Top 9 Things for Kids to Do at The Island in Pigeon Forge

The Island in Pigeon Forge is 23 acres of rides, games, attractions, food, and free entertainment — and parking and admission to the complex are free. Here are nine things kids and teens will want to put on the list.

1. Fight Zombies on the 7D Dark Ride Adventure

The 7D Dark Ride Adventure drops you into an interactive video game where you're one of the last people standing between humanity and a zombie apocalypse. You and your crew get laser guns, a moving theater seat, and a score to settle. Wind, movement, and immersive sound make every round feel different, and the competitive scoreboard means you'll want to go again to beat whoever just beat you. It holds up across multiple rides and across multiple ages — kids who just want to shoot things and adults who want to defend their score both find reasons to go back.

2. Play Laser Tag at Battleground

Battleground at The Island is tactical laser tag — a custom-designed 2,700-square-foot arena with high-end equipment built for strategy rather than run-and-shoot chaos. If your group plays Call of Duty, Halo, or Fortnite, the game mechanics will feel instantly familiar. Cover matters, sightlines matter, and team coordination matters. The arena is built so there's no bad spot in it, and the intensity ramps up fast once everyone figures out the layout. Best played with a full group who all want to win.

3. Build Your Dream Car at RideMakerz

RideMakerz is the car version of Build-A-Bear — pick your 1:18 scale body (Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, Viper, and more), then customize it from the wheels up: body color, rims and tires, lights, sounds, decals, and accessories. Over 649 million possible combinations means nobody walks out with the same car. Add remote control and the whole build drives away with you. It's a hands-on creative experience that takes 30–45 minutes and produces something the builder keeps. Kids who love cars and building things won't want to skip it.

4. Conquer the Sky Trail Explorer Ropes Course

The Sky Trail Explorer Ropes Course goes three stories up — 30 elements including bridges, beams, rope walks, climbing walls, and nets, with two zip lines and a simulated free fall at the high points. Self-paced, so anyone who needs a moment at a tricky section can take it. The course looks significantly more intense from the observation area below than it feels from inside — which is exactly how a good ropes course is supposed to work. Parents watching from below will understand why the kids are grinning when they come down.

5. Play Games and Win Prizes at Arcade City

Arcade City is The Island's massive arcade — claw machines, racing simulators, skee ball, basketball, giant Pac-Man, air hockey, and dozens more games all running on a point system that converts into prizes. The prize counter runs toys, games, candy, and bigger items for guests who've been saving points across the visit. It's the reliable fallback when the group needs something to do that doesn't require planning, queuing for a specific attraction, or a specific age or height. The arcade stays busy all day and into the evening — later visits mean slightly shorter lines for the most popular machines.

6. Ride Everything on The Island

The Island's ride lineup covers the full spectrum — gentle rides for the youngest visitors and progressively more intense options for tweens and teens. The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is the centerpiece: a 200-foot climate-controlled Ferris wheel with panoramic mountain views by day and a spectacular light show by night. Dance Party 360 is a pendulum ride that soars through the air with an open view. Clockwork features four rotating arms in intermeshing orbits. Reverse Time spins, dips, and dives facing outward. The Spinning Parrots Coaster is a figure-eight track with free-spinning cars for the smaller ones. Ride wristbands give unlimited access to qualifying rides for a set window — the better option for groups planning to spend the day at The Island.

7. Solve Crimes at Alcatraz East Crime Museum

Alcatraz East is one of the more substantive attractions at The Island — a crime museum that puts visitors inside investigations, using actual forensic science techniques to solve cases. CSI-style hands-on exhibits, genuine crime scene artifacts, and a detective experience that lets guests track suspects through evidence. It's educational in the best sense: engaging enough that kids don't realize they're learning about forensic science, criminology, and law enforcement. Older kids and teens who are drawn to mystery, investigation, or true crime content will want to spend more time here than the standard walk-through pace allows.

8. Fly Over America on SkyFly: Soar America

SkyFly: Soar America is an immersive flying theater — your seat tips forward as a spherical screen surrounds you, and you're airborne over the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mount Rushmore without leaving Pigeon Forge. The combination of seat movement synchronized with the visuals produces genuine flying sensations — turbulence, updrafts, the feeling of banking through a canyon. It's one of the most technically impressive attractions at The Island and one of the most universally enjoyed across ages. Anyone who's been on a "soaring" ride at a theme park will recognize the format; SkyFly delivers it well.

9. Ride the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

The 200-foot Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is The Island's skyline anchor — visible from the Parkway, lit up at night with thousands of changing LED lights, and delivering the best view of Pigeon Forge and the surrounding Smokies that doesn't require a chairlift or a hike. The climate-controlled gondolas seat multiple people comfortably and run year-round. Day visits give you the full mountain panorama; evening visits give you the light show, with The Island's show fountain running below and the Smokies dark in the background. Either way, plan to go at least twice — once during the day and once after dark if the visit extends into the evening.

Browse Pigeon Forge cabin rentals to find a cabin close to The Island, or browse family vacation cabins for properties with the amenity package your group needs after a full day on the Parkway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is admission to The Island in Pigeon Forge free?

Yes — parking and general admission to The Island complex are free. Individual attractions (rides, laser tag, ropes course, 7D Dark Ride, SkyFly, Alcatraz East, RideMakerz) have their own fees or ticket requirements. Ride wristbands covering multiple attractions are available at the ticket counter. Check islandinpigeonforge.com for current ticket options.

What is the best ride at The Island for young kids?

The Spinning Parrots Coaster and the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel are the most accessible for younger children. The 7D Dark Ride Adventure is the pick for kids who want something interactive. Arcade City works for all ages. RideMakerz is a great option for kids who'd rather build than ride.

How much time should we plan for The Island?

A half-day covers the highlights; a full day is warranted if the group wants to do the ropes course, laser tag, RideMakerz, SkyFly, Alcatraz East, and multiple rides plus arcade time. The show fountain runs throughout the day and evening — plan to be near it when it fires. The Island is at its most atmospheric after dark when the Wheel is lit and the fountain is going.

Where should we stay for a day at The Island?

A Pigeon Forge cabin puts you within 10–20 minutes of The Island without the parking pressure that hits the Parkway on busy days. Family vacation cabins with game rooms and hot tubs give the group somewhere to recharge after a full day at The Island before the evening plans.