Are you planning a trip to Gatlinburg and needing some ideas on free things you can do with your family or kids?
It seems the price of everything has went up over the years including attractions in the area. We are all always looking for free or budget friendly things to do to keep the family entertained. Sometimes, you don’t have to spend any money to make memories with your family. Kids remember the time you spent with them not the activities you did. One of my favorite memories with my parents was just playing house, hide and seek and fun board games we played every Friday night.
Hi! Thanks for checking out our site. We are Sarah and Stephanie. We are both moms who have lived in the Smoky Mountains for over 15 years. We are always out with our kids and needing to find things for them to do that’s free. Here is our list of things we like to do.
The Smokies is filled with free things to do, see and experience. We created this list for our kids and thought we would share it with you. This list is dedicated to just Gatlinburg so once you check out this list, be sure to check out our FREE things to do in Pigeon Forge and FREE things to do in The Smoky Mountains.
Walk the strip
You can park at the aquarium, Anakeesta, or off River Road (if you get there early) or even off Motor Nature Trail where there are parking lots. Wherever you can find a place to park, just have fun walking the strip. There is so much to explore such as restaurants, shops, attractions and museums. A cheaper way to get to downtown Gatlinburg is to park at the Gatlinburg visitor center and ride their trolly to the aquarium. Our kids love looking at the unique stores, grabbing a fun snack and seeing the sights.
Hike
This should go without saying, but there are hundreds of miles of trails you can explore, waterfalls, overlooks, easy to difficult trails. If you are looking for more information about hikes. Alltrails.com has a lot of good information about all the hikes out here in Gatlinburg. If hiking with a kid, we like Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls and Cataract Falls. Remember to grab a parking pass. You can grab an annual, weekly or day pass. More information is at www.NPS.com
Picnic
Pack a picnic lunch or grab lunch from a restaurant and find a quiet place to eat. If you are needing help with finding a place to have a picnic, one of my favorite places is at Chimney Tops Picnic area. They have grills available and the river is right there next to you. Kids love playing in the river and being in nature.
Motor Nature Trail Loop
The Motor Nature Trail is a beautiful scenic route that take you up the mountain. They have some pull over areas so you can get out to look around, check out the cabins, rivers and mountain views along the way. You could most definitely see bears in the area. Be sure to remember the Motor Nature Trail is closed Nov-March for the winter season.
Clingman’s Dome
Take a drive up New Found Gap road passing the Sugarlands visitor center and up the beautiful scenic view to the NC/TN state line. Then drive up to Clingman’s Dome. The walk to the very top takes 30-45 mins and is very steep. I would recommend going early in the morning to avoid crowds, getting a parking pass and wearing warm clothes. It is 20 degrees cooler up there so even on a hot sunny day, it’s a bit chilly up there.
New Found Gap Road
This road Is a stunning drive. You just keep going straight through downtown Gatlinburg and keep going towards the Sugarlands Visitor Center and you are on New Found Gap Road. This road is 31 miles long and ends in Cherokee, NC. I love to stop at all the overlooks and take your photo at the TN/ NC state sign.
Play at the River
Playing in the river is so much fun for kids. There are several easy access places you can go with shallow water. We personally like to go to Chimney Top or on the Gatlinburg Trail. Kids love to play in the rocks and sand to get dirty.
Mynatt Park
I love going to Mynatt Park to have a picnic, let the kids play at the playground which is at the top of the hill, walk around the area or play in the river. They also have a tennis court, basket ball court and a large pavilion. The scenery is so beautiful out there too.
Sugar lands Visitor Center
Sugar lands Visitor Center is a pretty big location you can go and look around. Learn some history of the area. You can also walk to Cataract Falls. It is one of the shortest hikes in the Smokies and is very kid friendly.
Elkmont Ghost Town
Did you know there is an old abandoned town you can go explore? Yes! Its’s very cool and kinda creepy.
Ride trolley
My kids love to ride the trolley and it’s a less stressful way to travel around Gatlinburg and just enjoy the ride.
Gatlinburg by Pass
This is a by pass from downtown coming from Pigeon Forge. There are a couple of stops you can pull over and get out of the car and look at the beautiful mountains and grab some photos.
Chimney Tops Picnic Area
This is a fun spot you can park, grill some food, have a picnic and enjoy the water. There are all kinds of huge boulders all around the river. Kids love playing in this area and just enjoying nature.
Salt and Pepper Shaker
This place is not free but it so cheap that it’s almost free. This Museum is full on any and every kind of unique salt and pepper shaker you can think of. There are thousands and in all kinds of different categories. Children 12 and under are free and dogs are welcome on a leash as long as they are well behaved
Listen to Music
There are so many places you can just sit and listen to music. Check out The Hollar in Gatlinburg for free shows, Restaurants have musicians.
Ogle Place
This location has always been a favorite of mine. The kids love to explore the cabin and barn. Once they are done exploring we then go on a small hike to the river. It’s only 0.3 of a mile to the river. The trail continues on for a round trip total of 0.8 miles but we just go back the way we came.
Parades
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have Christmas Parades, 4th of July Parades and Dolly’s Homecoming Parade and a Veteran’s Day Parade.
Playgrounds
If you are traveling with kids. Be sure to check out the playgrounds the kids might enjoy such as Herbert Hoover Park, Mynatt Park and Mills Park
The Sinks
The Sinks is a beautiful area to stop and check out maybe on your drive to Cades Cove. Most people don’t even notice it when driving so you have to be looking for it. There is a observation area to view the waterfall. Climb the beautiful steps to get to the Mengis Fall trail or just walk the trail for a few mins and enjoy nature
If you are looking for MORE FREE things to do in Pigeon Forge click on the highlighted areas or Here is our list of FREE THINGS TO DO IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS also, check out more things to do under the Things to do tab!