Planning a visit to The Island in Pigeon Forge with your kids during your family vacation? There are dozens of fun activities and places to eat with kids at this fun family-friendly destination.
As you're just getting settled into the Pigeon Forge area, possibly tired from the long road trip to get there in the first place, and just hungry for some great food and a little fun, The Island is a great place to kickstart your family vacation.
The Island was just up the road from our hotel and as soon as we were checked into our hotel, we had a few hours to spend on our first night of the trip.
I love that you can check off several things from your to-do list in just one spot:
- Dinner? Check.
- Work off the kids' energy with some walking around? Check.
- Get to know the area a little? Check.
- Spend a few hours of vacation FUN? Check.
And other than the money you'll spend on food and tickets for specific rides, walking around The Island is completely FREE.
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5 Things to Do with Kids at The Island
Get the most out of your visit to this fun Pigeon Forge attraction with your kids and check out our favorite things to do at The Island:
Ride the Ferris Wheel
One of the most-photographed sites to see in Pigeon Forge is the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, the large ferris wheel located at The Island.
We took a ride to the top of the wheel and got breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains surrounding Pigeon Forge that you just can't appreciate as well when you're down on the ground.
This is an excellent activity to do as early on in your stay as possible so your kids can get a better grasp of how large the mountain range is all around them.
Check out the current pricing for tickets here.
Ropes Course, Arcade, Bumper Cars and More
There are too many fun activities in the playground area for kids to list. You can see the specific options available here.
However, the amazing ropes course looked so enticing, the kids were absolutely desperate to go on it but we ran out of time during our visit. Be prepared for any happy climbers to get really excited about this option!
Get a Bite to Eat
If your family leaves The Island hungry, you're doing something wrong. There are dozens of options for delicious things to eat everywhere you turn.
You'll find plenty of sit down restaurants like Margaritaville and Paula Deen's Family Kitchen alongside quick snack shops like Auntie Anne's and The Island Creamery.
You can read some of our favorite places to eat in Pigeon Forge here or check out the current restaurant options at The Island here.
Shop Till You Drop
If you've got teens who love to shop, The Island is a perfect place to pick up some fun souvenirs to take home.
My girls loved popping into the fun shops for kids including the toy shop Puzzled, the fun Tennessee Sock Shop, our favorite Tervis store, and the Build-a-Bear Workshop.
I loved all the southern clothing boutiques and home goods shops.
You can check out the current list of stores available here.
Dancing Water Fountain
To cap off a super-active day of fun, it turns out that our favorite thing to do was to simply slow down and spend some time rocking in the rocking chairs surrounding the dancing water fountain.
At dusk, the fountain lights up and is just a really pleasant place to relax and unwind on your vacation.
More Pigeon Forge Reviews
Looking for fun things to do with your kids in Pigeon Forge? Don't miss our other helpful vacation ideas:
Belinda Hogston
My husband and I absolutely love going to The Island. It's one of our favorite things to do in Pigeon Forge. We love walking around plus listening to to the bluegrass bands.
Tiffany Dahle
Hi Belinda, I couldn't agree more. We had so much fun there with our kids, it would be great to visit again.