Our family’s most recent camping adventure saw us visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We’ve been to this park three times now, and I’m sure we’ll visit again. This is just one of those magical natural areas that calls you back again and again.
One of my favorite things about this area is that there are so many things to do in the Smoky Mountains with kids. This means we can all get outside and enjoy nature together, no matter how young our youngest family member happens to be at the time.
Wondering what to do in the Smoky Mountains as a family? Here are my top picks.
Start in a Visitor Center
I always recommend starting any visit to a national park in a visitor center. For this most recent visit, we chose to check out the Sugarlands Visitor Center. It housed several exhibits about the animals found in the park, which the kids enjoyed.
It was also home to a gift shop where you could pick up Junior Ranger books. We did have to pay a small fee for a Junior Ranger book here, which is unusual, but it was one book for the whole family and was of higher quality than usual, so I was okay with it.
There are plenty of other visitor centers in the park, and all are worth checking out.
Take a Hike
Hiking is one of my favorite things to do in the Smoky Mountains with kids. There is one trail behind the aforementioned visitor center that is just perfect for families. It’s called the Fighting Creek Nature Trail to Cataract Falls, and it winds through the trees, over a creek, past a cool historic cabin, and all the way to a pretty little waterfall.
Other trails that we have enjoyed in the park include the Little Brier Gap Trail to the old schoolhouse, and if you’re looking for a more challenging hike, the Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls.
Hop in the Water
Hot humid weather is the norm in Tennessee in the summer. For this reason, we spent a good chunk of time in the water during our last visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
All of our swimming this time was done in the river from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area, where we also saw a few people tubing down the river. That said, there are also some cool swimming holes in the park, including Midnight Hole, which features a waterfall!
Enjoy a Firefly Show
Our most recent visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park just happened to be during peak firefly season. This was awesome because it meant fireflies were absolutely everywhere in the park as soon as the sun started to set.
It also meant the synchronous fireflies were putting on a show in certain parts of the park. Unfortunately, we didn’t win the lottery to see the synchronous fireflies during “peak week,” but we did go to the viewing area the day after this peak time when tickets were no longer required, and we ended up seeing a spectacular show.
Note: If you choose to do this, arrive early. We got there a good two hours before sunset and still ended up in the very last available parking spot.
Take a Driving Tour
Finally, I highly recommend taking at least one scenic drive during your visit. My favorite one is the loop through Cades Cove, which usually allows you to see a ton of wildlife as well as some cool historic buildings, the Cades Cove Visitor Center, and an old grist mill.
We’ve seen several bears in Cades Cove in the past, but this last time, we got to see one on a hiking trail. It was so close we actually had to stop and back up in order to maintain a safe distance. It hung around for several minutes, and it was so cool to see it sniffing around and climbing a tree.
There you have it, 5 awesome things to do in the Smoky Mountains with kids. Now you never have to wonder what to do in the Smoky Mountains again. Instead, simply pick something from this list, head outside, and have an amazing time reconnecting with nature and with one another!
About the author: Chelsea Gonzales
Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.
You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.
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