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Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in o Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in our step.  While we’ve always raised our girls to know they can be or do anything we couldn’t be more excited for them to have witnessed #HERstory themselves today. How y’all feeling on this glorious Wednesday? #representationmatters #thefutureisfemale
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “The time is always right to do what is right.” Nearly 53 years later and these words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are words that fit so perfectly in today’s society, that is a sad truth.

My dream for America would be for it to get its shit together. For the many Americans in denial of what is actually happening in this country to wake up. For allies to be loud all the time, not just on #blackouttuesday. The work Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped start is not done and I’m afraid it never will be. 

From visiting his birth home (swipe left) to where he was assassinated, we’ll always strive to be our children’s best teachers. Remember it starts at home! #mlkday
Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I am so happy our “how we afford to travel so much” series and photography tips have been helpful, more coming soon! Just wanted to share a little more about us. We’re Monet, James, Jordyn and Kennedy and we live in South Florida. I started The Traveling Child in 2016 to inspire parents to travel the world with their kids while providing tips to make it easier and affordable. Our motto is if kids live there, kids can visit and you’ll often find us exploring destinations most don’t consider “kid friendly”. 

Hubby and I met at the one and only University of Florida #gogators. We’ve been together for 14yrs and have our 8yr wedding anniversary coming up soon. Our love for travel isn’t new, 2 months into our relationship we studied abroad together in China.

Jordyn is 6, Kennedy is 4 and they both go to regular public school because well homeschool is not for us lol, but school has been virtual recently because of you know what. Still travel with school aged kids is possible and there are flight deals during school breaks!

James works in sales in Corporate America in an office setting so while I have my own business now we do have tips on traveling frequently with a full time job as well.

I’m Jamaican and well that means I’m a hustler lol. I’m the author of the children’s book, The Traveling Child Goes to Rio de Janeiro (available on Amazon), a freelance writer for The Points Guy and wannabe photographer.  I also write for our own blog/website www.thetravelingchild.co where we share our tips on affordable travel, traveling with kids and providing the itineraries for all the places we’ve traveled to.

While travel is the main focus of this page we’re parents too so we also share things we find helpful raising these kids and sometimes random dance videos 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Now that you know a little bit about us, tell us a little bit about you! Or ask us any questions you have!
How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight deal for $395RT (tip from our how we afford to travel so much part 1 reel) and coupled that with points earned from a sign up bonus from a travel card. That cards bonus was 100,000 points which was redeemable for $1,250 in travel purchases. $395x3 plus only the taxes for Kennedy’s lap infant ticket meant we paid nothing out of pocket for the fights there! (Save and share this post.)

Is this series helpful? What do you want me to cover in part 3?

P.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using points and miles and 60 seconds is def not enough to go in depth. So I’m hosting a webinar on Saturday, January 23rd at 1pm EST where I’ll tell and show you how to find and book flight deals, go over travel credit cards and the other tools we use to afford travel so much. You will be able to ask all the questions you want and because of that it’s an intimate event with only 30 tickets available. Can’t wait to help you learn the tools to afford travel now so when the world is completely open you’re prepared! #traveltipsandtricks
I have so much to say but at the same time don’t I have so much to say but at the same time don’t have the words. This day will go down in history!
It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas h It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas hands are tired so I’m going to do as I said through my word of the year (check last post) and release these hair responsibilities to someone else next week, it’s time for the girls to get some braids. Buttttt if you’re looking for their natural hair routine, click the link in my bio for it. Are you team protective style or wear your hair out? 

For protective styles what are you go to’s? I need some inspo as I grow my hair back out for this in between phase. #naturalhairstyles
Words are so powerful and my word for this year wi Words are so powerful and my word for this year will be the reason I accomplish all the goals I have set forth this year. Are you letting go of anything in 2021? Do you have a word of the year, if so what is it?

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Things to do in Pigeon Forge with Kids

December 8, 2020      Destinations, North America, Tennessee

When looking to visit the Smoky Mountains most people make their base Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg as they are a quick drive into the National Park. However, in addition to being close to the Smokies there are many fun family activities to do in these cities. You really can’t go wrong with either but I personally felt there were a little more things to do in Pigeon Forge with kids. Even if you do decide to book housing in Gatlinburg, like we did, I mean, check out these cabin views, you’ll want to spend time in Pigeon Forge. 

mom, dad, two girls and their grandma harnessed up to go ziplining

Outdoor Things to Do in Pigeon Forge with Kids

The best part about being in Pigeon Forge with kids is getting outdoors. We visited in the Fall (October 25-30th) and had beautiful weather which wasn’t too hot but also not freezing yet so we loved being outside.

Anakeesta

Anakeesta is a newer attraction and very touristy but there are a lot of things to do here. Plan to spend at least half a day if you want to do all the activities. As a heads up there is a general entry fee and then most of the activities still have an additional fee once you’re in the park. Vista Gardens and the Treetop Skywalk are included in the price however if you want to zip-line here, go on their mountain coaster or go gem mining these are extra costs. 

two young kids in Pigeon Forge at Anakeesta holding up their trays showing off the gems they found mining

My girls absolutely loved the gem mining activity and they were able to share a large bag to sift through and get two trays. This is one of the extra activities I really think is worth paying for here. Some of the others you can do outside of Anakeesta for cheaper, which we did do and will discuss later on.

Anakeesta does offer great views of the mountains and we even saw a Black Bear climbing up. There is a great playground for kids as well where they can burn off all their energy. The park also has a few restaurants, both casual and sit down, and deserts!

Dollywood

Dollywood is a must when visiting Pigeon Forge with kids. It’s a much smaller park than Disney World but still lots of fun and way cheaper. A one day ticket starts at $69 with 3 day passes starting at $99. There are rides for every age group including some big thrills for those that have no fear! If you are there in October their Halloween decorations are amazing and best viewed in the evening when it’s dark so plan accordingly.

dad with two daughters at Dollywood theme park posing in front of the sign

If you’re more of a water ride person Dollywood has it’s on waterpark, Splash Country. Since we visited in late October it was closed for the season. Splash Country is only open mid-May through Labor Day weekend and starting in August they are only open on select days. 

Rocky Top Mountain Coaster

If roller coasters are too thrilling but you’ve also graduated from the baby rides, Rocky Top Mountain Coaster is for you. It’s great because you can control the speed of your ride, so if you want all the thrills you can go full speed and if you don’t you can go as slow as you want. The ride lasts at least 9 minutes, longer if you go slower. You just need to be 38 inches to ride with an adult or 56 inches to ride alone.  

Adventure Park at Five Oaks

If you want to keep the adventure going definitely check out Adventure Park at Five Oaks. We chose to do their zip-lining adventure here but they also offer horseback riding. The zip-lining here is great for families as kids 3 years and older can participate. The lines here are around 400ft high and you’ll enjoy 7 lines. It takes about two hours to complete the tour and it was lots of fun.

zip-lining in pigeon forge with kids

Smoky Mountains

You cannot come to Pigeon Forge and skip the Smoky Mountains National Park. When visiting with kids I know some of the hikes can be challenging but there are some like Laurel Falls Hike which is great for kids. 

mom, dad, and their two young daughters standing in front of a small waterfall

If you really can’t hike with them I highly recommend the Cades Cove scenic loop, this way if you don’t want to get out the car you don’t have to but you can still see a lot. From the road we saw this bear and Cades Cove is supposed to be one of the best places to see them. 

There’s lots to do in the Smoky Mountains, you can check out my blog post on the park here for more!

Indoor Things to Do in Pigeon Forge with Kids

If you’re looking for things to do indoors because of the weather these are some great options.

WonderWorks

A great activity for raining days, we’ve visited the one in Orlando and it’s always a hit with my kids. They especially always love the magic show the museum puts on in the evening. This location even offers laser tag!

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

If you’re familiar with Ripley’s Believe it or Not, this is their aquarium. Much different than their typical establishment, it’s still filled with adventure. They have cool programs like sleepovers where you can sleep in front of the shark tank and have a scavenger hunt when the aquarium is free of daytime guests.

Cherokee Museum

The Cherokee Museum is technically not in Pigeon Forge, it’s actually not even in Tennessee, it’s in Cherokee, NC but it is so worth a visit. Historically the entire area was inhabited by Native Americans until settlers came in and stole their land. The museum highlights the tribes who originated from here and their history. It’s a small yet powerful museum that is completely worth the hour drive!

Other Things to do in Pigeon Forge with Kids We Didn’t Have Time For

There are so many things to do in Pigeon Forge with kids that we just didn’t have time to do them all. We would love to revisit the area so these are a few things we’re looking forward to doing next time!

  • Go Karts Pigeon Forge Speedzone Fun Park- go karts for the whole family
  • Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Adventure- You can watch lumberjacks competing and then try out those same adventures yourself
  • Pigeon Forge Snow– where you can go snow tubing year round
  • Pink Jeep Tour (we did one in Sedona on our Southwest road trip, it was excellent)
  • White Water Rafting- the lower Pigeon rafting allows kids 3 and up to join

Where to Stay in Pigeon Forge with Kids

When you come to a destination like Pigeon Forge it is all about the cabins. Since we were traveling with kids and on a flexcation, doing work/virtual school, we needed a place where we would have a lot of space and have things to do without leaving the cabin. We found this amazing cabin on Vrbo and it was so hard choosing just one since they offered so many great options.

With five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pull out couch and bunk bed the cabin could sleep up to 16. Four of the rooms had a fireplace and a balcony making them extra cozy. The balconies all overlooked the Smoky Mountains and the views were absolutely stunning, especially in the fall with all the leaves changing colors.

dad holding daughter on a cabin balcony looking at the views of the Smoky Mountains

If we didn’t want to leave the cabin, which some days we couldn’t, we had more than enough to do right inside. As soon as it was lunch time at school for my daughters all you heard was them running downstairs. They weren’t interested in eating at all, they wanted to enjoy the cabin’s game room. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them at all, the room had Mario Kart, a jukebox, pinball, a machine with 100 games including my favorite Mrs. Pac Man and more.

In the evening when we wanted to relax the theater was the perfect place. We could watch TV, Sunday night football or a movie in comfort and on the big screen. The only thing missing was a popcorn machine!

How to Get to Pigeon Forge with Kids

There is no airport in Pigeon Forge but 25 miles away is Knoxville Airport (TYS). While it’s only 25 miles it does take about an hour to get there due to driving through the mountains. We personally drove in from Chattanooga, TN which is a two and a half hour drive and then went on to Franklin, TN to continue our Tennessee road trip. Other nearby airports include Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP) (98.2 miles), Charlotte (CLT) (152.8 miles), Atlanta (ATL) (157.7 miles) and Nashville (BNA) (176.8 miles).

There are so many things to do in Pigeon Forge with kids. We spent five nights and could have easily spent another two weeks but we were on a Tennessee road trip and it was time to check out our next destination. Did you find this article helpful? If so, please share it!

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Comments

  1. Rosalyn says

    December 18, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing! My fam and I are doing a cross country road trip and this was super helpful!!

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Hey, I’m Monet!

Hey, I’m Monet!

A full time working woman, wife and mama of two. I use every last one of my vacation days traveling with my kids, hubby, friends or solo. Join me as I share my travel experiences and tips to make travel affordable and easier with the little ones. You can read more about me here.

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