If you’re mapping out things to do in Gatlinburg with kids, the good news is you’ve got more options than you can fit into one trip. This mountain town packs an aquarium, a mountaintop adventure park, an easy pet-friendly hike, an indoor water park, downtown arcades, and a family-run off-road tour into a few square miles, most of it walkable or a short drive from downtown.
Ages matter: some stops have height or age minimums, while others, like the hiking trail and the UTV tour below, work fine with toddlers still riding in a car seat.
Here’s where to start.
Quick Answer: Best Things to Do in Gatlinburg with Kids
The best things to do in Gatlinburg with kids include Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Anakeesta’s treetop walkways, Ober Mountain’s mountaintop rides, the flat and pet-friendly Gatlinburg Trail, Wild Bear Falls indoor water park, downtown arcades, and a guided family UTV tour through the Smokies. Most of these sit within a 10-minute drive of downtown Gatlinburg.
Quick picks:
- Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies – indoor, all-weather, great for toddlers through teens
- Anakeesta – mountaintop park with a gondola and treetop skywalk
- Ober Mountain – chairlift rides, mini golf, and a mountain coaster
- Gatlinburg Trail – the easiest, most stroller-friendly hike in the national park
- Wild Bear Falls Water Park – indoor water park, good rainy-day backup
- Arcades downtown – Fannie Farkle’s and others, good for a low-key evening
- Off-Road Gatlinburg’s family UTV tour – a guided ride the whole family can do together, including toddlers with a car seat
1. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is one of the first stops most families put on their list. It’s indoor, it’s air-conditioned, and it’s built for kids: walk-through tunnels with sharks and rays overhead, touch pools, and a penguin exhibit that tends to be the highlight for younger visitors.
Because it’s fully indoor, it’s also your best backup plan on a rainy afternoon in the Smokies. Hours, ticket prices, and any seasonal exhibits change throughout the year, so check the aquarium’s own site before you go.
2. Anakeesta
Anakeesta sits on a mountaintop just above downtown Gatlinburg, and you reach it by gondola or chondola ride, which is half the fun for most kids before they even get to the park. Once up top, families can walk the Treetop Skywalk (a series of connected sky bridges 50 to 60 feet up), let kids loose at the Treehouse Village playground, or take in the mountain views from AnaVista Tower.
It’s a good half-day stop if your kids are old enough to enjoy the ziplines and coasters, and there’s enough at ground level (gardens, dining, the playground) that younger toddlers have things to do too. Confirm current ride height and age minimums directly on Anakeesta’s site before you build your day around a specific ride.
3. Ober Mountain
Ober Mountain (long-time locals may still know it as Ober Gatlinburg, its former name) is the mountaintop park most families pair with, or use as an alternative to, Anakeesta. If your kids are into ziplines and heights, I’d send them to Anakeesta first. If they’d rather stick to gentler rides, Ober Mountain’s alpine slide and mountain coaster are the easier sell. In the warmer months it runs as a snowless amusement park, with ice skating and a scenic chairlift up Mount Harrison thrown in. Once the weather turns, it becomes Tennessee’s only ski area.
That seasonal switch is worth factoring into your trip dates if skiing or snow tubing is the reason for the visit.
Coaster video
And don’t miss the tubing hill if you’re coming with kids during the summer.
4. The Gatlinburg Trail (the easiest hike in the park)
If you want to get your kids into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park without committing to a backcountry hike, the Gatlinburg Trail is the one to pick. According to the National Park Service, it runs about 4 miles roundtrip (roughly 1.9 miles one-way) connecting the Sugarlands Visitor Center to River Road in Gatlinburg, and it’s described as mostly flat and wide with just a few steeper sections.
Two details make it a good pick for families: it’s paved and stroller-manageable for a good stretch near the visitor center, and it’s one of only two trails in the entire national park where pets are allowed, so it doesn’t have to be a choice between the hike and the family dog. If I had to pick one hike to do with a toddler or a stroller, this is the one.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has no entrance fee, but the NPS does require a parking tag for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes, for a day or for a week. It’s not technically an entrance fee, but budget for it anyway, it catches a lot of first-time visitors off guard.
5. Wild Bear Falls Water Park
Wild Bear Falls is the indoor water park at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, and it’s another solid all-weather option if you’re visiting in a shoulder season or just want a break from hiking. Slides and pools are geared toward a wide age range, so it tends to work whether you’ve got a toddler or a ten-year-old in tow.
6. Downtown Arcades
Gatlinburg has a solid arcade scene, and it’s an easy, low-commitment evening activity after a full day of hiking or attractions. Fannie Farkle’s, running since 1981 right on the Parkway, pairs a full arcade floor with a diner-style menu, so it doubles as dinner and entertainment in one stop. It’s a good option when everyone’s tired but not ready to call it a night yet.
7. A Guided Family UTV Tour with Off-Road Gatlinburg
This is the one I’m most excited to put on this list, because it works for an age range most family attractions leave out. Toddlers are welcome, car seat and all, our guides install it in the UTV for you, so nobody gets left standing outside a height chart while their older sibling goes in without them. Bring the dog along too if you want, we just ask for a towel over the seat.
The guided tour runs 90 minutes across more than 300 acres of private trails, with a stop at the Million Dollar View that’s worth the ride by itself. You don’t need a license to drive, just to be 18 or older, and every rider gets a seat of their own, no lap sitting, no matter how small they are. UTVs start around for 2 or 4 seats, for 6, with tours running throughout the day.
Best Time of Year to Visit Gatlinburg with Kids
Summer is the default season for most families, and it lines up with Ober Mountain’s warm-weather lineup (alpine slide, mountain coaster) and longer daylight for hiking the Gatlinburg Trail. Winter brings a different set of options: Ober Mountain becomes Tennessee’s only ski resort, and several attractions run holiday-themed events that add an extra reason to bundle up. If your schedule is flexible, shoulder season (spring or fall) usually means shorter lines at the indoor attractions like Ripley’s Aquarium and Wild Bear Falls, without losing access to any of the outdoor options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gatlinburg good for kids?
Yes. Between an aquarium, a mountaintop park reachable by gondola, an easy stroller-friendly hike, an indoor water park, and family tour options that accept toddlers, Gatlinburg has enough variety to fill several days without repeating an activity.
What is the easiest hike for kids in Gatlinburg?
The Gatlinburg Trail is generally considered the easiest option. It’s about 4 miles roundtrip, mostly flat and paved near the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and it’s one of only two trails in the national park where pets are allowed alongside kids.
Is there an entrance fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
No, the park itself has no entrance fee. You do need a parking tag if your vehicle will be parked longer than 15 minutes, per day, per week, or annually, purchased at visitor centers or online.
How old do kids need to be for an off-road UTV tour in Gatlinburg?
Off-Road Gatlinburg’s guided tour is built to include toddlers, their FAQ states the tour is safe for kids as young as 1 to 3 years old with a properly installed car seat or booster, which their guides handle for you. The only age rule is for whoever wants to drive: they need to be 18 or older, no license required.
Planning Your Family Trip
Mix indoor and outdoor stops so a rainy afternoon doesn’t derail your plans. Start with one big anchor activity per day, the aquarium, Anakeesta, the trail, the tour, and leave the evenings open for something low-key like the arcade.
If you want the whole family outdoors together, car seat and all, book a guided UTV tour with Off-Road Gatlinburg.
