wilderness water park

Thanks to Wilderness at the Smokies for hosting my family overnight. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Want to know a travel secret I’ve learned over the years? November and December are VERY GOOD times of the year to take little vacations. Other than the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Christmas, this is a time of year when most folks aren’t thinking about vacations, so the crowds at resorts and attractions tend to dip a little bit. This is great news for the folks out there like me who want to have lots of fun but skip the lines and long waits.

Just 2 1/2 hours away from our home in Chattanooga is a spot we have visited before and were so glad to return to now that the weather has gotten chilly. December is the most wonderful time of the year….to visit a water park!

Do I sound crazy? Well, perhaps I should clarify. This particular water park is located indoors and boasts year-round 84 degree weather. Yes, even when the weather outside is frightful! It’s also connected to a beautiful lodge so you don’t ever have to even leave the building where you are staying in order to get to the fun. And entrance to the water park is included in the price of the room you stay in which really makes this a tremendous value! Let me introduce you to Wilderness at the Smokies.

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Before we check out the amazing on-site water park, let’s look a bit more closely at the rooms. This resort offers a wide variety of room options, from a more traditional hotel room look and feel at Stone Hill Lodge to several different choices in the main River Lodge. We have really enjoyed the bunk suite, which comes with a queen bed and a pull out couch in one area, and a half wall for a bit of privacy separating a bunk bed (twin on top, queen on the bottom). The room also has a balcony and a small table for in-room dining, as well as a fridge and a microwave so you can have plenty of snacks on hand (always important when kids are around). I also noticed the placement of the sink outside of the room with the toilet and shower, and that is another great design feature that makes things easier when lots of people are staying in the same space. There’s also the possibility of renting adjoining rooms if you have a big group and need more than one suite!

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Now let’s focus on all the fun to be had on site! We spent a lot of time playing in this kid-friendly splash zone. A giant bucket of water is tipped over every 10 minutes of so, and the kids line up to get soaked by it. For the older kids, there are 3 different tube slides that are tons of fun and take you several stories down as you twist and turn. There’s also the option to do a little surfing!

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Since we have a 4-year-old, we spent a bit of time in the part of the park designed for the younger kids. It’s nice to have an area where you don’t worry that your little one will be overlooked and subsequently run over (it happens!).

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This space has slides and bucket swings for babies and toddlers, as well, and even seating areas for the parents if your child can comfortably splash around on his/her own.

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We spent the majority of our time, however, in the giant wave pool, jumping over wave after wave and absolutely wearing ourselves out with the fun of it. When the waves would stop, we found ourselves heading over to the giant hot tub area for a warm up. I was surprised (and the kids were delighted) to see that there’s an entire section of this hot tub area that is outside and it’s also open all year. We went out for a bit just for fun, but quickly decided we liked that 84 degree weather much more! 🙂

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The water park can provide hours upon hours of entertainment, but it’s not the only fun attraction at the resort. Layah was able to snag this super awesome plush dog by trying her luck (and winning!) in the video game arcade. Before 10am every day, the arcade games are only half price, so that seemed like the ideal time for us to try our luck and have some fun. It paid off in prizes, but even if it hadn’t, we made some great memories while we waited for the water park to open.

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In the same area, you’ll also find some really fun activities, like candle pin bowling, rock climbing, a ropes course, laser tag and glow-in-the-dark putt putt golf. We had stay passes so we could play these types of games as much as we want (I recommend going that route) and had so much fun playing together.

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So all of these fabulous things can be found at Wilderness of the Smokies any time of year that you visit, but during December, there are some extra special features that you will want to check out.

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Shortly after we checked in, we noticed a doorway that led to Santa’s workshop, and we decided to check it out after we we finished with our water park fun that day. So after dinner, we got into our matching Santa jammies (because #wesleigh) and headed downstairs to check out the fun. And we were SO surprised by how much fun was waiting for us!

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There were several different crafts set up (only 2 options had a cost…everything else was completely free!). We decorated cookies, made ornaments, did some holiday coloring, and even wrote a letter to Santa.

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And speaking of Santa, let me tell you about one of the greatest moments of the entire trip. While we were having our fun in the workshop, I decided to go over to the cafe on the first floor and get some hot chocolate (they serve Starbucks, so I knew it would be yummy!). I took my 7-year-old with me, and guess who we ran into at the coffee shop?

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SANTA!!!! Oh my gosh! Darah could not believe her eyes and was just beside herself with joy at this unexpected run-in! Turns out, Santa was there to hang out for a bit with the kids and to take pictures (again, completely free of charge for guests!). It was a rather magical encounter, friends, and one that my girls will remember for a long time!

We stayed at the resort just shy of 24 hours, but we made countless memories and enjoyed so much fun while also enjoying lower crowds. I very highly recommend taking a trip to Wilderness at the Smokies during December. It was such a fun experience, with all sorts of complimentary extras thrown in for the guests who are extra savvy and work in a little vacation during the holiday season! Be sure to check out the specials being offered by the resort, even if you are reading this after the holidays! There’s always something fun in store for you.

As part of our recent excursion to the Pigeon Forge area, we were provided lodging at the Wilderness at the Smokies, otherwise known as one of my new favorite places on earth.

The accommodations for the rooms are generous and definitely have families in mind! We were in a bunk suite. Check out how it was set up!

This particular room could comfortably accommodate up to 7 people. It features a full size bathroom, a sink and vanity, two queen beds, a twin bunk bed (SO fun for kids!), and a pull-out couch. We didn’t use the couch, but we did request a pack and play for Layah, and they accommodated that request, no problem! The queen beds are separated by a half wall, which gives a little more privacy than a standard hotel room. Tim and I often find ourselves stuck in the bathroom after our girls go to sleep in most hotel rooms, but with this set up, we could be on our computers and the light wasn’t disturbing the kids while they went to sleep. Let me tell you, I REALLY enjoyed not hanging out in the bathroom! 🙂 Our room also had a kitchen area with a second sink, microwave and an empty fridge (no mini-bar…THANK YOU!) and a breakfast nook, as well as a balcony, which was fun to use for extra play space and general relaxation.

The room itself was nice enough to make it a place I would recommend staying with a family, but my friends, that is NOT what makes this hotel so exceptional.

They happen to have 3 water parks on site. One of them is indoors and is a comfortable 84 degrees all year. It was right down the hall and down a few floors from our room!

For my 4-year-old, I don’t think she would have been any happier if we had gone to Hawaii, honestly. She was on cloud nine, and spent most of her time battling the waves at the edge of the wave pool! I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in one of the chairs that they had right at the edge of the water. I let the waves coming in roll over my feet. Darah played nearby. It was very relaxing! The roof of this facility even allows for UV rays to penetrate through. I personally was not thrilled to learn this, but if you like to tan, this is a place where you can do so, even in January!

The indoor water park also featured a few really fun tube rides, two large kid-friendly areas, and a wave rider simulator that was extremely popular. The park wasn’t packed when we were there, but the line for that attraction was still quite long! There is also a grill on site for quick eats (pizza, chicken tenders) and there is a bar so you can treat yourself to a cold one if you like. Towels are available on site for hotel guests to use so you don’t need to bring your own. And I just can’t emphasize enough how awesome it is to walk down the hall to go to a water park! Admission into the park is included for all guests, and that’s part of what makes staying at the Wilderness at the Smokies an excellent value.

We also had a great time enjoying the indoor attractions at Wilderness at the Smokies.

The Adventure Forest, located just off the water park, has bowling, a very large high ropes course, rock climbing, arcade games, and a fantastic climbing area for kids. We also played a round of indoor golf (set to black lights, which made it really fun for the kids!) and a James Bond-esque laser maze. We had all day passes and the indoor park wasn’t at all crowded when we visited, so we got to play whatever we wanted over and over again! I think the all day or the all stay passes are the way to go if you have kids who like to play quite a bit. You can plop down and bowl for a few hours if you want! And there’s an indoor food area right there so you can even have lunch on site. We grabbed a sub from the shop and it was quite tasty!

Basically, there is no shortage of fun things to do on site at Wilderness at the Smokies. I think for the price you pay to stay there, families will experience a tremendous value (the room we stayed in has an off-season price of $169/night, which includes some free area attraction tickets and 4 water park passes for your whole stay!). This hotel is 2 1/2 hours from our home, and I can tell you without hesitation that we will be headed back. What a great option for shooing away the winter blues!

Have you ever stayed at Wilderness at the Smokies? Ever been to a year-round water park? Where did you go? If you’d like to see our other adventures, check out my review of the Titanic Attraction and the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Why December is the Perfect Time to Visit a Water Park

Wilderness at the Smokies: Fabulous Hotel With 3 Water Parks!