Top 10 Family Attractions in Gatlinburg

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies anchors downtown with a shark tunnel through Shark Lagoon, the Penguin Playhouse and touch tanks where kids can feel stingrays, plus coral reef, tropical rainforest and Gallery of the Seas exhibits. It stays open into the evening, so it works as a rainy-day plan or an after-dinner stop.

Anakeesta is a mountaintop park reached by the all-glass Crystal Express Gondola or the open-air Ridge Rambler, both included with admission. Up top, walk 880 feet of hanging bridges on the Treetop Skywalk, climb the 86 steps of AnaVista Tower, turn the kids loose in the treehouse play area and add the Rail Runner coaster or dueling zipline for thrill-seekers.

Formerly SkyPark, Gatlinburg SkyPark starts with a chairlift ride up from the Parkway on a route that dates to 1954. At the top is the SkyBridge, a 680-foot suspension bridge with glass floor panels over a deep valley, billed as the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America, plus trails and a summit restaurant.

Ober Gatlinburg (recently called Ober Gatlinburg) is a year-round mountain park reached by a 2.1-mile aerial tram that climbs about 1,472 feet from downtown. At the top are a wildlife habitat with black bears, river otters, eagles and bobcats, an indoor ice rink, an alpine slide and a climbing wall, with skiing and snow tubing in winter.

The Gatlinburg Space Needle rises 407 feet over downtown, and glass elevators carry you up to a deck with 360-degree views of the Smokies and the town, with free viewfinders for picking out landmarks. It is a quick, easy win for a group, and a 30,000-square-foot amusement center sits at its base for the kids afterward.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is Gatlinburg's classic museum of oddities, with hundreds of strange-but-true artifacts, interactive games and stories spread through its galleries on the Parkway. It makes a good first stop on a downtown day because it works for every age, and Ripley's sells combo tickets with its other Gatlinburg attractions.

Hillbilly Golf has been putting families on the mountainside for more than 50 years. An incline railway lifts you about 300 feet above the city to two 18-hole courses built into the hill, with mountaineer-themed hazards along the way. It is old-school Gatlinburg in the best sense, and a fun pick for an evening round.

Ripley's Mountain Coaster runs downhill through the woods right off the Parkway downtown, with corkscrew turns and a magnetic hand brake so each rider sets the pace. After dark the route is strung with lights, so it is worth riding once in daylight and once at night if the group has the energy.

Ripley's Super Fun Zone is the indoor backup for a hot or rainy afternoon: laser tag, an indoor mini golf course and an arcade stocked with 80s favorites like Ms. Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Parents tend to enjoy the retro theme as much as the kids, and it is right on the Parkway downtown.

Gatlin's, up the hill behind Reagan Terrace Mall, works as a one-stop family fun center: 45 holes of mini golf on two shaded outdoor courses and one glow-in-the-dark indoor course, plus laser tag, five escape rooms, a ropes course and bumper cars. A big group can split up by age without leaving the property.