Last week we went to Wilderness at the Smokies, and we all had an absolute blast!
We love going to Sevierville, Tennessee, and this time we only had a couple extra days, so we thought why not make the quick 6 hour drive and go for a long weekend! I’m so glad we did! This was unlike any other Smoky Mountain trip before. We didn’t even make it over to the mountains this time, but we had plenty of other fun to keep us busy all weekend long! The kids said this was their favorite trip ever so far (next to Disney World), so clearly it ranks way up there! Here are some of our favorite things to do at the Smokies Wilderness Resort!
We stayed in River Lodge Suites in a one bedroom deluxe condo suite. The room sleeps up to 10 people and was perfect for all 7 of us! We had 1 bedroom with 2 queen beds, a bunk bed and a sofa sleeper. The living room had a sofa sleeper and a queen murphy bed. It had a full kitchen, and we had 2 bathrooms. It was just enough room for all of us. What I loved so much about it was the location. It was right by the indoor waterpark, outdoor waterpark and Adventure Forest. It was SO convenient with 3 kids to only have to walk a few feet from our room to all the action!
Just steps around from our room was Wild Waterdome Indoor Waterpark. The morning we got ready for the waterpark, it started raining. We were so happy that they had an indoor waterpark too! It was perfect for a rainy day. And it still had SO much to do! I think they might have actually enjoyed the indoor waterpark the most! They have numerous rides both indoors and out, so I am going to focus on the ones that we rode and that the kids loved the most!
Things to Do at The Smokies Wilderness Resort
Kaleidoscope Kaverns Lazy River – This lazy river is so cool! It is lit up like a kaleidoscope, and all the kids loved it! It has cool music and colors, and you can just relax and float down the river and relax.
Ridge Runner Water Coaster – This was one of our favorites! It was so unique and cool. This is a cross between a waterpark and roller coaster. Both of the girls were able to ride it with us, and they loved it so much!
Storm Chaser – This was another one of our favorites! In this one, you plummet 55 feet down a dark tunnel before ending up in the dome. I could have ridden this one over and over and over! On this one, you had to be 48 inches tall, so Leighton got to ride it with us.
Trail Twisters – We probably rode this one the most! Both of the girls loved it, and we rode it over and over. You ride on a double tube on this one with lots of twists and turns.
Runaway Canyon – This one fits several people, and we could all ride it except for Grayson. He still has 2 more inches to grow, and then he can ride everything that Amelia can ride. We will have to come back next year! This one has lots of twists and turns too and is fun for the entire family!
Washout Mountain – Grayson could have played here all day long! It is multi-level with 2 slides, a water bucket and several other water features that the kids can splash around in.
The Great Wave – This was another favorite, especially for the girls. They loved the wave pool!
Smokies Surf Rider – Leighton had a blast on this one! She loved trying to surf and did amazing! Check out my instagram highlight to see more!
After a full day inside at the waterpark, it was time to visit Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark the next day!
The Wall – This was Leighton’s hands down favorite waterslide, and I don’t blame her! It was so fun! You would go down a twisty slide and then shoot out and fly up “the wall” to then come back down. It was so fun!
Cataloochee Creek Adventure River – This was their outdoor lazy river, and it was awesome! It was long, and you could do down it with or without a tube. Near the end, you would go through the wave pool area too, so that made for a really fun experience! The kids all loved it!
Treehouse Springs – This was Grayson’s favorite area outside. It had a frog shaped slide that Grayson loved along with other slides, buckets, sprinklers and more. It was like a huge splash pad for the kids!
Later in the afternoon, we visited Wilderness Adventure Forest which is the indoor play area right beside the waterpark. They have so much to do here, and you can purchase multiple pass options. They have Rocky Top Glide (and indoor roller coaster me and the girls loved!), frog hopper, a ropes course, a rock climbing wall, bowling, miniature glow in the dark golf and more! Additionally, they even have some virtual reality rides and tons of arcade games. This was perfect to do after the kids were exhausted from being in the water all day and when it started raining.
The next morning, we rode the shuttle across the street to Soaky Mountain Waterpark. You get discounted entry here while lodging at Wilderness at the Smokies, win win! This new waterpark is HUGE and has so much to offer! They have tons of different waterslides from fun to thrilling, several huge kiddie areas, a big wave pool and so much more. They have tons of cabanas you can rent (perfect for families) and tons of dining options too. Bring your own water bottle because you can fill it up with water at the front of the park when you come in.
Boomers Bay – We spent the majority of our time here at Boomers Bay. It had multiple slides, and the water was only a couple feet deep. It was perfect for all 3 of my kids, and they spent the first couple hours just right here!
The Hive – This was another really cool spot that all the kids loved! It was multi-level and had several slides and sprinklers and things to play on. This splash pad area was so big and had so much to do!
Slippery Salamanders – This was such a fun spot! It was a double lane inflatable water obstacle course where you race to complete the course. Leighton loved it!
Since it was a holiday weekend, it started getting busy pretty quickly at the waterpark. That, and school was out, woohoo! We spent half a day at Soaky Mountain, but there was enough to do that we could have spent an entire week! We will have to come back again when it’s not a holiday weekend and spend even more time here!
This entire trip at the Smokies Wilderness Resort was so great! We just really loved our location in the hotel, all there was to do there and the fact that we had a full kitchen. The kids loved just playing and exploring all day long without even having to leave our resort. It was definitely convenient with 3 kids. It was full filled and action packed, and we can’t wait to go back again and experience even more at Wilderness at the Smokies!
