Museums and Landmarks

Shake up the crew and do something completely new by taking the kids to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg. This attraction is unlike anything you have ever seen before. Discover row after row of eye-popping shakers—some kitschy, some cool, and some quirky—with more than 20,000 total examples on display. The collection offers a wonderful history lesson in changing tastes with a touch of whimsy peppered in.

Help your little ones spread their wings by heading down the road to Sevierville. Your kids can snag a great photo in front of local artist Pinkie Mistry’s “Wings of Wander” Mural. The 16-foot-tall and 20-foot-wide butterfly wings—a nod to the monarchs that migrate through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—are perfectly posed so you can step up and take flight. If the gorgeous mural doesn’t make your heart flutter, the fact that it is completely free certainly will.

It is time to spill the beans on another cost-free destination. One of the best places for family togetherness is the Bush’s^® Visitor Center, General Store, and Museum. This stop offers a century of history and a lot of information about that familiar can of beans in your cupboard. You can check out a model of the factory, view personal artifacts from the Bush family, and see commercial props from their famous television ads. You can even walk inside a giant can of beans, take a photo with their iconic dog Duke, and find out just how much you weigh in beans. There is no charge to visit, though you might want to purchase a sample of the pinto bean pie across the street.

While you are exploring historic Dandridge, you can slurp up some nostalgia at the 113-year-old Tinsley Bible Drugstore and Soda Shoppe. This old-school pharmacy and ice cream parlor is almost a museum in its own right. Shelves displaying vintage remedies, salves, and ointments from the 1900s will keep you entertained while you wait for your family's order of malts, milkshakes, and frosty Peppers.

Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing

If you want to give your family an experience they will never forget, take them to nature’s most extraordinary light show, The Great Smoky Firefly Event. This summer happening lasts for two short weeks just minutes from downtown Gatlinburg, drawing thousands of nature lovers and tens of thousands of lightning bugs that flash in perfect harmony. Although Mother Nature does not charge for this breathtaking show, the Park Service requires parking passes that you can only secure through a lottery, so be sure to check with them in early spring to apply.

Family Friendly Activities

You can find some local fun that is anything but par for the course at Hillbilly Golf. Take a tram to the top for a Smoky Mountain-style mini golf game your kids will always remember. Not only do you play down a shady hillside, but the 18 holes are dotted with countrified obstacles that run the gamut from stills and shacks to a unique version of pick-up sticks.

Rock their world by taking them to Sevierville’s Little River Gem Mine. This old-school roadside attraction offers real hands-on fun where you and your kids can spend hours sifting and panning for gems just like prospectors did back in the day. Best of all, your treasured finds are thoroughly identified by the experienced staff and bagged for your kids to take home at a very reasonable price.

This may be the coolest idea yet for your family getaway. Grab the kids and head to Pigeon Forge Snow, a 35,000-square-foot winter wonderland of real snow that features 12 runs for tubing alongside a play area where you can build snowmen and make snow angels together. There is no need to bundle up either, because the temperatures stay around 60 to 70°f year-round.

Do not forget to visit Splash Hollow at our own Smoky Mountain Resort. It features everything your kids love, including winding waterslides, an interactive splash pad, and sprayers galore.

You now have proof that big family fun does not have to come with a massive price tag. This is only the beginning, as there are plenty of wonderful ways to make priceless vacation memories together in Gatlinburg.