Enjoying The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Even though we have been to many different mountains. Mountains that are large, rocky, snowcapped and beautiful with glaciers hidden all over them. Even after being to many of these mountains, there is still something special about the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I can’t really explain why I am so drawn to these mountains, there is just something magical about them.

Maybe it’s because I have been coming here with my family since I was a boy, now brining my kids. Maybe it’s because there is beautiful streams, rivers, waterfalls, and hiking. Then you can drive 5 minutes down the road and have all the family friendly “tourist trap” attractions. The Smokies let us have the best of both worlds. It could be the beauty of standing at the top of the mountains, looking over the hazy mountain tops enjoying all the changing colors of the fall.

Whatever it is that pulls me into these mountains, I am sure that you will feel the same. There is so much here for everybody. You can enjoy seeing black bears, elk, fox, coyotes, bob cats, etc. There are tuff hikes that take you to total seclusion and easy hikes that will give you the beauty of some of the best waterfalls in the Appalachian Mountains. You can eat at unique top-quality restaurants, go to Cherokee North Carolina and enjoy the Native American culture, or you can catch a dinner show and magic show with the family.

In this post we are going to cover some of the family friendly activities, hikes, and attractions we like to do with the kids. If you are looking for an easy to do list with the family, this is going to be a good start for you.

Mountain Farm Museum

The Mountain Farm Museum is located just 2 miles from Cherokee North Carolina. This is where my favorite visitor center is located at. Head inside the visitor center before going to the museum and touch base with the park rangers. The rangers will be able to guide you with any questions you may have about the park and the hikes in the area. They are the experts in this park, use them! Ask them what their opinion is for good hikes and animal sighting locations. They will lead you in the right direction.

The Mountain Farm Museum has a collection of log building gathered from the Park. Most of these buildings originated from the late 19^th century and was brought to one location in 1950. The kids will enjoy walking though the large barn, checking out the interior of the log cabin, playing with the pig and chickens and relaxing by the river. I must say that myself being a person that makes my own knives, I do drool over the blacksmith shop that is on site at the Mountain Farm Museum, I would love to have that setup in my backyard!!

The area surrounding the Mountain Farm Museum is prime elk feeding grounds. Almost every time we drove through here either early morning or late afternoon, we seen elk. We drove through here just before midnight and you can imagine how started I was when I drove up on a cow elk along the side of the road. I do recommend if you plan on driving through the Smoky Mountains National Park at midnight, have a lightbar or some high lights, this park is DARK at night!! My A-pillar lights were a life saver.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cades Cove

Cades cove is a little out of the way but the drive is worth every second. Consisting of a 11-mile loop drive that has a visitor center of Cades Cove. It will take you at least 2 hours to drive this 11-mile loop, even longer if you stop and visit some of the trails.  This loop gives you some of the best, most active wildlife viewing areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is plenty of places to pull over and enjoy the wildlife, and there are many areas to get out and stretch your legs.

We have been to Cades Cove twice now, both times we were able to see black bears. Unfortunately, we were not to get great photos of them (I guess I need to get Kaitlin a better camera) but we have seen a full-grown black bear, deer, coyote, turkey, and black bear cubs. It is a fabulous area to drive and enjoy the park. I highly suggest taking the kids out there and seeing some wild black bears. Try to get here early since it is one of the most visited areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There are many early buildings scattered throughout Cades Cove. Three churches, a mill, barns, and houses just to name a few. Settlers began coming to Cades Cove in 1818 and by 1830 the population of Cades Cove was approximately 271. You will have opportunities to park, get out of the car, and explore some of these buildings. Walking along paths you can easily imagine how life used to be. How beautiful and wild it must have been to live in Cades Cove in the mid 1800’s. Something spectacular to reflect on while visiting this magical area of the Smokies.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Family Friendly Hikes

Oconaluftee River Trail

There is a fantastic easy hike located right at Mountain Farm Museum. The trail is called the Oconaluftee River Trail. This trail follows the river all the way to Cherokee North Carolina. This trail is 1.5 miles long and is even stroller accessible. You will enjoy this easy hike while listening to the water flow. This trail will give you a peaceful experience with great river views.

Alum Cave

Alum Cave, is a 5-mile round trip hike. The trail features an elevation change of 1200ft. This hike is considered moderate in difficulty. I think the beginning of the trail is not that bad, as it is a well established very popular trail. The trail is not paved and does have some uneven surface. Once you get further on the trail you will come to some steep steps that can be a challenge for some.

We did this trail on a November day and it was spectacular. Only issue we had was it was about 208 degrees out and there was a lot of ice on the trail and steps. Making the hike a pretty Treacherous hike for us. Nevertheless it was such an amazing experience. Hiking along the Alum trail will take you deep into the woods along a running creek the entire time. You will get to experience the should of running water and birds chirping as you make your way up the cliff side. It is my favorite hike in the park that does not end at a waterfall.

As I mentioned before this is a popular hike, make sure you get here early. There is always a lot of people on this hike but the earlier you get here the better chance you are going to have to be secluded. One of my favorite parts of the hike was the natural bridge they made. Using natural materials really made it feel like it was part of the scenery, not just a man made object to cross.

Mingo Falls

Outside of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee North Carolina is where Mingo Falls is located. We stayed just 1.5 miles from Mingo falls in a KOA and I am so happy that we decided to check out the falls. Mingo Falls is 120 ft tall making it one of the largest falls in the Appalachian Mountains. The hike is only .4 miles to get to the falls but don’t let that fool you. The hike is rated as Moderate due to having to tackle a large amount of stairsteps, uneven surfaces, and slick rocks on this hike.

 You will get the heart beating climbing all the steps required to get to this spectacular waterfall. I must say out of all the waterfalls I have seen, this one ranks pretty high on the enjoyment meter and is easily my favorite waterfall in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 The kids enjoyed playing in some of the small pools of water, while Kaitlin and I loved the views and the sounds of the water rushing over the crest. A plus of this hike is it is not a very popular hike, you won’t come past a whole lot of people here (at least not when we did it)

Laurel Falls

The Laurel Falls is one of the most popular hikes in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is for good reason, it is a relatively easy 2.5-mile round trip hike that takes you to a beautiful 80 ft waterfall. The trail is full of people at all times, so once again try and do this one early. If you have young children with you, they will be able to easily hike and enjoy themselves but be cautious there is many areas of the trail that is on the edge of steep cliffs. Make sure you are watching out for the little ones, since they won’t watch out for themselves. The hike seems to go uphill the entire trail to the falls, it is a bit exhausting but there are a lot of places to stop for breaks.

This trail is “paved” but it is not even. You will be on slick rocks and uneven surface for much of the hike. Once you get to the falls you are rewarded with a large viewing area that is very close to the falls. You can feel the mist of the water coming off the rushing water.

 Be cautious, this area of the park is known for having black bears active in and around it. Make sure you are making plenty of noise, so you do not startle the bear. Never feed any wild animals and make sure to take your trash out of the park with you. Always stay a safe distance from any wild animal you may come across.  

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

If you are wanting to experience the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with limited effort, the Gatlinburg Skylift Park is the place for you. Located in the heart of Gatlinburg this will take you on a ski lift to the top of the mountain. Once you get up top there is a café style restaurant, large viewing decks with plenty of seating, and a cable bridge connecting two peaks that has 30 ft of see through glass you get to walk over. Kaitlin was not a fan of the bridge, more specifically the glass she had to walk over.

Once you purchase tickets you will be able to ride the Skylift for the entire day, I recommend making sure you make the trip back before they close for the night and experience the Skylift at night. This gives you spectacular views of the lights and of Gatlinburg. We enjoyed the Skylift right as dusk and got to watch the sun set behind the mountains. It would have been super romantic if Kaitlin was not having a panic attack from the cable bridge. 

Pigeon Forge Family Fun

I believe one of the main reasons I love The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is that Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are so close to the park. This allows for amazing shopping, dining, and entertainment in Gatlinburg. While in Pigeon Forge you have all the tourist trap fun that lets your kids really have a memorable exciting vacation that they will be talking about for years to come. There is so much in Pigeon Forge that is built for the family. I am planning on a trip back to Pigeon Forge and just staying in town experiencing the family fun times you can enjoy.

Enjoy dinner shows? Who doesn’t right? Pigeon Forge has enough dinner shows that you can plan a whole week of good food and entertainment. These include Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Hatfield and McCoy, Pirates Voyage, Great Smoky Mountain Murder Mystery, and Biblical Times Dinner. What I like about these shows is it covers dinner and entertainment for the night. The kids love the action and I love the food!!

Driving down the strip you will see a huge Ferris Wheel. Head toward the Ferris Wheel and you will come to The Island of Pigeon Forge. This is a perfect place for kids of all ages. There is shopping, rides, restaurants, candy shops, and toy stores. You will be able to spend a few hours here with no problem at all.

If you are visiting The Great Smoky Mountains in the middle of summer, you will need to head to Pigeon Forge Snow. This is a indoor snow slope. You can enjoy tubing down real snow all day long. Don’t worry about needing a jacket because inside the snow slope it is a consistent 60-70 degrees year-round. There is no entrance fee and parents can watch the kids tube all day long for free. You literally will have to drag your kids out of here!! They will love it.

Share us on the Socials

Check out our other post