Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Keep Your Cool - And Skip The Water Park
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on July 12, 2022
There's no doubt that water parks are a top travel destination in the Smoky Mountains each summer. Temperatures can be quite menacing this time of year, and when you add humidity to the situation, the result is often lots of days where it's hard to do much outside without needing a way to cool down. In that regard, water parks are naturally one of the first solutions to come to mind. They have all kinds of slides and other fun features that are guaranteed to bring smiles to faces while also helping visitors beat the heat.
We talked about the many different water-park options in the Smokies several weeks ago, so this time around, we'd like to share our ideas for ways you can cool off when you're on vacation without necessarily having to devote your time to a water park. These are all interactive ideas that involve participation, as opposed to just sitting in or walking through an air-conditioned attraction or theater. Any of these attractions would be the ideal companion to your time at Smoky Mountain Ziplines. Imagine starting your day getting to zipline Pigeon Forge and then cooling off in the afternoon while also keeping the excitement rolling for everyone in the family.
Zorb
At the Outdoor Gravity Park in Pigeon Forge, they have a truly unique way of cooling off their guests. And it involves rolling downhill inside a huge, inflatable sphere. Around here, it's known as Zorbing. One way to Zorb involves riding in a sphere that's partially filled with water. So once you start your journey down the hill, you're sitting in the water, and the ball rotates underneath you while you're still sitting up. It's basically like riding a water slide along the course, whether you're traveling alone or sharing the sphere with a couple of friends. Also, you can choose a zigzag course or one that sends you straight down Outdoor Gravity Park's 1,000-foot hill.
Pigeon Forge Snow
While most of our non-water-park alternatives do involve cooling off in H2O in one way or another, this Pigeon Forge fun-stop relies on water in its frozen form. Pigeon Forge Snow is America's first indoor snow park, and it's open year 'round. So on the hottest of summer days in the Smokies, the inside of the attraction is a cool 60 to 70 degrees. Plus you'll be in pretty close contact with their artificially manufactured but real snow, whether you're sliding down their snow-tubing hill or frolicking in the Snow Play area.
Dollywood Theme Park
Although Dollywood's Splash Country is an entire water park in its own right, the original theme park has several rides that will get guests wet and help them cool down on a hot day. For example, Daredevil Falls is a log-flume ride that sends passengers bumping along a twisting, winding course before plummeting 40 feet down a final drop, which comes complete with a good spray of water along the final runout track. And at Smoky Mountain River Rampage, passengers ride an out-of-control river raft along a mountain-themed course that's full of turns, dips and unexpected sprays of water. You're almost guaranteed to get soaked before it's all said and done. And by the way, Dollywood has mist stations set up throughout the park, so even if you don't do a water-involved ride, you can still find a spot to take a short break and cool off.
Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort
This Gatlinburg resort is known for its wintertime skiing, but it's a hopping place in summer too. And it has several options for those who want to do something fun but also not get too burned out by the midday sun. They have water raft rides that provide lots of wet, downhill fun, and their indoor ice-skating rink is open all year long. So you can pop in on a scorching July or August day and appreciate the cooler temps on the ice as you skate the day away.
