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
Groups Welcome!
®
~Escape to the Farmhouse~
You will find more than a restaurant.
Applewood Is a Destination!
Proudly Family Owned and Operated for 25 Years
220 and 240 Apple Valley Road,
Sevierville, Tn (865) 429 5700