5 Best Sights in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

More than three million visitors a year walk through the gates of Dollywood, Tennessee's most popular attraction. The 150-acre theme park includes roller coasters, thrill rides, a steam locomotive, and live concerts at the Back Porch Theater. A $37-million expansion, Wildwood Grove, includes two new coasters: Dragonflier, a suspended family coaster, and Big Bear Mountain, which debuted in 2023 as the park's longest coaster. There are also craft displays, lots of mountain music, and a replica of Dolly's "Tennessee Mountain Home."

Wheelchairs and electric convenience vehicles are available to rent—reserve online 48 hours in advance.

More than a dozen waterslides and thrill rides make up this expansion of Dollywood, including the corkscrew tunnels of the Mountain Scream slide and the 1,500-foot Downbound Float Trip lazy river. There's also the Mountain Waves pool and Little Creek Falls kids' area.

A 200-foot Ferris wheel, a giant state-of-the-art arcade, and a flying-horse carousel anchor this 22-acre complex. There's also a high-ropes course, bumper cars, and Alcatraz East, a museum devoted to crime and criminals. The complex is home to two Margaritaville hotels, an Ole Smoky Moonshine tasting barn, and more than two dozen shops. Don't miss the multimillion-dollar "mini-Bellagio" dancing water fountain that comes to life for 20 minutes at the top of every hour.

Costing $25 million for construction—and filled with artifacts valued at more than $4.5 million—this half-scale replica of the Titanic is designed to give you an idea of what it may have felt like to be a passenger aboard the sinking ship on that fateful night during her maiden voyage. You'll have the opportunity to climb the grand staircase, touch an iceberg, and try to stand on sloped decks.

In an upside-down world, this is the sort of wacky, interactive learning museum that will help make sense of life's lingering questions like: What does it feel like to be shaken by an earthquake? Can you really move an object with nothing but brain power? How do you design a roller coaster? Schedule at least two hours to move through the activities and exhibits, or longer if you really want to dig into learning.