Best amusement parks in Tennessee
When you hear the phrase "amusement park," chances are the first thing that comes to your mind is Disney; however, in 2023, nearly 600 businesses described themselves as amusement parks in the United States. There are places to enjoy thrill rides, view animal shows, swim, and play in nearly every state across the country, and one that might be near and dear to your heart may be unfamiliar to someone else, depending on where you live.
For instance, Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, holds the title of America's oldest amusement park. It's been in continuous operation since first opening to the public in 1846 when local scientist Samuel Botsford demonstrated electricity experiments for entertainment, but if you don't live nearby, chances are you don't know it (unless you're an amusement park or history buff).
On the flip side, there are behemoth parks that are destinations all their own. People travel from all over the world to visit Disney's and Universal's theme parks in California and Florida. If you're a thrill ride, water park, or roller coaster junkie, Six Flags is another huge name, with 24 parks scattered throughout the U.S. These types of parks truly transport you to another world and are full of their own kind of magic, but the quaint or historic parks like Lake Compounce are just as special—if not more so—to locals.
Stacker compiled a list of the best amusement parks in Tennessee using data from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor ranks businesses using a combination of metrics, including overall rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, a business with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of April 2024.
Read on and see how many of these local amusement parks you've visited.
#29. Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
- Rating: 2/5 (1,244 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#28. SkyLand Ranch
- Rating: 4/5 (83 reviews)
- Address: 1620 Parkway Across From Tanger Outlets Sevierville, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#27. XPERIA: Smoky Mountains
- Rating: 4.5/5 (41 reviews)
- Address: 1645 Parkway Suite 780, Tanger Outlets Sevierville Sevierville, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#26. Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort
- Rating: 3/5 (458 reviews)
- Address: 4001 Bell Road Hermitage, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#25. Fun Stop
- Rating: 4.5/5 (146 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#24. Ripley's Moving Theater
- Rating: 3/5 (723 reviews)
- Address: 904 Parkway Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#23. Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park
- Rating: 5/5 (104 reviews)
- Address: 1065 Walnut Grove Road Bluff City, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#22. Kingsport Carousel & Park
- Rating: 5/5 (137 reviews)
- Address: 350 Clinchfield St. Kingsport, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#21. Arcade City Gatlinburg
- Rating: 4.5/5 (128 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#20. Foxfire Mountain Swinging Bridge
- Rating: 4.5/5 (286 reviews)
- Address: 3757 1/2 Thomas Lane Sevierville, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#19. The Track
- Rating: 4.5/5 (436 reviews)
- Address: 4061 Parkway Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#18. Next to Heaven Adventure
- Rating: 4.5/5 (317 reviews)
- Address: 1239 Wears Valley Road Townsend, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#17. NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains
- Rating: 3.5/5 (1,672 reviews)
- Address: 1545 Parkway Sevierville, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#16. Rowdy Bear's Smoky Mountain Snowpark
- Rating: 4.5/5 (338 reviews)
- Address: 2155 Parkway Located Beside The Local Goat Restaurant Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#15. 7D Dark Ride Adventure
- Rating: 4.5/5 (413 reviews)
- Address: 903 Parkway Suite 105 Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#14. Pigeon Forge Snow
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,211 reviews)
- Address: 2533 Teaster Lane Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#13. Ripley's Mountain Coaster
- Rating: 4.5/5 (983 reviews)
- Address: 386 Parkway Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#12. Moonshine Mountain Coaster
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,290 reviews)
- Address: 306 Parkway Gatlinburg, Tennessee
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#11. Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud Supper Show
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,127 reviews)
- Address: 2530 Parkway The Shops at Lumberjack Square Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#10. Arcade City Pigeon Forge
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,505 reviews)
- Address: 131 Island Drive Ste. 1105 Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#9. Big Top Arcade
- Rating: 5/5 (1,527 reviews)
- Address: 3275 Parkway Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
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#8. Anakeesta
- Rating: 4/5 (3,483 reviews)
- Address: 576 Parkway Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#7. Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,641 reviews)
- Address: 205 Wears Valley Road Townsend, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#6. Ober Gatlinburg Amusement Park & Ski Area
- Rating: 4/5 (8,367 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#5. Rockin' Raceway Arcade
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,089 reviews)
- Address: 2839 Parkway Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#4. Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
- Rating: 4.5/5 (5,381 reviews)
- Address: 867 Wears Valley Road Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#3. Gatlinburg SkyLift Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (7,104 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#2. The Island in Pigeon Forge
- Rating: 4.5/5 (12,216 reviews)
- Address: 131 The Island Drive Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#1. Dollywood
- Rating: 4.5/5 (18,839 reviews)
- Address: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Katrina Sirotta, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 45 states.
