Sensational Views at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

If I could describe Anakeesta in one word, it would be…Beautiful! From the landscaping, sculptures, buildings, and that VIEW…Anakeesta is a lovely place to spend some time while in Gatlinburg.

The nice thing about our visit to Anakeesta was that we could do as much or as little as we wanted. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy and there are several places where you could just sit and enjoy the peaceful views.

Before You Go

Before you head over to Anakeesta, you might want to check out their website HERE. You can also see, download, and print a map of Anakeesta HERE. There’s a lot to see and do here, so this will help you have a game plan. You can also learn if there are any special events going on during your visit!

Also, children 11 years and younger can become Ana Junior Explorers. If you purchase a child’s admission pass, you can get a FREE Ana Junior Explorer book. Just stop by the Cliff Top hostess station on the summit and ask for one. Ana and her raccoon friend Yoka help the kiddos complete activities so that they can earn 3 badges and become official Junior Explorers. They even get a certificate!

Location & Parking

Anakeesta is located at traffic light #5 in downtown Gatlinburg (right across from No Way Jose’s Mexican Restaurant). There is Premiere Parking directly behind Anakeesta (there is a parking cost). You can also park at one of the two parking garages across the street – one at Ripley’s and one at the McMahan Garage (at Traffic Light #3).

Included in Admission:

• Anakeesta’s Chondola Ride
• Elevated 16-Bridge Tree Canopy Walk
• Children’s Treehouse Village Playground
• Vista Gardens Walk
• Memorial Forest Walk (a tribute to the community and those who fought the fires that burned more than 15,0000 acres of the city of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on November 28, 2016).
• Scenic Viewing Area
• Splashpad
• AnaVista Tower

Optional Activities (at a cost):

• Shopping at Firefly Village
• Dining at Firefly Village
• Duel Zipline
• Rail Runner Mountain Coaster
• Gem Mining

You get an all-day admission which means you can come and go as you please, using the Chondola and/or Ridge Rambler. For example, you can get your wristband, explore Anakeesta for a while, leave, and come back to Anakeesta to watch the sunset.

Anakeesta Fun Facts

• The name Anakeesta means “Place of the Balsams” or “a place of high ground” in Cherokee.
• According to TripAdvisor, Anakeesta ranks in the top 10% of Attractions worldwide. This mountaintop adventure park won the 2020 Travelers’ Choice Award.
• The AnaVista Tower stands at 1,947 feet above sea level and now surpasses the Gatlinburg Space Needle as being the highest point in downtown Gatlinburg.
• Anakeesta has planted more than 350 trees in the park since the 2016 fires in Gatlinburg

Three Ways to Get to the Top:

• Chairlift/Chondola
• Cabins (Red Gondola)
• Ridge Rambler

If you are afraid of heights, you can take the Ridge Rambler, which is a large multi-passenger truck. The Rambler comes around about every 20-30 minutes.

We took the chairlift to the top of the mountain. This chairlift accommodates up to 4 people, but since we had 5 people in our group, we split up. There is a safety bar that you pull down over you. I’m not gonna lie, this was intimidating at first but once you get on, you feel comfortable.

The chairlift doesn’t have pockets or a place for your things. It’s probably best to pack your things into a backpack or a crossbody bag. If you are riding the chairlift with a stroller, the stroller will be placed in the chairlift ahead of you or behind you.

We enjoyed the chairlift ride. The views were amazing and we saw a bear!

There is also the option to also ride the red 6-passenger enclosed Chondola to take you up 600’ to the summit of Anakeesta Mountain to Firefly Village. There are fewer of these so you might be waiting a while. I think these come around after about 20-30 chairlifts load and unload (I counted as we made our way down the mountain in the chairlift).

The red, enclosed gondolas can hold/seat up to 6 people (and can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers). These gondola cabins are 49″ deep and 32″ wide. I noticed that many older visitors and families with babies used the enclosed gondolas.

Eating & Drinking & Shopping

After getting off the chairlift, we found ourselves in Firefly Village. This area is so cute and it has restaurants, shopping, bars, and an outdoor firepit with seating.

Restaurants, Bars, and Sweet Shops at Anakeesta:

• Clifftop – Located in Anakeesta’s Black Bear Village, serving American cuisine, a full bar, and craft beer
• Smokehouse – Located in Firefly Village, serving BBQ pulled pork, chicken, and brisket
• Kephart Cafe – Located in Black Bear Village, serving Hot dogs and flatbread pizza, soft drinks, and craft beer.
• The Tap House – Located in Black Bear Village, serves local craft beers
• The Bar at the top of the World – Enjoy liquor, specialty cocktails, wine, and beer while surrounded by views of the Smoky Mountains.
• Pearl’s Pie In The Sky – Serving homemade fried pies, cookies, brownies, ice cream, and sundaes.

SmokeHouse Barbeque & Brewery

Kephart Cafe

Pearl’s Pie in the Sky Ice Cream

Shopping at Anakeesta:

• Great Outdoors Trading Company – This is where you want to go to find a unique gift or souvenir- with many items made locally. They offer soaps, rustic home goods, jewelry, drinkware, camping games, puzzles, unique mugs, magnets, custom bear figurines, books, day packs, and Christmas ornaments.
• Adventure Outpost – This is where you will go to sign up and/or check-in for the dueling ziplines and sign your waivers. This is also where you can do some shopping. They carry hoodies, hats, magnets, keychains, as well as Willow Man and Sasquatch items.
• Catching Fireflies – This charming boutique carries jewelry, wind chimes, candles, home goods, women’s apparel, and accessories, as well as kids’ toys and plush animals.
• The Mercantile -Such a cool version of a “general store”. They offer decor and other items (like vintage gadgets) for your home and/or kitchen. You can also take home some Southern favorites like jams, sauces, candy, and pickles.

Vista Gardens & AnaVista Tower

You can climb the 86 steps to the top of the observation deck of the AnaVista Tower. Here, you will see 360⁰ views of the Smokies and you can even see 60 feet below because of the glass flooring.

The AnaVista Tower is surrounded by Vista Gardens. You will actually walk through the trails of this botanical garden as you head toward the Tower. There are signs telling you which mountain ranges and peaks you are looking at.

Kiddos (and kiddos at heart) will find several places to play even in the garden. It’s a great place for families to spend some time together.

There are several places here where you can just sit and enjoy the wonderful view… It’s so peaceful up here!

Children’s Play Areas

• Children’s Treehouse Village Playground – Kids (and parents/grandparents too, if they like) can play at this treehouse village that is connected by bridges. Play areas include a maze, plank walk, tube net, tree house, and bird’s nest.
• Bearventure Challenge Course – Bear-themed physical challenges that kids and adults will enjoy.
• Treeventure Challenge Course – Here, you’ll find interactive treehouses with three different levels. Kids can climb, swing, crawl, and slide their way through the levels and climb to the top to see the gorgeous views.

Splashpad

If the kiddos get hot from climbing, running, and playing -let them cool off at the splash pad next to Kephart Cafe. I recommend bringing a change of clothes and a towel (we found that bringing our things in backpacks and shoulder bags worked best if riding the chairlift).

Coaster, Gem Mining, and Dueling Ziplines

There are a few activities you can pay to participate in if you want to. I personally could just sit at Anakeesta and eat and drink and enjoy the views all day. But, my kiddos want to zipline and ride alpine coasters, so…it’s nice that you have all of those options.

• Dueling Zipline – This guided ziplining adventure takes about one hour. It takes you through the tree line of Anakeesta Mountain. Along the way, you will zipline between several platforms surrounding the park and get to rappel from each platform. Two people can start this adventure at the same time, so bring a friend or family member if you like.
• Railrunner Mountain Coaster – This single rail track coaster has 1,600 feet of downhill twists and turns at speeds. You will fly down the mountain at speeds up to 25 mph and experience a 400 feet elevation change. The car has a headrest, seatbelt, and brakes that you control. Small kids can ride with an adult. My son rode this coaster and he liked it. He said this ride was shorter than the Rocky Mountain Alpine Coaster (9 minutes long). While the ride down the mountain was exhilarating, he said that he spend a good amount of time making his way back up the mountain.
• Gem Mining –  You can find Gem Mining close to the entrance of the Treetop Canopy Walk (across from the Treehouse Village Playground). Kiddos can mine for treasures here, with prices starting at $8.00.

The Views

TreeTop SkyWalk

The TreeTop SkyWalk is the longest tree-based skywalk in North America. There are 880′ of hanging bridges that are suspended 50-60′ in the air. There are several places where you can stop, enjoy the views, and/or look for bears and woodpeckers.

This walk will take you from the back of the park all the way to the front of the park. You will end up at the Dueling Ziplines and may even see some brave people start their zipline journey (and, you can cheer them on!). Since this takes you from the back of the park directly to the front of the park right at the Chondola – you might want to save this activity for last.

Heading Back Down the Mountain

You still have the chairlifts, the red enclosed cabins, and the Ridge Rambler as your options to head back down the mountain. We took the chairlifts again and enjoyed seeing the area from this perspective.

So, should you visit Anakeesta while in Gatlinburg?

I say, Absolutely, YES! There are some things I will do differently next time. I think I’d like to go early in the day first and enjoy the park. Then spend the afternoon in downtown Gatlinburg eating all the fudge and shopping. After that, I would head back to Anakeesta to watch the sunset, see downtown Gatlinburg all lit up, and walk the TreeTop Bridges (also lit up at night!). Sounds like a perfect day in Gatlinburg.

Check HERE for the daily hours at Anakeesta.

Anakeesta will soon have a night walk called Astra Lumina starting November 1, 2022.

Anakeesta // 576 Parkway – Gatlinburg, TN 37738 // 865.217.2169

WEBSITE

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A big thank you to Anakeesta for hosting our visit. All opinions are my own.

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