Wilderness at the Smokies

Last week, the girls and I decided to escape the Atlanta heat and head up to the Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee to spend 4 day and 3 nights at the waterpark resort Wilderness at the Smokies. Going we took the interstates; it was an easy drive, but we were disappointed to see that there are no Mayfield Dairy tours on Sundays (and their website doesn’t play well will mobile devices, either). I don’t know why I was expecting the hotel to be in the “wilderness”, but it wasn’t. It was just off a four lane road, and we stopped in a the Kroger a mile away to stock up on groceries.

We arrived around 1pm and were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready. The hotel does allow for guests to use the waterpark upon arrival, even if the room isn’t ready, and following checkout, which was great for us on our last day. Check-in was smooth; we were all given wristbands to wear for the duration of our stay.

The room we booked was in the “River Lodge”; more expensive than the “Stone Hill Lodge”, but it promised a kitchen and is connected to the indoor waterpark. Our room overlooked the outdoor wave pool and lazy river, which was better than a room overlooking the parking lot! The deck was nice, but it was too hot and humid to want to be out on it very much.

Two Queen Beds

As I had booked a “studio”, I knew that we wouldn’t have a full kitchen. We had a small table and two chairs, a undercounter fridge, a stovetop, a sink and a microwave. Despite the indication from the website’s faqs that pots, pans and dishes would come with the room, we had nothing, so the stovetop was useless. Thankfully, I had packed plates and silverware, so we didn’t miss the lack of dishes. The room also had two queen beds and a couch (where was the coffee table for me to prop up my feet?). The furnishings and linens were clean and comfortable.

Studio Kitchen

The hotel offers all types of diversions, from an arcade to pottery painting, none of which we did – except for mini-golf. We also did not eat in any of the restaurants. The prices were steep, and I had heard from a friend that the service was poor and the buffets full of overprocessed food. We took advantage of our “kitchen” and the Kroger to make ourselves sandwiches, fruits and veggies, burritos and the like.

While Pigeon Forge is just down the street offering its variety of “tourist attractions” we spent our entire 4 days/3 nights at the resort, only heading off to restock on groceries. In the mornings, I worked and the girls did their homeschooling. We then headed to one of the three waterparks, took a break in the afternoon, then went back out to swim. We all really did have a blast playing in the waves, going down the slides and floating down the river.

Indoor Waterpark

The “River Lodge” section of the property has two waterparks. The first waterpark is an outdoor wave pool and lazy river. In general, it is a nice area for kids, which zero entry and shallow water — just listen for the buzzer signaling the start of the waves and avoid the river current. We saw a couple of kids get pulled by its force. The lifeguards are attentive and fast (and friendly too)! There are cabanas with tvs and fans available to rent around the wave pool. I’d say these might be a good idea for families staying over in the “Stone Hill Lodge” across the street.

Outdoor Wave Pool

The second “River Lodge” waterpark is the indoor one. It has a large wave pool, a 3ft. deep pool, four big water slides, a kiddie water play area with slides and a dumping bucket, a toddler water play area and a bodysurfing “slide”. For the three of the four big water slides, kids must be 42 inches tall and have an adult ride with them; for one of these, there had to be at least two people. For the fourth, kids must be 48 inches and there must be at least two people (total weight minimum of 200 lbs.). That meant that Camille could go on two of the slides alone, but I had to ride if Chloe wanted to go down them or if Camille wanted to on the two that needed multiple people. No rest for momma.

Indoor Waterpark Kids' Area

The third waterpark is across the street at the “Stone Hill Lodge”; the shuttle that runs between the two lodges was fast, friendly and efficient. This outdoor waterpark is smaller than the indoor one, but has a nice 3ft deep pool, two waterslides for 42in and taller, and a toddler area with a smaller slide — wonderful for families with little ones!

Stone Hill Lodge waterpark

The pools were saline instead of chlorinated, which was great for our eyes and skin. However, I found that the indoor portion of the waterpark was dirtier than I would have liked. We spotted stuff like band-aids in the pool. The stairs going up to the waterslides were filthy. On the second day, we spotted a pile of what looked like feces — or maybe it was just melted chocolate. By the fourth day the pile was a little smaller, but still there. Gross.

One night, we played mini-golf. The course wasn’t crowded, but I think my girls were disappointed in its simplicity. None of the cool holes like at the “fancy” mini-golf places in Panama City Beach or Pigeon Forge.

None of the areas were very crowded, and the only line we waited in was for the bodysurfing. However, we went on Sun-Wed of a school week (for many, but not all). We could tell that the resort was not fully occupied. For the most part, the other guests were quite friendly and respectful. I didn’t see anyone who had too much to drink or who was being obnoxious. However, on our last day, there was a large group of young adults who were oblivious to the fact that they were crashing into littles in the wave pool.

Chloe in an Inner Tube

Overall, we were pleased with our mini-getaway and would go back again if we were in the mood for waterpark fun. Next time, I think I’d space our time in the waterpark with some time in Gatlinburg and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, however!

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