GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Here’s a great guide for how to spend the perfect day in the Smokies at Anakeesta!
1. Purchase Your TicketsÂ
Buying your family’s tickets ahead of time can be a major time-saver for your group, especially if you are visiting Gatlinburg during peak times of the year. At Anakeesta, we allow visitors to purchase tickets online before they arrive, and tickets can be bought in person, as well.
2. Parking
As in any fun and exciting city, parking can be an issue for some in Gatlinburg! While there is parking at Anakeesta–not owned by the park–those spaces fill up quickly. If you aren’t able to nab a spot, the city has an excellent way of assisting visitors with its easy-to-find information on parking. Go here to find directions to all the public parking available in the city.
3. Choose Your Ride
If you’re afraid of heights, have little ones, or can’t ride to the top of Anakeesta Mountain for any other reason, the park has other methods of transportation! Our open-air Chondolas fit four people, while our enclosed Gondola Cabins can transport six people, including wheelchairs and strollers. If you’d rather not make your way in the air, Anakeesta has Ridge Rambler vehicles.
4. What Should You Do First?
When you arrive via the Chondola or Gondola cabins, you’ll enter Anakeesta in magical Firefly Village. This village has many of our shops, including the Adventure Outpost which is also home to check-in for our Dueling Zipline Adventure. In Firefly Village, you’ll also find our Smokehouse restaurant, the Rail Runner Mountain Coaster, and Pearl’s Pie in the Sky! Reserve your place on our mountain coaster, then head to Pearl’s for a sweet treat while you wait. If you arrive via our Ridge Rambler, you’ll be right between Black Bear Village and our Vista Gardens. Take a relaxing stroll through our gardens and enjoy some peace and quiet, or grab a bite to eat from our Kephart Cafe and enjoy some live music in Black Bear Village!
5. Where To Eat
Anakeesta has multiple delicious dining opportunities on the mountain. For a more elevated experience, check out our Cliff Top restaurant. With wonderful views of the Smokies, you can enjoy a seasonal cocktail or refreshing soda with your family and relax. For quicker service and quality food, you can check out our Smokehouse restaurant. Brisket, pork, and chicken all cooked to perfection for guest satisfaction await, and the Smokehouse is the
perfect place to watch the sun set in the evenings.
6. How To End The Day
A perfect way to end your day at Anakeesta is enjoying the sunset at TreeVenture and on our TreeTop Skywalk. You can play with your kids in the cool evening at TreeVenture, which has three levels of interactive-treehouse fun, and then round out the night with a walk through the trees on our Skywalk, which is lit in the night.
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