Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Searching For Santa
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on December 5, 2022
For kids, Santa Claus is a pretty important dude come the holidays. After all, he's the guy that's going to deliver the good stuff for Christmas morning, so it never hurts to get in on his good side and make sure he has you down on his Nice list. Remember the scene from the beloved holiday movie A Christmas Story, when Ralphie visited Santa at the department store so he could ask for that all-important Red Ryder BB gun?
If you have little ones who are getting a little antsy about this time of year, this might be a good time to line up a visit with the big guy himself. It can help reassure a young Santa believer, but truth be told, it's just a fun thing to do this time of year. A one-on-one with St. Nick can rekindle seasonal spirits, and depending on where you find him, there might be candy or photo opps involved.
For those of you taking your kids to the Smokies within the next few weeks, here are a few places where you can line up a visit with Santa and take a big step toward making their holiday dreams come true. And we know some of you grown-ups like talking with him too.
1. Crave Golf Club
This Pigeon Forge attraction is a fun place to go to play a few rounds of candy-themed miniature golf. But on select dates this month, it's an even sweeter proposition because guests can get free candy canes and have their photos taken with Santa Claus on December 10 and 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. They also set a holiday scene with 100 trees, 30,000 Christmas lights and 20,000 ornaments, in addition to their year-round fare of mini golf, mini bowling and escape rooms. They also have a knock-off character called The Grouch (based on The Grinch), who is available on December 17 from 3 to 6 p.m.
2. Santa's Claus-et
This year-round Christmas store is the largest of its kind in Gatlinburg and one of the biggest in the entire area. They offer walk-in visits with Santa in Santa's Candy Cane Cottage, Tuesdays through Sundays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Photos and videos of the encounter are available for purchase afterward. For a fee of $200, you can make an appointment to see Mr. Claus on Saturdays and Sundays in one of five different time slots. These visits come with a number of perks, including a reserved time without waiting, sharing Christmas wishes with Santa, personalized gifts from Santa and individual and group photos. Visits by appointment last as long as 25 minutes.
3. The Christmas Place
In case you were wondering, this Pigeon Forge retail stop is THE biggest Christmas store in the Smokies. Visitors can have photos taken with Santa Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Special hours are 12/23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 12/24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can sign up for your visit at the store's website, www.christmasplace.com.
4. Anakeesta's Enchanted Winter
This outdoors-themed Gatlinburg attraction hosts breakfast visits with Santa Claus. Prices range from $88 for kids to $105 for adults. Remaining dates are 12/10, 12/17 and 12/23 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Admission includes early access to the theme park before other guests arrive, all-day access to the park, breakfast at the Cliff Top restaurant, A Christmas caroling singalong and a professionally made photo with Kris Kringle.
5. Dollywood
Few people know that Santa Claus has a private cabin in the Smokies, and visitors to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge can hang out with the big guy as he reviews his list of names. Kids can find out if they're on the Naughty or Nice list and have their photo taken with Santa in the process. They can even catch Santa at work as he prepares for his deliveries on Christmas Day.
While our Smoky Mountains zip line attraction isn't expecting any visits from Santa any time soon, our guides love posing for photographs. You can even tell them what you want for Christmas. They can't do anything about it, but they're still pretty good listeners…
