40 Best Stops Between Chattanooga and Lexington (2024)

2 lists

My experience was amazing. This was my 1st time ever rafting. The staff was friendly and informative. They show us our safety guideline prior to our ride up to the rafts. Our guide James was very great. He was knowledgeable about was needed to keep us in the boat. Also you get great photos of our experience.

This is the best white water rafting tour around!! We have now gone a few times and every time has been an incredible adventure story lol. Shelley is the best guide ever hands down! But all of the guides there are amazing an experienced. You feel excited and safe and having fun all at the same time. They start out by giving you an intro class and teach you how to do the paddles etc. Then you board the bus and ride down to the entrance at the river. The lunch they serve is pretty good too and they even offer a veggie option. There is also a really fun part before lunch where you swim and float down the river. The water gets colder as the season ends, we went the second time on last day of the season. But what an incredible ride.The first time we conquered the Godzilla rapid was unreal and the second time too. If you stay on the raft or if you flip you will be well prepared and it will be an adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait to go back next year! They also take pictures the entire time so you have the option to buy one or all of them at the end. Team Kenny!

Candace was a great guide with lots of experience on the river. She took us through the rapids making my boat of novices feel like pros. High Country was great to deal with on the phone (called them instead of booking through Groupon) for my party of 9.

Me and my group thoroughly enjoyed our time. We went after 3pm which seems is the best time of day for the rapids. Our guide was Dean and he was spectacular. He's a lead guide and knows all the great rapids and key spots in the river. He also know many tricks with the raft that made the experience that much better. He also had great conversation and kept the first timers calm yet brought them out their shells. I highly recommend and ask for Dean!

Went here for one of my good friends Birthday and we had an amazing time. I had never been water rafting before this time. The event was crazy. The water was exactly what we needed it to be. I plan on going back for my birthday!

Really enjoyed rafting with High Country!James was an awesome guide but everyone was really great to work with!Can’t wait to come back and do it again!!!

Family adventure day was a success! Everyone had a fun day and enjoyed rafting on the river. Our guide Howdy was awesome. Definitely will recommend this place to friends and we will be back. So much fun!

I have not had so much fun in forever! This weekend was my first experience in white water rafting and we did the full run - Upper and middle. We had ‘Gale Force’ as our guide and things couldn’t have been more perfect. We also stayed in the cabins - if you’ve not done this you definitely should. Lots of room, clean, very convenient, and the views are amazing. Best part? No TV. 🤪. Thank you for an absolutely amazing adventure. I could not think of a better way to spend my birthday!

This was the best whitewater rafting trip I have ever experienced. Our guide was Nick (Harp) and he was an expert with us. He gave flawless directions & delivered 100% when we asked for max adventure! When we flipped in a rapids, Nick successfully managed to rally everyone back into the boat before maneuvering us out. I am used to having boring & uneventful trips down the river but WOW if I could have detailed everything I wanted to happen on a trip, it would be this one. Thank you so much Harp ! You’ve redeemed whitewater for me - & We absolutely loved you!

This was my first time whitewater rafting, and I can 100% say that I loved it!The staff there were super welcoming and friendly, and they all had a light-hearted, upbeat attitude, and definitely made the whole experience that much better!After a scenic drive to the dam where the rafting starts, we met our guide and learned our commands, and this began our trip down the river.I won't spoil the trip, because I definitely think you should do it yourself, but just know that it is definitely worth it.Also, quick shout out to some of our guides, TC Lee, Jack, and Hannah!

This is my first white water rafting trip, plus I can't swim. I have a tremendous amazing experience wanting to do it again. Our raft leader is Shelly. He is awesome, very experienced, and so is all his raft mates. My friends and I we have the 5 hours trip it included lunch regular burger or veg burger. I wish I had a go pro camera. Ocoee River scenery is amazing.

I had the most incredible time white water rafting. We had a big group & some were rafting for the first time (naturally apprehensive). TC Lee was our instructor & he did an amazing job from start to finish. He was funny, engaging, & super safety conscious while giving us a ton of thrills! Im looking forward to next year!!!

This is our 4th time with High Country. The place is top-notch. The guides are always excellent. White-water fun at its fullest. We did the middle Ocoee class IV. Our two daughters ages 12 and 14 went down this river for the first time, Mr. Pink made sure to keep us safe and kept the fun rolling. We will be back agian! Our daughters haven't stopped talking about how much fun they had. They are ready for some Class Five with Pink!

Really enjoyed today's trip with friends and family. Our guide Justin was very fun and knowledgeable about the rapids and we had a good run down middle Ocoee. I have done this section of the river many times and always enjoy bringing new people with me.

We took a family of five and had a fantastic experience on the middle part of the river. Sydney was our guide and we could not have asked for a better person to take us down the River. She was kind, respectful, and extremely knowledgeable. I trusted her to keep our family safe, but also to give us a great time together.

This was my first time white water rafting and it was so much fun. Our guide T.C. Lee was very nice and treated us with care. He was very knowledgeable about the River and the many different names of the tides and rocks. I would definitely do this again

4.8

(1156)

5.0

(3826)

430 US-64, Ocoee, TN 37361, USA

We love Outdoor Adventure Rafting!! We have been coming here every year since we first started whitewater rafting. They have the absolute best guides and staff! We always have tons of fun and feel completely safe because of how womdeful the guides are. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!Also, they are all hilarious and will have you laughing the entire time!Our favorite guides are Hayden and Cleveland. They are so fun!

Rafted on 7-10-23 with my family. We have done rafting before in Colorado and have always enjoyed it, but this was the best time ever. The river is great because of constant action, and our guide Jon was phenomenal. We took the more adventurous line on a number of the rapids and then would go back and surf some of them. He was constant energy. We got to the last two rapids and he asked if we wanted to take the road less traveled, noting that you could get tossed from the raft. We chose that and all five of us went for a swim. It was awesome. Highly recommend. If you can get Jon, you will have the best time.

Great day on the Ocoee! Our guide, Brett, was amazing. It all begins with a very informative safety briefing, then about a 20-30 minute drive to the put in on the bus. We did the middle run. The water was high that day and we played with a lot of fun rafting tricks. Thanks Brett! We will be back, and will take on the full river.

David was our guide yesterday & he made the experience sooo fun! From the time we stepped foot on the property til the end of the adventure. He brings good energy & made sure we received the full experience.. This was my first time white water rafting & I can’t stop talking about the experience. Thank you so much David ! You are awesome ⭐️!

Highly recommend this outfitter! I'm sure that all of the guides are great, but our guide Brett is amazing! He really knows his stuff! Highly recommend asking for Brett when you go ... you'll be doing some fun tricks in the rapids that you may not necessarily get to do with other guides. You'll get to practice "surfing" on the downstream of some rapids, "bull ride", spins, etc. Brett is very personable and hilarious..... he really works hard to see that his guests have fun. Brett and this outfitter are very safe ... thorough safety briefings and instructions, and safe equipment in excellent condition.

We had such a great time with Outdoor Adventure Rafting! Definitely recommend them. Jared was our guide, and he was very knowledgeable of every rapid, kept it a lot of fun but also very safe the whole way. Jane at OAR was super helpful every time I called with any questions about how to prepare or what to do locally after we finished. Hope you go to OAR for your Ocoee trip as well

Fantastic experience! We camped out and then did the middle river section the next day. Great price and a great company. Our guide, Tito, knew the River super well and was able to provide us a unique and thrilling experience while keeping us safe along the way. This was my second time using OAR- they are the best!

Highly recommend for rustic camping, whitewater rafting, and tubing trips.It’s a quiet place to camp which I love. Sits right on the lower Ocoee and has great tubing trips for people with young children or who want a relaxing day. They also offer Middle and Full river trips if whitewater rafting is your style. They have trips running every day the river is on for tubing and whitewater rafting.They have a large campground great for camping off grid, tents, or car camping. Lots of hot showers, and ample restroom facilities. Nice store for tshirts, memorabilia, and snacks.If you prefer a cabin, they have plenty of those, and specialize in large groups.Family friendly environment. Outfitter was taken under new ownership a little over a year ago (female owned 💕) by a prior employee. The improvements to the facilities and equipment in a year are commendable and I highly encourage visiting this outfitter.If you go rafting request Dirty Mike 🥰

It was incredible!!! The experience was safe and fun and very beautiful. Our guide - Jon Hall - was amazing. Super nice funny and he did lots of cool tricks. I definitely recommend requesting him if you can. I will definitely be coming back.

This was my first time rafting and it was fantastic! We had Tyler as our guide and he was phenomenal! Funny, entertaining, knew what he was doing, and overall a great guide! We did the all day and I totally recommend it! Lunch was great, everyone was super nice and helpful! Definitely recommend and hopefully will be back in the future!

My nine-year-old daughter, and I had scheduled to float down the river in a tube, however, the weather didn’t cooperate. Even though the temperature dropped and it was raining, Tyler made our experience very enjoyable. We were able to float down the river in a raft instead of a tube, and they provided dry vests to help keep us warm and dry. Tyler was super positive the entire time and even helped keep my daughter entertained with her videography skills. Tyler has a lot of knowledge and experience on the river and I would highly recommend him for as a guide for any whitewater rafting or float down the river.

Had a blast for Mother’s Day weekend celebration with Mike and Tito! They were fun, and great guides highly recommend a rafting trip with them even more grateful for those “Yay Mike!” Moments! Thanks dirty Mike! I cannot wait to go again with you all!

Memorable day on the Ocoee River with OAR. We had a great time and got to experience some giant rapids. Our guide knew the river well and kept us safe, while also picking the right lines in the water to catch some intense rapids. My favorite rafting trip so far.

Had such a great time rafting with them. Our guide was named Mike, it was my first time rafting and I felt a little nervous before hand, but he made us feel so confident and knowledgeable by the end of it. We had such a fun time, and a big thanks to Mike, he kept us entertained and safe, and definitely created lovers of rafting!!The whole company was great! Kind, informative, amusing and very knowledgeable of the river. I’ll certainly be rafting with them again :)

I camped at OAR for 7 nights over a two week period. Their accommodations are fantastic. A quick walk to the bathroom & showers make camping a joy. They have several cabins, but I was camping. I was impressed with their Guide's knowledge and rafting skills. As a first time White water rafter, I was at ease with their captains at the helm. I did more than one trip. OAR has access to a great location just below the dam, for tubing. On my relaxing day, I tubed down with a group. I saw several groups, churches, schools and familys tubeing while I was there, everyone having a blast. I also used my paddleboard to launch at that same spot to go down river. It was fun , not too rough, and beautiful. This will always be my first stop as I leave Florida for fun

My wife and I went on the 5 mile trip with my brother and sister and spouses. We had an absolute blast...we will be back! The guides were all fun and informative. We had Sam as our guide, he was great. We all felt safe with him guiding us. Next time we're probably going to do the 10 mile paddle, thank you OAR and staff for a great day on the river!

We did not do the white water rapids but we did do the guided tubing tour and Alex and Sara were absolutely awesome they seemed very knowledgeable about the river and knew all dangerous obstacles in the river of which made our experience fun and safe. We had our service animals with us and it was awesome. Thanks so much for making our day the greatest.

We had a fantastic tubing adventure with Sarah yesterday. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and patient as she helped our little group down the calm river journey. My senior citizen mother had hurt her wrist earlier and couldn’t paddle well, and Sarah was great with bumping her to keep her on track. From ages 10 to 68, all three generations loved this tubing excursion!

We went rafting with OAR on a rainy Saturday and had an absolute blast. The staff couldn't have been more welcoming. Our guides and trip briefers were friendly and professional, and we had the best time on the river. We would definitely go rafting with OAR again!

My friend raved about the experience, and I had high expectations going in. The front desk treated me like a lifelong friend, and I felt super excited about the rest of the day. We loaded on the bus and the guides squeezed in for the 30 minute ride. Instead of relaxing, they entertained, engaged, and made us feel important. To me, this was going the extra mile that sets them apart because small details matter. The river was raging, gnarly was the word we heard often, and our guide, CAVEMAN, beemed with experience and a desire to make sure we were having a blast. He didn't disappoint! There wasn't a moment I didn't enjoy and that included being thrown out on "Slice and Dice." I left feeling I have friends for life and a new returning trip for my family.

We had a wonderful time tubing! I'm horrible names, but I believe one of the kids said our guide's name was Sarah. Anyhow, she was awesome! She had a great sense of humor and they all did a great job of making sure we avoided obstacles along the river. This was only our second time tubing, and we had a few children(ages 10-15) with our group this time, but we were able to relax more knowing that the guides were there to keep everyone safe.

4.9

(1151)

5.0

(2162)

629 Welcome Valley Rd, Benton, TN 37307, USA

My daughter wanted to celebrate her birthday with her school besties so she decided rafting was gonna be the way to go. Nervous as heck to take 8 12-13 year olds rafting. I looked through google and found Raft 1. From the start my call with Alisha was top notch!!!! She was so friendly and helpful. We finally rafted yesterday (5/18/24) and I cant say enough about these 2 guys (Parrot and Matt G). They made sure my girls had fun!!! I have rafted with a couple of other companies and NOT ONE of them compares to RAFT 1. They are definitely gonna make sure you have a blast. RAFT 1 you guys are the best and Y’all OWN THE OCOEE. The only place Im going when its time to raft. See ya soon!!!!Joy Ford

We had the best day Zip lining and white water rafting. Bob and Anna were great on our zip lining tour. Dirt was an absolutely amazing river guide. We felt safe the whole time yet we had a blast. We will definitely be back!

Great place for families. There is a cafe with food and you are allowed to bring outside food in. We packed a whole ice chest of food for lunch and had no issue. All of the staff were wonderful. Alisha at the front desk was super welcoming and answered all of our questions! For zip lining we were with Logan, Emily, and Wiley. All awesome people! They were easy to talk to, very knowledgeable, and funny! We felt super comfortable with them. Noah was our guide for rafting. Super cool and easy to talk to. This guy knows the river like the back of his hand and has some great stories. We had such a great time with him- one of the best experiences of my life. Holden and Emily were the tour guides for the other half of our group and they loved them both as well! 100% recommend this place!

This was my youngest two daughters first experience with whitewater rafting. Our guide Jase was awesome. He made the experience for the girls exceptional. We will be back to Raft One. The girls talked all the way home about our next trip and if they could bring their friends.

We had so much fun with Bucky and Gracie! They guided us on the zip line tour and we had a great time with them. Truly a wonderful experience 10/10 would recommend any tour done by them!We also went back and did white water rafting the following day with how great our first experience was and we got Jace and he was phenomenal! We told him we wanted to get a little roudy and he did not disappoint! He was sure to give us plenty of opportunities to do some cool tricks. It was my boyfriends first time and he did an awesome job at making him feel comfortable. From pros to first timers, Jace will be sure to give you a memorable experience!There’s plenty of places to adventure in this area, but the staff here is what makes this company stand out.

Our FULL day with Raft1 exceeded our expectations! We started with zip lining. Our guides were Weston and Holden. They were very witty and fun but also very safe.. though we tested their skills quite regularly! Never a dull moment with my family! Next , we had an AWESOME rafting trip!! Our guide ,Dirt, was great!! Very informative and fun!!! Kept an eye out for everyone and made sure everyone was safe!! ☺️ I HIGHLY recommend Raft1 for anyone wanting to have a good time!!! And remember…. You get what you pay for! 😜

I’ve never in my life done this ( water rafting ) and I’m 39, we did a friend trip (5) from Florida and we were nervous as none of us have experience this but I have to say that our guide HOLDEN was the man, he made the experience fun, he kept us laughing, he was very knowledgeable about the river, told us exactly what to do not to get hurt, made the experience so great. RAFTONE IS DEFINITELY A PLACE TO VISIT… thank you guys and HOLDEN thank you so much 😊 👍🏽

We had an awesome experience with Raft 1 ziplining. We were able to call the day off, on a Friday, and get in on the 2 hour zip. Price was reasonable. Gift shop was nice. Noah and Cal were top-notch guides. It takes a specific personality to help people enjoy these types of things, while still putting safety first.There is a photo package offered at the end which was a reasonable cost and a nice touch.Go zip!

This was our first whitewater trip. We were nervous and anxious but we had a great time. Our guide, Jamie, was absolutely amazing!We had quite the experience at Goliath, but Jamie kept her cool, saved the guy and navigated us through it all.We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would request her as our guide the next time!!

We had a great time on our rafting trip! John G was a great guide for us. It was our first rafting experience for some of us and we were a bit nervous but he didn't act crazy! Our kids were on another raft and they played and surfed waves and they had a great time with their guides too(Nic and Trashman) Five stars for them too!

Jace was outstanding as our guide on our first ever rafting trip. He went out of his way to assure we had the most amazing time and it did not go unnoticed. My 13 yr old daughter practically seems soulless on a regular but she was smiling from ear to ear the entire time. He made sure we remained safe but thoroughly enjoyed the ride at the same time. He was the best guide we could've asked for!

If you’re in the area you HAVE TO take this rafting trip! Our guide Danny “trash man” was very knowledgeable and a great asset to the trip…do yourself a favor and take the “full river” excursion. Our son even said “this is awesome” when we stopped for lunch. Don’t miss the Raft1 water slide either. Dry refreshing and Raft1 made it as easy as possible to enjoy the day with the family. Put Raft1 on your vacation agenda…your family will thank you for making great memories…

10/10 recommend! This was the highlight of our girls trip! SHOUTOUT TO BUCKY AND SPENCER for the entertainment and excitement all while keeping us safe. We zip lined the first day and had so much fun that we returned for white water rafting the next day! As my first time experiencing these things, I definitely felt confident with Bucky and Spencer giving us directions and guiding us along the way! Would love to come back!

We had the BEST TIME EVER on our rafting trip with Jace. He was the best guide, super fun, knowledgeable, and went out of his way to make sure we had an awesome experience on the river. We have tried other rafting tours but this one by far has been the best. We will back again and again!

We cannot say enough about how spectacular this rafting company is. I have been coming here every summer with my husband James for the past 6 years, and he’s been rafting with them for the past 15 years. They never disappoint and we always have the time of our lives. We have brought various guests with us, from children to petrified adults to other adventure seekers like ourselves, and everyone always has a great time. All the guides are amazing and you can tell the company takes their time to ensure they offer the best trained guides. We have had Dirt as our trusty guide several times. I strongly recommend asking for him as your guide- you will have an amazing time! Dirt knows every inch of the Ocoee River, is highly skilled, and super friendly. He knows how to show his guests a great time. On one of the slower days, he even took us out to a neat little waterfall just off the side of the river. It was such a lovely surprise and great addition to our trip. Safety is a top concern as well. The owners, two brothers, Brent and Dusty, always greet us with a smile and remember us from years past (they are both very experienced guides as well!) Book your excursions with this outfit, you will be happy you did!

We took an amazing zip-line tour and it was our first time for that, both in our lives and together. Our guides Gracie and Weston were amazingly patient with us and really humorous the whole tour. Thank you both for a wonderful ride!

Amazing experience and we was blessed to have a great guide Spencer. Spencer was really knowledgeable about the river and compassionate toward us. He was helpful and humble, funny and make the experience extra fun. Having a great guide like Spencer make things so much better specially for my husband and I first timers doing rafting. For us was a experience that will go in our memories. We was celebrating our anniversary and husband birthday. So happy I chooses raftone.

Ziplining - our family of five (kids age 10, 12, 13) did the course. It was just us, so was like a private group with 2 really good guides (Spencer and Jamie). Course is really good, lots of long zips. You do have to slow yourself down on several by placing a gloved hand on the line, we didn’t really like this aspect and had never had to do that on other courses. But overall really good and we’d do it again.Middle Raft trip - just my son and I did. It was AWESOME! Our guide Jace was the best. It was our first time doing this level of rapids and son was scared to fall out, we asked for a safe ride and Jace delivered. Plus they did extra special things that other outfitters didn’t, like slide rock where we got out and could jump on and slide down our overturned raft and a hole jump thing, all of the other rafts just cruised by watching us have more fun. Would highly recommend, felt safe the entire ride and we really enjoyed it. Definitely request Jace.

5.0

(1327)

5.0

(2692)

4599 US-64, Copperhill, TN 37317, USA

We had a blast white water rafting. Donavon was a fun and experienced guide. He kept us laughing during our trip but also was very knowledgeable about the river/area. My best friend never had white water rafted before and he kept her nerves at ease. The owner of Rolling thunder was very thorough in the pre-trip information. I would definitely recommend it and we are definitely going to return.

We had the best time doing full day rafting with Rolling Thunder! Our tour guide, Emerson, and trainee, Josh, were super knowledgeable, professional, and fun! This was my first time rafting and I felt so comfortable, safe, and had the best time with family from check in all the way to leaving.I would definitely recommend and return to Rolling Thunder River Co.Thank you guys!

Our tour guide “Subway” made the whole trip! Amazing views and would 10/10 recommend asking for “subway” to be your guide! Incredible how he knows the river so well! We did the best/coolest stuff out of all the rafts down the river that day! We surfed some waves, rode the bull and never fell out also heard so incredible stories along the way!

AMAZING! We were a big group of 7 and only 1 of us had been rafting in the past, but our guide Chris was phenomenal. He truly knew how to read our group and made it exciting but also made us feel comfortable and safe the whole trip. We were a big group but they allowed us all to stay in the same raft and all the guides seemed so friendly and we’re constantly cracking jokes on the bus ride to keep the vibe positive. We will definitely be back! Great prices too!

It was such an excellent 1st time experience doing this. I'm hooked and would LOVE to do this again!!! Tristan was a fantastic guide and made our trip very fun.

Rolling Thunder did not disappoint, it was intense, exciting snd so much fun!! Jim was amazing! He made us feel safe and part of a team. Highly Recommend doing both the Upper and Middle Ocoee, We did!!

Absolutely amazing trip. Father son trip before son leaves to college. Only disappointment is that I waited too long. Should have done this long time ago. Was blast and worth every cent. Quizno was awesome. From what I hear taught subway everything he knows. Great guide and made for even more amazing experience.

Five stars all the way through from start to finish. Reservation and check-in were seamless. The orientation and bus ride was funny and informative. Our river guide Kailee was Amazing! She had great control of our raft even when we were screaming instead of rowing, lol. My family and I had the best time ever! It was thrilling, exhilarating, fun and it's one of those adventures in life you've got to try at least once. I would only trust Rolling Thunder River Company with my whitewater adventure.

Our Bachelorette trip had a WILD ride with Wild Man! Highly recommend Rolling Thunder River Company and if you can ask for Wild Man to be your guide! Thank you for such an amazing experience!

Best experience I ever had. Thanks to the Rolling Thunder River Company team they are *AWESOM* Our guide were Kailee, she gave us the experience that we will talk about for a life time she gets a "10" in my book, The guide, guy on the bus from Chattanooga I cannot remember his name deserves a *10* also he make you feel so welcome. Man I love this place and the staff everyone gets a *10* peace out guys until I get back in may.

Our trip from Atlanta Ga to NC for our first water rafting trip was nothing less than perfect !! The guides were very knowledgeable of the waters and they put our safety first!! The experience was so awesome!! We are definitely going back soon!! Thanks everyone for the awesome experience!!

Had such an amazing time!! Kailey gave us the best experience possible and made my brothers birthday even more special. Highly recommended for family and friends, the views are amazing the staff are friendlyDefinitely will be coming back!

Wow, this was awesome!! What a great time the family had, so they want you there at least 30 minutes before the trip to go over rules and gear. Once you have the gear, you go on a 15-minute bus ride to the drop-off section. Then off you go!! The staff there is excellent most people are a little nervous but once you are on the river it's beautiful. Definitely give this a shot you will really enjoy it.

Lilly was our tour guide and not only was she super funny she was an amazing guide! We had 10 in our group, 5 in each raft. We did so many "extras" on the trip including 360's, surfing' and riding the bull!! It was such a blast, will definitely be back!!

Best rafting company on the ocoee, always experienced and knowledgeable guides. Jefe took extraa good care of us on our trip. Made sure we surfed the holes and got our money’s worth. Will definitely be back next year to do the olympic course.

What an awesome time!!! We went twice and would go again! My preteen daughter and I kayaked the 1.5 mile section several days ago, and my wife, daughter, and I did the 6 mile section today. We had a blast! The staff a RTRC was great, and the drop off process was seamless. The river is so peaceful, and we enjoyed going at our own pace.

We had a blast with Wildman Jack at Rolling Thunder River Company!Earlier that day, we had booked with another company on a different river. When we got all the way up to the drop-in spot we were informed that the river didn't have enough water.Bummer.That's when we called Rolling Thunder and they couldn't have been more helpful. They were able to book us on one of their last runs for the day over the phone in time to save the day.That's when a got paired with the infamous Wildman Jack. He was, simply put, amazing. His knowledge of the rivers and surrounding areas is in itself a reason to book with him. But the real fun is on the river with Wildman! Don't let the name fool you though, when one of our party members took an unexpected excursion off the raft, Wildman sprang into action and add him back on board before we knew it.I can't say enough about how fun this is. You owe is to yourself to go to Rolling Thunder and make sure you ask for Wildman Jack!

Most fun we’ve had in years! The people at this company really care about their customers. We had a guide named “wild man Jac” who was super laid back, hilarious and yet still extremely professional. He made sure we had fun and stayed safe. 10/10 highly recommend this company and the guide Wild man Jac!

We had a party of 4. We had "cheese" as our guide. The middle was our selected course. When we met cheese, he asked us. Do we want easy or wild. Obviously, a group of guys are going to choose wild. It was nothing short of an awesome time. That whole group cares about safety out there. A raft did flip over, cheese had us rush over there and we ended up pulling 2 people from the river to safety. The importance he shows with safety and making sure we had an awesome trip. This company is hands down number 1 for rafting. I'm already looking forward to booking another trip. Full day this time!!

Such a great first experience! Everything was well organized and well done from start to finish and I felt all our youth group kids were safe, while simultaneously having an amazing experience. Jackson was the guide on my raft and he was incredible! Super knowledgeable about the river, the area and rafting. He answered every question I threw at him, and I ask alotta questions. In addition to being super smart, he was super fun. He balanced giving our group a safe experience with as many challenges as we could manage and were up for. He let us feel like we could "choose our adventure" while being well cared for by an experienced, thoughtful, mindful guide who fulfilled every word he gave and didn't once steer us wrong - pun intended. So grateful for Jackson and the whole Rolling Thunder Team!!

Mk was full of excitement and made the whole trip an amazing experience. We came in nervous and she definitely helped smoothed our nerves! She made sure to guide us through all the challenges safely and most importantly she made sure we had fun!

4.9

(980)

5.0

(2935)

20 Hughes St, McCaysville, GA 30555, USA

9 lists

I never had the chance to visit the museum in its previous location, however I can reinforce previous reviews that say this museum is very small. It's also hard to tell what age group this museum is catering to. The front half of the museum is very wordy, mature, and packed with information. The back half features many interactive displays obviously geared towards children. It seems like it would make more sense to have more interactive, kid-friendly displays throughout, rather than packed in the back of the museum.The staff at the museum seemed very friendly and knowledgeable, with some members being long-term residents and/or employees in Oak Ridge with firsthand experience related to the exhibits in the museum. One staff member approached us multiple times to share anecdotes relating to Oak Ridge, which was nice and unexpected!Overall, I liked the musuem. However, it was small and didn't have as many artifacts and relics as I had hoped. Unfortunately there were a lot of exhibits that only had paragraphs on the wall to read and didn't include the physical objects that really catch your eye and hold your interest.If you're looking for a museum exclusively relating to Oak Ridge or the Manhattan Project, I think the K-25 History Center down the road is slightly better, as it's roughly the same size and manages to pack more information and more artifacts into the museum. But if you're in the area and looking for things to do, it can't hurt to visit both as they both have their strengths and weaknesses!

Super nice and clean little place. The activity areas were nice (although some things were broken). The portions about the history of Oak Ridge and the atom bomb were interesting, but honestly, nowhere near as good as the old museum. My kids missed seeing all of the bombs that used to be there. They would love to go back however.

Incredibly small, but the fee for entry isn't terrible at $10.00. You could absolutely see everything they have here in less than one hour. There are not a lot of actual relics, but they have a wide variety of 3D printed replicas of items of interest. Weekdays are full of school field trips so be prepared for a bit of noise if you visit during those times.

Enjoyed this place. And a 3D printed Jeep. Come on. Informative.Manhattan project. I believe the bomb saved 1000s of lives.

Four adults and my grandson went. It was very interesting for all of us. Not too crowded on Monday. Some interactive stuff like programming a mechanical mouse in the lab. Lots of nuke history.

Takes just over an hour to visit all the exhibits. Senior citizen rate $5. Cool gift shop w plenty of history books and gadgets. Perfect for me to geek out while the wife went shopping nearby. Thanks AMSE

The American Museum of Science and Energy is a fantastic place that is just jam packed with information, displays, and interactive features throughout - all related to science and energy contributions that the Oak Ridge National Laboratory were instrumental in making. The amount of information will keep you there for a couple of hours, and there are some games and such in the back that could keep you there longer. It's relatively inexpensive and well worth the admission price. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. I'd highly recommend this museum.

This was inexpensive and informative stop! It's small, but don't let that fool you. There is a lot to look at and try.We gave the robotic arms our best shot and tried the brain games in the back. I wish I had taken a pic of the periodic table of games. It was such a fun room!All the examples of 3D printed objects were neat to see too.Can you imagine keeping an entire city secret in today's connected society?!

Loved the video at the beginning of the museum that tells how the area was used and that a lot of women were employed to watch the equipment. Plus, they talk about the effect that the atomic bomb had on Japan and how it ended the war. They also as you make your way through the museum talk about how nuclear energy is used in today's world in ways that have nothing to do with bombs. Again, age limit on this I think would be 13+ just because it has a lot of reading and I think younger kids would be bored in fact someone had two young kids as we were finishing the museum who were already bored and yelling. This site sits in an odd place as it's in a shopping center. They do have plenty of parking and if you are planning on doing the K25 Museum on that same day hold onto you receipt show it at the next museum and admission will only be $5.

This museum gives an overview of the history and current role Oak Ridge, TN plays in the nuclear power and technology fields. There are some interactive displays that are entertaining and educational for older elementary aged children up to adults. I spent an hour and a half at the museum and was able to see all of the exhibits. I would recommend a visit!

An excellent museum in the heart of Oak RidgeOak Ridge has a rich history steeped in science and helping to build the atomic bomb and win WWIIThe Oak Ridge Museum of Science and Energy is a captivating destination that offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich history and groundbreaking scientific advancements of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The museum provides an engaging and educational experience for visitors of all ages. It showcases the remarkable contributions of Oak Ridge to the fields of nuclear science, energy research, and national defense. Through informative exhibits, interactive displays, and engaging multimedia presentations, visitors are taken on a journey through time, exploring the city's pivotal role in the Manhattan Project during World War II and its subsequent impact on science, technology, and society.One of the highlights of the museum is its comprehensive collection of artifacts, including historical documents, photographs, and equipment used in early nuclear research. These exhibits offer a tangible connection to the past and provide valuable insights into the scientific breakthroughs achieved in Oak Ridge.The museum offers educational programs, workshops, special events that further enhance the learning experience. There is a bus tour that leaves from here to take some visitors around Oak Ridge on a tour of the various key historical sites. Knowledgeable and friendly staff members are readily available to answer questions and provide additional information, ensuring a fulfilling visit.Overall, the Oak Ridge Museum of Science and Energy is a must-visit attraction for those interested in the history of science and technology.

This was an awesome BSA Scouting trip with our awesome troop. The museum had many fun and interactive activities. We attended A demonstration of the Van de Graaff generator to learn about electricity. This is the hair raising activity that everyone loves so much! The gift shop was so fun with lots of interesting selections. Staff at the museum were so nice and accommodating.

A neat and fun place to learn about nuclear energy and science. Several good hands on exhibit options.You won’t be bored and will learn and have fun at the same time. Fascinating and informative video worth viewing. Learn about nuclear submarines and neutron detectors, and have some fun with Archimedes Screws. Learn more about the Secret City and life during WWII.Exhibits are well laid out, and a lot of time and money was put into this museum and it shows. Gift shop has all sorts of interesting items for sale as well, most reasonably priced. Bring in a few quarters to play the pinball machine. See an entire Army Jeep completely made on a 3D printer (how did they even do that?) as well as a small car and an old robot. Such a unique mix of items that will keep you entertained as you explore the museum. Don’t let the fact that it is at the end of a mall fool you. This place is large and has something for everyone and very reasonably priced to enter. Even if passing through at least put this museum on your list.

4.5

(1439)

4.5

(532)

115 E Main St, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA

It's a great location in the middle of endless curves, mountain trails, and fishing.Large garage to put group motorcycles is a huge asset.We even had a hot tub at the end of the day to warm up and relax muscles in.House works well for groups with 4 bedrooms in the treetops house, but needs some TLC on windows.Looking forward to coming back again someday.

The owner, property, cabin and garage are fantastic. Best place to stay and we are already planning to return.

I can't begin to describe how perfect this place is.The location, the amenities... I will update when the trip is done.

Great place for a large group to stay. Nice amenities and close to tons of great roads.

Great place to stay. All the amenities you could possibly want. Excellent location.

4.9

(10)

4.5

(1248)

1189 Lucinda Reed Rd, Robbinsville, NC 28771, USA

+119 other lists

This was my third time being at Cades Cove in Tennessee. I've had the opportunity to see several black bears on each occasion. I got within 20 feet of one this time and got some great videos along with photos. There are also several deer along with other wildlife. The backdrop of the smoky mountains all around you is worthy of the trip as well. This is an 11 mile loop that you can drive at your own pace with several locations to pull off for photo opportunities.

This was so much fun. Definitely bring snacks and drinks if you are going through in your car. It was such a cool experience to see how they lived. I loved getting out and going through the houses. It was also a great view of the mountains and wildlife. While we were driving through, there was a bear behind the fence, and it was awesome to see it so close. Another great thing is that a park ranger went to where the bear was spotted and made sure everyone and the bear was safe.

One of my favorite places to go, to meditate and pray after a long week. Whether I see bears or not, I love the landscape and scenery, especially the clouds against the mountains.

A great drive though nature with beautiful sights at every turn. The loop is spectacular with trees, rapids filled streams and flowers where ever you look. The store and bicycle rental is convenient and fun to look through. They have a wide range of souvenirs and items for sale. A very peaceful place to visit or to camp.

Beautiful place to vacation year-round,Me and my family have been going as a tradition since the early 1950s from the hiking trails to the wildlife to having a peaceful ride around the loop, there is some thing for everyone, and I look forward to coming back every year!

The Cades cove scenic loop is one of the best places to see eastern black bear, and of course the scenery and historical log buildings are great too. The campground has no hookups or showers available (flush toilets and potable water are though) but the sites are not too close and the wooded setting is nice with lots of wildlife in the campground.

Many very nice sights to see! The views of the mountains are unbelievable! There are many smaller structures some dating back 200 years! Small pull offs and trails all along the way! We saw many deer, unfortunately no bears tho. The loop is one way with many sights to see! Definitely worth the drive!

When exploring the Smoky Mountain National Park, don't miss Cades Cove. It's 11-mile loop provides access to a variety of homesteads and churches that give insight to life in the mountains 150 years ago. Take your time. Enjoy the views. Read the signs. Look for wildlife. Allow yourself to be transported back in time to a much younger America.

This is another must visit attractions in great smoky mountains national park. This a very scenic 11 mile one way loop road that offers amazing views of the nature and wildlife. You can slowly drive along the loop road or even do biking. Cars are not allowed on Wednesday but you can bike or walk down the loop. Rest of the days cars are allowed. One can easily spend 2 to 4 hours depending on the slowness of traffic. Most of the times traffic slows down if they see any wildlife. There is a visitor center located half way the loop road where there is restroom and a small gift shop. Most of the times one can see bears, deers, turkeys, etc.,. There is also a information center at the start of the loop. This is definitely recommended.

Amazing views and chance to see wildlife! Get there early before traffic backs up too much and stop at restrooms at campground before you depart, could be long time till next restroom at visitors center.

It was wonderful. We made the circle 3 times. In the first lap we enjoyed the nature and saw 2 coyotes, we started the second lap around 6:30 pm and we managed to see a black bear and lots of roe deer, and the third lap was magical because the meadows were full of fireflies. We haven't seen fireflies for a long time in our country, barely one a year and this was really magical for us. We enjoyed it, it was like being in a fairy tale. The road is 11 miles long and goes only one way, but since there is always a lot of cars, and everyone wants to see and take photo of both the scenery and animals, the first lap with few stops lasted 2 hours. We drove for almost 4 and a half hours and we are not sorry. We enjoyed it to the max. Must see for everyone.

I've been wanting to go for years and it was great! Don't go in expecting to be out in under an hour. The loop is not meant to drive through fast and if you want to finish in under that, just don't go. You may see some wildlife but if people see a bear, they act ridiculous. If you're expecting to see a bear, you may want to just try a nature trail or short nearby trail. Bear sitings aren't always guaranteed.

We had an awesome time driving through here! I came in the off season so it was slightly less crowded than usual, but still pretty busy. We saw two bears, some wild turkey, and a fox which was cool. Overall this was a super scenic drive that I would definitely recommend to anyone in the area!

Beautiful place! We saw so many bears . Took a lot of pictures. There was a lot of wildlife to view. The mountains looked so beautiful.

My husband and I hiked the Abrams Falls trail. The trail was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time. The drive there, however, was a bit stressful. They have signs on the scenic loop saying not to stop. We got behind several people who stopped every time they saw a deer or sometimes for no reason at all. There are many areas that allow you to pull off the road to stop and look, but many people just stop in the road and no one can pass. The road is a single one way lane. We ended up taking about 30+ minutes to drive the short distance to the trail head. Leaving was even worse. So if you go, please be courteous and pull over if you want to stop to look.

Beautiful view. Go well fed, bring snacks for the kids, use the bathroom before you go. It's a one way loop with other cars and pulloffs. Don't stop in the road. Do stop at the visitor center, look up hours of operation and expect to spend more than an hour to make it through.

Breathtakingly beautiful scenery. We were hoping to see bears on our visit, but we didn't spot any this time. We enjoyed seeing deer and turkeys. The untouched vast landscapes are phenomenal. I'd highly recommend this drive to anyone.

A must see scenic route! If fortunate, you’ll see wildlife. Note: sometimes it’s possible to not see any, but still give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed regardless because the scenery is breathtaking!

I’ve been going here my entire life and it never gets old. Amazing views of scenery and wildlife. Ignore the review from the guy who said there were no restrooms on the loop, there are multiple restrooms along the loop. Check this place out.

One of our favorite places to go while visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. An easy to drive scenic loop full of beautiful nature, wildlife and history. If you are lucky you might even get to see a black bear.

I don’t understand the hype about driving through this valley. There are so many other beautiful areas of the park with breathtaking vistas. It is a good location if you want to see some old wood cabins and churches built by the first European settlers.

I wanted to see a bear so bad but I don’t think they are out too much yet. We did see lots of deer and turkey! It was a beautiful drive plus we managed to hit a quiet time so there wasn’t a ton of traffic yet either!

This is a must do at least once in your life as a wildlife excursion that has no script and is different in each season and each separate visit offers a unique but safe interaction with nature. Be prepared for delays when bears or deer are close by even if they aren't by you traffic will clog... Allow 30 mins to 1.5 hrs longer than gps calulates. Also have a beverage and snacks at the ready it took over 3 hrs for us to get thru it but its worth it

Always enjoy seeing the deer, foxes, bears, etc . Also, there are many rustic cabins, churches, and an old mill. Many trails to explore, a waterfall, an old cave, and many other things to see. During the warmer months, they have entertainment such as rustic music, srup, or molasses making at the visitors center at the halfway point

We love Cades Cove. It’s such a beautiful place. We used to go there a lot when I when I was younger, we would camp for weeks at a time, and this was the first time I have been back in many many years, but no surprise. It was still beautiful the scenery all the wildlife we seen so many bears as you can see in the picture below and I sure enjoyed the ice cream and the gift shop. Everyone was so friendly. It’s just a beautiful place that the Lord has gave us to enjoy his creation. All the trails were marked very well. All the old churches were steal in remarkable shape and all the Rangers were friendly.

This place is a gem!If you end up going, don’t stop in the middle of the road!! There are places to pull off the road literally everywhere, yet folks were still stopping smack dab in the middle. It’s a one-way loop, and when you stop, you hold everyone up. Don’t be that person.

Nice, fun loop to drive through. Daily access is super cheap and there's plenty of rest stops and bathrooms along the way. There's beautiful landscapes all around and plenty of critters abound. Just keep an eye out for the black bears, as when they show up, everyone is going to stop in their tracks and take pictures as they travel.

Cades cove always delivers awesome beautiful trip sad I didn't see a bear but very beautiful also if you visit please don't allow your children to write on things

Just visited in the beginning January and it was still absolutely beautiful. We even got to see some deer. Plan on spending 2 to 4 hours to see the whole loop And probably worse when it is busy. There is only one restroom I noticed on the whole loop. Definitely worth the visit.

Beautiful place to visit especially if you have kids who love exploring and seeing animals. I do recommend going during the week and at lunchtime or later afternoon. Those have been the slowest times and we were able to explore without feeling rushed!

Beautiful park and very friendly staff at the park store. We didn't see any bears because they were hibernating. We did see plenty of whitetail deer, though. Can't wait to go back in April when the bears are out.

4.7

(2981)

4.5

(5618)

Tennessee 37882, USA

4.5

(2987)

Knoxville, TN 37902, USA

+44 other lists

One of the best zoos I've been to. The animals seem happy and active, and not only are the exhibits top notch with multiple view points, some of which are inside (with A/C!), but the walking paths are engaging with thoughtfully placed water misters and shade! So much care for the animals and guests. Plenty of attractions to keep kids happy, the food is actually good and reasonably priced. Definitely worth a trip!! 10/10

I live about 45 minutes away from Knoxville and yearly we get memberships to the zoo. I highly recommend doing so if you live in the area! The zoo is smaller than many zoos, but still has a lot to do and see for kids of all ages. They’ve recently renovated their habitat for reptiles and it looks great! They host seasonal events and activities (Boo at the Zoo, dinosaur takeover, etc.). The splash pad is great, the petting zoo and play area are cute, and the food at the restaurants are (expectedly) overpriced, but good quality. They do well in their maintenance and cleanliness and it seems like the animals are well cared for.

We had a great time at the Zoo Knoxville. We went with three kids under 5 and three adults on a weekday morning. We did not have a wait to get tickets or enter the zoo. The zoo is very well laid out with easy to navigate paths and signs, with bathrooms / changing rooms always close by. There was something for everyone in our group with fun exhibits and explanations for all the fun and unique animals. We brought in our wagon and alternated from pushing our kids or letting them run along the paths to the next exhibit. The zoo has a variety of animals in exciting enclosures, a petting zoo, splash pads (not open when we went), a kids playground, and lots of photo opportunities.There are many food stands, restaurants with indoor and outdoor eating areas, however many of them were not open when we were visiting.The other unique set of displays in this zoo is their dinosaur exhibits where there are large robotic dinosaurs that move and make noise. My kids really loved those!Overall the zoo took us about 2 hours to complete, which was the perfect time for short - attention spans and we ended right before lunch. I would definitely go again to explore the splash pad and playground areas as well as to see the well cared for animals again.

We love Zoo Knoxville! My daughter adores all her animal friends who live at the zoo. She is a big fan of monkeys, red pandas, ghiraffes, otters, and tigers. The zoo is well arranged for ease of visiting. This zoo's trails run in loops and the animals have reasonably large well appropriated paddocks. There is plenty of shade for the animals and humans that are at the zoo. The zoo has sunscreen and hand sanitizer dispensers throughout their facilities for sanitizing and preventing children from getting sun burnt. There is also a splash pad for children and parents to cool down during the hot of the Summer. This zoo is definitely a world class Zoological Park.

We love this zoo! The staff is so friendly, and very knowledgeable. We had the opportunity to go to a party hosted privately after hours, and to have the zoo to ourselves was such a wonderful experience. The guided tours, refreshments along the way, feeding the giraffe and a catered dinner, just wow! They pull out all the stops!

For about 10 yrs we have bought yr passes...we have skipped a year here and there before openings of new exhibits...we are such a big fan of knoxville zoo...they have some neat exhibits and fun experiences...till September you can walk the trails and see the dinosaurs and some move...the new outer space is one of our favorites. Being up close to red pandas and a sloth is pretty cool too! Not to mention riding carousel.

It was a wonderful day with my son, their Uncle Wesley, and 2 & 3 yr old granddaughters. Their parents were on a BD and Anniversary get away. It was miserably hot so the misters were nice to walk through. All the animals were out and we seen them all but the Bears. We actually noticed how Healthy all the animals looked too. We are so very proud of Knoxville Zoo. The moving and roaring Dino's throughout was exciting. I wish we had known more about the Dino Eggs while we were actually there. But my 3 yr old found them anyway. The old Safari Jeep was a perfect idea for kids to play in. It was truly a wonderful day to spend with my grown son and our little ones.

We love coming to the zoo. We first started our excursions because we were socializing our Service Dog and what better place to introduce distractions? The animals all loved our dog and made the trips more exciting. Now we enjoy coming with family, in particular our little niece and nephews. Well worth the price and time spent. Members get food and gift shop discounts, so that's a plus too!

We love this zoo so much!!! Great reptile exhibit indoors for inclement weather. Love the new otter habitat too! Plenty of good food options and places for kids to play between visiting the animals. Kids got to feed a sloth one time too!

A pretty decent zoo for the price. It's about $25/person to get in, and you can easily spend a few hours here. They have a good amount of things for small kids to keep them busy. There's a nice play area, petting zoo, carousel, and a splash pad. The assortment of animals is pretty standard for a zoo. I did appreciate the turtle and frog section they have set up. The gift shop is very pricey, so get your stuffed animals elsewhere and skip the markups.

Great experience. Lots of animals and very spacious. This is one of the better zoos that I've been to. I think the directions are a little difficult to follow, But ultimately you will manage I really enjoyed the up close and personal tiger area and then the lion area.

Giving a three stars simply because 3-4 exhibits was empty. We wasn’t able to see the zebras, tiger,otters, rhinos they where no out. I’m unsure what was going on but my little girl was so sad about the zebras. The dinosaur exhibit was truly wonderful. We have a Dino obsessed little boy and he was amazed. They made the whole trip worth it just to see him smile. Over all nice zoo would recommend updating the strollers too they were a little run down. But I do like that they have that option to be able to rent one. Parking was a mess but not the zoos fault it was just a busy time.

The Knoxville Zoo is a great place to spend the morning before the day gets too hot. Even when the animals are too hot, you can still see them indoors as these spaces have glassed viewing areas. My daughter and I spent around 2 1/2 hours viewing the animals and reading about the various conservation programs such as the Red Panda Preservation. Surprisingly, the Dinosaurs at Dawn exhibit was also a favorite and we were impressed by their animatronics. Parking was free and easy. The other visitors seemed to be local parents/grandparents with small children.

Went to the Knoxville zoo today with my kids. We went up to get our tickets and the girl charged me for my two year old who should have been free. After I corrected that she also charged $5.00 for parking. The lot was so full we had to park over by Muse and we still got charged for parking. So for four of us we paid $80.85. That's kind of steep for a zoo this size. Once inside we realized many of the animals were not outside. Many enclosures had nothing to view and several people were commenting on it. Also couldn't help but notice lots of the concessions stands were closed as well. It's spring break and it was very crowded. My kids rode the train and the merry go round and both were an additional $4 per kid per ride. They did however enjoy both. What animals we were able to see my kids enjoyed. They also loved the dinosaur a lot. The petting zoo was a favorite of the kids as well. I gave three stars because my kids did enjoy the experience. My girl and I were somewhat disappointed and probably had a two star experience. They need more animals and more viewing opportunities for the animals they do have. The kids were entertained and I guess that's all that counts. Being forced to exit through the gift shop with kids felt like a final cash grab. Water for $3.50 in the vending machine with all the water fountains off was frustrating. I would reluctantly recommend a visit but not really enthusiastically. We wished we had a better time but we're just being honest.

Nice little Zoo. (I'm from San Diego, and our Zoo is very large and more than one park, which is why I said little Zoo.) They do a nice job with the enclosures. Fun outing to take the Grandkids for the day! They're doing a little remodeling, so there were a few interruptions to the flow around the park. They have the natural habitat type of enclosures, which I appreciate. Lovely weather, we had a lot of fun! I also appreciate the fact that they have free admission for Veterans! Good job!!

Have been to many of the zoo's throughout the US and this has become our favorite! At the end of our 1st visit we bought memberships and going back regularly. Love the layout of the animals and allows you to feel like you are up close and personal. The animals all look so healthy and happy with their unique enclosures. Even on a cooler cloudy day, the zoo is a great place to visit and enjoy a walk. A must go for everyone, it won't disappoint.

Great zoo. Nice place for the family to enjoy an outing. Lots of cool animals. Make sure to visit the Arc building. It has several snakes and neat things.

Very clean. They have fun interacting animals And they also have extinct animals like this One that Is mixed with a Tiger bear and has horns on his head. And they're also coming out with a dinosaur Except they have fun interacting. Little rides for the kids like under 4 or 5 or 6. And you can put them on the little scooters that are shaped like animals and you can ride with them around in the park. They also have a petting zoo a playground and the sandbox for them. You should go.

This was my first visit to the Knoxville Zoo, and I have to say that I was expecting a much better experience than the one I received. I'll start with the low points:The animals seemed...sad. Most of them were sleeping or hiding. So, you don't get to see half of the animals that are advertised. And the ones that you do see (for the most part) seem exhausted and miserable. The glare on some of the exhibits make it nearly impossible to see in when the sun is out. Accessibility appears to be limited in some areas of the Zoo. Lastly, the gift shop isn't even worth visiting in my opinion, there's hardly anything related to the zoo itself.My favorite and what I consider the best part of the zoo was the amphibian and reptiles exhibit. But beware, it can get very hot in there due to the humidity and crowding. So, I would avoid it if you have breathing issues. I really enjoyed it though. They have some cool snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs. Plus that's where their sloth is located! Loved him. Would have totally stolen him if he wasn't so high up. The Gorillas are also amazing. I could have stood and watched them for hours. They have so much personality.That's about all I have to say.

The Knoxville Zoo is a fantastic place to visit. With a diverse range of animals and well-maintained habitats, it provides an enjoyable and educational experience for all ages. The staff is knowledgeable and passionate about conservation, and they offer informative talks and feeding sessions. The zoo's layout is easy to navigate, and there are plenty of shaded areas to take a break. It's a great destination for families, animal lovers, and anyone looking to support wildlife preservation. Don't miss the red pandas and the reptile exhibits – they are a real highlight!

The Knoxville Zoo is always a blast. If you have kids and/or love animals, I highly recommend visiting. Some of these pics are from their temporary Planet Prehistoric exhibit, which is pretty cool.

Zoo Knoxville was great, however some of the enclosures did not have any of the animals posted that was supposed to be in them (just a few enclosures). We did get to see several animals which did make for the empty enclosures. We stepped into one of the cafes got in line to grab a drink. The cashier was putting souvenir cups together and putting the straws in them with her bare hands (should of been wearing gloves) we saw this and left the Cafe. Our experience was great but could have been better. We will come back to the animals.

So fun! We thought we were done in 2 hours then quickly realized we missed a whole section of the zoo in the back with elephant and rhino and more! We will definitely be back.P.s. - $5 for parking unless you're a member!

What an amazing zoo! My toddler loved that for many of the animals there were multiple views you could look through to see them! There were many cool activities throughout the zoo which made the experience even better! We will definitely be going back!

Great place to take your kids of any age! Yes some days the animals are hiding and you don’t see much but other days they are out and about it’s amazing to see! Some times they even have zoo mascots come out and interact with the kids! I think the food is a bit pricey but overall a great zoo experience!

We love the Zoo! We are season pass holders if you are a family and plan on going more than once get the pass it’s totally worthy it. They have great events (Boo at the Zoo) and you can even get married there! I’ve officiated 3 weddings there. The staff is always friendly and willing to help you. They also have a great kids area with a sand pit, a little water feature (not together) and an aviary that you can going and touch the birds!

Nice selection of animals, it's nice how big the exhibits are. Just a lot of walking. As well as the gift shop was nice just seemed high price but still bought from. .kids enjoyed the zoo.

Absolutely beautiful zoo. It is kept very clean and the animals seem very well taken care of!! Also we visited the day after Tonka was euthanized. So sorry for your loss :(

4.5

(11066)

4.0

(1392)

3500 Knoxville Zoo Dr, Knoxville, TN 37914, USA

21 lists

We booked the Polar Express train ride for Christmas Eve. The parking is free and was easy to navigate.I was able to pick up the tickets with ease and hd plenty of time to look around before boarding the train.The boxcar that we were on was warm and had enough space to walk around and find our seat.We were disappointed that despite choosing seats together that initially assigned being at different at tables. Fortunately we were able to switch seats and sit together.The train ride was smooth and there were songs and cocoa with chocolate. I was most disappointed in the scenery which included excessive trash, tires, a car with two people strung out on drugs and things that took away from the experience of being on the "Polar Express".At the "North Pole" we were directed to look at different places related to Santa and Christmas. In reality, it was a persons house for each location with a sign in front stating what we should imagine it to be.For the price and the distance to get there, I would not book this experience again.

Wonderful trip, Kim, in first class, it was really great at giving us lots of information along the way. The young lady, (sorry I forgot your name), who sold us our tickets, was fantastic at getting us the best seats. Definitely recommend doing this trip lots of fun for all members of the family.

It was a nice relaxing ride on a steam train with great views of the Smokey Mountains. The food served was good and the service, great. However, this experience was made possible only by our server and hostess, Ginger! She was very knowledgeable of the history around the Nantahala. I think I can say that many of us in the Harper car loved talking with her. I can tell that she loves what she does and it shows. Kudos to you, Ginger! Once again, thank you for a memorable experience (and not because the my drink was knocked onto me)!

My wife and I rode first class for our anniversary and were blown away from the experience! We had an amazing time! The food/dessert was great, Chris our guide was hilarious and very knowledgeable and the views were stunning! We will definitely be back again!

A great experience amazing staff but I do recommend if you travel during cooler/cold temps especially with rain bring a BLANKET & heavy jacket for open cars. We road today with temps and rain we froze on the open car. The layover is to short especially if you get the last train car the walk takes most of your time. But overall would recommend for people to see this beautiful scenery

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip! Kyle was our guide, and he was super informative and educated about the area. We had the first car with controlled climate, and has the meal service. Food was average but the train ride was awesome. No kids were on the car, so it was a nice trip for adults with some good humor to be had.

Most excellent. Started off rainy and cloudy, but it cleared up. It was a great experience! Friendly and knowledgeable staff.Was in first class. Food was excellent.Did the Gorge run with a Diesel engine.They had an on board musician that went from car to car as well as a dedicated storyteller who grew up in the mountains that also went car to car.Recommend the excursion all the way!

Such a wonderful experience! Great for people of all ages! The loading process was quick and easy. There were many rail experiences to choose from and we chose the Nantahala Gorge trip. We had an absolute blast (even the teenager)! The rail car we were in was the Jackson and it was very cool and comfortable. There was a rail car that had a cafe for snacks, drinks, and eats (which we enjoyed). We will absolutely do this again and pick one of the other rail trips to see more of this beautiful place!

What a Wonderful way to see the Beautiful country side and Mountains of North Carolina. Very enjoyable ride in the open air. The town of Dillsboro for a layover was nice lots of shops to explore and places to grab a quick lunch. Would ABSOLUTELY do it again. Our 5 year old Grandson loved it as well. All around Great experience

We took the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for our daughter's birthday. We had a wonderful day. The open air car was perfect late September. The views were great, the concessions were plentiful and very reasonably priced. We stopped at the Natahala Outdoor Center to stretch our legs. The staff was wonderful and entertaining. They answered all of our questions. We will be taking this train again. I would love to see what these views when the leaves have changed to Fall colors. I highly recommend this attraction if you are in the area. Don't miss it.

We booked the Sunset ride on a fairly warmer fall day in late October. We did the open air car and would recommend over an inside train car. The bench seats face the outside and you can easily get up and walk around vs the inside cars feel stuffy and seats are facing each other in the inside.Take a blanket and dress warm for once sun goes down, but completely worth it to have the open air to have better views and experience in my opinion.Views were awesome, ride was fun.Food, snacks, drinks, alcohol all available.

What a great experience! I have always wanted to ride a train and can now check it off my list. We rode on the McNeil car and had a wonderful lunch. The weather was overcast, but it did not spoil the fun. Our stewards Steve and David really took care of us. Our drinks were never empty, and we learned such history from Steve. I am recommending others and friends to take this trip. I would love to do it again in the fall. LOVED IT!!

My experience may have been slightly different considering the theme/event selected for our train ride.The, "Uncorked" wine tasting train ride was absolutely remarkable. There are pros and cons to every experience you'll take part in.For starters, the cost was reasonable to say the least. Once you're on board you have the option to buy additional beverages and snacks but its not necessary. The ride was approximately 3 to 4 hours long. You will make a stop in a small town where you can grab a beer or 5 and a bite if you're not pleased by the meals served on board.A friendly reminder: YOU ARE ABLE TO CALL PROIR TO HAVE YOUR DIETARY NEEDS MEET!The food was not the best but it did the job after a little salt and pepper was added. They were a bit short staffed but who isn't right now? It was a bit cold on the train so bring a jacket if you get cold like me.There wasn't much of a sight as the ride went along outside of the river located in this area. Personally, I think train rides are soothing but if you're looking for a scenery the only one you'll get is of trash, locals waving from their porch and that river mentioned before.It's quite the experience and if you like a little country feeling on a train, good adult beverages with some historical facts about the area thrown in the mix this is an ideal adventure for you.

We went on the 5 hour steam train ride and it was great! We rode in the open air car and the speed was perfect to help keep us cool on a VERY hot day but not windy at all. So if the wind is a reservation for you, it's not a problem. It was so nice having wide unobstructed views! The only time it was stuffy was waiting to move before getting started and when leaving the NOC. Employees were all friendly! Bring on your own snacks or you can purchase from the concessions car.

We did the first class seats where lunch is included. I got the pot roast and it was good, but the portions were a bit small. My wife got the pulled pork, she said the pork wasn't hot (temperature-wise) and the coleslaw wasn't cool - as if the food had been sitting out for a while. The ride was scenic and informative. Overall it was a nice way to spend a day. After it was over we toured their train museum and walked around Bryson City and checked out the various shops there.

A nostalgic and fun afternoon. We took an adult only wine sampler trip. Plenty to drink and our hostesses were entertaining and attentive.The food portion was well thought out, but the shrimp were over cooked. Everything else was fine and we sure didn't leave hungry. In fact, don't eat a big breakfast if you book the Uncorked. You're going to start eating right after the train rolls.Using the steam locomotive on the way out was very cool. Lots of opportunities for photography.

Fun trip. The "layover" was kind of useless if you want to eat or shop since there's not much time and it can be a long walk. Depends on which rail car you're in. Aside from that, the trip was awesome. There is so much to see. It's really beautiful. The storyteller was very interesting and informative. The crew was top-notch.

Our host, Nancy, was amazing!!We loved the trip and lunch.So much fun! The lunch and desserts were good. The entertainment was a nice touch. We like the souvenir bag and mugs.

Brought the kids and my mother. It was great. Although we were the loudest in our cart. We were in the Catamount and it was decorated so perfect for the occasion. Don't know if I would spend that kinda money again but glad we experienced the Polar Express.

Highly recommend adding this adventure to your trip! We had such a great time! Relaxing, informing about the train and the history of the town. Staff was great recommend riding first class in the Carolina Shine with Jacob! He was great! Food was good, drinks and bar drinks were good also!

We had an awesome experience on our Uncorked GSM Railroad tour and the scenary was so beautiful and relaxing! Sometimes it's just good to take it all in- the Beauty of Mother Nature.About the trip: The wine selections and pairing were good- although I didn't care much for the red wine ones.😁 I attached a copy of the menu for your review. The food was pretty tasty minus the baseball steak. My husband and I didn't like it at all. It was pretty dry for our liking while others seemed to enjoy it quite well.😋Our waiter & waitress were extremely friendly and funny. We were in First Class so, we received a few extra things along with interesting historical facts as we traveled the mountain side sipping on our wine or other wonderful libations offered from the bartender/our waiter. Also, our entertainment was pretty good! We began by joining in on a birthday song for another passenger. He turned 26 years old and was hanging out with his girlfriend in First Class. How cute!!! Next, the guitarist sang two country music songs and we bobbed our heads to each one. For the record, I do like a little country music, just depends on the artist.😉 He was really good!We had an hour layover/wait to do some mini sight-seeing, drop a group of passengers off for additional excursions, eat, purchase a souvenir, or relax by the river and watch the canoe/rafters go by. Then headed back down the mountain, sipping on wine/other libations while enjoying cheesecake, historical facts, another country song, and laughter.Definitely add to your bucket list of things to do.

It's a really fun experience and a beautiful ride. We prefer the open air cars for the views they offer. Just be aware this can be quite cold in the winter so wear thick clothing and bring/buy a blanket. The food offered is fine but not something to look forward to.

This was a really amazing way to easily see the landscape of the Smokies! Great for any train enthusiast and the tour was laid back and relaxing. An easy one-hour drive from Asheville. We went in early April in the first class open-air car. Bring a sweater as it was a bit breezy, but the fresh air was fantastic.Two things that detracted from the experience: First, on one side of the car (right as you are departing Bryson City) you face a lot of mountainside, which is not much of a view for a lot of the trip. Thankfully there is plenty of space for you to walk around the car and look over your neighbors to see the other side’s view. Secondly, a more formal spiel from the tour guide would have been appreciated for a history buff like me that isn’t too familiar with the area. This isn’t to say we didn’t learn a lot, but I think some of it got lost in the weeds.All in all, we had a great, relaxing time taking in the surroundings. When we visit NC next, we hope to catch this later in the spring or in the fall when the mountains have more color. Highly recommend!Oh, also, there’s a free model train museum!

Had a very relaxing ride seeing the scenery. We booked the open car with a meal. The day was beautiful! We had been years ago on the steam engine. This time we went further and saw Fontana. The trip takes about 4 hours.Don't worry.. restrooms and stops are included. You can also shop at Nantahala if you like.Book in advance so you will not be disappointed that they are sold out.They also do a Polar Express at Christmas 🎄. Check them out for themed trips down the rails. There is a variety of car options and food.

If you love fall foliage then be sure to book an autumn train ride in advance. They fill up fast and for good reason ... the views are incredible and the leaves are gorgeous! We rode about a week ahead of peak and it was still stunning. I highly recommend the open-air cars! There are speakers on them so you can hear all the interesting stories and facts about what you see on the ride. Halfway through you stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and can get off the train for a short bit. We had blankets and jackets/hats on-hand but ended up not needing them. We look forward to doing it again!

Our second year making the Polar Express a tradition and had a great time. They go above and beyond to ensure you have an awesome experience and get in the Christmas mood. We usually go after Christmas but still thoroughly enjoy it. Can't wait to go back next year!!

Such a fun experience! Train ride was relaxing and informative and the food and drinks on board were nice too! I'd suggest not even buying a boxed lunch but bringing your own or buying a hotdog or snack on the train from the little diner train car.Also make sure to buy tickets on the correct side of the train. One side has better viewing potential. (If that side of the train is sold out, you honestly can't go wrong with either side as you'll still be able to see out to the other side.)

The Polar Express was a wonderful holiday experience for my son. I’m not sure about all cabins, but we got a premium one and had a great time. The staff made it truly special for the kiddos and it was an overall great holiday memory. Gorgeous scenery.

The train ride was very enjoyable. We chose First Class with a meal that was fantastic. A tour guide, in the train car, that shared the points of interest including the train wreck from “The Fugitive”with Harrison Ford. The train followed the river where we saw some Elk. We looked in the tree top for Eagles but were shut out this trip. We stopped in a lovely town with several shops. Definitely worth the trip.

4.5

(6764)

4.0

(3683)

45 Mitchell St, Bryson City, NC 28713, USA

+91 other lists

We loved this place! Definitely worth the trip! They have a large play area for the kids and their gift shop is great opportunity to pick up some souvenirs and things for yourself! Ha haThey have a couple of interactive things to do and their penguin encounter is very informative. If you get a chance, don’t miss the mermaids! So graceful! My only complaint (this does not reflect on the establishment) is some forget basic manners. Let’s all be courteous people.

Highly recommend the glass boat tour! It is an extra add on to your ticket, but it was so cool to be above them! They also tell you all about the different sharks and fish that are in the tank! Going through the tunnel was such an amazing experience!There was a diving show in the stingray tank! You can pet and even feed the stingrays! They also have a cute penguin playground!

Visiting Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was an enchanting experience. The moment I stepped inside, I was immersed in the awe-inspiring world of marine life. The variety and beauty of the aquatic creatures on display were truly mesmerizing.The exhibits were thoughtfully designed, allowing visitors to witness diverse ecosystems up close. From the vibrant coral reefs to the mysterious depths of the ocean, each section offered a unique glimpse into the wonders of underwater life. The underwater tunnel was a definite highlight, giving me a 360-degree view of graceful sharks, majestic sea turtles, and colorful fish gliding overhead.The staff was knowledgeable and passionate, eagerly sharing interesting facts about the different species. Their enthusiasm added an educational aspect to the visit, making it both entertaining and informative.The facilities were clean, well-maintained, and easily accessible. There were plenty of interactive activities for all ages, including touch tanks and feeding sessions. It was heartening to see the conservation efforts showcased throughout the aquarium, promoting awareness about protecting our oceans and their inhabitants.Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a family looking for an enjoyable outing, or simply seeking a captivating experience, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is a must-visit. It left me with a sense of wonder and a renewed appreciation for the marvels of the underwater world.

We had a lot of fun here. We were inside for well over an hour, and you could spend many hours here if you check out everything in great detail. There is lots to do and see. I would definitely recommend to everyone. Fun for kids and adults. We bought the aquarium + 2 attraction tickets online. It was a great deal you basically got another attraction for free considering the aquarium and museum tickets alone cost more than the combo price. Plus you can scan your phone and walk right in, no need to wait in line.

Better than Georgia Aquarium? Not quite. FStill a fantasic aquarium? Yes!Enjoyed it. Especially the jellies. Didn't get to pet ones but we saw a penguin parade. Recommend for families, couples, or even solo.

Family Friendly Fishy Fun!Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was a great place for a rainy day in the mountains. The exhibits were well laid out and featured plenty of of viewing spaces with children in mind. The shows were educational, but also interactive to keep your focus. The shark tunnel gives you a unique perspective, getting you up close and personal. They also offer opportunities to touch some of the creatures. I recommend making this a stop on your Smoky Mountain adventure.

The exhibits are great! The tanks all looked great! I could sit and watch the majestic sting rays for hours. The walk to and from the parking garage is not for people with bad knees. The city is working on the parking garage closest to the aquarium, and the elevator was not closed. You start at the top floor of parking and it's one way only. We got very lucky and got a spot in very close to handicap as they were all full on a Wednesday afternoon. It's probably a quarter mile unless you can do stairs, that cuts of the 4 handicap ramps that are for wheelchair access. All in all, a great adventure!

Took the family for a school field trip. Had lots of fun. The information about the different creatures was well displayed making it easy to learn. The two different levels to the playground are conveniently located for rest points where the kids could burn off some energy before continuing on. Other features we enjoyed where the shark tunnel, penguin parade, and dive show.Near the end of the aquarium there's a little food court. Prices are high but that was that was be expected. Its $4 just for an order of fries and $3 for a corn dog or hot dog and those where the cheapest items on the menu. Despite the prices the food was good and it was a convention place to stop for a quick bite before the long drive home since we didn't want to stop elsewhere. The whole family enjoyed being able to watch the sting rays in the giant aquarium next to the food court.

My kids had so much fun!!! The drive was long but overall great experience. Their bathrooms need to be checked on more often. They have a really nice changing table for my younger one great play areas for my 5 year old just wish it was more toddler friendly here. Prices are a bit up there but overall friendly staff just wish the interacting with their customers more. The update features of the building are nice just wish I caught one of the shows to have a full experience. But no major complaints would definitely go again.

It was a pretty decent aquarium. Although a tad confusing to walk around towards the end. It had a lot of nice fish and creatures to look at. A good variety. The gift shop store is a little expensive but not bad and has a nice selection. Food wasn't too bad either. There was a mermaid show that the kids were loving. And scuba diving event as well. They have nice explanations and interactive stuff that is great. There is also a boat that takes you out for a small bit to look at the creatures in the tank through bottomless glass. And they gave good information on the creatures in the tank. I'm not a big fan of aquariums, but my family loved it.

Despite being pricey at nearly $50.00 for a adult, what a great Aquarium, the exhibits were set up and spaced nicely so that you could take your time at the ones you wanted to and not be in the way of other families.Alot of different play areas, a hands on and touch exhibit and a nice cafe as well.Especially enjoyed the moving floor through the shark tank area where you could see everything swimming all around you, even above you.

We were there for a birthday party for our granddaughter. This place is absolutely awesome. The staff is very accommodating very friendly I have never met anybody in this aquarium that is not polite and helpful. The animals and the place seems to be taken care of very well. And my granddaughter had an absolutely wonderful birthday party which was just fantastic.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies offers a captivating underwater experience that immerses visitors in the wonders of the ocean. The vibrant marine life, from graceful sea horses to mesmerizing jellyfish, creates a mesmerizing spectacle. The interactive exhibits and knowledgeable staff enhance the educational aspect, making it enjoyable for all ages. The well-designed layout allows for a seamless journey through diverse aquatic environments. Overall, a must-visit destination that combines entertainment and education, leaving visitors with a deep appreciation for the mysteries of the deep blue.

Enjoyed this experience with my wife and daughter as part of our Christmas getaway this year. They had festive music playing, and the perfect inside temperature was welcoming from the brisk air outside. To be in such a tight area, they have a wide variety of species to observe. Lot's of interactive displays for families to enjoy. Do be prepared for a slightly pricey concession, but that goes for everything in Gatlinburg really. Thank you Ripley's for showing us some cool sea life. We had a great time!

I wasn't sure what to expect going in but after entering I was pleasantly surprised. There is a nice variety of marine life. And the penguin parade was just adorable. And there is a tunnel under the main aquarium with a moving walkway that took you through it which was nice.

We went to the aquarium yesterday and I have been a few times before we do not live that far away. To my surprise, it was not like our other visits at all. The water was very dirty yesterday which was surprising to me because every other time it has been absolutely beautiful. Also I had never noticed before that several areas had a bad odor also seems to me that some of the lights were out. The large play area I feel takes away from the aquarium, kids seem to want to go play there instead of looking at everything else. Everyone there was very nice and the kids love that you could touch the stingrays.

Awesome aquarium and very military friendly :) I’m not one to seek out a discount, but I’m always appreciative when it’s given. The aquarium has some excellent enclosures and the animals seem well cared for. The staff is very friendly and attentive in their jobs. Definitely a great spot for the family or anyone who loves aquatic life, there’s so much to see!!!

My kids had a wonderful time here. (4yrs and 6 yrs) The aquiarim is very well designed and run. The exhibits are up to date and nothing is broken or out of order. Although, it's all interconnected and you can explore freely, the museum is designed, so that if you just keep walking forward, you will see it all and can walk straight out through the gift shop without the use of a map. Also, it is a great indoor activity if you need an escape from the weather.There are so many things to see and the exhibits are beautifully executed. My kids went back to revisit their favorites before we left. I believe that the museum is designed to view entirely in 2-3 hours, but we spent about 5 hours and only left because we had dinner reservations. This attraction is well worth the price of admission. I recommend it.

We really enjoyed our school field trip to the aquarium. It was very busy as many schools were there at the same time so it made it a little chaotic, however there was plenty of stuff to do and look at. He really enjoyed getting to touch the sting rays and going into tunnel, watching the sharks swim overhead. So overall great trip!!

The family had a great time. It was absolutely packed and parking for the Aquarium was full but we ate at a place nearby and didn't have to worry about getting towed by parking there and walking 2 blocks to the Aquarium. There are many chances to get a family pic taken by the staff at a put up shack along the Aquarium walking path. There is 1 place to eat and it can be pricey along with all the gift shop items. This shop is huge by the way and you can pretty much find anything in there. We rented a stroller but it's not the greatest stroller but good in a pinch. All in all its a great place to stop for the family.

In the heartland of the Smokey mountains, Ripleys is sandwiched between many businesses and hotels. Even on a Friday the parking lots were full and we paid $20 to park blocks away.$70 for one adult and child. Do not get tickets at the automated register as there is no option for basic admission, aka the cheapest. Employee also had she/her pin on her lanyard which was disappointing to see.Highlights included the adorable penguin walk that happened on the lower level at 1:15 and the underwater tunnel observation area with moving walkway.Facility appeared clean and it wasn't overly crowded. The sharks were a hit with my daughter and there was a big indoor playground that was popular.I would recommend once coming here but we wouldn't return due to the high cost.

Upon arriving we watched the penguin parade as the walked around the aquarium. This was an unexpected surprise. As we were leaving the penguins were being fed and we enjoyed that as well.The coral had the most beautiful colors and I used one of the pictures I took of it as my Screensaver.The staff was helpful. Kind and informative. Altogether a wonderful experience.

The aquarium is amazing! Beautiful, vibrant, tanks are everywhere, with elaborate details and finishes, and the animals seem very well cared for. The underwater tunnel is the best part, and everything is so clean! Some of my favorite creatures are shared a few here, but the pictures really don't do the experience justice.

My family went right after the new Year on a weekday. We showed up at about 9:30 and finished going through all the exhibits at about 11. When we were leaving at 11 the parking lot was packed and there was a line down the road for people trying to get access. There was also a line at the ticket booth of people waiting to get tickets. I would recommend going first thing in the morning, or towards closing, to skip the lines and crowds. Additionally, I had bought our tickets in advance online and got to skip the line altogether, so I highly recommend it! You do not save anything by purchasing in person and your tickets are good for a year from the date of purchase.With that being said, the aquarium itself was fantastic and it is no wonder it was so busy! If you're visiting or traveling even remotely close to this place I would dare to say it is a must visit. We do not have children, and as two adults, we had an absolute blast. The facilities are beautiful, clean, and top of the line. There were so many cool creatures and things to do. There is a touch pool for manta rays, which includes the option to feed them, there is a penguin parade where they bring the penguins out, and there are educational talks. There was also a penguin encounter, which we paid extra for, and was well worth it! It was a group of about 10 people and we got to talk to staff 1 on 1, pet the penguin, and get a great picture (included in the price). This added about another hour onto our visit.Throughout the aquarium there were food facilities and plenty of places to sit. The aquarium also includes eye level exhibits, exhibits you can see from above the water, and even a walk through exhibit that was surprisingly long and included a conveyor belt ride, which is also a novelty.Lastly, when leaving, we got to see the gift shop which has something in the price range for everyone. The shop even includes art done by the penguins, which is pretty unique. We walked away with two items from the shop for a affordable $25.All in all, if you or your family are even the least bit interested in animals or nature, visit. If you're still on the fence, they had a trophy saying they were voted the best aquarium in America in 2018. If you don't go, it is your loss!

Great experience for the kids. It was advertised as the best aquarium in the US. I don't agree, but it's definitely worth the visit. Lots of interactive things. The 🐧🐧🐧 exhibit allows kids to crawl inside for a better view.

This is one of the best aquarium I've been to right behind Chicago's aquarium. We went during Easter and it was jammed packed. But it took us about 1hr to get through. All I can say is I wish I had a better camera so enjoy the pics

Omg I love aquariums. Haven't been since I was a little girl. I prepaid for my tickets and photo with frame very highly recommend. Also if you loose your picture ticket you just gotta remember when you got thereish I have so many pics and videos it was awesome

We really enjoyed the aquarium. The price was fair enough. There is a parking garage behind the aquarium and parking is $10. There were a lot of kids there when we went due to field trips however it didn't really impact our visit, just have to be patient and wait your turn. The staff could be a little more friendly however we still had a good time takes at least 1 hour to go all the way through and that includes stopping briefly for each view of different aquatic life.

Our kids had and us parents had a great time here. I came as a kid probably 20 years ago and was so excited to bring my 3 kiddos now. We highly recommend stopping here on your smokey mountain vacation!

It had been several years since we had visited. We really enjoyed our visit. We watched the dive with the sting rays & the penguin feeding. Those were neat. You can also have the option to touch jelly fish & sting rays which my child loved. I really thought it was great that almost every area had a sign language video for those who needed it. You don't see that many places! The parking garage behind the aquarium is one of the cheapest places to park in the area. It is 10$ whereas almost every other lot is $20. Staff was nice. Restrooms were clean. I do think the ticket price should be more affordable, that is my only complaint!

Adults and kids and a great time here. The kids loved the play area pictured. The penguin parade was cute. There was a lot to do and see here. It was worth admission, especially if you have kids.

Very cool for adults too! Went during the week and wasn't crowded. Neat exhibits. Great displays. Parked in the parking garage behind while we visited the area all day$10(card only) we bought tickets at the door, no waiting 10am

Best Ripley’s aquarium I have been to. Lots to do with great exhibits and The tunnel in the tank is amazing. Kids playground in the middle is big, you could spend a long time there. Very crowded but manageable.

Worth the money! Tons of exhibits, friendly and helpful staff. The penguins are the best! You get to touch live stingrays without paying extra. It's a great place!

Really good experience! Maybe a little pricey at $40 a ticket, but the Aquarium +2 attractions ends up being a great deal! We spent at least 2 hours or so here. I was nicely surprised at the accessibility of the ASL videos & captions and how few stairs we came across. Learned a lot, saw lots of cool animals, and touched a sting ray! I'd recommend and probably even go again!

My family loved the aquarium this one was so much better than the one we have where we live! The sharks were amazing to see up close along with many other animals! I feel it was a bit pricey for the time you spend there and it doesn't help that you usually have to park a little bit away and pay and walk to the attraction instead of parking there or having parking included in ticket prices.

The touch a ray bay and feeding was the BEST. I wish I'd known it was the last exhibit when following the path. Parking is available in the garage behind. The trolley drops off guests on the side of the building. The aquarium offers a 30% military discount including veterans and immediate family. Must show proof.

This is an awesome experience, the kids had fun the entire time and never asked to leave. We like this aquarium much better than the Chattanooga aquarium. If you find yourself coming to Gatlinburg and have kids make sure you stop by Ripley's aquarium, it will not disappoint!

Was staying in Gatlinburg with the family and decided to go here on day 2. There are pay-for-parking lots across the street as well as a parking garage that's also self-pay. It's a little walk across the busy street to get to the actual entrance. It's a busy area so keep that it mind if you're with kids.Once you arrive at the entrance, there are 2 options. If you paid online, you can get right in line. If you are wanting to pay in person, you have to go to the ticket booth and pay, then get back in line (if you are wanting any kind of discount, like military- you need to pay in person). They offer a 30% military discount, which is great!The line is wheelchair accessible and there are wheelchairs available at guest services, right by the ticket booth.The gift shop is right when you enter and there's a little bit of congestion as you enter, but that gets better as you walk through. A lot to see and explore, beautiful place. We loved the penguin parade. Worth the visit.

4.6

(38354)

4.5

(15128)

88 River Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, USA

+21 other lists

I chose this hotel because it is new and clean. The casino is fun we won many times over our 2 nights. Out biggest win was 850. We saw neighbors winning up to 2 thousand so it is fun. Everything is nearby. We drove to Bryson City for their Steam train, throughout the Smoky Mountains probably 5 or 6 times, Mingo Falls which is 5 minutes away and easy to hike, and so much more. I think about this place everyday. Loved it.

This resort was beautiful. We went with our two teenagers and unfortunately weren't able to go to the casino since we were told they couldn't be left unattended. That was the only down fall but other than that it was a beautiful stay. Amazing location beautiful views of the mountains and so many shops in the area. We will definitely be planning a trip here in the future!

Everything was fantastic from check in till check out. Our room was clean, black jack and poker dealers were so friendly. Food was excellent and had a lot of choices. I love that it is non smoking. Valet employees were great and work hard.

Was a bit disappointed in the rooms, price was great but, there was not any bottled water in the room to make coffee. I asked for bottled water and was told they didn't provide it but there was a vending machine I could get some from. That would have been great if the vending machine would have worked but I had to go to 3 other floors just to find a working vending machine for a 4$ bottle of water. That was just the only downer of my stay. The casino was nice and food was delicious. scenery was beautiful.

The hotel is very nice, but I also want to add that every time I came across someone on staff, they were always so friendly and pleasant. Housekeeping was very friendly as we walked down the hall…any time we walked by a staff member, they greeted us with a warm smile and hello. The security at the casino was comical and friendly, etc. I really appreciated all of that. My husband and I will definitely be back!

The service was extremely slow, no sense of urgency to get the crowds down. Do eat before you go there the food selection is limited and overpriced. The casino was as expected and no complaints. The event area was outstanding. One of the better venues. Saw Blackberry Smoke and there wasn't a bad seat.

Staff was accommodating and nice. Rooms were perfectly clean and neat. Bathroom was spacious and very clean as well. Everything was stocked well including toilet paper. Plenty of towels. Overhead shower is SO NICE. Big mirror, mini fridge, comfiest beds ever, and a lot of hotels don’t have comfier beds than the room I stayed in. Pillows were so fluffy, I wanted to ask them where I can buy the same ones. Checkout was so easy, just called front desk to check out in the morning and DONE! Nice little reading nook area. Direct access to casino and dining area. Lots of choices but as the night went on, only dessert, pizza, burgers were open. Only caveat is that the place is so big and parking lot as well, that after you park, it was confusing to find which way to go in order to get to the hotel area, so I wished they put signs up so when people get off the elevator, they wouldn’t be confused.

The resort is beautiful. The staff is phenomenal. The casino is huge and very welcoming. The drinks at the bar were amazing. However we had a loud, almost banging type of noise that wouldn't stop coming from the vent in our room and we couldn't sleep. I had to turn the TV on to drown out the noise and I literally only slept 3 hours. The room was very nice, the bed was extremely comfortable. If it wasn't for the constant noise and lack of sleep, my review would have been a lot more positive. It took over 30 minutes for the valet parking to return our car. My only other complaint is food. You couldn't eat anywhere at the resort without a reservation, there was absolutely no walk in restaurants available and all to go orders were stopped early. It was still a very beautiful place.

Beautiful hotel. I was here for the North Carolina Trucking Association Conference and Expo. Beautiful hotel, casino is huge and the expansion on the hotel is more than accommodating for visitors. I was here with my trailer for Truckers Against Trafficking and there were so many other things going on at the hotel. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Room was nice. If you want a quick, inexpensive getaway, go during the week. The rate change for the weekend rates is quadruple what the weekday rates are. Loved visiting during this time of year as well. The beauty of fall was gorgeous and after walking through the parks I got some breathtaking pictures.

I always enjoy my stay at the hotel, win or lose. That being said, my friend and I both had errors on our bills. For me, I was charged for a night that was supposed to be complimentary. For my friend, he was charged for a movie he definitely didn’t order. My advice is to always check your bill and not assume it’s correct. This isn’t the first time this has happened.All that being said, nice casino. The variety of hotels are great. Staff is friendly, and the “no smoking” is awesome.

Large casino with many games and tables. Be prepared to walk a great distance if you want to explore. Free coffee, water, and soda are available at beverage stations. Rooms are spacious with fridge and microwaves. Plenty places for you to eat and alternative activities if you want to break the gambling up. There's a nice little city area about a mile from the casino if you want to do some shopping and exploring. Overall...this is a nice casino.

The cleanliness of the casino was the first thing that struck me. The floors were spotless, the slot machines were well-kept, and the bathrooms were spotless. I'd want to thank the workers at Harrah's Cherokee Casino. They were helpful, kind, and informed. Overall, I had a fantastic day at Harrah's Cherokee Casino. Everything exceeded my expectations, from the cleanliness to the safety to the friendly employees. I would strongly suggest this casino to anyone searching for a good time.

We came for my birthday and for my first trip to a casino. The hotel is beautiful and the casino floor is something straight out of a movie. That said, I’ve been in and around the hotel industry for almost a decade and finding a used mask in our bed, used bars of soap in the bathroom, no comforter or fitted sheet on the bed as well as the shower not draining were a little disappointing to me. Amy in the casino bar closest to the sports betting area makes a mean drink with a smile on her face the entire time. The experience overall was below expectations on the room/hotel but well above on the restaurants and overall vibe of the casino. The star may go up one if I don’t get sick from conditions found in the room.

Beautiful rooms with a large bathroom and great views. Very well maintained and clean. Friendly staff and good service. Room service is excellent. Very comfortable bed. Free drinks in the mini fridge.Valet parking and loading area. Nice shower and plenty of room. The couch folds out as an extra bedroom. The A/C works great and wasn’t loud.

From the food (5 star) to the casino to the hotel, even the valet service is awesome. There is nothing I would change about this place, besides being able to visit there more often. Everybody is so nice and ready to help. One of my favorite places to visit for sure 🌍

I truthfully love the architecture of this hotel. It is MAGICAL and huge! It never seems to end! They have plenty to do if you are not a gambler and plenty of machines if you do. I do wish they’d get a hot tub though around the indoor heated pool. The food was fairly priced and if you’re looking for gourmet, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and the breakfast buffet was open til 11, which is a nice surprise! The hotels spa is pretty pricey, bring your wallet!

Overall, we had a good time. But a few things could be improved. In the lobby at the check-in desk, the lamps on the counter were VERY dusty, so it made me think that housekeeping is a low priority. The front desk is the first place that you go to when you get there, it should at least be clean. The elevators need some work, they are ugly (scratches & dirty tracks). Walking to our room, the hallway smelled like cigarette smoke! But I believe it’s non-smoking or at least the room we had was, but thank God the room did not smell like smoke. We ate at the P.F. Chang’s inside of the casino & they also have a food court, but everything is over priced. I think that they were understaffed in the casino, I remember someone coming around maybe three times my two days there & then if you press that service button, it took someone forever to come. But it was cool, i would go back.

The rooms have been clean and comfortable and always had nice and helpful staff. The prices are decent for a 4 star hotel so I definitely can't complain there. Actually, rephrase... Amazing prices! The location from where I live in Newport, TN doesn't take all that long but the road is curvy and more curvy so be safe. It's super dangerous on that highway. Drive slow and pay attention. Don't drive there high or drunk please! I barely make it sober. Jeez. If you get car sick then good luck because bring a barf bag and take Dramamine beforehand or you will likely regret it! There are two FREE parking garages for the hotel & casino guests and yes it's free if you don't decide to pay for a room and only stay to gamble or vice versa of course. There is room service available within the hotel for guests, which you have to pay for obviously when they deliver the order to the room but also there are many other options for a quick bite around the outside of the hotel and casino but still fairly close by such as Wendy's, McDonald's, Taco Belle etc.There are multiple gas stations and plenty of other stores around the same area and so much to do in Cherokee in general.

Great place to relax and have fun. Good selection of food also. Valet parking is offered for guests that stay in the hotel for free. The rooms are really nice. The games are really fun. Drinks are a little expensive, but hay, you're here to have fun. The staff is really friendly. And don't forget to tip your waiting and cleaning staff!!!

Check in is easy and staff friendly and polite. Gambling is exactly that, I haven’t won any big money but several small wins keeps me in the game. Starbucks staff super polite. Ruth Chris filet literally melts in your mouth. Enjoy fellow gamblers!

Very nice casino. Great food, all kinds of stuff for everyone in the family. Kind staff the drive over the mountain is fantastic views as well. Slots selection is great. There are a lot of new games. Sports book is awesome. The rooms are clean also. Pet friendly would come back anytime.

Beautiful location and building, inside and out. Everything was virtually immaculate and the valet and bell services were very expedient given the volume of people! Room was excellent, beds and bath were very comfortable. We had a clogged up drain and upon calling it in, we were almost immediately greeted by a serviceman who had it fixed up super fast! Casino was perfectly vibrant, fun, and lively. Food spots were all busy as expected, but the food was absolute perfection!I absolutely look forward to coming back! Worth every dollar and second!

What an awesome resort! Everything you could want to do in a beautiful town. Spectacular casino floor with lots of tables and slots, sports betting, rooms are immaculate and no soaring on decor. Valet parking and more. I was so impressed I’ll do it again!

This place is super nice! If your looking for fun, then this is the place for you. Too much to do in a day. Beautiful location. Rooms are super nice and reasonably priced. Excellent service all the way around, can't wait to go back!

We didn't stay on property, but the casino itself is great! Plenty of self-parking, lots of slots, and a good amount of table games. The sportsbook is large and really nice too. Super fun destination for a little gambling and hanging out.

The place is nice....the location is great! I just don't understand the logic of most of the tables having $25 minimum and they are empty, but the five $15 dollar minimum tables are 3 deep with folks waiting. Wouldn't you actually make more money by offering the options people clearly want? it's not unique to this site, but jeez, you'd obviously take more money in and have higher customer satisfaction by giving g reasonable minimums. I guess you do what you want when you're the only show in town.

Amazing stay at Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Resort. My husband and I stayed at the resort for three nights and truly loved our whole experience. The room was great, the service was exceptional and the food/drinks were on point!I would also really love to shoutout to Mr. Thomas Serrano who works in the casino. He was at the Roulette table when my husband and I went on the evening of 11.16 and he was fantastic! We ended up going back to the table again before he left for the evening because of how great he was!! We truly appreciated his kindness and service.

Enjoyed our first trip to Cherokee Resort. I have been to the casino several times over the last 15 years but never stayed at the hotel until this week. Was pleasantly surprised with the room size and quality. It’s a far walk to the casino floor but no big deal. They are really really hard core about checking IDs here, seemed redundant to check my ID to get into the casino floor and then Also check my Id to buy alcohol but whatever. Staff was friendly all throughout the casino EXCEPT for the dealers, which is unfortunate. All the security staff and valet and and Rewards center folks and servers were nice but hotel check-in staff and dealers were either unfriendly or just outright rude. I read about machines breaking down and unfortunately that was also the case for us. Really sucked the fun out of some times we had. We won a few hundred dollars through the course of the night and enjoyed our food and coffee from the GR food court. Hopefully the next time we come back the machines that they KNOW are experiencing issues will be fixed, and the dealers can learn some common courtesy.

Had an excellent time! All of the staff were exceptional and went out of their way to assist from the time we pulled in until we left.We came from Michigan and traveled to Sarasota FL. 10 hotels/resorts in 14 days. Harrah's was the #1 stay out of the entire trip!We will be back but next time we'll stay longer.Highly recommend.

Always a fun time here. If I can find one thing to complain about it's the fact the rooms are a long walk to the casino floor. Longer than from the public parking garage. Other than that we love this place. We just don't stay at the casino hotel. We did stay in one of the rooms and it was excellent. Bed was extremely comfortable. Room was big and roomy. Not disappointed with the room just the looooong walk to casino floor

Rooms were clean and uniquely designed. Service was good for the majority of the hotel/casino. I gave that 4 instead of 5 because the bartenders at Myst disappeared for awhile…not literally but did not fill our drinks even after we ordered. The location receives 5 stars due to its proximity to Atlanta.

It's a good casino to spend time (and money, of course).. They have a lot of slot gambling machines and a good amount of dealer managed tables. There are food courts available with limited options..Dedicated smoking room with slot machines is available. For a place without any other entertainment options in near 60 mile radius, this can be called a king of entertainment for that location : ) . You need to be 18 + to enter the casino, and IDs are checked at entrance. Please note that, as per NC rule , you will get alcohol only up to 2PM. So grab your drink before that.

Nice hotel, good parking. I'm the middle of changing the food services over so that is a bit of a mess, but what you get it good. Casino is clean and nice, doing some work on it, hopefully updating it a little. Not too crowded, easy to get on a table or machine.

My husband and I drove from Pigeon Forge to Cherokee to visit the casino. Easy parking and entrance to the casino. Staff were friendly, and we visited for a few hours. Free drinks were a nice amenity, and we did win some money which was also a plus. Nice selection of slots and table games. We walked around the resort and checked out what it had to offer, very nice. Would consider coming back to stay or visit.

We've never stayed in their rooms, so can't give a rating on that, but we have visited the casino and the event center to see a couple of shows. The casino floor can be a little chaotic for a first timer. Once you figure out the way it all works it's not that bad at all. The event center is great. It's not too big and not too small. Not really a bad seat in the place. The food court has decreased in size and choices which is a little disappointing. Also, would be nice if food court was open all night. The casino floor is clean and well supervised/managed. The restrooms are a little dirty, especially the urinals, but with that many folks having adult beverages and using the urinal, I guess it's to be expected. Overall, it's been an enjoyable experience each time we visit.

Let me say this. I travel the world and gamble. I know I’m not going to always win, but most of the time. I win BIG! However, I have never played in a casino as tight as this one. I watched people lose tons of money for three days in a row especially playing on those Dragon links at the front. The games were not paying. If you want to go have fun and play on anything under $2.50 then maybe you will enjoy it. However if you like to walk out of there winning BIG off of max bets this is not the Casino to visit. The atmosphere was great, but the winning moments were not. It was so bad I checked out a day before my scheduled departure. Then they do not give you any free play.The drive from Maggie Valley was beautiful but if you don’t and can not handle lots of curves, swings, and turns. Do not come from that direction. Overall I enjoyed the people I met while we were all losing our money. Lol! The mountains were also a beautiful postcard.

Went here for GAF conference. Conference was great. Lots of food which was okay. Area was large and easy to get around. Room was nice but view of wall from window not so much. Relieved $25 gift card which couldn't be used at any casino machine so worthless. Saved us money in long run I guess as we just lifted casino after that.

While the main attraction at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort is undoubtedly the casino floor, I found plenty to enjoy even as a non-gambler. The hotel itself was a pleasant surprise – mostly clean and well-maintained, offering comfortable and spacious rooms for a relaxing stay.The resort's amenities were a highlight. The variety of restaurants within the casino was a big plus. It offered convenient dining options with a range of cuisines to choose from. Whether you're in the mood for a quick bite or a fancy meal, you'll find something to suit your taste.While the casino itself didn't hold my interest, the surrounding area is a destination in itself. The beautiful scenery of the Great Smoky Mountains provides a stunning backdrop. If you're looking for a getaway with a mix of relaxation and potential for outdoor adventure, Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort might be worth considering, even if the slot machines aren't your thing.

The room was beautiful. Enjoyed the couch and chair and overall seating area. The bed was comfortable. Views from most of the hotel are gorgeous! The mountains are beautiful! Stream flowing right outside the grounds. I'm sure it's even more beautiful as spring turns to summer and fall. Our particular view was that of the rooftops of adjoining hotel buildings, so pretty sparse! Metal soap dish broken in shower. Dust bunnies on wall/ceiling above bathroom mirror. Exhaust fan in bathroom desperately needed cleaning. Coffee maker spillover. A bit pricey, but not too bad.

Our first time going to a casino and we really enjoyed our time! The drive to this location is beautiful! Getting there, we didn’t know where to go or how to get started and we had a lot of help along the way! Everyone seemed inviting and willing to assist us. The drinks were great. We won a little money too! We can’t wait to go back!

Visited here with our children, and the food and atmosphere were very nice! Waitstaff in the casino was helpful with any questions and kids had fun seeing all the lights and stores, as they couldn’t gamble obviously. But still a good time, nothing won at slots to write home about, but fun time losing.. lol.

4.3

(27803)

4.0

(4076)

777 Casino Dr, Cherokee, NC 28719, USA

29 lists

we had a lot of fun here today. we walked through and engaged with all the animals and had a great time getting up close to some animals you wouldn’t have many opportunities to see up close the way we did today! They were all very friendly and came up to with us with or without food. I will say it was a bit off putting seeing rats running around in the Watusi enclosure and I see from other reviews this has been an issue for quite a while. I did not read the reviews until after our visit and I would like to say that there was not a kangaroo present today and some of the enclosures animals are in in previous reviews seem to have more space now. In relation to previous reviews I’ve just read; I really appreciate that anything we noticed health wise about the animals such as an abscess or a hurting leg on the horse, there were signs indicating that a vet had seen the animal and there was a treatment plan in place for that animal. A deer did nip at the my babies feet out of curiosity lol (did not hurt him) and we were informed on what to do and what not to do and how to stay safe in the enclosures which we really appreciated. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. I thought the price was fair for the experience. Always use your own discretion up close interacting with exotic animals! Staff/company shouldn’t be blamed if you don’t follow instructions on signs and safety warnings! We were there until closing time and saw the animals being fed by staff.

This was a fun way to spend Mother's Day! We only experienced the Riding Stables. The prices were great and the ride ended up running much longer than we paid for which was a huge bonus! There is a cleverly built platform to mount the horse very easily. The workers were very assuring and quickly offered to take many photos of our group. Everyone kept telling us to relax & have fun. It was great! Our trail guide, John (see photo) was extremely patient and very warm & kind... especially to the inexperienced riders in our group that kept allowing the horses to eat grass constantly (which held up the ride at times!) The trails were mostly shady or dappled shade with fragrant honeysuckle and native flowering bushes everywhere. The Smoky Mountains were always with us as well. We will definitely go back here!

Kids loved feeding the zebras, camels, swarms of deer and goats. Pony rides were great too; just a little short. Three loops max. Four would feel more satisfactory. Still fun. Friendly staff.

Very cool place, seems like you're driving into the middle of nowhere, but keep driving you will get there. Staff was all very happy, friendly and informative. Animals seemed happy and well cared for. Their living areas were all very clean too. You can walk through in about an hour and feed just about every animal there and they will eat from your hand. You can also go inside the goat area to pet them and you can pick up the baby goats if you wish to do so. You can go into a deer station and pet them too. This place has rabbits, turkeys, emus, Llamas, donkeys, exotic bovines, deer, goats, camels, birds, zebras and other animals. It cost about $40 for 2 adult admissions with a large souvenir feed cup and 2 sliced up apples to feed the animals. It's about 20 minutes from Pigeon Forge but worth the drive. This looks like a great place to take kids.

I enjoyed this secluded little farm of exotic animals. This was my boyfriends first time at a zoo and it was fairly priced and not too crowded. I think the unique thing that this place has against other places is the deer. You can actually go in their gate and feed them and pet them. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful day for it.

We arrived a little early and were greeted by a gate so if you're fixin' to get there earlier than opening DON'T.Went on a hour trail ride. The staff are friendly and the horses are well trained for trail riding.My mom has bad hips and needed a hand getting her leg over. The next day after the ride she said her hips felt loosened up and she was in less pain. She said she'll be doing more horseback riding.The trail ride was pleasant and my horse a little sassy but well trained.The horses like people have different personalities and the horses we got matched us well.Also if you weigh more than 250lbs you can not ride. They do have a scale and they are serious about the well being of their horses.There are quite a few places to go horseback riding but we were glad to choose this place. Definitely would go back again

What a great place with a variety of animals! Came here with my 3yr old and 1yr old. My 3 yr old rode a pony and I liked that I could walk the pony alongside her instead of staff doing it. Feeding the animals was such a fun experience. We ALL enjoyed it. The deer were really gentle that my 1yr old was feeding them. Got to pick up a baby goat too! We spent a good 2hrs here. Highly recommend for families.

We loved it! We saw so many different animals! Elk, Zebra, Ostriches, Goats, Turkeys, Reindeer, & more. We got to go in the Goat pen & Deer pen for pets. It was all so cool! My 5 year old wanted to go back the next day :)

This was so much fun for the whole family! We really enjoyed the pony rides and being able to interact with all the exotic animals. They are incredibly friendly and mostly like to be pet, except for a few shy guys. I adore cows and the long horns are so so so sweet! They loved having their heads scratched. Even one of the elk leaned over the fence to give me a kiss! It was one of the best days ❤️ the staff are also very attentive and knowledgeable, but prepare to get dirty! You will be on a farm.

Super cool place to take your kids while in Smoky Mountains, the animal variety was amazing and the interaction was superb. I was a little saddened I didn't get to ride the horses, when I got there I didn't know you have to be below 250lbs 😔... other than that loved the place and staff was very nice and friendly.

The highlight of our trip! We are visiting town from Orlando and I’m so glad we visited Smokey Mountain Deer Farm, my son yelled “that was better than Disney” right when we got in the car. The animals were so great with the kids, you could get so close, closer than any zoo I’ve been to. 10/10 would recommend!

Great petting zoo to visit with the kids! The employees were super friendly and helpful. You get a big cup of feed for the animals for only $3.50. The entire place is very stroller friendly, which was appreciated! It's fairly easy to get to, but away from the busy areas, and it's not overpriced like most area attractions.

I was supposed to post this review in May, but I completely forgot. This place is amazing! This was our 2nd time here. After we pet and fed animals, we took our daughter to ride the ponies, but the weight limit is 100 lbs. She weighed 105 lbs so she couldn't ride them. She was crushed, however when we went to get a refund, they offered her a ride on a horse instead! She was the happiest little girl that day and could not stop talking about it! Thank you so much Exotic Deer Farm! You made our daughters day that day and I'm so thankful! <3

We had so much fun. It is a very friendly place for animal lovers. We spent about 2.5 hours there, and my kids made sure to hug and love each and every goats, deers, and feed all the other animals. We got there at 10 am, we got useful instructions and feed at the shop. We purchased 3 cups of feed and 3 apples, and it was enough to feed everyone. You'd need to bring in quarters if you want to feed the emus because their food is coming from a dispenser next to their pasture. My kids had the best time. Thank you so much.

This was so much fun!! We don't have kids and decided to just go ourselves... Adults, you can totally enjoy this visit without little ones 😊 My husband and I got to hold baby goats, fed tons of unique animals, and were swarmed with an overload of cuteness! You can go in the pens for both the goats and the deer and you can feed all the animals there (just make sure to read the signs on what they can eat). We split one large souvenir cup of feed between the two of us and it was plenty. Had a lot of fun and definitely recommend!Just a note... you WILL get dirty and smell. Wear clothes and shows you are comfortable with getting messy. Bring something to change into if you plan on going back out or go home to change.

Our family loved this experience!Getting to go in the enclosures and be with the goats and the deer was an experience that our boys will always cherish! Feeding the goats is always one of our favorite things to do! They had goats, birds, bunny's, turkeys, camels, donkeys, Pigs, cattle, and even zebras!Our boys age 2 and 4 also got to go for pony rides, (Biscuit and Honey) which was awesome!! We definitely recommend visiting here!

I love this place! The animals are all so friendly and gentle. Kids would love this if they love animals. And animal-loving adults like me would enjoy it, too!

A hidden gem in the mountains. I went here in October. I absolutely love this place! ❤️ My family and I had sooo much fun petting and feeding the animals. It wasn't busy there when we were there. I would absolutely come back again and highly recommend this place to anyone!

One of my best memories in the area by far!! I loved getting to see the deer and goats up close and feed them. The other animals were all really awesome to see as well. Def recommend for all!!

This little gem is a great opportunity for the little ones to interact with the animals. They had so much fun petting them and feeding them! Inexpensive prices and so much to offer. We went during our kid’s spring break so there was a lot of people but overall we were still able to enjoy ourselves. Kind staff and the animals look well kept. Would highly recommend and come back!

We called a week before to book the horse ride. When we got there, there were only 2 other scheduled groups for the day. We went on a Monday. We got there an hour before the trail ride so we went into the petting zoo first. We bought a cup of food and 2 apples. There’s so many animals and many different pens. You can go into the goat pen and the deer pen. The deer are very food excited but honestly don’t love to be pet. The horse ride was very pretty. Definitely didn’t feel like an hour. We saw some deer laying in the trees too. Our horses were very well behaved. I rode Pete and my husband rode Comanche.

After having a horrible experience at Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, this trip could only go up. The woman at the beginning clearly explained the rules and instructions. The layout of the farm is a big loop and it's easy to see everything so you don't have to worry about whether you missed an animal pen. They are also all labeled clearly what animal is in there. There are workers constantly going around checking their pens and cleaning/feeding. The animals seem to be well cared for. The prices for admission are cheap, the feed and apples are cheap. Just don't forget to bring some quarters for the special containers of feed for the birds and baby llama. Overall, so much fun! We will definitely come back again to try the horse riding!

The absolute most amazing place ever! So happy I found this gem of a place! It is very affordable and very fun! The animals are so sweet and friendly. It is awesome you get to feed them and interact with them. The deer area is my favorite! Highly recommend this place, great for family fun!

We're from Indiana, decided to have a girls day with 4 of my girls ages 8, 10, 10, & 17. My 8 year old daughter is autistic, (more so doesn't go out of her comfort zone, gets scared of noises and such.)I was worried about her going alone because, she's only riden as a small child. She was nervous driving there however, our leader was more than a leader. She got right on 0 issues and did amazing! She stayed right behind him, he was amazing at being very kind to us, explaining everything along the way making her fit right in, along with the rest of us. We originally made reservations else where (without searching around) they had to cancel on us. I'm so happy they did, because we ended up where fate led us, HERE. One day i hope to come back. Amazing memories, staff, horses & views. We also got to choose if we wanted a helmet or not. 10/10 recommend. Thank you, again!

Locals and Tourists alike, attention please. Families just cannot pass this place up. If you’re looking for a family friendly farm (FFF) look no further.🐪This farm is amazing. If you like the foothill country- side and a solid variety of domestic and exotic animals, this is your place.🤠The admission prices are super reasonable and the owners and staff are community renowned.Adults (13 & up) $15.99Kids (3 – 12) $9.99Kids (1 – 2) $0.99Kids (under 1) $0.09🐃This wonderful place is hardly ever closed, except for holidays, you’ll find hard working folks here:Open everyday 10 AM–5:30 PM🫎 They offer a petting zoo experience with perks. All of the animals are safely contained. The ambitious pathway is fun and adventurous with enough room for kiddos and adults alike, with the privilege to touch all of the exotic and domestic animals!🐴 They have Horseback riding through the Smokys!30 minute ride $26.9945 minute ride $29.9960 minute ride $32.99Doubling fee $9.99🎠Pony rides as well. Need I say more?Pony Ride $9.99🦚 The souvenir/ admission shop is friendly, climate controlled and offers facilities for the call of nature.Animal and adventure lovers of any age will love this place. For a laid back, mountain- countryside farm, this place just does it. Come on over for the animals and fun and then stay for the hometown warmth. ❤️‍🔥

4.7

(2277)

4.5

(1434)

478 Happy Hollow Ln, Sevierville, TN 37876, USA

4 lists

This place was so cool!!! I really enjoy seeing how products I purchase are made and this truly envelopes you in the rich Bush Family History. The staff was super friendly and helpful. If you collect souvenir pennies, you can add to your collection here. We had lunch at the cafe. Prices were reasonable and the portions were good sized.

We stumbled upon the Bush's Visitor Center during a recent trip. What a wonderful experience. There is so much to see and learn about the Bush family. The original Bush house still stands across from the visitir center. In addition to a short video about the beans and canning process, there are exhibits and a cafe. Unfortunately, I didn't get to eat in the cafe, but supposedly they are known for their pinto bean pie. It's worth stopping by to visit.

Coming back home from our family trip we made a plan to stop at the Bush’s Visitor Center since when we first discovered them, they was closed during COVID. The visitors center is free!To get the history on Bush’s Baked Beans was pretty cool and seeing how the make the beans and the science that goes behind making sure the beans are cooked properly was really nice. They had soooooooooooo many different flavors that we didn’t know so of course we grabbed a few to take home.Also, we went to the cafe where we enjoyed some of the BEST and VERY FRESH chicken tenders. We was served by Ms.Ruth, who was very sweet.

I loved this museum. It's so informative and educational. The whole museum is put together very well and the gift shop is awesome. We bought several cans of bean dip . They have different cans of beans to buy. we had to pass on the cans of beans because most of them contain pork but they looked so good.

It is an interesting history of the family business from the late 1800s till now. It was a nice, not crowded self guided tour.We chose to eat at the cafe and really enjoyed it. There is a random sample of beans every day. My wife had the pimento cheese and I had the pulled pork and onion rings. Everything was good and I am positive I will be back for lunch. Be careful, your busses frequent this place and get there early to avoid the crowds.

I stopped by Monday morning 9:15 am on may 9th 2022! I was IMMEDIATELY greeted by Kathy. She was so helpful, upbeat, professional and just sweet as a jar of honey! Kathy made my time at the museum a pleasant experience 😊! Thank you again, Frank from Tennessee

What a fun place to visit! The gift shop has lots of good items at fantastic prices. Easily the most affordable tourist attraction I've ever been to. The staff was fantastic and friendly from the minute you walk in the door.Don't miss the restaurant next door. Not everything has beans in it. The food was great and very reasonably priced for large portions. My wife and I ate here for less than $30, which is unheard of at a touristy location. Definitely make this a stop if you're in town and looking for something fun to do.

We loved it. We had lunch which was delicious. We walked around and did the gift shop. Great experience, wonderful staff

Such a gem! We stopped on a whim while driving through TN, and I’m so glad we did. The museum isn’t huge but it’s clean, colorful, interactive, and free! The people working there were so sweet and helpful. The gift shop has a mix of country decor, food products, every type of Bush’s beans, and cute merchandise. The shirts and goodies we picked up were decently priced. We didn’t try the restaurant but will next time. Definitely worth a visit.

I was greeted at the front door by two very friendly ladies who told me about the little movie they have about Bush and how it started and a small museum within the storeI found several varieties that I have not ever seen in the stores. So you know I had to buy them. I highly recommend stopping in and checking it out they have closed towels kitchen items wide variety of things I must stop in

This place is super cool with lots to look at. They have a big store with all sorts of kitchen items and some way cool bean stuff. They have a museum and lots of cool photo opportunities. Diane who works here was extremely helpful and very informative on the history. They had cute Little Duke keychains, some bean lifesavers, pants, shirts, socks, hats and even cans of beans. You can even weigh yourself in beans. This is a great family location.

To be completely honest, I thought my family would be the only people there on a Friday afternoon in November. Boy, was I wrong. There were quite a few people there.. and for good reason. There are tons of photo ops, the museum is free and there is even a short video about the Bush family. We didn't have time to eat at the Cafe, but I heard it was yummy! If you're in the area, this place is worth checking out!!

First time to Bushes Baked Beans was many years ago when I was trucking. The Visitors Center was not open then. Sad to say. Today with my parents we came to visit. We had a fun time looking at the displays, videos, gift shop and of course, beans! We were going to get some food in the cafe but there was a wait. We decided not to wait this time.All the employees were very welcoming, friendly and helpful!

We stopped here while driving home from Pigeon Forge and everything was wonderful. The gift shop had all things related to Bush’s Beans like shirts, decor, plushes of Duke the dog and obviously cans of beans and bean dip and the little museum was very interesting. It’s a great place if you are a fan of Bush’s Beans and it’s free!

Such nice hospitality from every employee and so much to see and learn about. The interactive display for all the products was great. Wonderful gift shop. Lunch at the Cafe was good, too

OMG, the staff here is soooo friendly. Fantastic tour of their museum. Wonderful gift shop. Bet you can't get through this place without buying at least a can of beans. We had a meal at the family cafe and what a great meal and very reasonably priced. We were too full for dessert but after seeing some go by our table just had to try some and just like Bush's products it was a great dessert. Check out the tee shirts, very reasonably priced as well. So happy a fellow camper told us about this place.

The museum/store/restaurant were very interesting and even better than anticipated. It is a great family friendly stop to learn about the Bush's commitment to community and family. Their family Bible is on display and speaks volumes about the source of their values. It was good to see that, though faith was not mentioned in any other way. They are a fine example of American entrepreneurship.

Bush's Visitor Center was an unexpected find as we were in the area touring. The center has a museum showcasing the history of the Bush family bean business through the years. There are plenty of interactive points throughout. Staff provided useful information during the self-guided tour. We even found Duke hiding in various places. The museum ends at the gift shop, which provides plenty of purchasing options. As you exit, you can visit the Bush Cafe for a nice meal. Great place to visit!

A great experience! My mom and I visited here, along with my 3 small children. The staff were so kind to my children. A lady gave them a scavenger hunt paper to look for things in the museum. The received a small prize for finding all the things at the end.The history was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the beans and how the beans are made.This visitor center is free!There’s a restaurant attached to it. We didn’t get to try it because of a water main issue but we plan to come back.The gentleman working upstairs gave us a menu and a recipe for the pinto bean pie. I can’t wait to try it. Definitely worth stopping here.

Greeted upon entering the visitor center and was giving some background information on the Bush's history before continuing on with the tour. There is a little store attached to the center with some interesting stock of Bush's products.

This was a really fun stop! The museum is completely completely free and has a great history of this family owned American company. I love all of the facts about beans and I also love the fact that most of the beans are grown right here in the United States. We decided to go to the café for lunch and the food was all delicious. We had a vegetarian with us so she had the vegetarian bean pie, the Ruben was also ordered with the thick cut spiral fries, which were amazing, a barbecue platter, and the hamburger (which was a little dry). The star of the show was definitely the pecan pie! Hands-down, the best pecan pie I’ve ever had, the crust was flaky, and there were plenty of knots, and the addition of the beans was a delicious twist. Their store features lots of their can be products, some of them that I don’t even see in my local grocery store. We stocked up on quite a few of them and look forward to enjoying them down the road.

Great little tour, sadly can't visit the actual factory any longer. Staff at history section were world class, closer to a family reunion than a tourist place. Nice history on how they paid fair prices to local farmers. Great place for home style lunch and dessert.

Super cute little place! It's free which was a major draw! Unfortunately, we didn't get to eat at the Cafe due to a bus load of people but maybe next time.Roll that beautiful bean footage.

Hidden gem just 20 miles from the strip in Pigeon Forge. Nestled just North west of the area, this company does a great job of leveraging the story of their heritage and commitment to sustainability in a fantastic museum for all ages! And it is FREE!!

This place is awesome!!! We happened to be driving through on a road trip and we saw a brochure at a rest are and decided to stop by on a whim. We’ve been eating Bush’s beans our whole life so why not! It was amazing!! First of all, it’s FREE!! There are not many free places like this in this day and age. And the quality of the little museum is top notch. It’s interactive for all ages. The staff are so friendly and helpful. We also ate at the cafe which was delicious and very reasonably priced. They also have a huge gift shop with a lot of neat items. We really enjoyed our visit and we know you will too. I filmed a more in depth YouTube video. If you’d like to check it out, the link is below!Bush's Baked Beans Factory Museum Tour + Cafe | FREE THINGS TO DO IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINShttps://youtu.be/hqWfy72az7M

Wow a great self tour of visitors center. We were pleasantly surprised. You learn the story of how Bush family started with Canned Tomatoes and branched into Baked Beans. A wonderful surprise.

Absolutely LOVED our visit today. We were greeted with such family oriented hospitality in ALL AREAS. We went through the museum, General store and finished up in the cafe! Wow!! Very interesting and will definitely look at Bush beans with more knowledge. The cafe food was Excellent and the pinto bean pecan pie was DELICIOUS!!! And tasted just like a pecan pie. The family history is awesome to see. The generations learned and continue to produce a great product plus focused on family oriented business, development and marketing. Integrity! Awesome work!

This place was very nice. Would go again. Ate lunch there in their cafe and it was very good and prices were reasonable. Also went through the gift shop and museum.

Who knew baked beans could be so interesting. In a self- guided tour you will learn the history of the Bush family and company and the process they use to produce their main lines of baked beans. The gift shop has a great variety. Sadly, the onsite cafe was too popular the day we visited. If you’re arriving near lunch time check the wait time when you arrive. It may be better to eat before your tour.

I have been to the Bush's visitor center several times and I never get sick of going there.They offer a very nice short film about how the beans are made, how they're put into the cans, and how the sauce is added to them.They also offer little interactive things that you can do throughout the museum and they offer a lot of little knick knacks and cans of beans that they don't carry in actual grocery stores.The restaurant that's attached to it is a good place to eat. It's inexpensive and the food is always good and fresh.It's neat to be able to see the original house of the people that started bush's and to see the factory right across the road from there.

Super friendly, fun place to go!!It's a must if you are in the area. They have a pretty good menu. The employees are all nice and friendly. Service was great and didn't take long at all. We all got different dishes.After you eat you can visit their free Bush's museum. It's a very fun and interesting museum. Not boring at all, in case you think what can be fun about beans? Lots of good information, very well put together.You can watch a very interesting movie on how they process the beans all the way to the can... beginning in the can!It's fun for young and old. Very clean, spacious, you can learn fun facts, play the bean tic-tac-toc, etc.They also have a shop with fun stuff like clothing, souvenirs, a bean blanket, kitchen towels, etc. We even had free cans of beans!Excellent place! Loved it!!!

4.8

(5067)

4.5

(1224)

3901 Hwy 411, Dandridge, TN 37725, USA

I was very surprised about this historical park which definitely exceeded all my expectations! There’s lots to see here and you can hike so many trails! I highly recommend going up the Pinnacle overlook as the view is worth the drive or hike! Also, make sure to bring the stamp book as there is lots of stamps at the visitor center!

Beautiful, historic, and lots to see and hike. So many things to see and can bring the family. The welcome center was really cool as well and highly recommend stopping in there to check out. Our family loves it!

Beautiful, serene, pleasant, historic National Park! Presently a Florida resident, I've been visiting the area for nearly twenty years (my partner owns a farm 17 miles east of the park.) I am embarrassed to admit this was my first visit to this area of the park (there are several different areas of the park) I can't believe this Beautiful, historic "hidden gem" has been right " under my nose" for the last twenty years and we just discovered it's peaceful splendor. From my knowledge of the area, this is the western entrance/side of the park. Located near the towns of Cumberland Gap and Middlesboro. The park offers a superb diversion from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It provides a safe, quiet, natural experience perfect for all ages to enjoy an outdoor experience with lots of fresh air. Regardless if visiting alone or with a group, the park offers many opportunities for recreational activities or relaxation naturally. There are trails for hiking and walking, featuring rivers, streams, waterfalls and scenic views. Well maintained and clean picnic shelters. The park welcome center is a great place to start your visit, surrounded by plenty of complimentary parking. The restroom facilities were clean and well managed. Of course, the absolute "highlight " for my partner and I is the abundance of wildlife within the park. Park Rangers maintain a visible presence in the park, making a visit to the park very safe. Whether you plan to visit for a few hours or the entire day, Cumberland Gap National Park is a perfect escape from the "norm". If you're in the area, and can use a breath of fresh air, you should definitely check out this beautiful, peaceful and historic National Park. Oh, I did i mention there is no charge to enjoy this great park?!?!

Beautiful park in the Fall when the leaves are changing. If you like to hike there are several trails to choose from ranging from easy to hard. If you aren't into hiking you can drive up to the Pinnacle and a short, paved, handicap friendly path takes you right to the overlook. From the overlook you can see straight off to the Smoky Mountains in the distance, Joppa Mountain, and, of course, the Cumberland Gap. The visitors center is a great place to stop and get information about the park. Upstairs you can sit in some very comfortable rocking chairs and watch 3 short videos about the history of the park and Cumberland Gap which played a vital park in the countries expansion westward.

Day we went, there was a lady at the visitors' center showing how textiles were made by pioneers. She was very pleasant and informative. Held my girls attention. We drove up to Pinnacle Overlook, spectacular views, and a very curvy road. We hiked to the iron furnace and the Cumberland Gap historical marker from a parking lot in Virginia. Going to the landmarks was all uphill. Rangers in the visitors center were very helpful. Don't forgot you Passport Stamps! (They have a soft pad under the stamping surface,so don't rock stamp around too much or it's unreadable).

Great hiking, so much to take in! We parked at the earthworks and then hiked up to the Pinnacle. The view is amazing! Be sure to stop by the visitors center for some great history, and if you're lucky you might catch some reenactors, too

Had a great time here. My only regret is that I wasn't able to budget more time this trip. The views were awesome and the park is very well kept. I am trying to line up a trip early fall before the color change crowd rolls in.

There are picnic tables along the drive to the overlook. Spectacular 180 degree view of 3 states. It's cool also that you get to see both ends of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel from Tennessee to Kentucky while standing on Virginia.4 miles of switchbacks and hairpin turns to get to the top. Elevation of 2,440 feet.You can drive or you can hike. Next time we will go back and hike.

Beautiful park with breathtaking overlooks. Great walking trails with adequate rest areas. Bathrooms are well maintained and clean. Parking lot is large and plentiful. I would recommend going before or after the summer heat.

Visitor Center is very clean, cool (in summer time), well decorated, and extremely helpful staff that give individual attention and help with maps and drawings if needed. There's a good sized shop inside and 2 10ish minute films to watch. Masks are a requirement for inside as of July 2022 but they provide them if you forget. Restrooms can be accessed outside not from inside Visitor Center. Top hikes and pinnacle are easily accessible from Visitor Center with plenty of parking and markers/signs.

We had an amazing time exploring this area. What a beautiful National Park. Trails are well maintained and marked. We absolutely will come back again to explore more.

Hadn't been to the Pinnacle since my son was probably 1 so nearly 15 years later we finally got to come back. It was a beautiful day and not very crowded like some of the other Parks. Great views and also saw some of the wildlife going up. My whole family enjoyed it. We will be back soon.

The fall foliage is in full shift, and the views are breathtaking! Go all the way to the top to the Pinnacle for spectacular panoramas. If you are on a motorcycle, your skills better be up to the task for numerous challenging hairpin switchbacks. It is worth the ride, whether you're in a car/van/truck or on a motorcycle. Don't miss it!!

A lovely area good for a quick picnic or a good hike. Absolutely gorgeous view at Pioneer Lookout at the top and the Park Rangers were very polite and helpful. Would love to come back here when I have time to do a long hike.

If you're going into Tennessee and passing by, I highly recommend the quick stop to check out this amazing view. Over 2,500 feet up, you can see three three states in one place. There is a short walk from the parking lot. Restrooms are also located at the parking area.

Hiked from Civic Park to Sand Cave with an overnight in the camp site. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, but this hike is not for the faint of heart.

Trails are good lengths, some flat and some a little challenging. But overall, it's very beautiful for hiking. The road to Pinnacle Point is a very curvy road. But also a beautiful drive.

Oh my gosh! This is such a beautiful and historic American Icon. How the west was won starts here! There is a great visitors center and so many hiking options. The drive through the Gap Tunnel is so cool.I saw wildlife and nature’s stunning vistas galore! I love it here!

We went out of way on our trip to visit the Gap. It was well worth it. The only thing I wish is that there was more clarity that there was a hike to the tri state point. We were not prepared time wise or how we were dressed. It was something we were looking forward to but were not able to take the time. Beautiful area!

So much history to see, beautiful scenery to look at, and trails to explore. You can stand in three states at one time. You can go to the top of a mountain and see for miles around in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Take a day and explore, you won't regret it.

4.8

(3230)

4.5

(608)

Middlesboro, KY 40965, USA

8 lists

We visited the museum for Father's Day. I was very impressed with both the quality and quantity of motorcycles on display. They started one of the car's on display and two of the motorcycles on display while we were there. It seems almost everything on display is in running order! And they will start anything on display if you want to see and hear it run. We had a great time and I hope to visit again. Despite spending a couple of hours, I think I missed some of the displays. There is so much to see that it is difficult not to get distracted and miss something. All in all, a great museum if you like motorcycles.

This place is freaking awesome. Got the skinny on the worlds rarest motorcycle. Great story and great museum so many Harleys and different peoples custom uses of Harley Davidson engines. I will visit every time I’m in the area. We were warmly received and the history that has been preserved is irreplaceable. Great fun.

I knew it would be awesome, but WOW!!If you are a motorcycle enthusiast, you absolutely have to visit.You could honestly spend a full day, if not more, exploring everything.So many irreplaceable treasures of motorcycle history.The staff is very knowledgeable and will start many of the bikes for you as they explain all their incritracies. We will return for sure!

This place is absolutely incredible! Whether you're a motorcycle enthusiast or not, you can't help but to be amazed by the walk through motorbike history. So many beautiful pieces, a wonderful staff full of knowledge and a passion for the motorcycles they work with, I honestly can't say enough good things about our experience here. We can't wait to come back!If you are lucky enough to meet Andy, be grateful, we had such a great time talking with him, learning about the bikes and about his incredible life story. He truly completed the experience for us 💛

I love this place, the Mecca of vintage motorcycles. This place is huge and you can spend hours just walking around. They had a couple tour guys that would walk around talking about what made bikes special and manufactures. They even started a couple of the bikes up. One tour guide name was Andy and extremely knowledgeable on the technical aspects of the bikes. He told me I gave him the stink eye when he said something about Harley Davidson haha.

This place was really an incredible place to experience. They had multiple bikes from every single era from the very first one to present. If u like motorcycles then I highly recommend u paying them a visit. Heck pay a visit if motorcycles are not ur thing..the history and seeing how they've evolved since the first build is incredible and there's so much rich history!

Absolutely a piece of Americana and a must see for anyone whether a motorcycle fan or not. What a rich history of innovation and human achievement that lead us to the Industrial powerhouse that we are.For those who are fans of American Pickers, there is an episode filmed at this location because of Mike Wolfe's relationship with the location.

An amazing find. Took us about 4 hours to look round. Staff are welcoming, knowledgeable and at hand if you have any questions. All bikes run, some are started throughout the day. My favourite was the motorcycle found in a wall !! It’s in a beautiful setting with well kept grounds and plenty of seating.

It's a 5 star collection that just needs a little more organized curating to warrant 5stars. I went with my husband who follows the you tube channel and the associations he has with other you tubers. I am not a motorcycle enthusiast but found this museum to be so unique and truly peaked my curiosity regarding all things motorcycle! From bikes with motors to the present day. Carrier pigeon motorcycle. Especially interesting are so many one-of-a-kind motorcycles. So many stories with each one. The other thing beyond amazing is the museum guides starting up 107 year old motorcycles and telling you all about them. I loved visiting the museum and highly recommend the trip.

So I’m not a motorcycle person in the least bit but this was cool. Especially if you like history! They have so many bikes in here. Most of them run and they will start them for you. So many knowledgeable people walking about that will tell you the best stories. Andy was the best to hear stories from. I could have listened to him all day. If you’re near and the weather is crappy outside I suggest giving it a shot. I highly suggest if you’re a motorcycle fan or gear head.

Awesome experience. Seeing the evolution of the American made motorcycle. Displays show what the motorcycle lifestyle was like through history. Most of bikes run and they will start one if you ask. Don't know if they still do the burnouts like when the owner was still alive.I enjoyed reading the owners history and his love of all things with a engine. His museum was a labor of love.Thanks to those that are keeping his dream alive.

Absolutely great place to see and experience the history of motorcycles. Very well set up with lots of reading to go with the displays. Everything runs they will even start some up while you're there. One supported this place for years but this was my first actual visit. I was so happy to see all of the history.

If you are ever in Maggie Valley or even the Gatlinburg area and you love motorcycles and the history of motorcycles, be sure to take the time to visit Wheels through time. I’ve been wanting to go for many years and finally had the opportunity and what a great experience. Once I entered the museum the “ace” immediately caught my attention since I’m a big fan of early motorcycles and this is one beautiful piece of work. While looking at every detail I was approached by an employee whom I later found to be (Andy) and he asked if I new the history to which I replied no I have only heard about them and before you know it he began to tell me how this bike began and within minutes through his story telling he captivated the attention of nearly 20 or so people. I had only walked in the museum moments earlier and after my first 20 minutes I knew it would be a great experience. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. I’m looking forward to my next visit and trying to coordinate efforts to have some friends from Florida meet us here next time around. Thank you for your hospitality and the museum is amazing, so much history.

We are members of the museum and have been for years. Proud to support. We were there this time to see the Motorcycle Cannonball come thru. It never disappoints, and neither does the museum.

This is by far the best museum I've ever been to! I lost count on how many bikes I saw and heard starting and running! So cool! I met the owner, Matt, who was so personable and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I've known him forever. He was just making his was around saying hi starting bikes and sharing his what seemed to be unlimited knowledge. Will definitely return many more times in the future.

An incredible and unforgettable experience! This place is a true conservator of Americana! When going in here, you will not be disappointed, especially if you like classic cars and bikes!

An absolute gem. Everyone is super helpful and incredibly knowledgeable. Vintage, mostly running motorcycles organized by type and Era. The largest selection of WWII service bikes I've ever heard of, let alone seen! Literally every Era and type of racing is covered. If you have any interest in motorcycles or history coming here is a must!

What an amazing place, such a wonderful museum. Staff where so friendly and informative. They had ppl explaining about the items and even started up a few of the bikes which was an added bonus for sure. Loved all the labeled items and small details. Highly recommend.

My best friends father always talked about this place and always told me to go here, after losing him to a motorcycle accident last November i made it a goal to visit as soon as possible. I have to say this place is a must stop for anyone remotely into motorcycles or cars or anything with an engine for that matter. Museum is amazing. Not far from gatlingburg / pigeon-forge area and the drive from there to the museum is beautiful. I will definitely be visiting again in the near future.

Very clean and nice museum. Very friendly staff also. This is probably the nicest motorcycle museum that I have seen. Two levels full of motorcycles and “Money” Doug will happily crank you one up. If you love motorcycles then you need to stop and go through this place. You will be amazed at what you can see.

Have always loved this place... So sad the man who started this museum is gone now but his son is doing a bang up job in his place... Highly recommend when anywhere near Maggie Valley... Well worth the the visit ...

Best Motorcycle Museum in North America.This really is the coolest place to go if you love all things motorcycle. The displays are absolutely amazing. The way they put the bike out fantastic. If you like motorcycles you must visit this museum.

The museum was well laid out. Matt was very friendly and took time to answer questions . You didn’t feel like he didn’t want to talk. It made the whole trip worth it. The wife and I also got to experience the wall of death. What a show.

Super interesting museum with an incredible collection of bikes from the early 1900s thru today. Complete dealership and shop displays really impressed us.

If you have a passion for motorcycles this is a place to go !! Their staff is very very knowledgeable. If you have any questions they will answer them! Beautiful bikes all through the place !! A lot of history in one place!!

Incredible collection. Nice displays, and my 3 year old roof hundreds of pictures. She loved it.

4.9

(3876)

5.0

(1448)

62 Vintage Ln, Maggie Valley, NC 28751, USA

+7 other lists

We’re from Ukraine and lot of our friends from USA recommended us this company. Smokey mountain outdoors rafting was the best place I got unforgettable emotions for whole my life. We were so pleased with my husband with all services from booking to trip. We had an Upper trip and it was funny. Especially when we pass the falls. Our guide was very polite, explained all the nuances and we got an amazing rafting experience. Everything was safely and comfortable. I truly recommend this place for visiting for everyone. You'll be happy with the whole process, promise you!

SO AMAZING!!! ❤️..I booked our group here. I'm so glad I did. We had 32 people, and everyone had an amazing time. It went smoothly. Even the little ones had a blast. We did the upper, and I was nervous for my 11 yr old grandkids. They loved it so much! Our guide was amazing, California girl (Ace). Thank you so much for showing the kids a great time. They talked about it for 2 days.. I wanna thank all the guides.. Everyone loved them.. we're booking our next trip and we've decided to come here again!!!

such an amazing experience!! my lady and i did the extreme version of the tour, and it was awesome! we got a smaller boat, so we were able to move quicker and whatnot, making for a super exciting experience! our guide was Gabby, and she did an amazing job! if you can, request her for your tour, and you won’t regret it! thank you SMO for an amazing experience

Amazing!! So worth the price. It was cold out and very windy but it was such a great experience. I suggest to not take lazy family members as It’s a good amount of physical work (6 miles worth of rafting). My family got stuck with a family who did not participate and we ended up doing all the work & the instructor was not too fond of them either. Overall, it was very fun and we are definitely doing it again next time we visit TN!

An extremely well organized and disciplined company. The kindness shown by the Security Staff as i got down from our car and he saw me limping was commendable. He immediately asked me to get in and allowed us to park closest possible to the Office. This speaks volumes about their commitment. Even the time slots allotted were followed perfectly. Our guide Ms. Tia was phenomenal. She looked after us and our grandchildren with dedication and tenderness. It’s much appreciated. Overall an unforgettable experience. To those visiting this area make this spot as the number one place for your River Rafting experience.

MUST DO!! This was definitely the highlight of our trip. We had so much fun. My group was made up of people 10 years old through 55 years. It was great for all ages (Upper Pigeon Forge but not the extreme one). Our guide Tia was great. Very knowledgeable, funny, most importantly safe! We got to jump out of the raft and swim a little on a calm part of the river. My 10 year old even got to ride on the front of the raft with his feet hanging river through rapids. All though I was a little scared about that, he had so much fun and was completely safe. Would definitely recommend for all ages.

First time rafters here and we were super happy with how it all went. Be sure to check in with plenty of time as they have a gift shop and you will want time to get on sunblock and use the facilities. You can rent a small locker for $2 otherwise leave most items in your vehicle. Upper Pigeon trip was not too hard or scary even for kids but it was still very exciting and beautiful. Josh was our guide and he was great! You can wear caps but sunglasses need a strap unless you don't mind potentially losing them.

This is a MUST DO! When we got there we were like omg how are they gonna handle all these people? The service was very well managed. We were taken out for our float trip in a very well managed timely fashion. SMO has approximately 90 tours guides for the visitors to not have to wait very long. They have lockers available for $2 if you need to put your car keys up. They also sell waterproof packs and have a gift shop available. There are a few food trucks available at the location if you get hungry. Also in the bathrooms they have changing rooms, and showers available not to mention blow dryers for the women. Our tour guide Alex was great! Would do this again without a doubt if back in the area. Definitely if given the chance "ride the bull" aka on the front of the raft with your legs over the raft. My nephew who is 13 had the time of his life on this vacation.#ALEX

Ya'll have to try this at least once! Because after that you'll want to go again and again!When we went (4.6.24) the water was cold, but that is the only con I can think of. The experience grossly out weighs it being cold. Plus don't like the cold plan for a summer trip.Our guide was very knowledgeable and guided us safely down the river. I believe his name was Josh but I'm bad with names...I highly recommend checking them out! I'm definitely going to be going back!

This was a really fun experience. The guides were great and it had been raining for several days, so the experience was a great combination of challenging and fun. Would definitely do it again, and I recommend it to others!

This was a great experience for our family during our Spring Break vacation! Prior to booking, the lady who answered the phone was very helpful answering all our questions. Getting prepared to board the buses and was very organized. Our guide, Nila, helped all of us to feel totally comfortable before starting, and she was very entertaining. The kids, and my husband and I had a great time. The water was freezing, but it was really awesome!

Great time with my daughter on the lower section. Because the water was moving so fast we were actually taken up river a bit so as to extend our trip. Judo was a stellar guide! We will definitely be back for the upper section. Worth every penny.

We were a party of 9, all first time rafters and did the Upper river. We were in two boats (6 & 3) but were within sight and sound the whole trip. This was one of our favorite activities done for the week. It was so exciting, fun, and safe. We did not see a single person flipped into the water and there were lots of rafts. Our guides Geoff and Garett were amazing! The entire event was so smooth... Check-in, meeting the guides, gearing up, riding the bus, getting on the water, riding the river, departure and equipment removal all we're so seamless. We loved our experience and highly encourage it to all.

We did the Upper & Lower River experiences and both were equally great! Our tour guides were Tom & Slim and they made the day so fun. Staff was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions we had about the Smokies while we were floating down river. Great experience and rapids weren’t anything too crazy, would recommend this experience to families with kids as well.

Decided to take our boys rafting for the first time. This is the perfect river for someone who has never been white water rafting. It has good rapids but nothing that will scare the pants off newbies.

We used multiple companies on our trip and we had a few issues, although overall experience was nice. So first of all, it was off season and guides were training. Everyone has to start somewhere but our guide (I think it was one of her first times out) dodged most of the rapids. I appreciate that learning is important but other companies put their trainees in their own raft which doesn’t effect guest experience. I was disappointed that we missed 80% of the rapids due to the guide being hesitant to go through the rapids. We also had to paddle a lot because of the guide steering the boat around the rapids and then we would have to paddle backwards because we would get too close to the boat in front of us. I feel it’s the trainers duty to guide the trainee and make sure they learn how to hit the rapids right and guide the boat. Additionally, you have to pay 2$ for a locker for your car keys and then take your locker key on the river with you. And it’s 10$ if you lose your locker key. Other companies hold your car keys for free at the front desk. Just seems counter intuitive to bring something you don’t want to lose on the river.

It was a fabulous and fun time. Ziggy was the best guide ever and such a great sport! We were 3 Seniors with some mobility issues and Ziggy was so patient and helpful! Recommend for an anyone looking for a fun day.

If you take their rafting trip ask for Shawn! I knew by his laugh he was going to the best tour guide! Dude was determined to have a good time, there wasn’t a dry seat on our raft.The views you get from the river are spectacular and you won’t see this in the tourist areas!!This company also offers a package to zip line as well!Highly recommend doing it!2.5 hours rafting and 2.5 hours zip lining.This was our honeymoon trip and it was absolutely incredible!

THE BEST!We had an amazing time rafting the UPPER PIGEON. This was the first rafting trip for my 8yr son, and I had booked a lower pigeon. We got there and talked at the check-in office - got it changed to upper pigeon - the best decision - my son thoroughly enjoyed it!Staff at SMO are extremely friendly and supportive of any changes (availability and best interest).It was a packed day, but they handled it well - they are very well organized and structured, a big shout out for people at parking, at the check-in office, they help run the place efficiently. Our trip guide Tyler was phenomenal. Took approx 90 minutes for the upper region, and I believe it is the same for the lower region, too.They have approx 84 tour guides onsite, very professional - ensure the trip is fun and safe for everyone. Ample parking, clean amenities onsite - shower, bathroom, changing station, locker ($2), etc. are well maintained.The only downside is the pricing of the pictures taken, which is a bit expensive for what you get.It's a MUST try activity for all ages, and these guys are absolute pros and make the entire trip fun!

It was first time for many people in my group. We all enjoyed. Guide was very good. When we went it was class 3 rapid at one place. Rest of the places are two or below. It for kids and old age people it awesome. Lot of parking and very well managed.

what a perfect adventure. Our guide was Bart, he was GREAT! I highly recommend this company. This was my fourth time white water rafting and this place has been the best so far. they are very organized.I wore crocs with the strap (sport mode) and they stayed on the whole time.

I went here leading a university group over spring break. The management was patient as I needed to communicate things to the group before making the decision about purchasing photos and was very accommodating when I needed a receipt for providing a tip to their guides. The guides we rafted with was Josh and Miami, which were both a hoot and provided us with an amazing rafting experience, letting us bull ride and spin through some rapids. All my students who participated in our spring break trip said this was the highlight of their trip. Thank you for this amazing experience and we will most definitely be coming back again in the future.

Me, my husband, and two kids (9 and 14) rafted with Stoney today. The river was pretty calm but it was a great intro to rafting for my boys. Stoney was awesome, super knowledgeable, and probably the best of the bunch! ;) we’d definitely come back!

We loved river rafting. Our 4 year old had a blast, this was one of the only places that allowed little ones to enjoy rafting. Lauren our guide was awesome and super sweet. We had a blast!

4.9

(1990)

5.0

(6009)

3299 Hartford Rd, Hartford, TN 37753, USA

1 list

We did the “upper” rafting tour. Which consists of level 3 & 4 rapids. The upper is for those who like adventure/challenge/adrenaline dumps.The “lower” rafting tour is more suited for families with small children and/or elderly people who are not usually physically active. The lower consists of level 1 & 2 rapids, with more “flat” water.Our rafting guide was Heather and she was great! Just listen to your rafting guide and you will have a fun and safe time! And yes, you will have to row a paddle but they will teach you how.

Everyone there was super nice, friendly, and welcoming. The rope course had different levels for each person’s comfortability. The guides for the rope course made sure to explain the rules and that they could assist throughout the whole course. There is a chance for rope blisters, but the staff had first aid prepared. To avoid blisters, one could ask for some gloves. The guides for the zip lining were very experienced and could show off their tricks on the line. It was cool to see and a great experience!

Amazing experience credit to our guid Patrick. He gave us a tailored experience with more excitement than the others. Hands down a great guy. Everything was organized, safe and fun. Will definitely return!

So much fun for our family! Our youngest is 12 and didn't have a problem with the rapids at all. All of the staff is super friendly and the guides playfully banter with each other as the groups go down the river. Our guide Elias was awesome! HIGHLY recommend you go with this rafting group!

Just finished our trip and had a great time! Bobby was our guide and he was great. Everyone seemed great and seemed to really love their jobs! Would definitely recommend these folks! And then go grab some amazing food from Grab It n Growl food truck a block away

Lexi was our Rafting Guide and she was amazing. Lock your feet in and follow all instructions from your guide. Zip lining was John and Eric, and they were a blast! Highly recommended!

This was our second time to go white water rafting as a family and everyone had a wonderful time.Our guide was great and answered am off our questions. The rapids were mostly class 2 but we did guy a couple class 4's along the way.We also went Ziplining as part of a combo deal we bought. The Ziplining was good, not great. The family felt rushed through the course.I am still giving the entire experience 5 stars because we enjoyed ourselves that much overall.

It's my first time doing it with my family and it was awesome. Went there 08/09/23 rafting time 1:00pm-2:30pm, our guide was Brad, he is fun and knowledgeable about the waters. He even gave some useful tips to my son as his co-captain for the boat. A definitely must do when you visit Tennessee.

As someone that can't swim and was terrified the entire time leading up to it, I truly appreciate our guide Elias! His jokes and puns and reassurance made the experience more fun. I felt safe with him as my guide!

We've gone rafting in the Pigeon River for several years and this year was the best, it was also our first time with 'Rafting in the Smokies'. All the guides get along great, good communication and an informative fun time. Isabella was 10/10 and deserves a raise. 👏 Overall I feel like it was more efficiently ran and a smooth process for checking in/getting back with this company. Bring your water shoes, and a change of clothes. There are also showers here for afterwards!

Amazing experience! My fiancé and I had never been whitewater rafting until yesterday. Koda was our guide. He was very friendly, funny and knowledgeable about the area and whitewater rafting. He was easy to talk to as well and recommended tasty pizza at a restaurant in Gatlinburg after we asked what restaurants in the surrounding areas had gluten free food. The experience surpassed our expectations and was such a blast! Highly recommend to anyone that’s considering the adventure. It’s worth it! And from hearing conversations from other groups, it appears that everyone is in great hands regardless of the guide they get! They all seem very experienced which makes a difference if you feel a little nervous/anxious trying something new.

Had a great time in our rafting trip. Our guide B was awesome and made the trip even more fun. She asked if we wanted the wild ride, or the regular. My teens opted for the wild ride and it was a blast. Splashed everywhere, bumping up and down , and even taking a swim in the (very cold) river.

TRENT was the most incredible guide!! Our entire group (kids were 5, 10, and 13!) had an absolute blast. He was fun, funny, knowledgeable and overall just a great person. You’d be so lucky to have him! All the other staff was patient and helpful. This is definitely the company you want to raft with! Hope to see you in GR Trent! You rock!

Fantastic experience! Our guide was Hobbit and he was highly skilled and entertaining. The rapids ranged from 1-4 and were lots of fun. Definitely would recommend this company! All of the raft groups were having a great time.

Great experience. We had our kids out for their first time. Stanley and Lars explained safety and put them at ease. Super friendly and patient. Great experience and beautiful river views. Food nearby or picnic tables for packed lunches.

We had an amazing time with Doug! He was super friendly and informative. Felt like he made it his mission to show us the best time possible. Everyone there was great and took care of us. 100% recommend Rafting In The Smokies!!

4.8

(1442)

5.0

(3311)

3595 Hartford Rd, Hartford, TN 37753, USA

This was our first time white water rafting & had the best time! So much so that we want to plan more trips just for rafting! Jim was a great guide, calm, gave great instruction & encouragement, & good advice for other places to visit in the country for rafting. The weather & water was perfect, we stopped off for a snack & also let us jump off a rock right into the water which felt great! We got an opportunity to get off the raft and float down one small rapid which was also great & felt safe. Highly recommend this company to anyone in the area! Everyone was just so nice & knowledge. Felt very safe with them.

We had to choose the kid calm white water rafting adventure because my daughter is 5. To charge us $250 for a family of 4 plus tip is ROBBERY for what we rafted ...seriously it was a lake and completely flat (see picture). There were 3 tiny/short/easy rapids for the entire 2 hour boat ride. They mentioned people tube down it to give you an idea of how gentle it is. Don't waste your money! We had a much better time tubing in Cherokee (and experienced much larger rapids in a tube)!

Had an amazing half trip down the French Broad River with my team! Pete was the most pleasant host for everyone and knows how to get a laugh. He truly loves what he does and is just as entertaining as the trip down the river! Everyone that we came in contact with was friendly and was happy to help us! We will definitely be back to try out the zip lines, e bikes and repelling! Thank you for an awesome adventure.

We had the best time with our rafting trip. Everyone was so nice and professional, they spoke very highly of the owners and how well they were treated. Richard was our comic/host, and Evan was our guide. We could not have asked for a better time. The trip was so much fun, they made a great lunch, and kept everyone safe. We will go again!

We made the right choice going with French Broad Adventures. Did the half day w/ lunch with our family (girls 15&12 and son 8). It was plenty for them to introduce them to whitewater rafting. They are ready to go again. The entire staff was friendly and helpful and our guide (Tim) was the best! Of course expect to pay $25-50 if you want a photo(s) (they have a photographer stationed below one of the class three rapids). Our photos turned out great - can’t wait to hang it on the wall!

We had an awesome time!! We did the 1/2 day with lunch and it was a blast. We had the opportunity to rock jump and swim before lunch. The experience isn’t just about the rafting it’s also the guides. Glen was so knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable. Pete..so many jokes!! I laughed so hard (bring a joke with you to share). And Amy, our bus driver, amazing skills.

Went for a calm water tour and it was a great relaxing way to spend the afternoon. They provided splash gear which is essentially high end rain gear and way exceeded expectations. Probably the best gear I've ever been provided rafting. For once I would say weather would not shy me away from running with this crew. Rain or shine you're going to have a great time. It was only 50 deg today and we had smaller children and they even stayed warm. If you forget something they have a great store with everything from clothes to water shoes, to water socks and it's all quality items that aren't throw away when you're done. Very impressed!

The most amazing time of my life, this was by far the best experience of zip lining. Jason and Anya for fun, informative and a blast to be around. We hade a great group. Thank you sooooo much for an unforgettable adventure.

French Broad Adventures was great. The staff was extraordinarily helpful and professional. They really took the time to make sure the trip was special for each person.The river guides are very knowledgeable and friendly.We did a half day trip with class 2 & 3 rapids. The river itself was fun. My 10 year old daughter now lists it as best experience of her life.I would highly encourage anyone looking to raft the French Broad to start with French Broad Adventures.

We have been going back to French Broad Adventures for 11 years now with our high school youth group, while down for Montreat Youth Conference: and we love it every time! Very friendly staff, knowledgeable guides, and great service. Our kids love rafting down the French Broad with these guides who obviously love what they do! Looking forward to seeing y'all next summer! Ask for Shawn!

We took advantage of both the white water rafing and the zip line your. The location was well marked, the store area was clean and organized, there were changing stalls and bags for wet clothes at the ready. The guides were very personable and knowledgeable of the area. Highly recommended this company !

An enjoyable whitewater rafting trip. It was quite chilly in the morning considering it was late October and their final week of the season running the trips. Up to class 3 rapids made for a pretty easy going ride. I sat up front though, and was soaked the whole time. Guides were great.

Incredible experience for my first time rafting! Super informative and the staff was outstanding! Rocky was our group leader and made us all feel comfortable and we had a wonderful time! I will highly recommend everyone I know to use French Broad Adventures! Thanks for a terrific and fun day!

My family did the zip line & rafting. we had the best adventures you could imagine! Zipping with Mars & AJ could not have been better. They are so knowledgeable and personable, always ensuring your experience is great. Our rafting trip was also terrific! When our zipping went a bit long, the FBA team held the raft trip a bit, so we could grab a quick bite to eat. The rafting team was awesome. Shawn kept us entertained on the bus & Ally led our rafting "team". Ally displayed her expertise throughout the trip, and everyone had a blast. I would highly recommend FBA to anyone looking for a fantastic adventure. Their entire team, everyone we encountered working there, went above and beyond to ensure our experience was amazing and memorable.

Booked the whitewater rafting and zip lining. Had the best time ever. Shawn was the best river guide ever!!!! If we ever come back again we’re def booking with Shawn. He was very knowledgeable, funny, and made the experience great.Paris and Vivian the zip lining guides were also great and good at keeping the group engaged.

Never went white water rafting before but decided to go with family. It went very nice. Our guide was name Ellie and she was amazing! She was very humorous, informative, patient and guided us all the way, safety. Very fun adventure went on the half day tour (3-4hrs). The course was great for beginner thrill-seekers or anyone interested in trying something new. It was affordable and fun. I would recommend it to people of all ages. Will be back to try out the other courses :D

This place is so much fun, The staff was amazing and very helpful with all of our booking needs. The bus ride to the river to get on the rafts was the best safety talk i ever had on top of all the absolutely hilarious dad jokes told by Richard, he really could have a second career as a comedian. Once we got to the boat launch Richard gave us a safety brief then told us which guide we were going to be with for this trip. We were in J’s group, between the awesome history and jokes, we had a great time! Would definitely recommend and would definitely come back. We felt safe and like dare devils at the same time, I personally recommend jumping off the rock it was very fun, and when they tell you you can get out and swim i recommend that too. if you don’t like getting splashed a lot then don’t go in the front you will definitely get splashed. anywhere in the boat you will get splashed but especially in the front. Thanks to all the great staff! can’t wait to come back sometime

My family had a great time rafting down the French Broad River with Calvin as our raft guide. He had a lot of rafting experience, was very knowledgable of the river and made the trip extra fun. We booked the half day trip and had time to stop at a jumping ledge, float around in the river and enjoy a snack.

Absolute blast, and made even more epic by our guide Rocky. Great time from check-in, through the rapids, and the photos were hilarious! Highly recommend for a great way to spend a day.

Best water experience ever! We booked ziplining and rafting. Rafting was amazing; we had a superb guide, Jim. The weather was chilly with river and low water level. Still a wonderful experience overall.

My family and I did white water rafting. What a fun time! I can't say enough great things about this company. While we waited we looked around the gift shop which had cute shirts, sweatshirts, hats, coozies, snacks, drinks, ice cream, etc. There were tables outside to enjoy the views while waiting and to listen to the safety meeting prior to departing. I felt well prepared and in good hands. There is a short bus ride to get to the river and the trip lead was funny, full of jokes. Our guide was Losty and she was absolutely wonderful! We were in great hands. The river was beautiful and the cool water felt great. There was the perfect amount of rapids and then parts of calm to enjoy the views and relax. There was a spot where we stopped and we could jump off a rock in the water for a swim. We stopped another time for a snack and a drink of water or lemonade. All in all it was the perfect day and our family can't wait to do it again. I would recommend French Broad Adventures for white water rafting to anyone and everyone!The next day we did the zip lining with guides Olivia and Avani. I was a little nervous as it was my first time. Our guides were great at alleviating my fears and I loved zip lining! The guides were both funny and they kept us entertained as we went through the course. We really enjoyed our trip through the trees. I would recommend this course to anyone who has never zip lined before. I have spoken to others that have zip lined and this course has a great braking system that seems easier than other courses that I've heard of. It was a lot of fun!French Broad Adventures has a lot of other activities that I can't wait to try out. Truly a great place for a wonderful adventure.

4.9

(1146)

5.0

(1718)

12 Good Adventures Ln, Marshall, NC 28753, USA

My family and I had a wonderful time doing the Treetop Tour. Kat and Tate we fantastic tour guides. They showed us edible leaves, shared stories from the property’s history, but it didn’t feel like they were performing. It felt like just a conversation with friends while doing a really cool activity on tree platforms where woodland elves live. The views were stunning. We will be back to do the Mountaintop Tour.

We had an amazing experience with the mountaintop zip line adventure.You walk to three different platforms, the guides give plenty of time to rest as you hike to increased elevations, and they give history of the land and plants along the way.We had River and Spice as our guides and highly recommend them. They were engaging, funny and very professional at the same time as they adhered to all safety standards and made sure each of us was clipped in and secure at each launch point.We had a wonderful time and would do it again!Highly recommend

River and Willy were our guides for my wife and I anniversary celebration and let’s just say they definitely earned a great review. They were friendly and personable and made our special day all the more enjoyable. They even spared us from being attacked by a copperhead. Willy was being extremely cautious as he pushed the little feller off the beaten path. Needless to say they were awesome Tour guides!!! Will definitely go back again!!!

One of the best zip line adventures we have been on. What a beautiful view! Really amazing zip lines. Our guides were top notch. John and Ethan made it fun, informative, chill and safe!There is so much to do while you are waiting. ALL the staff make it so great to be there. They even made a sweet sign for our daughter’s 13th birthday. 🥳Would HIGHLY recommend this place. So worth it.

Sydney and Nathan provided us with a great experience. I've never been zip lining and had no plans to ever do it because of my fear of heights but decided to join my kids. They made me feel at ease with their professionalism and their chill personalities. Zip lining here was amazing. The views are breath taking. I would do it again.

We couldn’t have asked for a better experience for the treetop tour. . Antonio and Alex were amazing guides. They helped my son to take on his fear when he got to the first zip line . Alex and Antonio were so mindful of everyone in the group. They were obviously very knowledgeable and skilled at taking people through the zip lines . My kids can’t wait to go back and do the mountaintop tour. I would recommend the tour to anyone looking to have a great zip line experience.

We did not the tree top canopy tour -- six zips of varying lengths through the tree tunnels and crisscrossing across the gorge. Beautiful scenery. Well worth pushing the comfort boundaries high up the hillside. Our guides, Alex and Greg were wonderful -- patient and expert, with knowledge of the foliage and the terrain. The body harnesses make for super-safe zipping -- anyone over 70 lbs, and even great for adventurous grandparents. No climbing involved, just a short hike at the end.

I visited Navitat this October and it was an incredibly fun experience. Our guides, Willy and Leap, made us all feel safe and excited to try the ziplines. Their knowledge of the flora of the area and property's history enriched the experience and made us feel connected to our surroundings. Overall it was an extremely well ran operation with breathtaking views and exhilarating rides! I am looking forward to bringing my family back to visit in the future.

Amazing experience! The views are amazing! The hike up is worth it. Our guides were Alex and Ilze and they were fantastic! So many great dad jokes and nature facts along the way. Would highly recommend. My parents did the atv tour so they could watch us and they had a great time with their guide, Willy.

We had an absolute blast!! My wife was a bit anxious before and our guides John and Alex were phenomenal with talking her through the process and calming her! They were both fun and engaging throughout the entire process from check in to exiting the experience. Would give them 10 stars if I could!

We booked with Navitat for my dad’s birthday and from start to finish it was so special! Shoutout to Nathan and Oscar, they did an excellent job explaining everything. They are also so knowledgeable of the area and the vegetation and were explaining things along the way. Overall, it was an amazing experience!

Awesome experience! Blue and Victoria were great. We went with a group of 6 and everyone had a blast! We will definitely be going back to do the treetop zip.With they had a food truck for afterwards but fantastic experience overall and already looking forward to our next adventure!

12/10 recommend! Absolutely awesome experience and felt completely safe the entire time! Our guides, Leap and Willy-D were super knowledgeable and fun to hang around too! The drive up the mountain side was so relaxing too! Our driver, Alex, took great care to cruise gently along the well maintained, beautiful trail. Couldn’t have had better guides! If you’re here for a day, or a week, this place is a MUST!

We went on a Saturday around 1:10 and did the mountain top tour with JD and Tate - they were such great guides and had some pretty good dad jokes along the way. Definitely felt very safe and the views were very pretty! I’ve done a few zip lines before above the smokies and I do wish there was a little bit more thrill or maybe a few more zip lines, there was only 3, but the guides and the pictures definitely made the experience! Thank you! :)

Our guides Greg and Victoria were nothing but amazing, and It's always great to see people who are passionate about their job and obviously love what they do! We had a fantastic time ziplining with them and learning about the local area. My group still talks about the bus ride up the mountain that I can best describe as a wild mystery machine experience. Sadly I didn't get the drivers name but 11/10 would ride again. We had a great time and are looking forward to coming back :)

Amazing mountaintop ziplining during peak leaf changing! Although there were only three zips, they were all super long, fast, high up, and fun. Spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains during the autumn leaves gorgeousness. It was also nice to ride simultaneously, as they have two side by side zips. Our guides were great, and Navitat was very well organized and had a clean indoor area with restrooms, and hammock chairs outside while we waited for our tour. The only part I wasn't a fan of was the van ride up - extremely bumpy and the driver was blasting rock music. Some might enjoy this though as part of the adventure.

This couldn’t have been any better! Everyone did a great job and we loved it! My wife and I are going but I have a bad ankle and my wife has a bad back, we had no problems zip lining!!! It was a nice little hike but not too hard or intense. Our guides were Naomi, Gus, and McKenzie and they were all fantastic! They were funny and made sure we felt safe and had fun. I will do this every time we come to Asheville from now on.If you are on the fence about it, just do it! You will not regret it. My wife was a little nervous but after the first zip line, we were good and almost running up the mountain to the next one!

I’ve came all the way from France to visit friends in North Carolina and Navitat was the most fun experience! This was the longest canopy ride I’ve ever done. Felt safe all times and I was just blown away by the beautiful green mountains. We had the best guides with us. Kat and Oscar. Both of them extremely friendly, professional and knowledgeable about the flora of the area which made the experience even better. Can’t wait to come back and hopefully there are some food trucks then!

Awesome time!! Don’t think twice, just book it and go. Greg & Alex were our guides and they were the best! We felt like pros at the end of the day thanks to how informative and friendly they were. Beautiful and well set up place. Our next trip to Asheville will include another visit from the Farmer family. Thank you guys to a memorable trip!

Amazing experience, would recommend it to all friends and family. Max and Leap were amazing guides and so patient when we had difficulties on the trail. They never rushed us and always told us to take our time. This was my first time ziplining and I can confidently say because they were so patient with me I would absolutely do this again! Thank you guys for making my birthday special 💜

My friends and I were visiting Asheville for spring break and zip lining was on our bucket list and needless to say this place blew us away. Absolutely beautiful location and the most welcoming and friendly and fun staff. It was $125 each which I think was totally worth it. There were three of us in total including me and we did the mountaintop tour. We were luckily that it was just us three on the tour so we were able to get to know the tour guides, John and Victoria, a lot better. Shout out to them because they made us laugh the entire time and gave us great suggestions for restaurants and other places to visit during our stay in Asheville. I had so much fun bantering with them that I forgot to be afraid of heights lol. They did all the harness and securing stuff for us during the tour which made me feel a lot safer and they made sure to get really great photos with of our group together which we bought for around $30 for 26 pictures I believe. The views were extraordinary and breathtaking and the speeds of the zip line left our group speechless. I will say it was freezing cold so dress warm in March but the little bit of hiking warmed us up. Thank you to John and Victoria again!! Y’all were awesome.

Me and my boyfriend went on the mountain tour where we could zip line right beside eachother, I highly recommend adding the go pros we got amazing videos of eachother and the mountains! We had Guss and Naomi as our tour guides, they were hilarious and great tour guides. 10/10 would recommend 😊

Emerson and Jules were amazing guides! They were funny, but informative and very nice to hang out with! The views were amazing and I felt very safe the whole time! I also love the games/hammocks where you can hangout before your tour! We enjoyed celebrating my mom’s birthday here!

Omg GO AND TRY THIS ! This was such and incredible experience from the moment we arrived . Getting to the actual place was not hard at all , definitely rocky roads . Checking in at the front desk which is also a gift shop was no wait at all . The lady at the front was very welcoming and helpful and she holds ur keys in the front but ur phone u must leave in car . While u wait for everyone toGet ready they have boardGames outside you can play with . You are also available to purchase pictures at the end . Once you purchase pictures u get them the same day to ur email . Once everyone has their gear on as rules are explained u get into a van that takes u to the first Zip . The ride in the van is Wild lol. But very fun. I have to Shoutout Naomi our Guide person she was so awesome very beautiful personality but also she was very considerate of making sure we took proper breaks during the small hikes in between and also explained survival facts on plants in the forest we seen . If you’re doing the mountain top tour they break it down in 3 zip line rides which all 3 are incredible . But the 2 is my favorite . Such a thrill , there definitely is speed and height and views to die for . There was rain and thunder that passed by and we waited it out . We’re so glad we got to do all 3 . When u get to the end of each zip the stopping part is shocking lol I’ll say that much . 125! For a person is definitely well worth it . Definitely will be back again . They have night zip lining to will have to try .

Our group had the best time! The entire staff were outstanding and helpful. Our guides were Riah and Cat. Highly recommend requesting these two for a fun and safe trip!! The views and experience were well worth it and great for all ages. If you’re looking for an amazing adventure this is the place for you!

We had a fantastic experience, our family including teenagers loved zipping with Navitat! We did the mountaintop tour. The courses were well designed, with what I feel the right amount of thrill still allowing for enough relaxation to admire the beautiful mountain views. Their equipment appeared to be very well maintained. The tour was organized well. Staff was professional, polite and helpful - they maintained an atmosphere of safety, provided great information during the hike and added some good humor to make the tour even more fun.

We had a fantastic time on our zipline tour! Even with wind gusts and rain we had a blast! John and River were excellent guides and were very personable. If we are ever back in the area we would definitely come again!

5.0

(3042)

5.0

(2156)

242 Poverty Branch Rd, Barnardsville, NC 28709, USA

1 list

My wife and I were in town for our anniversary and looking for something exciting to do. The spelunking adventure into Worley's Cave was AWESOME! Andy and Miranda (our guides) were knowledgeable, personable, funny, and so patient during our excursion. We were with another group who had smaller kids and they took their time to pause to point out cave-dwelling wildlife, rock formations, and were mindful of what crystalline formations were still growing to look at but not touch! Fantastic experience - highly recommend!

Planned this trip a month ago, long overdue vacation with my wife. We scheduled a 1/2 day rafting trip, for 1:30pm. We both work late nights into early morning so getting up for the 8:30trip would have been a rough indevour. However the wonderful staff worked some magic and got us a group for 10:30am.Our guide Lauren was amazing, personable, knowledgeable and made our trip memorable and safe.At night our "Appalachian concierge" Cory was quick to get us what we needed, helpful, friendly and an all around great guy!We had a couple great evenings at the Take Out Tavern. The food was amazing, the beers ice cold, service was absolutely spot on weather it was to warm our bellies after the wonderful white water or after a few beers.We stayed in one of the domes, the pictures didn't even do it justice to how luxurious it would be. The bathhouse facility and sauna were clean and maintained daily.We had a wonderful surprise of live music by the Dirty Dead.The grounds had this amazing vibe and ambiance, it felt like I came home, it was home, and everyone there was my family.A completely magical vacation, we can not wait to go again. Already looking at the calendars!Thank you to everyone, even if I didn't get your name you were intrical to making it the best vacation, what our souls really needed.

I was charged with criminal trespassing for showing up on their property after getting my property back from my ex-boyfriend at the Nolichucky River Gorge Campground. Avoid going here. They just want your money and do not care about relationships or the truth. I am not a thief.

We stayed at the resort for two nights. Dale, Riff and the rest of the staff that we interacted with were friendly and helpful. We loved staying in the Love Shack. We were there on Monday and Tuesday night, so the Take Out and One Love were not open. We brought our own and will check that the next time we are there.We went rafting on the Nolichucky Gorge with USA Raft during our stay. Our guide, Walker, was fantastic. He is a real pro on the river. He and trip leader Loren made the trip exciting and fun. We will definitely go again.We also floated the Lower Nolichucky a couple of times while there. That is a different but fun trip. The Red Banks take out has a nice beach and is a beautiful primative campground.

Super awesome experience on the Nolichucky with Andy! He was very informative of the surrounding area and history, kept us engaged with silly jokes, and kept us on the edge of our seats! Definitely a trip worth making. Can't wait to come back!

We had an amazing time with USA Raft..A group of us stayed in the Crockett Cabin. The cabin was HUGE..it was great for covid..we all had our separate places and one main area. We spent most of our time outside enjoying the river, fishing, swimming, and tubing…we missed out on the rafting but that’s just an excuse to come back. The communal bathrooms were cleaned and stocked from tampons to hand towels, soap and more…Everything was always fully stocked and clean. We went during SOL Jam…so it was pretty packed. They made everyone comfortable with all things covid. It really was more than I expected in every way. The food was great, the people were great and the music was great. A truly wonderful experience for us all.. We love the Band Sol Driven Train and we hope to come back and see them and USA Raft again next year. Thank you, for sharing your little piece of heaven with us and all your accommodations, recommendations and making us all feel so welcomed.

We took a wrong turn coming off the AT trail after hiking 18 miles (the sign with showers and several amnenities got us overly-excited!) and ended up at the USA Rafting Adventure Resort. We were confused and asked for directions and guidance of how to get to Uncle Johnny's Hostel in the main store. They misled us by saying it was far away and telling us there was no real downtown area in Erwin (which we knew was false information) presumably to encourage us to stay there (their cabin rates started at $165). An off-duty staff member offered us a lift (all of 1 mile) for $10 and left us waiting for 20 minutes for him to return and he never showed up. We ended up just hiking the extra mile to Uncle Johnny's. It was confirmed that this facility often mislead and attempt to appeal to the hiking community but doing so by spreading false information is really dishonest and dissapointing.

Great location, great people. Horrible management.The manager, Tiffany, was rude and condescending. When I finally asked her to stop interrupting me, she yelled “OH, YOU’RE CUTE talking to me like that…” And it only got worse from there.It only takes one person to make the entire establishment look bad. Which is awful considering everyone else was really friendly, accommodating and seemed like very nice people.The Tiny House was fine as long as you can use the patio and deck area. For $285 I would have expected a few things to be nicer. For example: the cob webs along the AC unit, bleach stained shower curtain covering up a rusty water heater. The tent had 3 of its feet screwed in but one came loose and in the wind was slamming down and quite noisy!The interior was not made for lounging. The amazing view was blocked by a full sized refrigerator and countertop grille backed by a trellis. The end of the bed and corner of the room were the only places to sit and see the River from inside unless we were standing and as it was too cold to stay outside for long, that’s all we got! During great weather I bet this spot is great but great weather it was not!We never found the wifi, not in the in-room notebook which would be logical. Finally upon checking out, we saw a plaque in front of the office.Note to staff:-When cold weather is coming, don’t make the client have to call for another space heater or extra blankets. Have it in the unit for them.-Let people speak and if they want $15 worth of tubing passes for the summertime so you might redeem yourselves as a location worth peoples money and time, listen to them instead of manipulating and condescending!

My partner and I have done the Nolichucky half-day trip twice now. This isn't a technical raft, but there are plenty of fun, splashy rapids. The aspect that keeps us coming back--and we'll be back again--is the scenery. For all of the 8.5 mi downriver, you're surrounded by verdant Appalachian mountainsides. A little-used train track traces a line along the south riverbank. Two-thirds of the way through, you are rewarded with a beautiful stretch of rocky cliffs on the north riverbank. Overall, very fun and tough to beat as a tour to this pretty portion of the Appalachians.Our last guide, Ashley, was outstanding.

First time out with USA Raft and was very impressed. Had a fantastic trip down the Nolichucky with Trip Leader Loren (sp?). He was very knowledgeable about the area, and had amazing control of our raft, such that we actually had to do very little paddling relative to other trips we've been on. His safety briefing was serious but also humorous. We will definitely be going back and requesting Loren as our guide.

We went white water rafting last Friday just before heading back home to FL. Walker was our guide and he was outstanding! Great personality and a Super Guide. We all had an amazing time. This river is now in the top of our favorites. Great white water rapids! The only downside was no pics....y'all need to get those back.

Had a great time on the rafting trip! Our guide Andy kept us alive and entertained the whole time. Great guy. 10/10 would do again 🫡🫡🫡

USA Raft is truly an amazing place. I can’t express in words how beautiful the Nolichuky Gorge is. You must float the river and experience it yourself. Danny was our guide, his knowledge on the history of the area, the flora & fauna made the trip that much more special. His paddling skills were amazing, he could certainly pick a line!The campground at USA Raft is awesome as well, the Take Out Bar has a great beer selection and good bar food. You might get lucky with good music on the small or large stage!I can’t say enough about this Mountain Gem!Thanks for a wonderful weekend!Rhys

Stayed in one of the airstream camper trailers while hiking the AT. It’s 0.1m off trail and a great spot to stay dry on a rainy night. Activities look very cool, but it’s back to the trail tomorrow.

Was a great time. My sister had never gone rafting before so we decided on the half day. Had a great time and the scenery was gorgeous. Great for all skill levels and the staff was extremely nice and friendly! Definitely would recommend.

Rafting was lots of fun, beautiful sights and amazing guides. Cam and Andy were wonderful :)!!

Our group had a blast on the half day rafting trip through the gorge. It was SO beautiful, and exciting to navigate the class 3 and 4 rapids. Elliott was our guide and he was the master of the water and the dad jokes - very knowledgeable and entertaining. The location is perfect - convenient to the highway etc. We loved the resort too - so much that we came back the following weekend for the Dog Days festival. This will be at the top of our list to refer to our friends. Thank you!

Wow! Such an amazing experience staying and rafting with my family! We were able to take our 5 and 6 year old kids on the Nolichucky river and Bobby was an incredible guide. Able to give us a taste of adventure without being too scary for the kids. Cannot wait to come back and go again! The Loft cabin was such a perfect and refreshing place to crash after a day of hiking, rafting, and playing in the river. Highly recommend.

Had the best time rafting down the river with USA Rafting! Will was a great guide and got along great with our group! Absolutely loved all the corny jokes he told and how much history he knew of the River. 10/10 would recommend USA rafting! Hope to come back soon!

This is my second opportunity to stay here, and I love all the changes (additions) that have been made to include Red Banks, the bar, disc golf and more. Matt Moses and his team are amazing, friendly, and create that “family” vibe. You won’t be disappointed with a stay here, even if you just enjoy the outdoors and sound of the River.

Stayed in cabin for the weekend. Clean and comfortable. Bar/grill was awesome so we didn't have to leave the resort for food, staff was extra nice. The music (both live and recorded) was great. The overall atmosphere of the resort was so relaxing and of course beautiful being next to the river. We hope to do it again in the future.

4.8

(319)

5.0

(887)

2 Jones Branch Rd, Erwin, TN 37650, USA

11 lists

Beautiful location with lots of exhibits that allow for exploration opportunities to entertain both young and old visitors. There are some accommodations for physically handicapped individuals but the terrain is a bit challenging and some of the paths difficult to access. It is a very calm atmosphere but parking can be challenging to find and park navigation/map a bit challenging to follow.Overall it’s a nice, cheap place to stop for a couple hours but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone that has physical limitations making it difficult to ambulate.

$7/vehicle (more for buses), planetarium is $6/person, children 5 and under free with parent. Nature programs $3/ person or more for a 2-hour tour. Barge rides also cost pp. Beautiful park on a mountain, excellent trails, nice buildings, zip line seems to be a resident contractor business. Serious discounts for military i.d. Wolf pack is fed around 2 pm. Wolves have a nice large compound. Bobcats are also in a nice large commons for the two brothers. Planetarium is small but seems new, seats are reclined, very comfortable. Do not go late, they open 10 min before show time and lock doors at one minute past! On weekends there are food trucks. Membership probably worth it! That includes free planetarium and Barge, iirc. On approach drive, stay left at the fork or you will wind up in the Eastman company's private rec area.

Wonderful wonderful place to visit! I went when I was a child and now my daughter has been able to go. The gift shop is also a win win all proceeds go to help the park and animal's there. It is just a wonderful family place good for a day visit.

Went here for a Friday hike with my husband, easy to moderate trails. The wolves were feeding which was kind of cool. Free for veterans.

Nice place with a lot of trails from easy to hard. We had limited time so only did a small walk along the dam and along the lake. There is a nature area with animals such as deer, gray wolves, and a variety of raptors.

Very nice trails! The building at the entrance of the trails is great for souvenirs and a quick restroom trip. The animal sanctuaries are well kept and great for if you’re bringing kids. The fire tower was fun and looked pretty up to date while still on the rustic side. There are a few places on the trails that provide views. Will definitely be going back!

Spent the afternoon rock climbing well maintained sport routes and top-rope routes. Then read beside the lake. We made a spontaneous stop here after visiting the Smokies and were blown away by how beautiful and secluded this park felt. The nature center and animal enclosures were incredible. Never thought we'd see such happy looking gray wolves this far south! The animal exhibits were accessible and very cute. We plan to come back tomorrow to climb the rest of the routes and say hey to all the turtles 😊 🐢

Absolutely beautiful area. Went on a clear, sunny December morning with kids ages 2, 6, and 8, when it was 32°. The barge and ropes course were winterized but we nearly had the whole place to ourselves and got to see bobcats, foxes, gray wolves, and various raptors all up close. Gave it 4 stars because the website was not clear about which things were closed for the winter and which were available year-round (the welcome / visitor center was closed -- disappointing! but the gift shop was open). The person taking parking entrance fees had run out of park maps. Also, the credit card machine in the gift shop wasn't working well and took 10 minutes till it worked, and we ended up getting overcharged when it finally went through and at that point didn't bother pressing for a refund (aka more time fighting with the credit card machine). (An elderly person was running the gift shop at the time.) We didn't make it to the Planetarium this trip so we only paid the parking entrance fee ($7). Would love to go back in the spring or summer to do the ropes course. Based on our winter experience and a bunch of little reasons above, I would almost give it 3 stars, but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that everything is run much better during the warmer months.

One of the prettiest places I have went and hiked/walked! It cost $7 to get in but there is so much to see and do. The city of Kingsport maintains this park beautifully and provides a great map to help you navigate the grounds.

Park is in the middle of improvement, lots of trees down around the animal areas and gift shop. Hiking trails were well maintained.The adventure course is now closed.Dogs are not allowed in areas with animals.

Awesome place to hike or bike. The views from the fire tower are beautiful except for looking over the water treatment area.Animal habitat area is really interesting to work thru.Gift shop is very small with little to choose from compared to other parks' gift shops I've visited.

Great little nature center. Several snake species. Raptors and a very healthy and active wolf pack.Georgeous bay views. So glad that we checked this place out. Highly recommended.

It was a wonderful day. We hiked, watched, and learned about wolves, investigated & learned about the saved wildlife, we took the barge ride to enjoy and learn more about the area and we loved the planetarium. It was a gr8 day. 💚💙💜

Great place to visit with the family!! They have a lot of exhibits to enjoy for the small parking/entry fee of $7 for the entire car(not per person) to the park. Additional cost for the barge ride and planetarium, and a small obstacle coarse (I'm not sure if it was open, though).

We enjoyed your short visit here and glad the dogs could come along. There are restrictions to where dogs are allowed but we wanted to take a short hike on the lakeside trail. It was $7 for entry. We say a few beaver dams.

Bays Mountain Park is a great place for hiking, learning about nature and local history, they have wonderful children's educational programs. My wife and I really love hiking there.

One of our favorite places for a nature walk. The kids love the barge ride and planetarium.

The nature center is great and has tons of cool stuff for children and adults alike! The wildlife exhibits are both indoor and outdoor and include wolves, birds, deer, fish, and a reptile house. My only complaint is that the trail up to the fire tower is confusing to follow at times even with an online map.

A perfect place to spend the day enjoying the serenity of nature! There are lots of hiking trails and beautiful views.

4.7

(3004)

4.5

(546)

853 Bays Mountain Park Rd, Kingsport, TN 37660, USA

2 lists

Great place to visit even on the off-season. There was coffee and corvettes morning. Got to meet someone who works for the track. This person gave us an amazing morning by letting us drive on the track and signing our names on the wall. Great day!

First time here was a great experience loved the The beginning with the music, troops, flying overhead and the fireworks. Very professional racetrack and drivers. Would return but not buying concessions was expecting at least the works on a hotdog for $7 was a plain wiener. Overall beautiful place!

We went to the Bristol Dirt Race on Easter. It was our first time. A friend got us tickets and we had a blast. It was awesome for the night race and meet some pretty awesome people while there.

Excellent tour for a really cheap price! We got to go in the owners suite, drive down Thunder Valley and take a lap around the racetrack. Awesome experience!

100% recommend! It's such a fun family and kid oriented place! And you do not have to worry about walking they have people in golf carts riding around that will take you anywhere. Everyone is so extremely helpful and friendly! Absolutely love bristol ❤️

We have been going to the Bristol night Race for the last 15 years couldn't ask for a better place. Absolutely, love Bristol the track. The town Tennessee altogether is amazing.

Awesome track for a first-time race goer [me]. Great food, drinks, vendors, souvenirs, and staff. No bad seat in the house. Everything is relatively easy to get to. Bus service leaving leaves a lil to be desired in efficiency. I'm not sure there's a better solution at the moment, but it took 2 hrs just to get back to the vehicle, and a third hour to get on the road. Overall, great experience! Can't wait to return!!

We went to a race and honestly I didn’t know anything about racing. I did however learn some things and really enjoyed myself. You could see pretty clearly and I feel the seating was better than NFL seating if you enjoy it.The only thing that was bad was that I didn’t know that you would have a lot of uphill walking to do just to get to this speedway. Even leaving left you with a lot of walking uphill. This wouldn’t be an issue if you are in great physical shape or didn’t have small children, however I did have children and was mid pregnancy. I watched a older gentleman also struggle with his cane as well.The race itself was great though.

Really nice track. Easy flow of parking and it’s easy to navigate around the premises. Concessions are pretty fantastic and I was amazed at how clean the bathrooms were. It’s a racetrack. A nice racetrack. Stop by for any event. Recommend it!!!!!!

One of the greatest tracks ever.Keep the dirt at a dirt track though. There are so many great dirt tracks they could go to!If you haven't been you need to even if you don't care for racing, just the experience and the atmosphere is worth it!Hope to see ya next year!!

Speedway in lights is fantastic! We went yearly when my son was little and now that I have a grandson we plan on making it a yearly tradition again. We all thoroughly enjoy the light show and the Christmas village. Santa was a big hit as well!

The speedway of lights was great but there are a lot of lights that have sections missing or lights not working. Child had a blast and as always got apple cider from Santa’s village

Oh, yeah! It’s Bristol Baby! What a great time with a bunch of people that are all just enjoying a friendly & exciting atmosphere. I expected things to be much pricier; but compared to other sports & live entertainment events the options here were respectably priced. Oh yeah, and they still let you bring your own cooler with food and beverages too!

I always love coming here for the September race. It is always a party and the people are so very friendly. There are plenty of activities to keep you entertained. I would recommend staying at the Earhart campgrounds, it's right next to the track and the facilities are well maintained

Nice place to stop on your way through Bristol. Gate was open so we walked around the track at our leisure and got to see where Nascar history has happened. A must if you're a fan or not, check it out!

Nice friendly experience for a truck race. Sadly hardly any vendors open for food, no signs saying who’s open. The persons employed at gates had no clue about the layout of gates ect. We needed up in the wrong place a d walked way down only to find it blocked with a gate dividing the sections. It would have been better if all employees had to walk the entire place twice and they would know real quick which tickets need entrance to which gates.

Came for the speedway in lights. It was pretty awesome. The lights were beautiful, and being on the track was pretty cool. The Christmas village was nice to have a bite to eat and do some local shopping. It was worth the money. I came on a Monday night it was perfect, barely any traffic.

This track knows how to do an event well. You do not need a ticket for the race to enter their "Fan Zone" so you can enjoy all of the events outside the venue. Inside, there are plenty of concessions, so you do not have to wait in lines for an ungodly amount of time. I thought the prices were reasonable for food considering the situation. The seating was great. Because it is such a small track, you can see everything. Overall, I was impressed by the whole experience.

All I can say is Wow! We had a blast at the Food City 500. The facility and its employees run like a well-oiled machineIt was perfect!

Went for the spring race and loved it! Highly recommend renting the Racing Electronics headsets online before you go. No bad seats in the house!

It's Bristol baby how can anyone really complain?! Lots of activities outside the track for adults and kids to do. Any seat here is really a good seat. Be prepared to walk a lot and do a LOT of steps! The only downfall was that there were not many concession stands open. You literally had to walk half way around the stadium to get anything and it was only nachos, chili dog and soda. It was very sad to see the stands so empty.

First time ever at Bristol Motor Speedway...!!! Grew up watching NASCAR.....but we're not here for that today. Got an amazing opportunity to run with the VCTS ( vores compact touring series ). Even though it's a bit chilly this weekend, hope to have a great time watching some racing and pray to God everything goes well!!!

This was my first time at Bristol and I loved it. The place is kinda small so any in the building is a good seat.

4.7

(9220)

4.5

(666)

151 Speedway Blvd, Bristol, TN 37620, USA

While most state parks in NC are free, this one is not. Not only is it not free, it costs $22/person for adults. This seems incredibly expensive to me.The hours aren't great either. Most of the year they don't open until 9am. In the summer they open at 8am. As someone who likes to start early to beat the crowds, this isn't ideal.We went on a weekday morning last fall and it was a zoo. The mile high swinging bridge is cool, but also attracts most of the crowds. The crowds die off on most of the other trails.I'd recommend avoiding the main part of the park and hiking the Profile Trail to Calloway Peak. It starts at a different location and you don't have to pay. It's also much less crowded.

Trails were fun and exciting, they also accommodate for all skill levels of hiking. The mile high bridge was a thrilling experience and provided fantastic photo opportunities. They hall small animal exhibit with bears, bald eagles, cougars, otters, and elk. Good gift shop as well with interesting souvenirs. Definitely recommend to anyone in North Carolina.

Great adventure to Grandfather Mountain State Park. This park has a suspension bridge between two peaks on the top of the mountain which is a 1 mile up. The views were breathtaking!Grandfather Mountain also has an animal habitat, with some great informative presentations by the animal handlers.

Go here! Great views, nice hikes, fantastic day for a family outing, date, friends, or even on your own. It's even worth a side-trip, the drive is incredible. The bridge is awesome to see and walk across. The 0.4 mile hike up to it is slightly challenging, but is totally doable as long as you can do stairs. There is a place for bathrooms and water at the top, which is great. Lots of animals to look at in nice enclosures. A fun surprise is that Forrest Gump ran one of the curves there too!

This is located in the Boone Area in North Carolina ! Such a beautiful place , there is a entrance fee for each person, I believe it’s about 25$ a person . We went on the weekend during the summer time , we had such a great time . There are several places you can visit as you drive up to the bride and the hiking trails . We went into the museum it was pretty awesome , and the small zoo exhibit they have . The bridge was absolutely beautiful there was a crowd of people , very hard to take good pictures bc of the crowds . But over all the view is amazing , breath taken well worth it . Now they have several trails and you do have to sign a small waiver , before starting it. Some trails are risky and dangerous. I would not take children in these trails bc there are some parts of the mountain that are dangerous around certain edges. Definitely have hiker shoes and have water bc the trails are long .

Some absolutely lovely views! The only negative thing about it is that it wasn't cheap to get in. Otherwise, it was incredible and had a very fun hiking trail.

Love this place , there’s some hiking area , I enjoy the scenic drive and the views are breathtaking. Autumn is the best time to go .

It is really pretty but it isn't worth it if you are on a budget. It cost 24 dollars per adult and if you go with your family it will be outrageously expensive for what you get to see. But when you get to see it it's absolutely gorgeous, probably one of the best views you can get when it isn't cloudy. They have a lot of trails to walk. The swinging bridge is the most pretty part. It has to be the best attraction in Boone and blowing rock (if your willing to spend a pretty penny of course) but if you are time and money then have at it.

This is a bucket list place! The mile high bridge is so awesome. The views aew amazing.It was foggy the day I was there.We were the only people there on a Monday morning around 9am. That was a big plus too!

It was a great evening at the grandfather trail to Galloway peak, I got to say that the trail was very enjoyable to hike, the views were spectacular and amazing, the trail to macrae peak was challenging but not hard for me and my bro the trail to Calloway it's a little far but worth it.It has been very nice parking since we came in on a Friday and it was not too crowded It was a very nice hike and I really recommend it, have a nice hike and take care out there guys.

Great time. Views are amazing. Very windy up there. The dwarf trees show the effects of the wind.

Amazing views and trails. You can make this a hour trip or an all day event. Wear you best hiking shoes and bring some cash for the restaurant and stores

Wow! Breathtaking 360-degree views from the top of Grandfather make the trip (and the cost--$53 for 2 Senior tickets) worth the visit to Boone, NC. Crossing the bridge and climbing the rocks is safe, but one should wear non-skid shoes. Be aware that it can be much colder with the gusty winds at the top of the mountain. Nice gift shop and a full floor dedicated to the history, images and conservation of the mountain. Well done to the non-profit organization that runs the place.

Beautiful place. There is a lot to do here. There is Mile high swinging bridge, Numerous trails, zoo and a museum. We bought the tickets online. There is the curve where forest gump ran, you cannot miss the ‘forest gump ran this curve’ sign. In the zoo we got to touch a snake. Saw bears, cougars and bald eagles. You can easily spend a day here. Kids would enjoy here too.

Fantastic experience!The trails are well marked and offer a good day hike challenge.The suspension bridge offers amazing views, but McCrae Peak was the main attraction for us. The trail was only 3 miles but was a good challenge and had a really fun stair ladder and rope section to get there.

Went with my family and had a blast. The view is amazing and they have a small discovery center for the kids. Its the perfect place to have a picnic lunch up on the mountain. The fresh smell of the flowers cascades everywhere. Drive with your windows down and enjoy the fresh scent and wonderful breeze.

Visiting the NC mountains (near Banner Elk) should include a trip to Grandfather Mountain to walk across the mile high swinging bridge. Breathtaking views of the mountains along with many hiking trails (some trails warn you to be experienced hikers).There are several animal habitats to view, but on this day they were sleeping. Rangers do give informative talks scheduled throughout the day.There is a cafe and restrooms along with several exhibits to view. Be sure to look through the view master devices across from the cafe to see awesome 3D photos of the mountain.I recommend you arrive early to avoid the crowds. Buying tickets on line is recommended because they can turn you away if they are at capacity. Adult tickets range from $22 to $28 and kids start at $10. To get the AAA discount you have to buy on line. Prices vary during peak season.

Visited during a long weekend and hence the place was quite crowded. However, the staff were really helpful. The place is really beautiful. There are trails if you want to walk or oi can drive until the hanging bridge. The animal habitats are an added benefits. Spotting the birds native to the place is also another thing you could do. In short, it’s a wonderful place to visit. The ticket was $30 per person and I would say it was worth it.

Went couple of days after Christmas 2023 and it was awesome! They have a Zoo and Bridge, trails so much to do and we spent hours there.

So many things to explore and enjoy! This place is one of the must visit places in high country. Mile High Swing bridge provides a fantastic view of the Appalachian Mountains. Ice cream from Mildred’s Grill provides a great break time after hiking. Over the weekend, it gets easily crowded so plan ahead and visit early. Hiking provides a lot of scenic views and beautiful nature, so pack your hiking shoes and water.

Oh, the views!!Amazing views from what feels like the top of the world. Beautiful nature center and museum. Lots of trails to hike. Beautiful little spots to stop and picnic all the way up the mountain. Plan on spending the whole day ( there is so much to do and see) but, get there here early the bridge and summit get very busy and crowded, not a great way to enjoy it.

If you are near this place is amazing. Make sure you have good brakes. Drive to the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Amazing experience. I went there just for exploring overlook places, however, I noticed it worth spending all day with family there. They have picnic area, restrooms, a lot of overlook areas. I went there on a Friday afternoon. There were a lot of people, but I heard during weekends it's way more crowded.

First time visiting Grandfather Mountain. The sights were breathtaking. You’re given a CD to listen to as your driving, an informative tour. Once you reach the building at the top, there’s 3 floors. A gift shop on the first, a museum on the second, and on the third is a door leading out to the skybridge. If you walk out on the rocks to the ledge, it’s at your own risks so do be careful.

It's been a while since I've been in these parts of NC. Grandfather Mountain always impresses. Not much of a view today, but still beautiful. Lots of trails, hiking, history, and fun to be had.

Fantastic experience! Love the views from this mountain and love the experience of hiking the grandfather trail and the nearby trails.You could either drive here, or hike the trails up the mountain. We chose to do the latter.Warning: Be very careful on this trail and don't be stupid. Some parts are a bit dangerous.We started off on the profile trail and at the fork, joined the grandfather trail. Then proceeded to the attic window peak, made our way down the treacherous underwood trail to reach the swinging mile high bridge.The view was amazing from both the attic window peak, through the underwood trail and at the swinging bridge.From the swinging bridge we headed back and took the MacRae peak trail, instead of the underwood trail to make our way back to the attic window.Both the Underwood trail and MacRae peak trails are quite a bit dangerous and you should not be doing anything stupid.The winds here were crazy strong in mid April and we were getting pushed around.The view from MacRae peak is spectacular!The way down from the Callaway Gap campsite the next day was relatively much easier, but took a few hours. We followed the Daniel Boone Scout trail to make our way down the mountain to the Boone fork parking area.There was a nice little stream a quarter mile from the parking lot where we swam in the freezing cold water.Overall this is one of the most exhilarating and scenic trails I've been on in NC.

My first visit to Grandfather Mountain left me utterly captivated by its awe-inspiring beauty. The sights were truly breathtaking, offering a panoramic vista of the North Carolina mountains near Banner Elk that is simply unparalleled.Upon arrival, we opted to forgo the CD tour, as we didn't have a CD player in the car, and instead decided to read up on Wikipedia later, which added depth to the stunning scenery. The journey to the top was an adventure in itself, culminating in a magnificent building with three floors of exploration. The first floor housed a charming gift shop, while the second floor boasted a fascinating museum. However, it was the third floor that truly stole the show, with a door leading out to the skybridge—a marvel of engineering that offers a thrilling experience.Venturing onto the rocks to the ledge, while exhilarating, came with its own risks, reminding visitors to tread carefully and respect the mountain's majesty.A visit to Grandfather Mountain is incomplete without a stroll across the mile-high swinging bridge, providing unparalleled views and a sense of exhilaration that is unmatched. The mountain also offers a myriad of hiking trails, with some reserved for experienced hikers.The animal habitats, though quiet during my visit, are a testament to the diverse wildlife that calls this mountain home. The informative talks given by the rangers throughout the day provide valuable insights into the local fauna.The facilities at Grandfather Mountain are top-notch, with a cafe, restrooms, and several exhibits to explore.I highly recommend arriving early to avoid the crowds, especially during peak season. Purchasing tickets online is a wise choice, as the mountain may reach capacity and turn away visitors. Ticket prices vary, with discounts available for seniors and AAA members.The views from Grandfather Mountain are truly remarkable, offering a glimpse of nature's grandeur from what feels like the top of the world. The nature center and museum are beautifully curated, offering a deeper understanding of the mountain's rich history and ecosystem.For those seeking adventure, the mountain offers a multitude of hiking trails and picturesque picnic spots along the way. Plan to spend the whole day exploring, but be sure to arrive early to avoid the crowds that can detract from the experience.In conclusion, Grandfather Mountain is a place of wonder and beauty, with a magical touch that is sure to leave a lasting impression. It is a destination that deserves to be savored and explored at leisure, offering a truly unforgettable experience for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.

I absolutely love Grandfather Mountain. I’m regretting life choices since I don’t live closer to it. The weather is beautiful, the visitors center is excellent, and the mile high bridge is amazing!

4.7

(1557)

4.5

(2227)

North Carolina 28646, USA

+40 other lists

1 list

Fun way to spend the day. Enjoyed all the rides and park was well maintained. Train was very neat and the shows that we caught were really fun (clogger show & magic show). Our kids loved feeding the animals too! It was only $0.50 for a cone full of food.

Great place to take your kids to get some energy out. You will get yours out to though because it's on the side of a mountain. Not much walking but lots of hills. Rides for adults too but mainly children. My kids love the petting zoo as well. You can bring your on snacks and drinks. We now have season passes.

We visited Tweetsie for the first times since childhood. It was fun but overpriced. $60 per adult! Light shows were okay, train ride was fun, stores were nice, and lots of photo opportunities. It was a group activity, otherwise I probably wouldn’t go since I don’t have children. Dress warm for winter rides. Train cars are open air.

What a neat little theme park! Visited with my girlfriend - there are lots of things to do for people of all ages! We were very impressed with all the rides and attractions, and spent most of our day enjoying those. A very good variety of rides from multiple time periods! The small zoo was a neat experience as well, with goats, deer, emus, and some donkeys and mules.The train ride was great as well, very well done. I was also impressed with the pricing of concessions - very reasonable compared to most amusem*nt parks!

Tweetsie is a fantastic place for the little ones. It was like walking into a Hallmark movie. My only complaint about a Tweetsie Christmas was the food choices. Only one restaurant on-site was open with very limited choices on site (hot dog or pizza only). I wish that was known up front. Tweetsie normally has multiple choices related to food. I would have given five stars if not for that. This is a great stop if you can experience it for Christmas. Santa’s gingerbread house and the s’more station was fun. The train was magical with all the lights.

This is a super fun place and a highly recommended. Both my almost 9 and my twelve-year-old enjoyed it. We stayed for hours and it was wonderful to spend that much time as a family without any whining or bickering. The only reason I took a star off is because after spending $200 to get in, a large soda was gonna cost you $8. They also advertised gem mining and gold panning but there were costs for that as well.Still, I recommend it. Just bring water bottles and snacks. You can also get your hand stamped if you want to head to the car for a picnic.

We had a fabulous day at Tweetsie Railroad! We arrived around 10:30 to a minimal crowd and bought our tickets at the gate. With no wait times, we were able to return to rides with no problem. The park is super clean and the staff is so friendly! Thank you for a great day Tweetsie!♥️🚂🚃🚃🚃♥️

Affordable family fun!! My whole family had such a wonderful day. The shows are entertaining and fun. Most of the people working there were happy and smiling except for a few but we all have bad days.Overall I would highly recommend going. Rides had small lines and we didn't have to wait long except for the cheese mine ride. But compared to other theme park wait lines. They were very very quick and we were riding rides in less than 10 minutes at a time!!! 😲

Just created a new Christmas family tradition! Tweetsie Railroad is a great way to cap a winter weekend in Boone! We loved the train and the ride through the lights... but were very surprised and excited by all the other activities to do during our visit! There are fun rides, shops, a carroling show, and plenty of visits to do, like gingerbread men and of course Santa! Fun experience, we look forward to many trips for years to come!

Visited with my granddaughter on a school field trip day. Great place for kids up to 10 years old or so. Coal fired steam engines were a really cool piece of history. Rides were generally of the state fair variety for youngsters. Grand daughter approved!

That was a fun experience, especially the steam train.. And the staff were friendly and very helpful. We lost our keys and noticed it after leaving, they have already closed down when we arrived but the staff that just got down to the parking lot and saw us searching straight away asked if we we were looking for some keys as someone found them and straight away offered to go back up to get it for us. Saved us the trouble of driving 2 hours back and forth the next day and the stress of not being able to enter the house. And she didn't even accept our small gift and said they were very happy to be of help. Wish we got her name. Anyways, if you're reading this "THANK YOU SO MUCH" again.Experience wise. Definitely a great visit, especially for kids.

Came here in August 2021. Went here as a kid and was excited to return as an adult to bring my kids. It was a great time, but I was disappointed about the train ride and the shootout that they used to do on board. The show now isn't bad but it's not as good as it was 20+ years ago. Still definitely worth the trip and they kids will love it.

We go every year, and we love it every year. This place is a special tradition for us. We like the food available, we like the train ride, and we love the chair lift. From shows and shopping, to rides and arcade.. There's something for everyone. Our kids love the kid rides and feeding all the little goats. Usually Thomas the train is there when we visit, which is an extra bonus for the kids.

We have season passes and we love to go the tweetsie railroad whenever we want to get out of the house I recommend taking a cooler of drinks and snacks because the food and drinks at the tweetsie restaurants are pretty over priced I also recommend getting a season passes if you have time to go a couple times because going like 4 times is a much as the price of the pass. The wait on a weekday is literally like 1 minute and on the weekends maybe 3. The wait for each ride is very short and they have added 4 new rides this year so that a plus. Overall a wonderful amusem*nt park.

Pleasantly surprised. I hadn't been here in years and decided to take my 7 and 5 year old. We LOVED IT!! Tweetsie was perfect. Nostalgic old western/mountain theme park nestled on the side of a mountain. The offers some breath taking views as well. We will visit again soon.

Had a great time there for my granddaughter's 5th birthday. Fun rides, great deer park/petting zoo and some fun shows to watch while you take a break.

This is a cute family park with a lot of fairground type rides. We watched two of the shows and they were good. The train ride was fun. They also have a small animal park. Overall there isn't a ton to do here and it is definitely geared towards families and younger kids. We only stayed for three hours. For two adults we paid $132, which I thought was very steep and not worth the value.

My 9 yr old was overwhelmed with excitement! I must say I was too. I recommend a 5pm or 6pm train ride so you can see everything before or after the train ride. There was so much to see!!! We went in December and had a WONDERFUL time!!! Make sure your phone is fully charged because you will take a lot of photos! Tickets are a bit pricey.

This was our first time here and it was a GREAT experience! We bought tickets for the Haunted Ghost Train and enjoyed it. A couple of things you may need to know, the attraction is on a hill and there is lots of incline walking, wear good shoes. The train ride is fun, but to enjoy the actors in the forest, you will need to be on the middle to rear train cars. If you are in the first car or second, you will have a hard time seeing and will have to turn around backwards in your seat and look out the right side FYI. The ticket cost is all inclusive and includes the train, haunted attractions and carnival rides. A great family putting to say the least!

Was pretty expensive but ultimately a very fun place to take kids. They have several rides for different ages.

Heads up for the Halloween attractions. They do NOT explicitly state when a place has live actors, and those places are rough. Being 35, I thought I would be fine in the enchanted forest advertised for people 8 and up. Nope. Got halfway through, got to the live actors, and needed to leave. The actors would not let up, even after my SO fell down, and we stated multiple times that we "do not consent" and were asking to just be let through. Maybe it’s my PTSD talking, but going to an attraction advertised as "from your funniest nightmares" and having a panic attack isn't fun. It honestly ruined our night. We sent an email asking them to state, either on signs or on the website, when an attraction has live actors in the future, but they never responded.The rides were fun, and the train was the highlight. The atmosphere was neat. But it's expensive - $60 per adult. Adequate signs would have saved the night.

What a fun experience for the whole family. We have been here in the past and loved it. The train ride is fun and the lights are beautiful. We loved the smores over the fire, and the blizzard was awesome. The park was clean and all the staff were super friendly. If in the area you too should make this a Christmas tradition.

This is my first year as a season pass holder and my experience both days of opening weekend were great. Park staff are very friendly and helpful.

Better than I remember!! We recently visited Tweetsie Railroad with our 3 grandchildren. It was much improved since our visits 20+ years ago with our children.Everything was clean, staff was impeccably dressed in themed attire, they were helpful and polite. Definitely a great experience for our family. Kids under 3 were free, so that was very nice.Definitely a 5 🌟 experience. Will definitely go again and highly recommend!

Nice place with the kids. We went after Christmas and it was raining but the train ride was full despite of the weather (it's covered). The tickets are expensive and the train ride is great. That said the other rides are not amazing and not really worth the price. The food is just snacks and expensive (as expected). The smores are $6 and honestly should be free given the cost of the tickets.Overall it's good to do it once. If you have some flexibility, check the weather before booking and don't go when it rains. You can also arrive early and get tickets at the door. Would recommend not getting food there if you can avoid it and go to nearby restaurants instead.

It was definitely a nostalgia thing for my husband. I had never been and this was our child's first time as well. The train ride was fun but a little underwhelming. I think our ride was cut short by an accident with an actor so don't know if there was supposed to be more to it but it was not quite as exciting as I thought it would be, even keeping in mind it's for families. The mini train was almost more exciting if a little psychedelic towards the end. Mordecai has...so much back story to his mining operations. The rides were ok; for the little kid rides there was not really any lines so that was pleasant. Arcade had a few machines not working or ate coins and then the ticket eater didn't work so that was a bit of a mess. Overall, hit or miss and point to maybe some infrastructure related investments that might be good. There is nostalgic and then there is old and janky and we're treading a fine line here I think. Especially since it was not inexpensive compared to other things on top of what spent at the arcade, food, and the gift shop.

This was our first time ever coming here to see the Christmas lights, and we are glad we did. We came on a Sunday & got tickets for the train ride at 7:30pm. It was a bit cold and a bit rainy, but thankfully, it did not pour while we were there. A few sprinkles, and we were fine. The train ride itself is about 25 minutes, and you basically ride along singing to your favorite Christmas songs and looking at all the wonderful Christmas light displays! It is a little "town," so once you're done with the train or even before, you can head to their cafe, gift shops, and many photo Op locations. They have lots of light displays to see and a stores section where you buy smores and go to any of their two campfires they have set. They have a few rides more catered to little kids, which is included in your admission tickets. You also get to see Santa! It was not busy at all when we went mainly bc it was on a Sunday night and rainy, but it was a plus for us! I will probably be back in the summertime to see how the experience differs. They do have free parking on site. This was about 2 hrs from me, and if I wouldn't have a long ride home on a Sunday before school started again, we would have def. Stayed longer to enjoy it much more, but overall, it was not a bad experience. It definitely felt like you were transported into a small Christmas hallmark movie village.

4.6

(4729)

4.5

(1092)

300 Tweetsie Railroad Ln, Blowing Rock, NC 28605, USA

5 lists

5.0

(1283)

Virginia, USA

22 lists

It's a nice museum if you're old enough to remember Andy Griffith and most notably his namesake show. We enjoyed our visit a great deal. The building is small but the exhibits were nice and the clothing and other materials from the show put a smile on our face as we remembered a time far far away.

Such a wonderful museum. I visited with my Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and a great family friend. All 4 of us love and or grew up watching and still all these years later watch the Andy Griffith show. This museum was cherry on top of our visit to Mt Airy. We definitely recommend everyone who loves the show to visit the museum.

Took a day trip to Mount Airy & we just had to visit the Andy Griffith Museum. As children we loved his show so this was a must for my husband and myself.We made a day of it and went out to eat & enjoyed downtown Mount Airy.

My wife gave me a special birthday present by taking me here. I am a huge fan of The Andy Griffith Show and I enjoyed seeing all of the memorabilia and actual props from the show. You will definitely learn a lot of things about Andy Griffith that you maybe have never known. This is a must visit place!!

If you love the Andy Griffith Show like I do and if you're ever in Mt. Airy, NC, the city of Mt. Airy and the Andy Griffith Museum is a must place to stop and check out!The museumis a place both for learning about and celebrating Andy Griffith, who was born in Mount Airy in 1926. Home of the single largest collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to Andy Griffith, the museum features hundreds of items from Andy’s life and his career in theater, film, and music. Highlights of the collection include actual props, wardrobe, and other artifacts fromThe Andy Griffith ShowandMatlockthat were donated by Cindi and Andy Griffith, members of the casts and crews, and other individuals and organizations.A must see if in the area.

As a lover of Matlock, I found great enjoyment out of the museum. It is a wonderful tribute to the life and career of Andy Griffith, and I enjoyed seeing all of the pieces! My husband's favorite show is the Andy Griffith Show and it was so fun to see him so excited when going through it.

I think it was 8 dollars to get In per person which isn't too bad. I expected the museum to be bigger honestly but you did learn quite a bit about his life. Giving it 4 stars because it's kinda confusing on how to get there from the parking lot. Also the sidewalks are slippery even without rain so be careful.

The Andy Griffith Museum is a small, but extremely well done museum dedicated to the life of Andy Griffith. It includes many artifacts from his childhood through his adult career. Some are more esoteric like a year book from when he was a music/drama teacher in the local high school. There are lots of things from his movies, Matlock, The Andy Griffith show, and his musical career.It is a relatively small space but one of the better organized and presented displays we have visited. It was under $10 a person when we visited. There was a steady stream of people for a Tuesday afternoon but it wasn’t crowded.There is a second exhibit area down the stairs in another building (The Surry Arts Council) which focuses more on the town and other characters including the career of Betty Lynn who played Thelma Lou on the show.

So many memories and such a great collection. I loved the handwritten notes from Andy with items he donated.

The Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy NC is a sweet little museum. This was a great visit with interactive monitors (Which my wife loved) and lots of keepsakes from the cast of the Andy Griffith Show. In addition it has some nice memorabilia from Andy Griffith's singing days and some of his other movies. There's more to see downstairs too. The museum doesn't take that long to visit, unless your wife likes to press every button on the AV displays like mine does, but it's just about right. Then, when you're done, take a visit down on main street for more souvenirs, visit Floyd's Barber Shop, and grab a Barnie Burger at Barney's Cafe. ...oh...oh... loved the coffee at "Page's Books and Coffee Shop". Really flavorful and not bitter. Sweet staff too! I really hope you found this review helpful! 😊

Great experience. It was fun to see all the old show props and learn more about Andy. A little small but fun. My teenage daughters both enjoyed it. The man working there was super friendly and really seemed to enjoy his job. It's nice to see someone who enjoys his job and kind.

Love this whole area Mt. Airy NC. I have loved Andy Griffith since I was a child and to be in his hometown was amazing. I highly recommend eating lunch at Snappy great food and great service.

I enjoyed this museum. Should have been a little bigger. Great price of about $8 per person. Loved what I saw but the layout could have been a little better. Good walkways for handicapped individuals. Love Andy so I loved seeing this museum devoted to him. Also went to the gas station and the jail. Great experience that I would do again.

My son gifted me with a trip to Mayberry for Mother's Day! We stayed at 711 East Haymore Andy's childhood home for the weekend. The museum was very well organized and had actual clothing worn by the Stars of the show. The cost to get in is very reasonable at $8 and change. Be sure and stop by and take your picture with Andy and Opie's statue out front!

If you love Andy Griffith and want to see some of his childhood photos and memorabilia from his TV show, movies, and records there are many things on exhibit. Compared to some other museums I've been to, I wouldn't say this is interactive. There's one touch sensitive digital screen but even though it wasn't crowded when we were there, someone was always using it so we never got a chance to. I'd say that it's worth it to see, but a lot could be done to make it better-- Hologram images, clips from his TV show playing showing the actors wearing the clothing that's displayed rather than still photos, an interactive exhibit where people could choose to play songs from his records, a replica of the police station with the jail, etc. so people could sit at the desk, try out Otis's cell.

Loved the museum. Even saw posters of movies Andy starred in that I didn’t know about. Beautiful grounds. Well organized museum. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Plenty of parking.

It's a small museum but well done and informative about all Andy Griffith and some of the other characters from the show. It's also clean and modern.

Small, cute museum. Took us about 20 mins to complete once we got in (the line took 20 mins). It was a bit underwhelming due to its size, but we did enjoy all the Andy Griffith memorabilia, including his UNC-related items. I learned some things I didn't know about his time at my alma mater. And it was cool seeing the outfits from both The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock.

Great place to visit if you like an old fashioned place dripping with southern hospitality and it’s just a bonus that Andy Griffith grew up there and modeled it after Mayberry!! I thought everyone was so nice in this town! I wish the rest of America would take a page out of the book of this town. Thank you and I love you ❤️ Mt. Airy

The best site to see in Mt Airy if you are a fan of the show. First of all, don't miss the statue of Andy and Opie out front. Then, take your time as you visit the museum dedicated to the show. Colorful murals as well.

We had a great time visiting memory lane with all the memorabilia from the Andy Griffith museum! A great place to visit!

4.6

(3465)

4.5

(1058)

218 Rockford St, Mt Airy, NC 27030, USA

10 lists

The star is one of the best and oldest attractions in the area, drawing visitors who are locals as well as tourists/visitors to our city. You can't beat the view of the valley, and the overlooks are perfect for capturing those gorgeous views. The playground has picnic tables next to it for a perfect spot to enjoy lunch while the kids have their own little adventures climbing, sliding, and making their way through the tunnel.The star and overlooks are free, as well as parking, making it an excellent choice for a weekend afternoon family outing or picnic.

I've driven by the Star on many drives through Roanoke...and finally made a trip with a friend recently; worth it! I would like to see it after dark, but seein the urban sprawl of the city, mixed with the mountain views was spectacular during the day.There is no cost to drive up to the overlook, and not much of a walk to the monument. Park area is clean and well maintained, with historical and informational signage.Definitely a great place to spend the day...there are other attractions nearby, including but not limited to the zoo, the discovery center, and hiking trails.

The Mill Mountain Star is a historical landmark in Roanoke. The view of the valley is spectacular. It has two overlooks, and walking trails. It's also in the same vicinity of the zoo (didn't visit due to time constraints), but we did take a little walk along one of the paved trails. I'd say that it's a 'must visit' spot if you are visiting the Roanoke area. (and it's free!)

If you are an outdoor person and/or have a dog, this is a great place to go. The view is outstanding and the air feels crisp and clean. There are trails and paths to walk. Some of the trails are difficult (rocks and grade), but the paths are paved and easy to walk. From the parking lot to the star is an easy path. Worth the short drive up there.

Panoramic views of the Roanoke Valley from several overlooks. Also a zoo, small park and Discovery Center - all in the shadow of the world's largest man-made star. Only the zoo has an admission fee.

This was a beautiful walk to see the whole city from a birds eye view. There are several trails. We suggest starting at the discovery center to collect a free map. This would be a great family place to explore trails too.

Our family enjoyed the view! The mountain biking was fun. When I walked our dog on the trail below the Star, we were greeted with so much broken glass. I thought it would be okay once I got into the forest area, but there was broken glass along the entire trail. I had to carry out dog. Bummer!

The view from Mill Mountain was great even though the weather was not so great! Even with limited visibility and rain on our heels we were still able take in a pretty nice view from the vantage point at the base of the star.From what I could see the trails were nice(at the beginning at least)wish the weather was nicer so we could have meandered about for awhile.The restrooms…well…for guys I hope you don’t have IBS or another sensitive tummy issue. Ladies I would just hold it seriously! It’s not worth it!

Magnificent place! It's a beautiful area to stop and relax and take in the breath taking view of Roanoke and the Blue Ridge Mountains. I HIGHLY recommend a stop here!

What a beautiful stop this was. It's located on the Blue Ridge Mountain Road. The breath taking view looked over Roanoke. I bet it's beautiful at night! I hear the star lights up, too. They have a trail you can hike with your four-legged friends. They even offer a little dispenser of doggie poop bags. The dogwood trees were in bloom. The surrounding foliage is lush and green.Bathrooms are also provided. The main road takes you for a scenic drive.

This landmark is impressive and the views are amazing. At night it is very grand to see the star fully illuminated. Access is restricted after 11pm.There is a pavilion to picnic under as well as a playground for children in the park. A beautiful garden is well maintained and a free discovery center holds information about the local geography and animals.There is also a small zoo on Mill Mountain which can be visited for a fee. There is a miniature train you can purchase tickets to ride on and see the perimeter of the zoo. With the train tickets and entry for 4 adults and 2 children the cost was less than $100. The zoo closes prior to the park closing, so check hours ahead of time.

Beautiful, beautiful view of the city and just looking at all the mountains. Must visit if you're in Roanoke! Came to visit a friend, and she took me to see!! So grateful for the memorable opportunity she gave me as well as thinking of taking me! Thanks Olivia!!! :)

Don't miss The Roanoke Star when you're in town! Beautiful scenic overlook of the valley, and walking trails for you to enjoy the mountain air! We also put our drone up and got some great shots!

A marvelous view! A wonderful spot to go anytime of the day but I recommend going at night. I took my daughter and we had an absolutely amazing time! Very easy to get to. Not a far walk at all to the lookout. The lookout itself is outstanding! The star is truly a marvel. I highly recommend this for a family outing. I will be back here again and again!

Not a local but stopped by while passing through the area. The star is huge as expected but it's the view of the city that really gets you. Lol there is a restroom also located in the parking lot of the star. If you walk the trail next to the star, it leads you down to the discovery center and the flower gardens. Walking through the garden will lead you directly to the zoo. The garden was not yet in bloom and the zoo was closed for the day (5pm) but still a nice walk.

We've been walking here in the evenings for a little exercise. Nice paved paths by star and zoo. Interesting trails through woods, rocky in places but well worn paths.

This will always be one of my favorite places in the valley! We can see it from a window in our house which is a really sweet bonus! The views are breathtaking and it's always clean no matter how many guests are on the platform. A favorite for us is to visit in December and see all the pockets of lights!

Was on a work trip and went there when it was dark, the star light was light as well, we all had a flocking good time and walked away happier than when we had arrived. Besides my teams fowl language, it was kid appropriate.

The Mill Star is usually all white except for patriotic holidays. GPS brings you to the bottom of the site. You need to keep driving until you see the entrance to the park. The view of the city from the lookout is amazing.

Great thing to see up close after seeing it from below. The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star. It is just a short walk to the front side of the star. There is a nice platform that overlooks Roanoke for great viewing of the city below, but also with enough room to turn around and get a picture of the giant star. It was cold and starting to get dark, there were only 2-3 cars at any point. There looked to be nice restrooms but didn't go check them out.

I visited the Mill Mountain Star on an early morning will in town for a sporting event. Walked around the trails and walking paths. Then stopped at the star and the overlook of the city. Great view. Very easy to get to from the parking area as well.

Beautiful place, bathrooms are clean but old and Beat up. Pretty and short little walking trails. Open till 11pm so you can go for a night viewing too.

4.8

(4144)

4.5

(1298)

2000 Jb Fishburn Pkwy SE, Roanoke, VA 24014, USA

6 lists

One of the most impressive sites I've ever seen! I hope it stays that way. I got more than my monies worth. I just walked around and took many pictures. Next time I hope to bring my family members with me and do a group tour. Thank you, VA, for this beautiful memorial to our fallen soldiers!The drive there was beautiful, too, but drive carefully because some of the roads have sharp curves.

This place is much larger than expected, mostly outdoors. We did our tour with Joe on his golf cart. He was terrific at explaining some of the behind the scenes facts we hadn't heard. We had little kids with us so the golf cart turned out to be great fun for them. Our 9 yr old did understand a lot of the tour too. It's hard to comprehend the extravagant losses felt by the tiny town of Bedford, but this tour helped greatly. Worth the $$. Ideal to go on an overcast or somewhat cool day!

What an amazing way to honor those who have served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The facility was very clean. Nice clean bathrooms and a small gift shop. There is an admission fee, but Veterans and students receive a discount. Parking is included in the entrance fee. A guided tour is available at no extra cost, or you can walk the tour by yourself. The grounds are well kept. Plenty of seats are available if you need to rest, and it is handicap accessible. (Including bathrooms)

A great tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom, guided tours. Very educational and a great way to spend the day.

Very nice memorial. Easy access. We noticed a few RV's, so, plenty of room if you're passing through the area in a camper.The losses that day were staggering. A lesson in history that nobody should forget.God Bless the United States of America.

Amazing educational experience and the volunteers are wonderful. Everyone should go visit and see what IS the cost of freedom.

An incredible afternoon spent at a very special place. Peaceful and quiet. You can do a free guided tour or tour on your own. Our guide was a Korean War veteran. His perspective was invaluable. There is something very special about this place nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

SPECTACULAR!!!! Such an incredible place to honor and pay tribute and learn more about D-Day and WW2. Also, beautifully designed and surrounded by beauty. Happy to pay to enter to support this amazing place. Our 3rd visit as it changes with the seasons- this visit- gorgeous cherry blossoms. The 4415 Luminaries in December for each who gave their life at the D-Day invasion was sobering and beautiful. Also, the volunteer tour guides are excellent. A must visit place! Teacher take your students!!!!

Very educational experience! Had a great guide who knew her history of D-Day!! They do have limited golf cart tours for the handicapped!!This is a place everyone should visit!!

Worth a stop if you’re in the area, but be advised that the price of admission is a bit steep. Our family took advantage of the Blue Star summer admission and got it for free, but we would have been disappointed if we paid full price.My favorite feature is actually the bathrooms, which are structured to have an exterior built like a German pillbox and integrated into the beach landing scene.

VeryBeautiful tranquil & peaceful memorial for our WWll vets & their families.We’ve been there multiple times & will continue to go there . This memorial is Not to be missed . Very informative friendly volunteers .

As a Gulf War era Vet, visiting this hallowed site was a must see the next time I was in Virginia...that time was today. I spent nearly 3 hours walking, looking, pausing, reflecting and a silent prayer. Thank you to all who played a part in its creation, however even more...thank you to those who sacrificed and returned from such an ordeal unlike any other.

This place is amazing! We met Gerald Willis and he showed us around. He was so knowledgeable, and the passion he has for this memorial is impressive. We were not planning on visiting but we made it an hour before closing and it was the best choice we made.

A beautifully conceived and executed memorial can be missed without knowledgeable and thoughtful docents; The National D-Day Memorial did not lack in any way today during our tour. If you come, take time to take the tour and take time to linger. It is well worth it.

A wonderful place to remember those that served in WWII. The grounds and views are beautiful from the site. The on-site museum is small but thoughtful. I highly recommend a stop while in the area.

This is a first class memorial that is both educational and respectful of the sacrifices of those involved in all aspects of the Normandy invasion. The grounds and monuments are beautifully maintained, and designed to tell the invasion’s story. Our guide, Rick, was excellent and provided our group with a not only the facts, but many background stories surrounding the preparation and invasion. There is a well stocked gift store that carries a wide variety of educational items at very reasonable prices. I highly recommend taking a guided tour or you will miss out on a lot of material. A guided tour should take 2 to 3 hours.

Beautiful during spring with trees blossoming . It was not crowded and was a beautiful day to take in so much history and read about the sacrifice brave men and women gave for our country . Well worth the visit .

I recommend having the guided tour. We did this and our guide was so knowledgeable. There were so many things I didn't know that he shared. Reasonable price. I was a little disappointed that the tour began 15mins before the start time the gate attendee told us but we were able to catch up pretty quickly.

An amazing display, plenty of clean restrooms and shaded areas to sit. Gorgeous garden in the spring! Highly recommend this memorial

Perhaps the most informative and amazing memorial of its kind that I have ever seen. Do NOT pass this up- I did for two years, not realizing that this is THE NATIONAL D-DAY MEMORIAL. if you have a desire to learn more about Operation OVERLORD and its participants, give yourself at least a half day to read all the plaques. Better yet, take a lunch ( or bundle up!) and spend the day...I promise you, you won't be disappointed.There is an entry fee ($10-$12? - when you get through the gates, you will wonder why it isn't more -), so plan accordingly.

While traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, I went to see this. It was a very moving experience. If you enjoy World War II history, stop in. I took the tour, and it ended up as a private tour since it was just the guide and myself. My guide was Twila. She was very knowledgeable and patient with me. She has been giving tours for several years. The sculpture is very moving. I highly recommend a visit to this Memorial.

Beautiful memorial to honor the people who died serving our country! You do have to pay to see the memorial. They also have a small museum and gift shop and do tours.

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3 Overlord Cir, Bedford, VA 24523, USA