Have your kids been cooped up inside for too long, courtesy of the global pandemic? It’s about time you start packing for a family vacation. However, with kids on board, your list of vacation spots usually gets narrowed down to a few places. On top of that, not every place has something to offer for toddlers to teenagers. So if you’ve got kids of different ages and sizes, how can you ensure your whole family enjoys the trip?

Pigeon Forge is a tourist attraction that promises fun for all ages. Located in Eastern Tennessee, Pigeon Forge is packed with exciting activities and amusements. The best time to visit this place is during the kids’ summer break, so you can stay for as long as you want. But how can you be sure that your kids will come home thanking you for the best vacation ever? 

Let’s get real; you can never predict the outcomes with kids. Usually, if you have one gleaming and happy kid, the other might be whining and sulking. However, we’ve come up with a few tips you can follow to ensure your kids enjoy their time in Pigeon Forge.

Find a Kid-friendly Accommodation

The first thing you’ll need to do when you arrive at Pigeon Forge is to find a place to stay. We’d recommend you book a condo or cabin for your family that can offer a range of amenities for kids. These include pools and slides, playgrounds, or playrooms. You’ll spend much of your time here, so choose one where your kids would love to stay. This way, even if you stop to rest, your kids can still take in a lot of enjoyment.

Since there are many things to do in Pigeon Forge, you’d also want to reside in a condo closer to most attractions. It would reduce your traveling time, and you won’t have to travel far with kids to reach different places. Moreover, kids often want to take bathroom breaks, and it would be much easier to travel back to the condominium for a pit stop rather than search for a restroom outdoors. To make things easier, you can book a cabin or condo from Heritage Cabin Rentals before you arrive at Pigeon Forge. 

Visit the Popular Family Attractions

Once you’re settled in, you’d want to explore Pigeon Forge. We suggest you make an itinerary for the places your kids can enjoy the most. The first place you should visit is Dollywood, a famous theme park. It includes rides (even the little kiddie ones), entertainment shows, and souvenir shops. The best part about Dollywood is its water park, where you can take the kids to beat the heat.

If you feel like go-karting, you can visit Xtreme Racing Centre or Rockin’ Rzceway. But if your teenage kids are looking for something more exciting, you can take them to Rowdy Bear Mountain. It offers activities like Summer Outdoor Tubing Hill, Ski Lift Shootout Coaster, and Avalanche Snow Coaster. One of our favorite stops is The Comedy Barn, where you can take the kids for a good laugh at the end of the day. 

Pack a first-aid kit

Pigeon Forge is heaven for kids, with a wide range of outdoor activities: swimming, hiking, trekking, ziplining, and mountain climbing. However, when kids want to explore and enjoy, they’re likely to get bruised too. We can not stress enough how important it is to always keep a compact first-aid kid with you. You wouldn’t want to rush back to the hotel to tend to your kid’s minor bruise or scratch. Rather it would be easier to keep a few essentials that will help you treat your kids on the go. 

What you would want to keep in your first-aid kit depends on what age your kids are, but a few things can be considered essential: bandaids, disinfectant spray, round-tip scissors, petroleum jelly, and cotton pads/swabs. With these things, you can give immediate medical attention to your kids in case of an injury, and they won’t have to miss out on any of the fun. 

Keep an Eye on the Kids

The one thing that can spoil everyone’s trip is your kid getting lost. Attractions at Pigeon Forge are often crowded with tourists. Your first instinct at such places would be not to let go of your child’s hand, but that wouldn’t be pragmatic. On the contrary, as much as your kids want to run off and explore, they wouldn’t want to find themselves alone amidst the hustle and bustle. 

The sensible approach would always be keeping a hawk’s eye on your kids. It would be even better to explain to your kids why staying within your vision’s radius is important. If you have kids who are pre-teens or teens, you can ask them to look out for each other. However, if you have a toddler who is likely to run off, you can tie a bright-colored helium balloon to their wrist. This hack would help you locate your little one by following the balloon.

Stop and Snack

With so much to do, the kids are bound to feel low on energy. Make sure that you make frequent stops to fuel up. At Pigeon Forge, there are many snack shops and cafes where you can enjoy anything from savory to sweet. Some of the most popular joints are Farmhouse Candy Kitchen, The Old Mill Creamery Frios, and Yee Haw Snack Shack. But if you’re on a budget or plan to give healthier alternatives to your kids, you can pack quick snacks before leaving your cabin. 

It’s important to check up on kids and offer them a drink of water or a bite so they can continue to have fun without feeling lethargic at the end of the day. Most importantly, you’d also need to keep tissues or water wipes and a hand sanitizer with you that the kids can use to clean their hands before they begin to eat. Remember, hygiene first!

Conclusion

Pigeon Forge is a must-go destination for families, and we know you would want to make the most out of the trip. But going on a vacation with kids involves planning and packing. Visiting famous sites, lodging in the right hotel or condo, keeping a first-aid kit, and storing snacks are just a few tips you can adopt to give your kids a memorable experience.