The Island in Pigeon Forge
The corridor's free-entry evening heart
⏱ 2-3 hours👤 All ages$
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Opened in 2013 and growing since, the Island solved Pigeon Forge's missing piece: a walkable town square. The layout is a broad promenade ringing the show fountain — 50-plus water jets choreographed to everything from country to Christmas carols, running shows through the evening, free, with Adirondack rocking chairs and fire pits arranged for exactly the audience they get. Live bands play the Ole Smoky Moonshine stage nightly in season, and the barrel-aged smell of the corridor's famous distilleries (Ole Smoky's "Barrelhouse" among the tasting rooms) drifts over it all.
The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is the skyline: 200 feet, 44 climate-controlled glass gondolas, a 10-to-12-minute cycle of slow revolutions with the Parkway's neon on one side and the true Smokies silhouette on the other — best precisely at dusk, when both are lit. Below it, the Island Ropes Course stacks three stories of crossings, the mirror maze and arcade soak up kid energy, and a carousel plus spinning rides handle the under-8s. Dining runs the corridor's full register, from Paula Deen's fried-chicken family platters to Dick's Last Resort's organized rudeness, Timberwood Grill, and a dozen quicker counters.
Everything is pay-as-you-go — entry, parking, and the fountain cost nothing — which makes the Island the corridor's default nightcap after Dollywood or a dinner show, and its rainy-evening fallback (the shops and restaurants carry a wet night fine). Winterfest wraps the whole district in lights from November through February, when the wheel's gondolas become the warmest view in town.
What to Expect
Format
A free-entry, 23-acre open-air district — the 200-foot glass-gondola wheel, an hourly musical fountain show, 60+ shops and restaurants, live music, moonshine tastings, ropes course, mirror maze, and kiddie rides, all pay-as-you-go.
Best Time
Dusk — ride the wheel as the Parkway lights come up, then catch the fountain show after dark. Winterfest (Nov-Feb) wraps the district in lights.
Duration
Two to three hours for dinner, the wheel, and a fountain show — it's the corridor's natural evening cap.
Tips
No tickets needed for entry or the fountain; buy wheel tickets on site (combo deals with the ropes course appear off-peak). Paula Deen's queues early — put your name in, then ride the wheel while you wait. The rocking chairs by the fountain are free real estate; claim them at showtime.
⚡ Quick Picks
Best For
The no-plan evening — dinner, a view, live music, and a light show without a single advance booking.
Families
The fountain, carousel, and arcade stretch an after-dinner hour into three; the wheel is the treat.
Couples
A dusk gondola over the lit Parkway, then moonshine flights — Pigeon Forge's easiest date.
Pair With
Dolly Parton's Stampede or the Hatfield & McCoy show, both minutes away — the Island is the after-party.
Time Needed
A flexible evening.
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Get Tickets →Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to get in?
No — entry, parking, and the fountain shows are free. The wheel, rides, ropes course, and maze are ticketed individually; food and shops are their own damage.
How big is the wheel?
200 feet — 44 enclosed, climate-controlled glass gondolas making several slow revolutions over 10-12 minutes, with Parkway neon one way and the Smokies the other. Dusk is the ride.
When does the fountain run?
Choreographed shows run regularly through the afternoon and evening, every day, free — the schedule posts on site, roughly hourly with more after dark.
Is Paula Deen's restaurant there?
Yes — Paula Deen's Family Kitchen anchors the dining lineup with family-style Southern platters; expect a wait at dinner and use the call-ahead list.
Is it open in winter?
Yes — year-round, with Winterfest lights November through February. The glass gondolas are heated; the fountain show runs except in hard freezes.
More Pigeon Forge Attractions
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Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction
The original Stampede — Pigeon Forge's most-attended dinner show, with 32 horses, trick riders, racing ostriches, and a four-course Southern feast eaten by hand while the arena thunders. The town's signature night out.
Titanic Museum Attraction
A half-scale Titanic docked on the Parkway — 400 real artifacts across 20 galleries, a boarding pass carrying a real passenger's fate, the grand staircase, 28-degree water you can touch, and a genuinely moving Memorial Room.
Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud
America's funniest feud, settled nightly over all-you-can-eat Southern cookin' — hillbilly comedy, stunt divers in the on-stage swimmin' hole, clogging, live bluegrass, and a family audience split into feuding clans.