Do you have a Summer Bucket List?
We love to make lists of ideas and things we want to do. The Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee has so much that you can do to check off some things on your list. When the weather is warm we can’t wait to get outside and play.
A Bucket List is not just about keeping the kids occupied; it’s about instilling a sense of wonder, creativity, and curiosity about the world around them. Crafting a Summer Bucket List together encourages goal setting and planning skills, while also ensuring that every family member has something to look forward to. From simple backyard campouts under the stars to exploring local museums, every activity becomes a building block for lifelong memories, new friendships, and skills. Moreover, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from screens and reconnect with nature, community, and each other. In doing so, we’re not just filling their days; we’re enriching their childhood and fostering a love for learning and adventure that will last a lifetime.
Hello Friends! We are Steph and Sarah with Smoky Mountain moms. We live locally in the Smokies and have had the pleasure of calling this place home for most of our lives. We created this site with you in mind. Please take a look around our site to get more ideas for things to do with your kids and have some fun as well.
Go To A Water Park
The Smokies has 6 waterparks you can choose from and enjoy.
The Resort at Governor’s Crossing
You do have to stay and be a guest at The Resort at Governor’s Crossing or Country Cascades but others you can buy day tickets.
Ride Your Bike.
Go out to Townsend and ride all along their sidewalks, or ride your bike by the Island in Pigeon Forge down the River Walk. Sevierville has a fun bike area as well called Sevierville Greenway. If you want to make the drive to Knoxville then go check out Safety City where they have a cute small kid version town with real street lights and signs.
Go To An Amusement Park
Dollywood as a lot of rides you can chose from but you could also go by The Island and ride lots of rides. The Mountain Mile has a few extreme rides as well as the track in Pigeon Forge.
Have A Picnic
Who doesn’t love spending time outside, eating in nature and getting fresh air. There are so many places to have a picnic from the National Parks to just a play ground or open field.
Play at The Playground
If your kids are of age take them to a new playground and have them explore. There is one at Mynatt Park, Herbert Holt, Wear Farms and Mt Ton of Fun.
Go To The Lake
Drive over to Dandridge and play at the swimming hole called “Dam Swimming Hole” the kids can swim, play in the sand or rest on the grass. You also have a great view of the mountains too.
Have A Scavenger Hunt
My kids love Scavenger Hunts. You can create one yourself or find a few great ones on Etsy.
Go To The Zoo
Have you ever been to Deer Farm Petting Zoo? You can pet and see all kinds of animals. Another fun place to explore is Rain Forest Zoo. If you want to go to a real traditional zoo, head over to Knoxville and enjoy their amazing Zoo Knoxville complete with a splash pad, playgrounds and amazing animals.
Ride Go Carts
You can’t go far without seeing a Go Cart tracks in Pigeon Forge. Our favorite one is at The Track
Play Putt Putt
We have so many putt putt courses out here, It’s hard to know which one is the best. We personally like Toy Box Mini Golf, Crave or Hillbilly Golf.
Go To The Drive In Movies
This is always something fun we like to do in the summer. Maryville has a great drive in Movie theater called Parkway Drive In, but check out The Island and Anakeesta during the summer they have outdoor movies, I have also saw some at Cruze Farms in Knoxville.
Go To The Fair / Carnival
Go ride some rides, eat some junk food, pet animals and see a show at the county fair. Our Sevier County Fair is typically in September and it is a lot of fun. Also, go check out our neighbor towns for their county fairs such as Knoxville’s Fair called the Tennessee Valley Fair, which is usually in August Greene County Fair which is usually in July, Jefferson County Fair that is normally in July or The Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tennessee that comes in August
Watch Fireworks
Dollywood has fireworks all summer long. You can also catch some at the Island and other areas around the 4th of July
Go To Yard Sales
If you are up going to yard sales and love to find good deals. We actually have a HUGE 10 mile yard sale called “ Sevier County 10 Mile Sale” It starts at the Sevier County High School and goes 10 miles up the road to Newport. You can find all kinds of things. This usually happens in October.
Eat Shaved Ice
We love Shaved Ice!! My husband and I both have childhood memories of getting it when we were little. It was a tradition every year on vacation to get Shaved Ice. I love peach flavor.
Go To a Baseball Game
The Smokies Stadium is right off the Interstate at exit 407 in Kodak. There are all kinds of fun events going on and themed nights. It’s a fun summer tradition.
Go To The Farmer’s Market
Sevier County Farmer’s Market starts in May and runs till October in downtown Sevierville.
Go Camping
Camping is so much fun. You can do tent camping, RV or small cabin camping at a camp ground. Kids love making s’mores, staying out by the fire and feeling close to nature.
Catch Fireflies
You may also call them lighting bugs. We have so many of them out in all areas, but watching the synchronized fireflies in Gatlinburg is so much fun and a bucket list thing to do for sure! This usually happens in June
Play at a Splash Pad
The Smokies don’t have many open to the public splash pads. Most of the ones are inside ticketed parks. There are 3 splash pads. Anakeesta, Dollywood and Sevierville Community Center. The Gatlinburg Visitor Center has a fountain out front kids love to play in. If heading to Knoxville, you can play at World’s Fair Park.
Go Hiking
Going Hiking in the summer is so beautiful. Get up early and hit the trails. Our favorite and easy hikes to do with kids is Laurall Fall, Grotto Falls or Cataract Falls.
Play in the River
Playing in the River is a fun activity. The water is nice and cool and is free to do. Our favorite spots to go is on the Gatlinburg Trail, Chimney Tops Picnic Area or next to the Sevierville City Park.
Celebrate Christmas In July
How fun would it be to have your “Elf” appear for the day to check on your kids, put up a small tree and open gifts! If you are in the Smokies you can go stay at The Inn at Christmas Place and then go Christmas Shopping across the street. It would even be fun to go to Pigeon Forge Snow to play with their snow play and ride snow tubes in the middle of JULY!
Go Sky Diving
Wanna go Sky Dive? You can do that in the Next County over. Go to the town of New Market in Jefferson County and try it out at Skydive East Tennessee
Ride around with the windows down
This of course is fun to do but spice it up and rent an ATV for the day or a fun rental car like a jeep. Drive all over the mountains and check out the views.
Pick Berries
Have you ever picked your own berries? It’s a fun tradition to start. You go to a farm that grows specific berries and fruits. You get to pick the ones you want to take home. If you are looking to do that locally, you can go to Myers Farm in Wears Valley to pick strawberries in May or Mountain Mist Farms and pick blackberries or raspberries between June-September
Go River Tubing
This is so much fun . What a better way to cool off than in the nice cool river. You can rent tubs and float down the river with not a care in the world. It’s kinda like a lazy river but with a better view. River Rat will take you back to the beginning all day long. Pack a lunch and make a day of it.
Go Golfing
My husband golfs all year long, but there are several nice courses in the area to golf.
Stay In a tree house
This is on our bucket list to do. We would love to book a stay at “The Sanctuary Treehouse Resort” in Sevierville. They have all kinds of different styles of tree houses from slides inside to multiple bedrooms. Each treehouse is different from the next. You can also find some unique ones on AirBNB
Eat Outdoors at a Restaurant
When we see that we can eat outside we always chose that option. Our favorite outdoor restaurants are Timberwood Grill at the Island, Anakeesta’s restaurants, Harpoon Harry or Pinchy’s Lobster.
Zorb
Zorb rides are a blast! What is Zorb? Well, Pigeon Forge is the ONLY Zorb park in the USA! This was invented in New Zealand and pretty much you get to ride in an 11 foot inflatable ball. They have 3 courses you can choose. We rode it with water inside and it was so so much fun!
Ice cream
Grab Ice Cream and enjoy it outside! We love Cruze Farms! Their ice cream is so yummy and their favors available change each season. The atmosphere is cute as well.
Zip-line
Zipline over the mountains is fun in any season, but going zipline in the summer is so beautiful with all the green trees.
Aquarium
Can’t go to the beach to see the sea creatures? Head over to the aquarium and admire the sharks, penguins and all kinds of fish. They have a huge indoor playground my kids love as well.
Summer Concert
Concerts are fun in general but outdoor Summer concerts are the best!! You can find bands playing all summer long around Pigeon Forge or check out the site Bandsintown.com to find more.
Be Lazy in a Hammock
Grab a hammock off amazon and relax and read a book! That sounds like a good day to me!
Take a Roadtrip
There are so many great towns to visit that are a few hours drive.
Bristol, VA- 2 hours away
Atlanta, GA- 4 Hours Away
Asheville, NC- 2 Hours Away
Cherokee, NC- 1 Hour Away
Chattanooga, TN – 2 Hours Away
Nashville, TN- 4 Hours Away
Go to a fun VBS
Just a quick google search for your town you should be able to find lots of VBS events going on near you. Some last for a whole week and some are a few days. Kids love meeting new friends and learning about Jesus.
Summer Camp
Check into your local summer camp for something your kids may be interested in
Have a Photo Session
Summer is a great time to book a photo session with a photographer. You have everyone together and it’s so beautiful out. Take advantage of the opportunity when in a new place too.
Do some fun summer crafts
Get on Pinterest and make a super fun craft with your kids!
Go Fishing
Get on the boat and go fishing or you can go visit this cool restaurant in Sevierville called “English Mountain Trout Farm” You can Catch your own fish at the restaurant in their fully stocked pond then eat what you caught!
We hope this list of ideas can help you with planning things to do or maybe even in your own town. Enjoy the summer and have fun!!