After spending the day at Dollywood, I spent the night in Pigeon Forge, and I’m going to be honest…
What exactly is Pigeon Forge?
I mean this lovingly.
Pigeon Forge feels like someone took the Las Vegas Strip, Hollywood Boulevard, a family vacation, a county fair, and the Smoky Mountains, put them all in a blender, and said:
“More. We need more.”
And somehow…
It works.
Welcome to Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge began as a small mountain community built around the Little Pigeon River and the area’s early iron forge. Tourism eventually transformed the town, particularly after the opening of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934 and the arrival of attractions designed to capitalize on the millions of people coming to experience the mountains.
Then came Dollywood.
And Pigeon Forge basically said, Hold my moonshine.
Today, this little mountain town is one of Tennessee’s biggest tourism destinations, welcoming millions of visitors each year.
And when I say there is something for everyone, I mean EVERYONE.
Mini golf?
Absolutely.
Off-road adventures?
Yep.
Dinner theaters?
Of course.
Wax museums?
Naturally.
Go-karts?
You bet.
Restaurants shaped like giant things?
Obviously.
Titanic Museum?
You can’t miss it.
WonderWorks?
There’s a giant upside-down building.
Because apparently gravity is optional in Pigeon Forge.
The Main Street Experience
Driving down the main strip is an experience all by itself.
The Titanic Museum looks like the ship has somehow crashed into the Smoky Mountains and decided to stay.
Then there’s WonderWorks, which looks like an upside-down laboratory dropped out of the sky.
And between those two architectural fever dreams are restaurants, arcades, attractions, souvenir shops, mini golf courses, adventure tours, theaters, and enough neon to make you wonder if you’re still in Tennessee.
It’s completely over the top.
And I loved it.
After spending time surrounded by the peaceful beauty of the Smokies, Pigeon Forge felt like someone had handed me a Red Bull and turned the volume to eleven.
The Island: My Happy Place
But if you only have time for one stop in Pigeon Forge, make it The Island.
And then find the Giant Wheel.
If you’ve been following my adventures, you already know I have a weakness for giant Ferris wheels.
See my adventures on the High Roller at The LINQ in Las Vegas and the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago.
I love them.
There is something so wonderful about slowly rising above a city and seeing everything from a completely different perspective.
And the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel did not disappoint.
At more than 200 feet tall, it’s one of the tallest observation wheels in the Southeast.
Normally, I’d expect a ride like this to be all about the view.
But this day was rainy and cloudy.
And somehow that made it even more beautiful.
Instead of looking across a crystal-clear horizon, I watched layers of green mountains disappear into clouds and mist.
The Smokies looked soft and mysterious, like the mountains were wearing their own weather.
It was magical.
Dinosaurs, Shopping & General Pigeon Forge Madness
The Island is also a great place to wander around even if you aren’t a Ferris wheel enthusiast—which, honestly, I don’t fully understand, but I won’t judge.
There are shops, restaurants, entertainment, and some seriously entertaining animatronic dinosaurs.
Yes.
Dinosaurs.
And they are wonderfully ridiculous.
Children love them.
Adults love them.
And anyone who says they’re too mature to stop and watch a giant mechanical dinosaur move its head clearly needs more whimsy in their life.
I wandered around, admired the attractions, browsed the shops, and generally soaked up the Pigeon Forge experience.
And Yes, There Was Traffic
Now, there is one thing you need to understand about Pigeon Forge.
Traffic.
Just like Gatlinburg, the main road can get BUSY.
Really busy.
This is a relatively small mountain community that has become an enormous tourist destination.
Imagine taking a town, adding millions of visitors, a handful of traffic lights, mountains that aren’t going anywhere, and everyone deciding to drive at approximately the same time.
There you go.
Pigeon Forge traffic.
But honestly?
It’s part of the experience.
Gatlinburg feels like the charming, slightly sophisticated mountain cousin.
Pigeon Forge is the cousin who arrives at Thanksgiving wearing sequins, carrying a funnel cake, and shouting:
“WHO’S READY FOR SHENANNIGANS?”
And I love them both for completely different reasons.
The Obligatory Hard Rock Stop
Of course, no trip through a major tourist destination would be complete without a stop at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Especially when your older sister and her husband have made it their life’s mission to collect Hard Rock shirts from around the world.
So naturally, I had to take the obligatory picture. IYKYK!
One Last Tennessee Tradition
Eventually, it was time to leave Pigeon Forge and continue toward Knoxville.
But I couldn’t possibly drive away without making one very important Tennessee road-trip stop.
Buc-ee’s.
Or, as I like to call it:
Everyone’s favorite beaver and his flavored nuts.
If you’ve never experienced Buc-ee’s, prepare yourself.
It’s not a gas station.
It’s a destination that happens to sell gasoline.
There are enormous fuel stations, spotless bathrooms, barbecue, snacks, souvenirs, ridiculous amounts of merchandise, and enough Beaver Nuggets to make you question whether you accidentally entered a food-themed amusement park.
And yes, I stopped.
Because when you’re road-tripping through Tennessee, you have to experience the giant beaver.
It’s the law.
Okay, maybe not legally.
But spiritually.
Pigeon Forge, You Are Absolutely Ridiculous
Pigeon Forge isn’t subtle.
It doesn’t want to be.
It’s loud, colorful, busy, playful, wonderfully excessive, and unapologetically touristy.
And after spending so much time immersed in the natural beauty of the Smokies, I appreciated the complete change of pace.
Gatlinburg charmed me.
Pigeon Forge entertained me.
And somewhere between the giant Titanic, the upside-down WonderWorks, the dinosaurs, the Ferris wheel, the traffic, and the giant beaver, I realized something:
Tennessee really knows how to show you a good time.
Next stop…
Knoxville.
And I’m hoping for a little less traffic, a little more history, and absolutely no more terrifying mountain roads.
Although, based on how this trip has gone so far…
I probably shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.
Felicity Arvizu takes on... 