What to do in the Smoky Mountains as a Family

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Last month, our little tribe of traveling families had the pleasure of visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park together. Our family has visited the area by ourselves a few times before, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our visits every time. That said, I have to say that this last visit was our favorite, as we experienced even more magical things to do in the Smoky Mountains

We spent a full week exploring as much of what the park has to offer as possible. (And we didn’t even really scratch the surface!) Here are what we think are the best things to do in the Smoky Mountains.

Check Out Exhibits

First of all, we highly recommend starting your visit in a visitor center, as this is one of the best things to do in the Smoky Mountains when you’re looking to learn about the place. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a few different visitor centers, and each one has a unique set of exhibits.

We started in the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and we appreciated the exhibits on the park’s animals. Cades Cove Visitor Center is also great. It features a historic home and an operational gristmill. We haven’t seen other visitor centers in the park, but they are likely to be equally informative.

Make sure to grab a Junior Ranger book while in the visitor center so your kids can earn their Junior Ranger Badges. Unlike most other parks, this park does require you to pay a small fee for the book, but it is made to be used by the whole family and is really of nice quality.

Find a Waterfall

Next on our list of things to do in the Smoky Mountains? Well, you are going to want to go on a few hikes. The trails in this park are absolutely fantastic, and we found several that we fell in love with. One of the best things to do when hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Seek out waterfalls.

There are several waterfalls scattered throughout the park, and each and every one is amazing. We really love Fighting Creek Nature Trail to Cataract Falls and have done this hike on more than one occasion. We appreciate that it is easy to access from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and that even our four-year-old can do the hike without issue. Of course, the kids also loved the waterfall and playing in the creek.

Another waterfall hike we loved in this park is Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls. This one is longer and harder, but our then-9-year-old did it without a problem.

Step Back in Time

One interesting thing about Great Smoky Mountains National Park is that it plays host to so many historic buildings. Our kids absolutely loved finding the cabins, houses, and schoolhouses along the various trails we took and playing “olden days” in each one.

There is a cabin along the aforementioned Fighting Creek Nature Trail, as well as a schoolhouse and home along the super easy Little Brier Gap Trail. You can also find a lot of old buildings in the Cades Cove Loop, and really, these are far from the only historic structures in the park.

Go for a Swim (or)

My kids’ favorite day spent in the park? The day we spent swimming in the river from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area.

Swimming is definitely one of the best things to do in the Smoky Mountains as a family, and there are plenty of places to do it. There is the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area as mentioned above, but we saw people swimming all along the river and also heard about a few swimming holes, including Midnight Hole, a swimming spot that features a waterfall and sounds fantastic!

Make Time for a Paddle

Another great way to enjoy the water in the Smoky Mountains is to go for a paddle. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to do this, but we do know it is possible and likely an absolute blast.

Many people paddle the Little River. The river is mostly slow and calm, making for a serene paddle, but you may come across the occasional small set of rapids, adding a bit of excitement to your trip.

Fontana Lake is another popular paddling spot. Unfortunately, the lake is very far from where we normally stay. Still, we might make a point of driving there one day.

See the Fireflies

During our most recent visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we were lucky enough to get to witness prime firefly season. This usually happens in early June and is well worth planning your trip around.

You do need tickets to see the synchronous fireflies during peak week, and the only way to get those tickets is to enter a lottery. Sadly, we did not win the lottery. However, we went the night after peak week ended (and even then were lucky to get a parking spot) and we still got to see the amazing performance after sunset.

This was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. The fireflies gathered by the thousands and lit up in unison, doing an almost hypnotic dance. It was like a magical Christmas light show in the middle of the woods!

If you plan to see the show before or after peak week, you will want to head to the Little River trailhead in the Elkmont area of the park. From there, there will be a staff member to point you in the right direction. Just make sure to arrive well before sunset to secure a parking spot!

Aside from the synchronous fireflies, which tend to gather in one area, we also noticed fireflies all over the park once the sun started to set. This was so cool to see and definitely gave the park an otherworldly feel.

Take an Auto-Tour

We mentioned Cades Cove earlier, but it’s probably worth mentioning again because we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this area of the park. To see Cades Cove, you have to drive a one-way loop, meaning you will want to set aside a good chunk of time to check it out.

The loop includes a wide variety of potential stops, including several spots where you can see historic buildings, some pretty hiking trails and nature trails, and a visitor center. We ended up seeing several animals on this loop, including a young bear along one trail and a turkey that hilariously insisted on running along the road ahead of our car for quite some time.

Watch for Wildlife

Speaking of animals, I highly recommend keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife while you enjoy all of the things to do in the Smoky Mountains mentioned above. This park is so, so full of life, and we have seen all kinds of amazing critters hanging out during our visits.

From bears and turkeys to fireflies and salamanders, you’re sure to see some awesome critters during your visit, especially if you pack a pair of binoculars. Apparently, the park is even home to some river otters, but we’ve never seen them.

As you can see there are all kinds of amazing things to do in the Smoky Mountains with kids. Which things will you do first?

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