Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Suggested Zipline Pairings
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on May 28, 2024
When you go out to eat, it's not unusual for the menu to suggest something that pairs nicely with your chosen entrée (This, of course, does not apply to McDonald's…). But at Smoky Mountain Ziplines, we've decided to apply that same concept to the world of vacation activities. It makes sense to us that if you have a whole day and an evening to fill with fun outings, then it's likely that some of those things will go better with each other than others. That's why we've come up with a list of things to do in the Smokies that would work well with a morning or an evening spent on our Gatlinburg zipline.
Let's start by giving you an overview of what's in store at our outpost in the mountains. You'll meet your two tour guides, who will help you get geared up in all the necessary safety equipment and then accompany you for a bouncy ride up the mountain in one of our military all-terrain vehicles. Once you're on the zipline course, the guides will show you everything you need to know about riding a line, from launching to landing.
From there, you've got seven exhilarating zipline rides ahead of you, from a short, tame line to help you get acclimated all the way to lines that are more than 800 feet long (nearly three football fields) and more than 100 feet off the ground. We also have a cool vertical descent feature that's a lot like rappelling, except our guides will assist you in the 30-foot drop instead of you having to bounce off a wall on the way down.
With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for other places to visit in the Smokies that complement our rollicking zipline adventure.
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
For this one, you might want to get your ziplining done in the morning, and then save this self-guided multilevel aquarium tour for the heat of the afternoon. You'll definitely appreciate the AC this summer as you explore all the world's oceans and get to know the fascinating creatures that call them home. Look for brilliantly colorful fish species as well as octopi, sharks and stingrays. You can even get hands-on with the rays in Touch-A-Ray Bay. The aquarium also offers diving mermaid shows, food vendors, educational programs for all ages and a gift shop with the coolest selection of aquatic-themed merch you've ever seen.
A Music Theater Show
Speaking of air conditioning, this is another cool (literally) way to ride out the afternoon heat in comfort. The fun part is that you have dozens of shows to choose from in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg - everything from country music and bluegrass to rock and roll and gospel. And it's not just music that's on the bill. If you're a fan of comedy, magic, horses, pirates, lumberjacks or dinner shows in general, you're going to have plenty of options to choose from.
Goats on the Roof
This attraction is not too far from our zipline course, and it offers a variety of amusements for the whole family. You'll enjoy the breeze while you coast down a mountain on their alpine coaster, or you can putt your way to glory on their dinosaur-themed mini golf course. Also look for gem mining, hand-crafted gift items and, of course, the stars of the show, the live goats that live on the roof of the main building. You can head upstairs to say howdy in person or hang out at ground level and send food up to those hungry critters via one of our two custom Goat Cycles.
Mall Time
Not everything in the Smokies is an attraction. Before or after speeding through the air on our ziplines, you could put your feet to good use and check out all the shops at the many outlet malls and retail shopping centers in the Smokies. Collectively, we're talking hundreds of shops specializing in every kind of merchandise you could imagine, from clothing and shoes to electronics and housewares - often at deeply discounted prices.
National Park
We always say that no trip to the Great Smoky Mountains is complete without actually going to the mountains. And the best place to do that is to visit the national park of the same name. Hundreds of miles of hiking trails and fishable streams as well as scenic auto/cycling routes, historic structures, picnic areas and much more await your exploration. Just make sure you have a required parking permit before entering the park.
