Where Can You Find 600 Live Animals in Sevierville?

You don’t have to look twice at the title, you read it right the first time. Yep, 600 live animals in one place, in Sevierville, TN. It’s called Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo and it’s a great place to take the family for an exciting day in the Smokies.

A tropical rainforest isn’t the first thing you probably think about when vacationing or taking a trip to the Smokies, but you can now add it to the itinerary. From snakes, turtles, and crocodiles to kangaroos, lemurs, and hedgehogs, there are species here so abundantly found in rainforests you won’t believe your eyes.

In all, the Rainforest Adventures complex houses more than 600 animals which represent 150 species including reptiles, mammals, bugs, birds, and amphibians. And all in a tropical environment, for East Tennessee at least. On average, the building temperature is set at 80 degrees.

The Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm except December 25. Children 2 years and younger are admitted free, children 3-12 years of age are $6.99, adults 13-54 years of age are $11.99, and seniors are $9.99. If you are a Zoo Member, besides admission, you receive discounts on birthday parties and purchases in the gift shop. Groups of 10 or more and school groups also receive a discounted rate.

RainForest Adventures has been open since June 2001 and in that time has welcomed millions of visitors into its facilities. The RainForest Adventures has thrived since its inception and become a destination for those coming to the Smoky Mountains. It’s lauded as one of the finest small zoos in the country to this day with hundreds of animals representing 140 different species.

Check out their website to get a FREE discount coupon to Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo.

Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo
109 NASCAR Drive
Sevierville, TN 37862

Ripley’s Old McDonald’s Farm Mini Golf

If you’re looking for a place where pigs actually do fly, let me point you in the direction of Sevierville, Tennessee. More specifically, to Ripley’s Old McDonald’s Farm Mini-Golf Course. Here you’ll find 54 spectacular holes of interactive Smoky Mountain family fun!

This unique, putt-putt adventure is a fantasy only Ripley’s could create! You’ll find dozens of interactive displays, water features that span the course, and fun, lively barnyard characters throughout the course. Step inside the barn and you’ll find the latest, state-of-the-art arcade games. Perfect if rain happens to get in the way of golfing, or if someone in your party would rather just enjoy the games inside. Check out the candy factory while you’re inside too. Especially if you love sweets!

Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini Golf is the perfect afternoon getaway for a family visiting the Smokies. Oh, and by the way, you did read it right earlier, there are 54 holes offered at Old McDonald’s Farm in Sevierville. You could play 18 holes, or if you’re still in the putt-putt mood go for 36 holes! All the while, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the many crazy barnyard and Smoky Mountain animals that call this course home including raccoons, bears, chipmunks, skunks, cows and opossums. And don’t forget about those flying pigs!

To top it all off, Ripley’s Old McDonald’s Farm Mini Golf was recently voted by Travel & Leisure magazine as one of the 14 Wackiest Mini Golf Courses in America.

Try your hand at a hole in one down on the farm at Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini Golf in Sevierville. Check out their hours of operation and buy tickets online.

Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini Golf
1639 Parkway
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 428-1699

Sevierville Community Center

You could say that the Sevierville Community Center is a modern-day YMCA. Operated by the Sevierville Parks and Recreation Department, this multi-faceted facility was constructed to house two racquetball courts, a ten-lane bowling center with an arcade area, a weight room, a game room (with a pool table & air hockey table), a indoor pool (with balcony area), gymnasium, locker rooms and a meeting room. It’s open to the public and has become a focal point in the town’s ongoing effort to provide its citizens with the best in recreational opportunities.

The Sevierville Community Center does operate under a coordinated effort when it comes to operating its indoor pool. There is a listed pool schedule and it’s strictly operated in order to provide everyone who wants to take advantage of the pool equal time.

Sevierville Community Center Swimming Schedule

Monday/Wednesday/Friday:

8AM – 9AM: Map Swim/Exercise
9AM – 11AM: Open Swim
11AM – 1:30PM: Lap Swim
1PM – 2:30PM: Water Exercise Class
2:30PM – 3:30PM: Half Price Swim
6:30PM – 8:30PM: Open Swim

Tuesday/Thursday:

8AM – 9AM: Lap Swim
9AM – 11AM: Open Swim
11AM – 1PM: Lap Swim
1PM – 3:30PM: Open Swim
6:30PM – 8:30PM: Open Swim

Saturday:

9AM – 10AM: Lap Swim
10AM – 3:30PM: Open Swim

SUNDAY:

1PM – 5:30PM: Open Swim
In The Summer, The Pool Is Closed On Sundays

The Cost For Swimming Is:

$2.20: Adults, Age 13 And Over
$1.50: Children 12 And Under (And Seniors 55 And Over)
FREE For Children Under Age 3
SEASON PASSES:
$38.85: Adults
$27.80: Children & Seniors
SPECIAL BOOK OF 25 TICKETS:
$33.10: Adults
$22.05: Children & Seniors

Children Age 7 And Under Must Be Accompanied By An Adult 18 Years Of
Age Or Older.

Information, prices, specifications, hours, etc. subject to change.

Take to the outdoors in Sevierville!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located just outside Sevierville Tennessee, is THE most visited park in the nation’s national park system. On an annual basis, over 10 million visitors take in the half-million acre preserve whether it be walking one of the numerous hiking trails, taking a self-guided nature tour, fishing, enjoying the many waterfalls, spring wildflowers, and spotting wildlife.

Several towns including Sevierville TN have grown consistently due to the popularity of the park. Sevierville is known for its wide array lodging opportunities, fine dining and exciting attractions. Lodging accommodations include a number of luxury cabin and chalet rentals that overlook the park.

National park plans originated the 1920s thanks to groups in both Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC who wanted to protect the area’s natural beauty. At that time lumber companies owned most of the land while the rest consisted mainly of small farms. Congress officially established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. The Rockefeller family donated the final $5 million needed to complete the park, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Park in 1940.

To this day, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park operates 3 visitor centers, preserves 77 historic pioneer structures, and maintains 1,100 campsites (including 100 backcountry campsites), 11 picnic grounds, over 800 miles of trails and 700 miles of pristine streams.

Hiking Trails – With over 800 miles of trails, there’s a trail for everyone from beginner to the expert hiker. Park and trail maps can be bought at any of the three visitor centers in the park. In addition, several excellent outfitters are in surrounding towns and villages that can provide them.

Fly Fishing – Trout fishing in the park requires a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license. Trout fishing is a year-round practice in the Great Smoky Mountains—from a half hour before sunrise and up to a half hour following sunset. Know your fish, especially the brook trout, because there are some restrictions.

Cades Cove – Only minutes from Sevierville, Cades Cove is one of the most beautiful, and scenic areas of the park. The Cove’s pioneer homesteads, mountain vistas, deer, wild turkey and American black bear draw millions to area annually looking for that perfect Smoky Mountain photo. The National Park offers a self-guided tour book at the entrance. An 11-mile loop road that takes a little over one hour to complete in your vehicle, and circles the Cove.

Wears Valley Zipline

Want to soar through the Smoky Mountains without the use of a plane or helicopter? Try ziplining at Wears Valley Zipline and see the Smokies in its most natural state. Fly through the trees like one of birds as you zip down through the Smokies’ lush canopy.

It’s a myth that it takes driving into the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to experience the majestic views you see on postcards and the like. When you arrive at Wears Valley Ziplines, they bring the view to you! Let them prove to you. Their ziplines are some of the newest in high adventure in the Smokies. Wears Valley Ziplines is easy to find, they’re just four miles from the parkway in Pigeon Forge, between Pigeon Forge and Wears Valley.

Wears Valley Ziplines has such great views because they’re located on 43 private, unspoiled acres, and they’re vantage points are really something brag about. In fact, you’ll need to park in the parking area right on Wears Valley Road and let them transport you to the mountaintop office via four-wheel-drive shuttle.

Once you’re at the office, you may not be in a hurry to go ziplining, because you’ll see (weather permitting) majestic views of the Smokies range, including Mt. LeConte right from the front porch.

Though, once you begin your zipline tour, you’ll be amazed by the great views as you make your way along – a mile and a quarter’s worth of zipline fun. Wears Valley’s longest line measures 2,000 feet-nearly a half-mile-and gives you nearly a full minute to hang out and look at the surrounding mountain terrain as you speed through the air. Another of the lines is 300 feet above ground level and gives you a real bird’s-eye view of the surrounding terrain.

So if you’re looking for the best place to see mountain views and also zipline, Tennessee is where you’ll find it at Wears Valley Ziplines.

Sevierville – A Great Road Trip.

Planning an upcoming road trip to the Smoky Mountains? Take a look at the Sevierville area as a destination point. Nestled at the foot of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County and next door neighbor of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. This time of year especially is a great a time to road trip to Sevierville with all the Winterfest lights, Christmas decorations along the parkway as well as down main street.

But don’t just limit yourself to Sevierville. As mentioned, although plenty of attractions and activities can keep you entertained there for a few days, you could easily fit in a visit to Pigeon Forge right next door, or a quick jaunt over to Gatlinburg. For information on regional attractions, visit www.smokiesguide.com or www.insidesevierville.com

Majestic views

When you arrive in Sevierville on this road trip, a good first activity might be riding one of the many scenic helicopter tours offered in town. You’ll travel over Sevierville to the Smoky Mountains and back, and get a spectacular view of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg as well.

Believe it in Sevierville

When you think of Ripley’s, Gatlinburg and the Believe It or Not, or the Guinness World Records Museum usually comes to mind. However, Sevierville is home to one of the most fun Ripley’s attractions in the area – Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini-Golf. Here, you can enjoy putt-putt golfing on an animated turf with comical cows, possums, skunks and other animals.

Details: www.ripleys.com

Celeb cars

For fans of real American, Detroit muscle, check out Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum. This is the place where American steel meets horsepower and classic 60s and 70s design and craftsmanship. Whether you’re looking for that ’70 Chevelle Super Sport or that ’68 Impala, or that ’71 Pontiac GTO, Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville has the type classic ride you’ve dreamed about. Come by and stay for awhile.

Great Smoky Mountains

Don’t think you can just come to Sevierville and not take in the area’s prize attraction. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is world-renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, is but a few miles away just down the parkway. You can explore the park with a ranger, hike, ride a bike, camp, enjoy waterfalls, look at wildlife such as elk and check out historic buildings. Whatever you plan on doing, don’t leave town without taking in at least a bit of the park.

Details: www.gsmnp.com

Douglas Lake

To really get out and enjoy the great outdoors in Sevierville, don’t just believe that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the be all, end all. Far from it. Just a quick drive down the road is Douglas Lake and all the fun that comes along with a summer spent on a Tennessee lake.

Douglas Lake, or Douglas Reservoir for those of you who prefer exact lake lingo, is known statistically for its large shoreline (550 miles) and the 44 square miles its liquidity takes up in eastern Tennessee. At full pool, it’s said to cover a surface area greater than 30,000 acres. Douglas Lake reaches a maximum depth of 140 feet in the summer, and retains its water due to a watershed totaling 4,541 square miles. Annual water fluctuation is about 54 feet. The French Broad River and Nolichucky River feed into Douglas Lake. The French Broad and Nolichucky each derive from the Tennessee and North Carolina Smoky Mountains.

Private property makes up most of the shoreline of Douglas Lake. Visitors can find recreational facilities provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) at Douglas Dam. A campground is located just above the dam. Campers can use its hookups, showers, picnic area, boat ramp, and swimming beach. For more information call 1-800-TVA-LAND.

My fishermen and women make Douglas Lake a yearly destination because of its Large Mouth Bass and Crappie populations. Between those two popular sport fish as well as White Bass, Sauger, Black Crappie, Striped Bass, Spotted Bass, Walleye, Blue Cat, Flat Head Catfish, Channel Catfish, Red Horse, Red Breast Sunfish and Bluegill, Douglas Lake is an angler’s paradise. It’s consistently rated as one of the top 5 Crappie fishing lakes in the United State, as well as a top 10 location for Large Mouth Bass fishing in the country. Be sure to bring your rod and reel if you’re coming to the lake in the spring or fall – the two preferred lake fishing seasons on Douglas.

Top 5 FREE Things to do in Sevierville

No matter where a summer, winter, fall, or spring vacation takes you, there’s always that part of you looking for a great deal, or even better yet, FREE things to do while you’re out of town. For a place like Sevierville, there’s no lack of FREE attractions to take in once you hit town.

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – The most visited national park in the country and the only one that is FREE to enter. Named an International Biosphere Reserve, the park has more than 10,000 discovered species, including 100 species of native trees (more than any other North American national park), 400 flowering plants, more than 4,000 non-flowering plants, more than 200 species of birds, 66 types of mammals, 50 native fish species, 39 varieties of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians. The entrance is located approximately 12 miles from Sevierville and the park covers approximately 800 square miles in Tennessee and North Carolina. It’s not uncommon for the park to see 10 million visitors come through its gates annually.

2. Dolly Parton Statue – Sevier County’s own, and its favorite daughter. Take a picture at Dolly’s bronze statue at courthouse square in downtown Sevierville. Parton said at one point that the presentation of her statue (in 1987) was her proudest moment. Parton’s Books From Birth has provided FREE books to young children in Tennessee and across the country over the years and the Dollywood Theme Park bears her name in nearby Pigeon Forge.

3. National Knife Museum at Smoky Mountain Knifeworks – Before buying that perfect knife, tour the National Knife Museum and find out the history of the knife from as far back as 6,000 BC to today. See more than 12,000 knives displayed in chronological order. The National Knife Museum at Smoky Mountain Knifeworks is open seven days a week.

4. Sevier County Heritage Museum – Explore Sevier County’s past from Eastern Woodland Indians to the first white settlers and beyond.

5. Smoky Mountain Winterfest – Millions of twinkling lights dot the Great Smoky Mountains area.  Free food, local entertainment, kids’ games and fireworks kick off Winterfest in November.  The evening concludes with the “flipping of the switch” to activate the Winterfest lights.  Pick up a free pair of Winterfest in 3D Glasses at the Sevierville Visitor Center on Hwy 66 while supplies last. These glasses help you see Winterfest in a whole new light as every point of light shifts into a snowflake.  Winterfest take places from the beginning of November through February 28, 2013.

Meigs Falls

One of the lesser known and far less traveled trails to a Smoky Mountain waterfall is the Meigs Falls trail just outside Sevierville on the way to Gatlinburg.

To reach the falls, take the Meigs Creek Trail, which is located 11.4 miles west of the Sugarlands Visitor Center, just outside Gatlinburg in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The bottom of the falls is actually a great place during the spring and summer months for swimming and cooling off on a hot day.

Don’t judge the area by the parking lot. While it does stay busy and, the Meigs Creek Trail to Upper Meigs Falls is one of the less traversed. Most people use the lot to park and walk to other trails or points of interest in the area.

Just below the confluence of Curry Prong, Henderson Prong, Bunch Prong, and Bloody Branch on Meigs Creek you’ll find Upper Meigs Falls. It’s a 15-foot cascade into a small pool shaded by thick rhododendron and a hardwood forest. You must climb two hills on the way there, which makes it a moderately difficult hike.

The trail drops from The Sinks viewing area into a quiet forest and begins the first of two climbs. Look for bear in the thin understory of this second-growth cove. The trail climbs steadily west to a hairpin at .7 miles, where it turns sharply east and crests with views of Lumber Ridge and Meigs Mountain.

Note white pine, table mountain pitch, and various oak in this Pine Oak forest, a contrast to the poplar, tulip, and maple that dominated the north-facing slope just behind you.

The trail drops into a narrow valley and crosses three consecutive streams on the ravine floor. Maintain navigational vigilance on these sparingly marked crossings and through this notably cluttered forest. After the crossings the trail turns up beside Meigs Creek, where you’ll soon see Upper Meigs Falls through a small chute on your right. Scramble down to reach the falls and drop pool.

The falls spill down a slick rock face into a small pool ringed by boulders and debris. Space is limited, but there’s enough room to maneuver for additional perspective and look for salamanders, which are abundant in this area. The Meigs Creek Trail continues for 2 miles up to Buckhorn Gap at the Lumber Ridge Trail junction.

Sevierville attractions

Sevierville, TN attractions run the gamut from the spectacular to the downright odd and interesting and most are but a few miles from one another. With so many people visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park every year, there can be quite a lot of down time for visitors coming to the area. Sevierville is happy to accommodate visitors looking for that once-in-a-lifetime attraction while they’re in town.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of attractions to choose from in Sevierville and most are family friendly. Sevierville sees families from all over the world travel to the Smokies every year, the businesses that last in Sevierville are the ones that cater to all age groups and these following attractions do just that. Visit a few of them on your next trip and find out for yourself.

NASCAR SpeedPark
Who doesn’t enjoy racing around a track NASCAR-style in the Smoky Mountains? NASCAR Speedpark features 8 action-packed tracks as well as an indoor climbing wall, playground, racing simulators, bumper boats, an arcade and the Thrill Zone with 5 new rides for kids. They’ve got all the game you could want. Drive the track the first day then come back the next and do something totally different. At NASCAR Speedpark, you’re driving the fun.
1545 Parkway
Sevierville, TN

Forbidden Caverns
Cool off in the summer beneath the Great Smoky Mountains! No, really, at Forbidden Caverns. Explore the underground caves of the Smokies in this 1-hour walking tour and discover magnificent, sparkling formations, natural chimneys, grottos and a crystal-clear underground stream.
455 Blowing Cave Rd
Sevierville, TN

RainForest Adventures
Discover an indoor RainForest Zoo featuring over 500 live animals including tropical birds, tortoises, cobras and giant pythons. RainForest Adventures is home to exotic creatures from the world’s rain forests as well as some amazing animals native to the Smokies. Live shows daily.
109 NASCAR Dr
Sevierville, TN

Scenic Helicopter Tours
Take an aerial tour of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg on a Scenic Helicopter Tour.
113 Helicopter Ride Blvd
Sevierville, TN

Smoky Mountain Deer Farm & Exotic Petting Zoo
Explore a unique barnyard environment on 140 acres in a beautiful mountain environment. Visitors can Walk among, pet and feed over 100 tame deer as well as see and pet many other animals including, zebra, camels, kangaroos, wallabies, miniature horses, emu and donkeys. Other available activities: pony rides and horseback riding on guided trails.
478 Happy Hollow Ln
Sevierville, TN

Other Sevierville attractions:

Eagle’s Landing Golf Club 1556 Old Knoxville Highway Sevierville, TN
Five Oaks Riding Stables 1628 Parkway Sevierville, TN
Governor’s Palace Sevierville, TN
Great China Acrobats 1304 Parkway Sevierville, TN
Cirque de Chine 179 Collier Drive Sevierville, TN
Muscle Car Museum 320 Winfield Dunn Parkway Sevierville, TN
Outdoor Adventures Of The Smokies Parkway Sevierville, TN
Reel Theatres 713 Winfield Dunn Parkway Sevierville, TN
Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini-Golf 1639 Parkway Sevierville, TN
Smokies AA Baseball Stadium 3540 Line Drive Kodak, TN
Smoky Mountain Helicopters Incorporated 1101 Winfield Dunn Parkway Sevierville, TN
Smoky Mountain Links 3426 Winfield Dunn Parkway Kodak, TN
Tennessee Museum Of Aviation 135 Air Museum Way Sevierville, TN