Date Night at The Island in Pigeon Forge: A Complete Guide for Couples
Published Aug 2, 2025
The Island in Pigeon Forge is one of the few places in the Smokies where you can spend an entire evening — dinner, entertainment, and a nightcap — without moving your car. Here's how to build a date night there from start to finish, with the specific spots that make it work.
About The Island
The Island is a 23-acre entertainment and dining complex on the Pigeon Forge Parkway — free to enter, free to park, with more than 80 shops, restaurants, rides, and attractions. The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel anchors the skyline at 200 feet, and the Island Show Fountain runs its choreographed water-and-light show nightly in the center plaza. Most venues stay open until 11 PM or midnight, making it a rare Parkway destination that works for a full evening rather than just an afternoon.
Start early: afternoon activities
The Escape Game
If you're the kind of couple who solves problems together well (or wants to find out), the escape room at The Island is one of the best indoor experiences on the Parkway. Rooms run 60 minutes and are designed for small groups; a private booking for two is entirely viable and lets you communicate freely without coordinating with strangers. Book ahead — popular time slots fill on peak evenings. (For more options, see our guide to escape rooms in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.)
Carnival rides and games
The Island runs classic outdoor amusements: bumper cars, a drop tower, swing rides, a multi-level ropes course, laser tag, and midway games with the usual prize structure. The ropes course and laser tag work especially well as a date activity — competitive enough to be interesting, low-stakes enough to be enjoyable regardless of outcome.
Check for limited-time attractions. The Island periodically hosts seasonal or limited-run experiences (walk-through exhibits, holiday installations, and the like) alongside its permanent lineup. Check islandinpigeonforge.com before your visit to see what's running during your stay.
Dinner: three options for different couple vibes
Timberwood Grill
The mountain lodge aesthetic is well-executed — exposed timber, warm lighting, and a climate-controlled patio that looks out onto The Island's plaza. The menu runs wood-fired steaks, burgers, and seafood. This is the quieter, more genuinely dinner-date option among The Island's restaurants without being formal. The patio is worth requesting on a good evening; watching the Show Fountain from a table outside is a legitimate date-night moment.
Paula Deen's Family Kitchen
Family-style Southern cooking — fried chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, biscuits, cobbler — served on the second floor with views down over the Island Show Fountain and the mountains in the distance. The family-style service means you get more food than you expect and eat the way people actually eat at home: sharing, passing, taking more of what you liked. Reservations are available online but not required; walk-in waits on peak evenings can run 45–90 minutes, so booking ahead is the move for a date.
Dick's Last Resort
The intentionally rude service is the whole bit — paper hats with personalized insults, sarcastic commentary, servers who dish out more than they take. The food (BBQ ribs, buckets of seafood, burgers, signature cocktails) is legitimately good, and the atmosphere is reliably loud and fun. Best for couples who enjoy banter and don't take themselves too seriously. Not the spot for a quiet romantic dinner — very much the spot for a memorable one.
After dinner: the Wheel and the fountain
The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel runs 200 feet into the sky in climate-controlled gondolas — the ride takes roughly 15 minutes as the gondola completes its loops, and the view at the top on a clear night takes in the mountains and the lit-up Parkway in both directions. It's one of the more genuinely romantic experiences on the Parkway, and it's right there at The Island without requiring a separate destination. Buy tickets at the base; lines are typically shorter after 9 PM when the dinner crowds thin.
The Island Show Fountain runs nightly in the central plaza — a choreographed display of water jets, colored lighting, and music that the restaurants look out over, and it's free. Walk out after dinner and watch a set from the plaza. The fountain runs multiple shows throughout the evening; the Timberwood Grill patio and Paula Deen's second-floor windows both frame it well if you're still at the table.
Nightcap and sweet finish
Margaritaville at The Island serves cocktails with bar seating — a lower-key wind-down option after the Wheel, with the full-service restaurant open late on weekends. For something sweet, the specialty food shops around the plaza run ice cream, fudge, and baked goods. Pick up something to share on the walk back to the car, or take it back to the cabin.
Back at the cabin
The date doesn't have to end when you leave The Island. A honeymoon cabin or a cabin with a hot tub puts a proper ending on the evening — a soak under the stars while the mountains are quiet. Cabins with fireplaces give you something to come home to in cooler months. The best Pigeon Forge cabins for couples sit just 5–10 minutes from The Island — close enough that the evening doesn't feel over when you leave the parking lot.
Every direct Colonial Properties booking includes one complimentary attraction ticket per paid night through the Stay & Play Pass — use it on a Wheel ride or at another Island attraction during your stay. For everything else The Island offers beyond a date night, see our full guide to The Island in Pigeon Forge.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Island in Pigeon Forge free?
Yes — admission and parking at The Island are always free. Individual rides, attractions, and restaurant meals are paid separately, and the Island Show Fountain is free to watch from the plaza at any time.
What is the best restaurant at The Island for a date?
Timberwood Grill is the best option for a quieter, more traditionally romantic dinner — mountain lodge atmosphere, wood-fired menu, and a patio with fountain views. Dick's Last Resort is the pick if you want a fun, high-energy experience, and Paula Deen's Family Kitchen works well for couples who want Southern comfort food and good fountain views from the second floor.
How tall is the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel?
The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel stands 200 feet tall with climate-controlled gondolas, and the ride takes approximately 15 minutes. Tickets are purchased at the base; lines are typically shorter after 9 PM.
Does Paula Deen's Family Kitchen take reservations?
Yes — Paula Deen's Family Kitchen accepts reservations online, recommended on peak evenings when walk-in waits can run 45–90 minutes. Timberwood Grill generally operates on a walk-in basis; check its website for current reservation availability.
How late does The Island stay open?
Most Island venues stay open until 11 PM Sunday–Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday, and the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and Show Fountain run nightly. Individual restaurant and shop hours vary — check islandinpigeonforge.com for current schedules.
What Pigeon Forge cabins are closest to The Island?
Most Colonial Properties Pigeon Forge cabins are within 5–15 minutes of The Island. Browse cabins near The Island, honeymoon cabins, and cabins with hot tubs to find the right property for a couples' trip.
Make it a full couples' getaway. Browse Colonial Properties' cabins near The Island — minutes from the fountain and the Wheel, with a private hot tub waiting at the end of the night.
