5 Free & Cheap Things To Do In Gatlinburg With Kids

April 8, 2025

For parents, nothing is quite as exciting as sharing Smoky Mountain memories with your children. This includes taking them on your favorite hiking trails, eating at your favorite restaurants, and visiting your favorite attractions. However, the price of traveling with kids to the Smokies can add up quickly, which is why we’ve put together a brief list of all of our favorite cheap things to do in Gatlinburg for kids to help parents plan their next trip to the area!

1. Hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Families visit the Smokies time and time again to explore the 800+ miles of hiking trails, as it’s one of the only national parks in the country that doesn’t charge an entrance fee. You will have to pay a small fee for a parking tag, but those funds go directly to the upkeep and maintenance of the park. A few of the best easy Smoky Mountain hiking trails for families with children include the Gatlinburg Trail and Cataract Falls!

See Related: “Things to Consider When Hiking in the Smokies With Children”

2. Visit Cades Cove

Cades Cove is one of the most picturesque and historic areas in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 11-mile loop road provides scenic views and opportunities to see homesteads built by the early settlers, in addition to one of the only working grist mills in the national park! You can also enjoy Vehicle-Free Wednesdays during the summer and ride your bikes along the loop instead of driving.

For parents looking for fun and cheap family things to do in Gatlinburg, visiting Cades Cove is particularly exciting because this area is also where you have the best chance of seeing some of the area’s native wildlife. Read our guide to Smoky Mountain wildlife to learn more!

3. Play and Picnic at a Park

If you don’t have enough time to explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park but still want to spend time outside with the kids, bring a picnic lunch to one of the local parks in Gatlinburg and let the kids burn off some excess energy on the beautiful grounds. Mynatt Park and Herbert Holt Park both have picnic areas and walking trails; you can also play on the sports courts! These free parks offer a safe area to play and will also be one of the best cheap things to do in Gatlinburg!

4. Go to the Gatlinburg Space Needle

Another of the top affordable activities and inexpensive things to do in Gatlinburg is enjoying the panoramic views atop the Gatlinburg Space Needle! Tickets are affordable, and you can choose from a couple of family packages to save even more money; one package also includes play cards for the incredible arcade on the ground floor of this iconic attraction.

5. Have Fun and Relax at Your Gatlinburg Cabin

Who says you have to leave your cabin rental in order to have a good time? One of the best ways to stay on budget is to simply enjoy the amenities and activities at your cabin, such as the community pool or your cabin’s private pool, the home theater, or the game room. While the kids play, the adults can sit back and relax on the deck, admire the mountain views, or soak in the hot tub. Some cabins may even have an outdoor fire pit where you can roast marshmallows and make s’mores!

Ways to Save for a Cheap Gatlinburg Vacation

Some of our best tips for a budget-friendly Smoky Mountain vacation are to take advantage of dinner shows where kids get in free and browse local coupon books for discounts. But there’s an even better way to save– our Adventure Pass! As a perk of staying at one of our Smoky Mountain cabin rentals, you receive free attraction tickets for each night of your stay. That’s over an $850 daily value!

Planning to visit Pigeon Forge during your vacation? Here are some ideas of cheap things to do in Pigeon Forge as a family!

With these tips and ideas of cheap things to do in Gatlinburg with kids, you’re ready to plan the most memorable family vacation to Gatlinburg. Take a look through our Gatlinburg cabin deals and specials to find an affordable place to stay!