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    Wilderness At the Smokies

    2.5 (483 reviews)
    Open • Open 24 hours

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    What the Cabanas look like
    Michael J.

    Our experience at Wilderness at the Smokies was unfortunately disappointing due to ongoing room issues. The water park facilities themselves were great, we got a Cabana for the day , the service was great the food was average but consistently served hot and reasonably priced 5/5 stars. Had it not been for the room problems, this easily would have been a 5-star visit. The rooms, however, were lackluster at best. The beds were comfy, pillows were thin and horrible, but I bring my own pillows for a reason We were initially placed in a room with a leaking refrigerator that gave off a strong sour milk odor. Staff was called and came up with the bright idea of applying disinfectant and assured us the room "should be good," but the smell now became" lavender flavored sour milk" and never improved. After nearly 20 hours we were finally moved to the room across the hall. While the second room was somewhat better, we were still greeted by that same sour mold smell every time we stepped into the hallway. Eventually, day 3 we requested yet another room. Three rooms in three days is simply too much moving for anyone trying to enjoy a vacation. They should have never put anyone in the initial room to begin with. Because of this and the repeated room issues and the disruption to my vacation they caused, I have to give this stay 0 stars for accommodations, despite the otherwise enjoyable facilities and dining experience. Overall 3 star visit.

    Hody F.

    I'm extremely disappointed, we arrived at 12 noon, I wanted to pay extra to have an early check in but the receptionist said not able too but they will text me if the room is ready early, fine my family and I went out for lunch and then to the water park waiting till 4pm When the clock hit 4pm I was checking in We are celebrating our son's birthday so when I booked online I paid for the birthday banner at the door, first they gave us room 23000, we are the kids to stayed at the lobby cause it was a surprise for our son We got to the room and no banner to be found and smelled so bad, the entire room smell of cigarette My husband and I went to the lobby and spoke to Dorothy Bentley the supervisor and told her about the smell and no birthday banner yes she gave us another room but no banner at the door, she put it herself few minutes after we were in already We went to the indoor water park and the arcade, around 7:30pm came back to take a shower and to go out to dinner, let's mention I still haven't inspect the room and I when I first did inspect the beds cause I do spray Lysol and clean the bathroom with Clorox, my husband and I found hair all over inside the sheets, outside and pillows then we lifted all the sheets and found more disgusting hair and body fluids I immediately called but I felt they didn't care so I took a video and won't post here cause I course out or maybe I will, excuse my language but I was furious, I went downstairs to talk to the manager and Dorothy was the only one there, she is the supervisor, told her what I found, told her is not acceptable but she rushed to se I'm sending housekeeping without an I'm sorry, I apologize for the inconvenience, so look at my pics and video and try to understand I'm a mother of three and my family's health is my priority and yes I will contact management, corporate oh whoever I need to speak too to get this rectified. I hate doing this but thanks to their dirty workers and lazy inspectors they are getting this review

    Lazy river
    Boa L.

    We originally planned to book a hotel on The Island, but then we discovered Wilderness, and my daughter was instantly hooked! Before arriving, I had some concerns about the rooms, but the moment we got there, all my worries disappeared. The endless activities the resort offers more than made up for any initial hesitation. From the water park, arcade, and games to the rooftop pool, ice skating, Christmas light show, and golf, this place truly has it all. Honestly, you don't even need to leave the resort! My teen daughter had an absolute blast with her friend. We came for a short weekend trip, and it wasn't overly crowded. All the rides moved quickly, which was a pleasant surprise. What impressed me the most was how the resort sent daily updates about activities and allowed us to handle everything--check-out, housekeeping requests, and more--via text. We're already planning to come back for summer break! By the way the room was not updated like other hotels on The Island , but at least it clean

    View from executive suite

    Just imagine paying for an executive suite to enjoy this lovely view with employees smoking and yelling at all hours. Big trucks coming and going.... This business openly allows hate symbols to be displayed proudly in what they want to call a family-friendly environment. The management team is well aware but afraid to take any action. They care more about potential legal implications than the enjoyment of their guests. The shuttles do not run in a timely manner. There's zero crowd control maintaining lines for shuttles or other amenities. Mattresses in suites vary drastically- but the Murphy bed mattresses in particular are atrocious. Staff were so hit and miss that it's better off not to need anything, honestly. Skip this one.

    Family vacation
    Kim A.

    This is our 2nd time visiting. A lot of upgrades since our last visit. We had a great time years ago and were really impressed during this visit. I love the upgrades - new rides, lazy river and so much more. It's so much to do here that one doesn't have to leave the resort to have fun. The only problem I had was that the restaurant I was so fond of changed a bit. There's no personal experience. It's no longer a restaurant but a social spot. The morning buffet is still there but you pay and a tip is requested but no one comes to your table for anything. You fix your own food and drink as well as put up your used dishes. I was looking forward to seeing waitresses and talking with them as I did years past. I love a great conversation. This was the only disappointment. It really felt commercialized. I do understand it's a business but I loved the personal feel the restaurant used to have. Communication was great. I had no issues calling to reserve. I also had questions after I got here and never was treated as if I was an aggravation. I was helped a few times with no problem. We also had a manager to stop and talk to us while in the deli. He asked us how our stay was and actually listened to what we had to say. If that's not personable and caring, I don't know what is!! Hats off to the resort for meeting the needs of the people and making this an amazing adventure! I'd definitely return a 3rd time!

    Indoor splash pad
    Ryan E.

    Don't believe all the negativity. Gave it a chance and we all had a great time. The pools and slides were very fun. Room was clean and comfy. Feel like you get what you put in. Angel, a lifeguard had great interaction with the children.

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    2 months ago

    Great family resort , onsite water park, you really never have to leave the resort and Soaky Mountain is directly across the street

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    9 months ago

    Fun hotel! Inside waterpark is great especially the new addition for the little kids. Would definitely stay here again

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    Almost everything was closed and the inside is under construction. The only thing functioning was the arcade

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    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - Wilderness At the Smokies

    Review Highlights - Wilderness At the Smokies

    “Our room package included admission and shuttle across to Soaky mountain & that was a nice perk!”

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Dollywood - Experience great southern cooking at Front Porch Cafe.

    Dollywood

    3.9(1.6k reviews)
    7.5 mi
    •$$

    We've done Disney, we've done Universal, and Dollywood holds its own with both of them in ways that…read moresurprised us. The scale is different but the experience is just as memorable and in some ways more personal. The coaster lineup is legitimately impressive. Big Bear Mountain is the longest in the park and a great ride for the whole family. Lightning Rod is one of the fastest wooden coasters in the world. Wild Eagle gives you incredible views of the Smoky Mountains from the top. Dragonflier in Wildwood Grove is perfect if you have younger kids who want in on the fun. The new NightFlight Expedition that opened in 2026 is a unique indoor hybrid coaster and river raft ride that works in any weather, a great addition. Beyond the rides the park has real soul to it. Live Appalachian music playing throughout, craftspeople demonstrating woodworking and glassblowing, the Dolly Parton Experience museum, seasonal festivals and theater performances at the Back Porch Theater. You could skip the rides entirely and still have a full day. The cleanliness here is consistently remarked on and it's earned. Every corner of the park is well maintained and the staff are the friendliest we've encountered at any theme park anywhere. Go on a weekday if you can, weekends get packed. Buy tickets in advance. Wear comfortable shoes. Worth every mile of the drive from the Carolinas.

    Amazing theme park. Roller coasters everywhere…read more Lumber Jack pizza was the best pizza I've had in my whole life. They have a little skytube place for little kids. Amazing staff. Amazing hand-scooped ice cream. Free Time-Saverpass for people staying at the hotels there (me.) Which works like this: 10 to 11 AM is the golden hour where you can ride any rides with it. After 11 you have 5 more uses on select rides.

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    Dollywood - Cinnamon bread plushies

    Cinnamon bread plushies

    Dollywood - Fall at Dollywood!

    Fall at Dollywood!

    Dollywood - Dollywood

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    Dollywood

    Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster - The queue.

    Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster

    4.5(504 reviews)
    7.0 mi

    I kind of feel bad. The last time I was in Pigeon Forge with my children, I declined going on a…read moremountain coaster with them, because they just didn't look like my thing. So my kids went on the coaster and I watched and took photos. Then recently, I was forced to visit Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster for a work trip. It was either ride the dang coaster, or irritate the people who set up the trip, so I went. Holy cats! Alpine coasters are super fun! You kind of feel like you're going to fly off the tracks during the ride, but you won't. It seems safe enough, and the ride goes by so fast (it's definitely less than 10 minutes). Before you know it, you're done and wish you could go again. (I didn't, but I'm sure kids would.) You can control the speed, which is nice. At one point, I was feeling wild and crazy, and let it fly and zipped around the track at full speed. I visited with a small group on a weekday, and there was zero wait to start riding. Literally, we just paid and got right on.

    This was a very fun adventure even for a scary person like me. I purchased the groupon which was a…read moregreat deal for 2 for $23. I reviewed the pricing upon arrival and it was $14 for kids. Every penny count nowadays so I'll take it. If the child is under a certain height they require them to ride with an adult. *Insert my nerves kicking in about this* I will say it looks more intimidating that it actual is. No big drops and you can adjust the speed as you ride. I built my courage to go faster the second ride but the employee did ask for me to not hold up traffic like previous did! Good adventure!

    Photos
    Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster - Pumpkin was here

    Pumpkin was here

    Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster - Nice ride

    Nice ride

    Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster - Me on the ride

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    Me on the ride

    SkyFly  Soar America - Nope... Didn't hit it, but it felt like I was going to!  SO AWESOME!  So many more scenes!  Don't want to spoil it!

    SkyFly Soar America

    4.0(80 reviews)
    6.4 mi

    This was a great experience for the whole family, we had 5$ off coupons from buying the armbands…read morefor the kids. The total was around 85$ for 5 of us. From the time you get in line till you get on the ride you are being entertained. The ride itself lasted about 10 minutes and was a beautiful show. Compared to Soarin at Disney this is pretty close, the only real difference is Soarin has better screen quality.

    My daughter, my wife, and I tried SkyFly for the first time on a Sunday morning after Labor Day. We…read morewalked right up to the ticket counter and purchased our tickets with no wait. We joined the queue and watched a video while waiting. After that first video, we were ushered into a second room to watch another video, but in this area we were shown postcards of the places we would see on the ride. Good thing, as otherwise you might not know what you are flying over. After the wait, you finally reach the boarding area with red, blue, and green dots on the floor. Red is the bottom row, and blue is the top. The attendant said the middle (green) is the best view--yet another video to watch about boarding and safety. Finally, we were seated on the ride. You have to thread your seatbelt through a center loop, so maybe don't wear a dress or skirt on the ride? The ride itself is very jerky, and the video is disappointingly low resolution. We ended up having a little motion sickness after the ride. For us, once was enough for this ride.

    Photos
    SkyFly  Soar America - This felt like I was going to hit it.

    This felt like I was going to hit it.

    SkyFly  Soar America
    SkyFly  Soar America

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    Wilderness At the Smokies - amusementparks - Updated September 2026

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