7 Bizarre Things You Can Do in America's Most Chaotic Tourist Town

Recently, Emma and Quincy went to Dollywood to explore everything it had to offer, but they got a bit distracted by the sheer force that is Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

If you’ve never been to Pigeon Forge before, the main street is very similar to I-4 in Orlando — MULTIPLE unique attraction offerings have you scratching your head, laughing, and sometimes turning to your friend, going, “THIS actually exists?!” In Pigeon Forge, in just TWO days, Quincy and Emma explored seven of the interesting attractions the city has to offer, and let’s just say, there were mixed reviews.

Frizzle Chicken Cafe

Believe it or not, this was actually the number one recommendation by our dear friend AJ from DisneyFoodBlog. There are over 100 animatronic chickens in the restaurant and they ALL have names, many of them inspired by some of your favorite stars.

When they break out into song, don’t be fooled — those “wood” panels behind them are actually screens, so they get cool music video themed lighting as they jam out, and you’re absolutely encouraged to have a grand time and dance along with them. The food was also pretty solid, so it gets a thumbs up from us!

MagiQuest

MagiQuest certainly isn’t just in Pigeon Forge, but we were VERY happy to see there was one just minutes away from the Frizzle Chicken Cafe, because we needed to burn off some energy. We walked in, chose our wands (YES there are multiple designs with different toppers and it’s incredible), and then decided to take the training since it had been a few years since any of the gals had been to a MagiQuest.

There’s something so inherently magical and nostalgic about this spot, even if you didn’t go as a kid, because hey, who doesn’t love running around, casting spells, completing quests, and having the time of your life? If you want to feel like a kid again, we can’t recommend this spot enough.

Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride

In a complete turn of events, we headed to the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride which costs a whopping $21 (!!!) per person, which is criminal. This is described as an animatronic dinosaur park open year round, but it’s a boat ride that takes you through it.

One of our favorite parts about this whole building is that there are faux people out front ALL THE TIME to make it look like people are waiting to ride. This has a 2.1 rating on Yelp for a REASON, and if you go, you need to go in preparing to laugh at how absurd and strange it all is.

@allearsnet

the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge has a 2.1 rating on Yelp and now we get why. Plz like this post in solidarity with Emma as she tries to recover. #pigeonforge #pigeonforgetennessee #traveltok #themeparktok #scary

♬ Jurassic Park Theme – The Hit Crew

It’s not good, we’ll tell you that right now, so don’t expect that, and you may have a good time. One of our other favorite parts was the pterodactyl that flies overhead WITH A CHILD in its grips. It’s half scary and half hilarious, and that about sums up this whole attraction.

Smoky Mountain Cat House

Next up was the Smoky Mountain Cat House, which, true to its name, DID have cats inside of it that we got to say hello to, but even more than that, this spot is filled with anything cat-themed you could ever want.

We walked out of there with cat hats and had no regrets. It was fun and cute, and the actual cats were certainly the highlight, but we don’t think it should go super high on your list.

Goats on the Roof

Keeping on with the animal theme, we then headed over to Goats on the Roof, which also isn’t only located in Pigeon Forge, but this place does indeed have LOTS of goats, and they are on the roof! However, the main attraction here is the Goat Coaster, and WOW is it really a coaster.

It’s pretty high, and while you can control your speed once you get to the top, the natural speed is pretty quick, and it threw Quincy (especially) off a bit. If you’re a thrill seeker, and then want to do something cute like feed the goats after, this is a great spot to visit.

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

We finished out day one by heading to the Dolly Parton’s Stampede, which is a dinner show. There are TONS of animals in this show, some pretty wild tricks, and while the food is just okay, if you set out to have fun and be silly, we think you’ll find yourself having fun.

We’ll admit though that this show is LONG, and we were really glad we went to the earlier showing rather than the later one. We did personally feel like the show went on longer than it should, though we did have a good time, but it’s something important to keep in mind. Would we go back? For sure, but you’ll want to know what you’re getting into before you book your spot.

The Inn at Christmas Place

The following night, we finished up our Pigeon Forge adventure with a stay at The Inn at Christmas Place, which, as you can expect, is decorated to celebrate Christmas all year long. Our standard room was adorable, complete with a TV turned to a fireplace ambiance, a mini Christmas tree, and red and green everywhere to really make us feel like it was the season of joy, despite it being May.

This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if Christmas is your favorite time of the year, or it brings you joy for any reason, this is a great spot to stay, because you’ll be surrounded by it throughout the whole hotel!

If you’re looking for an adventure, Pigeon Forge certainly is one of the best places to head, if it’s close by — as we learned ourselves, there’s plenty to fill a multi-day trip with so many different experiences, you could fill a book recounting them all. We’ve got so many stories to tell you about, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars!