Wilderness at the Smokies Family Resort in Sevierville TN

Wilderness at the Smokies Family Resort in Sevierville TN 

Wilderness at the Smokies is a family friendly waterpark wilderness resort nestled in the Smoky Mountains in Sevierville in East Tennessee and jam packed with indoor and outdoor waterparks as well as indoor fun and adventure. Wilderness at the Smokies is a rustic mountain resort with amazing amenities for everyone in your family to enjoy.  Wilderness at the Smokies is home to Tennessee’s largest indoor waterpark which gives you the opportunity to travel whenever you want because its open year-round!  The waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies is not the only fun activities for guests, because the family adventure center is an indoor park that is packed with arcade games, retail shops, fitness center, multi-level laser tag, and so much more.  This is a resort with a whole new concept of fun and a Smoky Mountain Vacation that your family will not forget!

Wilderness at the Smokies Resort: Endless Family Fun in TN

What are the Must Do Indoor Attractions On Resort property at Wilderness at the Smokies?

Wilderness at the Smokies is still an amazing place to visit year-round indoor amenities will keep you busy for days alone! We spent lots of hours at the following indoor activities and the boys had a blast.  These are attractions that must do and will make your trip a huge success!

• Tree Top Towers - Ropes Course

• You will need closed toe shoes to complete this attraction, I highly recommend tennis shoes! Adults are able to complete the ropes course with children, which was such a fun experience with my boys.  This was hands down their favorite indoor activity and they spent at least 45 min on the tree top towers every day.

• Mount Wild Rock climbing Wall

• Challenge yourself to any or all of 4 rock wall options in varied difficulty.  This was the first time my boys had climbed a rock wall and are totally hooked now.

• Frog Hopper Spring Action Ride

• This was hands down Kieran’s favorite indoor activity and he loved riding over and over.  

• Moonshine Run - Blacklight Mini Golf

• I lost count of how many times we played blacklight mini golf while staying at the resort.  Having the all stay adventure pass made us such fun parents to say YES to playing another round. A quick and fun 9 holes which makes it perfect to add into your stay.

• Copperhead Laser Maze

• Howlin’ Hound Dog Alley - Mini Bowling

• Cubs Climbing Den - Play Area

• All 3 of my boys loved the climbing den.  It is HUGE was a great way to burn off energy before bed!

• Forest Mega Arcade

What are the Must Do Attractions On Resort property at Wilderness at the Smokies?

Wilderness at the Smokies is still an amazing place to visit year-round indoor amenities will keep you busy for days alone! We spent lots of hours at the following indoor activities and the boys had a blast. These are attractions that must do and will make your trip a huge success!

Are there ways to save on the attractions at Wilderness at the Smokies?

You will definitely want to purchase an adventure forest pass for Wilderness at the Smokies. I highly recommend buying the Adventure Pass for the STAY of your trip vs a day, both are options for purchase.  Our kids loved doing the indoor activities at night after the water parks closed and they did each activity at least 10 plus times.  The ALL-STAY adventure pass is 35.00 for the entirety of your trip for ages 4 and up.  Under 4 are free.  

These indoor Wilderness at the Smokies activities are also great if you arrive early and are waiting for your room to be ready and after checking out if your family is not ready to leave the resort yet.    There is an ALL-DAY adventure pass but there are blackout dates for this and is often only available during non-peak season.  Plus, the all-day adventure pass is 25.00.  I highly recommend opting for the ALL-STAY Adventure Pass, you will thank me later!

What Room Should I Book at Wilderness at the Smokies?

Wilderness at the Smokies is a large resort and seeing it in this map is extremely helpful when looking at where you want to stay.  Since we have three small children, I knew we would want to be as conveniently located to most amenities and we opted to stay at River Lodge Suites.

• River Lodge Suites

• The River Lodge Suites is where my family and I stayed during our time at Wilderness at the Smokies resort.  We were SO impressed by our family rooms which had plenty of space to spread out and relax after long days at the waterparks.  If you want to see a video of the 1 Bedroom Deluxe Suite that we rented, click here.  There are great options for larger families staying together with adjoining rooms or for families who want to spread out.  We enjoyed having a full kitchen with dining table, sleeper sofas, murphy beds, multiple tv's and balconies, bathrooms, bunk beds, queen beds and more. 

• Stone Hill Lodge

• Stone Hill Lodge is across the road and has a separate registration for individuals staying at this Wilderness at the Smokies location.  If you want to visit the River Lodge portion of the resort, you can utilize the shuttle available for guests.  There are suites available at Stone Hill for up to 8 guests.  There is so much to do at the Wilderness at the Smokies resort we did not even make it to the Stone Hill Lodge part of the resort while on property!  This makes me excited for our next trip to check out this portion of the resort!

• Villas

• There are three different villa options for guests needing more space.  The Villas are also located off the main resort property and require shuttle service to the main resort by request if needed.   The villas have lots of space for larger groups or families including three-bedroom villas.

What are the dining options at Wilderness at the Smokies Resort?

There are 14 dining options while staying at the Wilderness at the Smokies Resort in Tennessee. If you are looking to start your day with some caffeine stop by Starbucks in the main buildings by the front desk located inside of the Mountain Marketplace and Deli where you can get snacks all day.  

Inside of the indoor water park is Grizzly's Grill which has something for everyone and my kids really liked during our stay. 

At the outdoor water park, there is a Coyote Cove snack bar and Bluegill's Cove as well as Tacolicious food truck too!  I am pretty sure I ate 30 tacos here during our stay. They were my fave!

If you are exhausted from all the fun on resort then have the in room dining drop off a meal to your door!

If you have a sweet tooth that you need to satisfy, stop by Molly's Shake Shack, Candy Cabin, or  Yukon Yogurt.

Thats still not everything though, The Hidden Trail bar and grill and Firefly bar and grill offers decliious food by the fire pit.
The newest dining option is the Camp Social Food Hall which makes feeding your family SO much easier as it has so many options in a dining hall environment.  

Wild WaterDome Indoor Water Park

The Wild WaterDome 66,000 square foot indoor waterpark, located at River Lodge, features a see-through-roof that bathes the entire park in natural light and actually allows guests to tan (and tropical plants to flourish) all year long!  You walk in and feel like you are on a tropical island with the beautiful plants and warm temps!

The Wild WaterDome on Wilderness property is also home to the Storm Chaser thrill ride, Great Wave 10,000 square foot wave pool, Smokies SurfRider, indoor tube slides, a Magnolia Grove hot spa, Runaway Canyon family thrill slide and Washout Mountain play and spray structure.

Lake Wilderness Outdoor Water Park

Located at River Lodge, this outdoor waterpark offers something for everyone and is huge! Even if you have stayed on resort property before, be sure to remember there is a new splash and play water feature – Treehouse Springs or the NEW Cabana Forest.  Kieran loved this part of the outdoor water park and we spent a lot of time here. 

 If you're a thrill seeker and looking for some of the areas tallest and greatest slides, you’ll find them at the Lake – The Wall, Wild Vortex and Cyclone Racer. Staff take safety extremely seriously and do check height and weight for these slides. You can find requirements for each slide online before you arrive. Relax by the pool deck, float in the wave pool or take a few laps on your back in your tube in the new lazy river.

Salamander Springs Outdoor Water Park

There are 3 waterparks on the Wilderness at the Smokies property. These are a huge draw for families traveling to Wilderness at the Smokies and now we understand why!  We went during the summer so we could take advantage of all 3 and it was so much fun comparing and checking them all out. There is so much to do just at the water parks that I wrote an entire blog post just about those.  Read more about the waterparks here.

In 2022, WIlderness at the Smokies management announced that they are expanding the water park big time! A three-story water coaster which will feature three steep drops, uphill blasts, high speeds and the premier of the world’s first slide with Reverse AquaLucent effects with colorful, spellbinding patterns is on its way. These special tubes will also allow light to filter through, adding brightness to the Wild WaterDome.

How Many Days / Nights Should I Stay at Wilderness at the Smokies?

My family stayed on Wilderness at the Smokies Resort property for 2 nights and 3 days and did not want to leave.  You could easily spend a week here in the summer when all 3 water parks are open.  No matter how long you are there, you will have to drag your kids out and leave ready to make a return visit because of how amazing the outdoor water rides, snack bar,  hotel rooms, indoor waterpark fun and game room is!