful we go for the fun human made attractions, so you won’t see trails and waterfalls on this list, which would undoubtedly make many peoples list. Also know that we have so many things we still want to do so there will be things missing from this list that will probably make our list later. So without further ado, our top ten-ish list of things to do in the Smokies.
1. Mountain Mile & Tower Shops
Our favorite place to just chill out in the great outdoors is at the Mountain Mile. Their AstroTurf yard holds lots of free activities including corn hole, giant checkers and chess, and I think there was a giant jenga game as well. There are some jungle gym type structures as well. In the winter months, there is an ice rink as well. You can ride, or watch in our case people risks their lives in a moment of insanity on the Mountain Drop, Launch, or Swing. Also most of our favorite shops are one of the Tower’s shops, including our #1 food pic Cinnaholic, Coffee Armory, Pepper Palace, Spice and Tea Exchange, and REI Coop, where I get Hoka One One shoes every visit. We budget a day here and the other shops on Teaster Lane.
2. Distilleries
The distilleries located in Sevier County are a huge draw for the area. We enjoy trying the different flavors and also like to compare different distilleries takes on the same flavors. Our favorite pro-military/1st responder distilleries in order are:
Old Tennessee Distillery (located just off Exit 407 next to Bass Pro Shops) is a very pro hero establishment. They are a smaller distillery, but one of our favorites. Good people and a good time is a guarantee.
Junction 35 is a great distillery boasting the strongest alcohol. Word of warning, you might want to make sure you have some food on your stomach before sampling. Their restaurant is a great place to do that. They have moonshines, vodkas (Bam Bam!), whiskeys and more. Check out our discount page here to read their policy.
Old Mill – We used to not really like the Old Forge Distillery, even skipping it on some trips. This time however we really liked the moonshine this time. I don’t know if there was a change but it’s definitely one to check out.
Tennessee Legend is another good one. They have a few unique flavors like Fiery Mango Habenaro, Kettle Corn, and Smoked Apple Whiskey.
Sugarlands Distilling – We enjoy Sugarlands’ moonshine. I think theirs might be the tastiest, but the experience is our least favorite. We’ve had some really good bartenders and some not so good and even rude, so good alcohol for sure, but the experience itself is hit or miss.
Ole Smoky – We really like Ole Smoky’s whiskeys, but their moonshine is probably on the bottom of the list. Maybe it’s that they are more mass produced than the others, but it to us is just okay. As far as the experience again we’ve had some good bartenders, but some with jokes that just miss the mark all together.
3. Tennessee Stud Cider
I might as well keep talking alcohol, because my favorite new thing this trip was visiting both locations of Tennessee Stud Cider. Y’all I’m a little bit of a connoisseur of Hard Ciders so when I tell you this is the best cider I’ve ever had, that’s saying something. If you like sweet ciders in multiple and unique flavors, you cannot find any better. Even the worst cider here is better than the best I’ve had any where else.
4. Mountain Coasters
Mountain coasters are almost as big and plentiful as distilleries in the Smokies, and we’ve tried many of them. Just for reference we’ve been on Moonshine, Ripley’s, Smoky Mountain Alpine, Rocky Top, Wild Stalliion, and Rowdy Bear’s Skylift Shootout mountain coasters. We haven’t tried, Anakeesta’s Rail Runner, Ober’s Ski Mountain Coaster, Goat of the Roof, or the one being built on Teasters Lane. Our favorite is Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. There is usually a groupon making this coaster about $10 a ride and it seems like the fastest coaster we’ve been on. This time we really enjoyed the Wild Stallion ride at the newly built Skyland Ranch. We haven’t tried Rocky Top at night but I heard it is really cool to ride then, just be warned there is usually a long line at Rocky Top especially at night.
5. The Island
The Island is a fun place to go during the week. It’s too packed on the weekends for us, but during the week it’s not too bad. This is where some of our favorite stops are like #3 Tennessee Stud Cider and where #6 SkyFly is located. It’s also fun to sit in their rocking chairs around the fountain or the Ole Smoky Stage to listen to some good music.
6. SkyFly
Having never been to Soarin’ in Disney, we didn’t know what to expect at this attraction when we went in November of 2021, but we were pleasantly surprised. We like it so well were rode it twice. We did go to the FlyRide and Polar Express this vacation at Beyond the Lens and while it was fun as well, it wasn’t nearly the production that SkyFly is.
7. Dinner Shows
Okay so I can’t give you too much insight into the dinner shows in Pigeon Forge, as we’ve only been to the Hatfields and McCoys Dinner Feud and Dolly’s Christmas Stampede, but ya’ll we loved the Christmas show at Dolly’s Stampede. It was really amazing. The food (other than the soup) didn’t hold a candle to Hatfield and McCoys food, but the show was way better. Maybe because being from WV and learned about the HM Feud since we were young, we expected too much, but the show was just lacking for us, although we did enjoy the dock diving dogs.
8. The Shops of Pigeon Forge
You’re probably thinking, huh? Where is that? The Shops of Pigeon Forge are on the corner of Wears Valley Rd and Teasters Lane. This is where several of our favorite places to visit are, including two of our top ten eats Pigeon Forge Deli and Country Roads Axe Company featuring West by God Pizza, but it also has several other shops we visited this trip, that would likely be of interest to a lot of our heroes, including the Ammo Outlet, The Trump Store, and Cooter’s Musuem. In Cooter’s they have some picture opportunities with the General Lee, Daisy’s Jeep and the Boars Nest. They also sell a lot of Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia, including Hazzard Sheriff’s department shirts, and our favorite a K9 shirt featuring Flash the Basset Hound.
9. Try My Nutz
We aren’t huge fans of the Old Mills Shops but just across the river is a fun shop called Try My Nutz, where your will get offered a sample as you walk in the door, as you are asked, “Would you like to try my nuts?” This location is very pro-hero. LEO’s if you have a patch, be sure to bring them one and maybe you’ll just see one of ours.
10. The Christmas Place
Christmas 365 days year? Yes, please. That is all.
So that’s our top ten. Like I said there are so many attractions we still need to try. What are your favorites? Also make sure you like and follow us on facebook here to find out when we publish new content.