13 Fun Things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Kids (Besides Hike!)

Looking for some fun things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with kids that isn’t hiking? I have plenty of info on hiking in the park, and there is a lot to see. But the park offers so much more for families looking to enjoy it in a different way.

To really explore the park, it’s great to get on and off the trails. From hitting the rivers to the best lookout spots to biking through a popular area, there are lots of things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park besides hike. In fact, there are some of the most unique things to do in the park that can really crank up the fun!

Here are the best activities in Great Smoky Mountains for the family.

1. Tube Down a River

This was the top activity I was hoping to do with my family, but since we visited in October, the river tubing companies were closed up. It was probably for the best since mornings were pretty chilly.

If you plan your trip for summertime, you’ll get to participate in this fun activity in Great Smoky Mountains with the family.

Choose from a couple companies that will make tubing the river easy and convenient.

Deep Creek is one of the best areas to go tubing. It’s found near Bryson City, North Carolina. There are a few places to rent tubes (like Deep Creek Campground or Deep Creek Lodge). However, commercial tube shuttles are not allowed into the park.

To tube, you’ll have to drive your tubes up to your put-in spot and walk back to the car when you’re finished. The tube rental places are very close to the entrance of the park, making it easy to walk in or out.

Little River, near Townsend, is another area you can go tubing in near the park. Companies like River Rage and top-rated River Rat provide the tube and a shuttle service to make your trip a bit easier.

I consider this just about the most fun thing to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with kids that I missed out on! Don’t miss your chance if you’re visiting during the warm months.

2. Bicycle through Cades Cove

Cades Cove is a laid-back, peaceful area on the western side of the park. It’s great for viewing wildlife and enjoying a meadow area.

On Wednesdays during the summer, Cades Cove is closed to vehicles. This gifts cyclists (and pedestrians) a safe, peaceful ride through the area. Enjoy this 11-mile loop by renting a bike from the campground store at Cades Cove campground.

While there are other areas you are allowed to bike in, this Cades Cove loop on Wednesdays is the best spot for those traveling with kids. It’s the safest road to bike in the park.

If you’re not wanting to do the whole 11 miles, there are a couple cut-throughs on the loop to make your ride shorter.

Other Bicycle Trails

As an alternative, you can also bicycle on the Oconaluftee River Trail, The Gatlinburg Trail, or the Deep Creek Trail. These are the only trails that allow bicycles in the park.

3. Take a Scenic Drive

There are so many great scenic drives in the park, be sure to do at least one of them! The great thing is that they are all quite different from each other.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

The Roaring Fork loop is located just outside of Gatlinburg. This is a 5.5 mile one-way loop through some of the most beautiful places in the park.

You’ll get one or two pullovers with a great view as you approach the loop, but Roaring Fork is more about being in the thick trees with rivers alongside you.

There are many hikes off that lead to great waterfalls off this route, but to avoid hiking, be sure to stop at the Thousand Drips pull over right off the road. This beautiful stop is a spectacular view of many little tiny waterfalls coming down the side of the mountain.

Cades Cove Loop

Cades Cove is located on the western side of the park. It’s an 11-mile, one-way loop through a large meadow area. There are a few historic buildings and churches on the loop, but many people enjoy this drive thanks to the high chances of wildlife sightings.

When we drove this loop we were able to spot a bear with two babies. Unfortunately, when there is a wildlife sighting, traffic comes to a stop, which can make getting through the loop take a while.

Newfound Gap Road

Newfound Gap Road goes from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC. This road is full of pullovers for those classic Great Smoky Mountains viewpoints. If you visit in mid-to-late fall, this scenic drive will give you plenty of colors to enjoy on your drive.

As an alternative, Foothills Parkway is another great drive for fall colors. While the parkway is 70+ miles, it hasn’t been completed, so it’s broken into 3 segments you can drive on.

4. Relax in a Swim Hole

🛟 Stay Safe: Wear a life jacket whenever you are in the water!

There are a few great swim holes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some require a hike, like Midnight Hole, but some do not and are great for families!

One swim hole is at the Townsend Wye on Little River. This is a great spot for families thanks to gentle rapids that flow through. You can find the Townsend Wye about 1 mile from the Townsend park entrance, where the road “Y”s into Laurel Creek Road.

Another family-friendly swim hole that you don’t have to hike to is located at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. The area has lots of little swimming holes in the Little Greenbrier River.

Located near The Sinks is another great swimming hole. Do NOT get in (or rather, attempt to get in) the water near The Sinks Waterfall. To access the swim hole, you can go to the west of the bridge. You can also climb the steps that begins the Meigs Creek Trail, then go down the hill to an access point.

5. See a Cemetery

It seemed a little strange at first, but many trails we went on had a little cemetery on them! The strangeness wears off as you realize there are over 150 cemeteries in the park!

Some of these cemeteries require you to start a hike, but do not require any amount of significant distance. Others can be seen without any hike at all.

One cemetery is at the top of the hill that begins the Baskins Creek Falls hike. Another is found on the Hickory Flats Quiet Walkway (actually quite steep, I don’t recommend it if you’re not wanting to hike).

If you are avoiding any sort of hiking, you can head to Cades Cove where there are multiple cemeteries along the drive.

You can also spot a few just a short walk away in the Oconaluftee area, like the Enloe, Floyd, and New Beck (north of Oconaluftee) Cemeteries.

👉🏼 The Park is So Big! What Area Should I Stay in??

6. Check out Historic Cabins and Buildings

There are so many historic areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its fun to see all the different structures. Kids especially have fun with this and love getting to see older cabins that people lived in.

The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a great place for finding many older cabins. From homes to mills, kids can walk right up to and inside these great structures. There is no hike required as these are right off the parking area.

Behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is the Mountain Farm Museum, filled with historic structures like a spring house, blacksmith workshop, family cabin, and more. This is a great place to see many structures in one stop.

Cades Cove also has a few historic cabins, as well as old churches. You can get out along the loop to visit many of them.

7. Walk Through the Mountain Farm

Our family ended up doing a lot of hiking while in the park, so when we stopped at the Mountain Farm, this was a great treat and something unique to do.

You can find the Mountain Farm behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. The farm offers plenty of structures and buildings to walk through (yep, you can go in!), a great open space outdoors, a nearby river, and even live farm animals to visit!

This was a fun stop for my kids and one of their favorite things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park besides hiking.

8. Explore the Visitor Centers

When we first started going to national parks, sometimes I would skip the visitor centers. I don’t know why, I guess I just didn’t realize what a great charm these were.

Now? We never skip them.

Visitor Centers are a great place to grab a souvenir (we always get a magnet and playing cards), learn about the area in the exhibits, and talk to rangers and get the inside scoop.

There are many visitor centers in Great Smoky Mountains NP. Sugarlands, near Gatlinburg, is the most popular one due to its location and access to many easy trails for the family. Cades Cove visitor center is another popular one with great exhibits and a nice shopping area.

Oconaluftee has a nice patio area for relaxing and overlooking the mountain farm. It’s a larger visitor center that hosts ranger talks.

Tremont is a pretty small visitor center without an exhibit area, but still has a few souvenirs and a ranger to help you find what you need.

The Kuwohi Visitor Center is small but popular. It’s located at the very bottom of the Kuwohi Observation tower trail, just a few steps from the parking lot.

9. Catch a Waterfall

It’s true, many great waterfalls come with a hike. And waterfalls are my absolute favorite thing to see in national parks.

But don’t worry, there are a few you can see without a hike, too! I always consider waterfalls at the top of my list anywhere I go. If you don’t want to hike, they can still be at the top of your list!

The picture really doesn’t do The Sinks justice. I promise it’s much bigger than it looks!

Mannis Brach Falls can be seen off Little River Gorge Road, about 1 mile west of Elkmont Road. You have to be looking for it as it is disguised a little in the scenery.

The Sinks is a great waterfall to see that doesn’t require a hike. It’s located off Little River Gorge Road in a quick pull off parking area. Just a couple steps from the car takes you to a great view.

Meigs Falls is just a 1 mile drive west of The Sinks. You can simply pull over in the designated area to a great viewpoint. This makes it another of the most accessible waterfalls in Great Smoky Mountains Nationl Park.

Cliff Branch Falls is another little roadside waterfall. You can find it off Newfound Gap Road about 3 miles north of the Smokemont Campground turnoff. No hike required!

Chimneys Picnic area has lots of shade…and peace!

10. Take a Scenic Picnic

Besides waterfalls, another of my favorite things to do in National Parks is to enjoy lunch inside. We have eaten at the top of Colorado National Monument, at an incredible viewpoint in Arches National Park, overlooking the canyon at Black Canyon, and while parked in front of a waterfall in Olympic National Park.

There’s just something about being out in nature, far away from the noise of town, and enjoying a meal with the family. It’s so peaceful.

So it may sound simple to pack up some food and find a picnic area, but it’s also so rewarding.

There are a lot of picnic areas in Great Smoky Mountains. If you’re on the Newfound Gap road when lunch hits, try the Chimneys picnic area located at one of the double hairpin turns.

👉🏼 Note: Chimneys Picnic area is seasonal, but the next three are open year round

Along Little River Gorge Road (heading west from Gatlinburg/Sugarlands), you can stop at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area. As a bonus, there are some swimming holes nearby if you are there on a hot day!

Cades Cove Picnic Area

Cades Cove boasts a large picnic area, and is usually pretty convenient by the time you drive over to Cades Cove.

If you are closer to Bryson City during lunchtime, stop at the Deep Creek Picnic area.

11. Enjoy a Horseback Ride

For some of the best things to do with kids in Great Smoky Mountains besides hiking, try having something else do the work!

If you want to see some trails but don’t want to hike, taking a horseback ride is a great way to go.

Except for winter months, visitors can book a ride through one of a couple horse stables in the park. They are located at:

• Cades Cove
• Smokemont
• Sugarlands

Cades Cove will take you through meadows, forests, and into wildlife. Don’t want to sit on the horse? This location also offers the option for a wagon or hayride!

Smokemont offers both horseback and wagon rides. You can choose from a couple different rides and riding times depending on what your family wants.

Sugarlands only offers horseback rides that are anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

12. Find an Elk Herd (or a Black Bear)

Wildlife is abundant in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whatever you do, whether it’s a scenic drive, a horseback ride, or a picnic, keep your eyes out for wildlife.

Some areas, like Cades Cove, increase your chances of seeing wildlife, especially if you go early or late in the day. Cataloochee Valley, over on the east side of the park, is a great place for spotting elk. Roaring Fork is another great area thanks to the amount of trees and excessive amount of rivers and streams.

We didn’t go out early or late in the day, but we still saw bears in the Roaring Fork area and in the Cades Cove area. While on trails, we also saw turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, and all sorts of birds I can’t name.

13. Attend Family Camp

On the western side of the park is the Tremont visitor center and Tremont Institute. This is an educational program that holds all sorts of camps and programs.

If you don’t want to plan your own itinerary in Great Smoky Mountains, consider having the whole family vacation done for you by signing up for family camp through the Tremont Institute.

This is a 5 day program that leads families on trails, dips in the rivers, studies wildlife, bikes the Cades Cove Loop, enjoys evening entertainment, has craft time, and more. This is a wild, nature-based vacation with all sorts of activities that help you appreciate what Great Smoky Mountains NP offers.

Find more info here and sign up ASAP as these programs fill up quickly.

Non-Hiking Activities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with kids

As you can see, there are plenty of things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with kids beside hike. Enjoy a horseback ride, float down a river, search for wildlife, take a scenic drive, and so much more.

The smokies are a great playground with a variety of things to do. And that’s just INSIDE the park! Beyond the park is a whole other world of attractions and fun. So if you’re worried about finding activities in Great Smoky Mountains that don’t require hiking, worry no more. You can have an entire week in the area without having to go far on foot.

Plan Your Trip:

• 3 Days in Great Smoky Mountains
• How to Spend 1 Day in GSMNP with kids
• Hiking Rainbow Falls (the tallest waterfall!)
• What Area Should I Stay when visiting GSMNP?