The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

For the adventure seekers in this park there’s the Wild Vortex, where you’ll
experience a vertical drop of almost 40 feet in less than 2 seconds.

not enough, try The Runaway Canyon. This one is a family raft ride through 450 feet of tunnels, 360-degree loops, and a 60-foot drop. It makes my head spin just writing about it!

You can also test your surfing skills on the Smokies’ Surf Rider, a 5-foot, ocean-like wave. Body boarding and flow boarding lessons are available for an additional charge.

Lake Wilderness is a seasonal outdoor water park that is also connected to River Lodge. This park is a combination of the Cataloochee Creek lazy river, Washout Wilderness wave pool, and two separate shallow play areas. For the adventure seekers in this park there’s the Wild Vortex, where you’ll experience a vertical drop of almost 40 feet in less than 2 seconds! When you’ve reached you’re maximum level of excitement and just want to relax, there are private poolside cabanas for rent. These include overhead water misters, deluxe seating, television, and a personal cabana host.

Lifeguards are standing by on every corner to make sure everyone stays safe. Life jackets are available free of charge, as are one- and two-person floats. The water levels are clearly marked and most are under 4 feet. The gift shops sell sun-screen, swimsuits, and other essentials, just in case you forget something.

If you get waterlogged and want to try something else, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg all offer numerous restaurants, opportunities for shopping, and various entertainment venues. Speaking of logs, the Lumberjack Feud is a series of competitions between two logging families, the Dawsons and the McGraws. This show includes audience participation, trained dogs, and impressive skills of professional athletes from across the country. Enjoy Lumberjack Feud as a show only, or add dinner for an additional charge. (My daughter prefers the culinary greatness of Mrs. Gena Suarez, so we only watched the show—which we both enjoyed.) Check it out at www . lumberjackfeud.com.

The TOMB Adventure is a 45-minute
interactive group activity with a mis-
sion to get Pharaoh to his final resting
place. Participants are assigned quests
by the voice of Pharaoh, all to be com-
pleted before his patience runs outs.
This can be challenging and requires
working together as a group. Once the
final challenge is met, a black light art
display appears on the wall, which was
my favorite part. The children thought
this was scary, so it’s not recommended
for the little ones. Find out more at www
. tombadventure.com.

The accommodations at River Lodge are pretty standard hotel rooms but with a wilderness theme. The upgrade to a full kitchen was nice. The restaurants on site are not open all the time, and it’s not within reasonable walking distance to any other restaurants. Having the full kitchen makes it easier to prepare whatever you want to eat, at your convenience. The full kitchen upgrade also includes an extra bathroom, a