I have visited Pigeon Forge more times than I can remember, usually at least once a year. While there are new attractions and dinner shows that pop up occasionally, the city hasn’t had any huge additions in a long time… until recently. The Island is an all new area that is composed of shops, restaurants, attractions, and more. It has pretty much everything that you could possibly want while on vacation, with endless entertainment. Now, let’s see what exactly The Island has to offer!
Where can I eat?
There are enough restaurants to suit any palate at The Island, including my personal favorite Margaritaville. I am so happy that Pigeon Forge has a Margaritaville now. That deliciously amazing blueberry pomegranate margarita is now only about 3 hours from where I live! Trust me, it’s definitely worth the long drive. 😉
Other restaurants at The Island include Mellow Mushroom (the BEST pizza!), Timberwood Grill (mountain food), Dicks Last Resort, Poynor’s Pommes Frites (great German food and it is ranked the #2 restaurant in all of Pigeon Forge by TripAdvisor), and more. Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen will be opening soon as well and I couldn’t be more excited. Her fried green tomatoes are already calling my name…
Where can I play?
The most notable attraction at The Island (and perhaps all of Pigeon Forge) is the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. It’s a huge ferris wheel that stands over 200 feet tall, offering some terrific views of the Pigeon Forge strip and The Island. The Wheel is completely wheelchair accessible and the gondolas are large enough for a wheelchair to roll right in. They are made completely of glass and reminded me of the pods on the London Eye that I rode a few years ago.
I rode the Wheel at night and could even see The Island’s fountain show taking place below. The fountain show is quite a spectacle, with water and lights dancing to some great music. This show takes place every 30 minutes until midnight and shouldn’t be missed.
View of the fountain show from 200 feet high!
Up close view of the fountain show
Other attractions at The Island include the Mirror Maze (I love mirror mazes!) and Arcade City, which is one of the largest arcades that I have ever seen. If you attempted to play every game, it would probably take you all day. My favorite game was Deal or No Deal, even though the banker kept beating me. Maybe one day I’ll learn not to be so greedy. Haha!
Where can I shop?
There are over sixty shops at The Island so your inner shopaholic will be thrilled! I won’t even begin to try and list them all, but I will tell you about some of the must-do’s.
Pigeon Forge is famous for great fudge and there is no better place to get it than The Fudgery. There are a ton of different flavors and you can even sample as many of them as you want to decide which one is your favorite. Be sure to pick up an extra slab of peanut butter fudge for me if you go please. Another staple to the Great Smoky Mountains is moonshine and you can purchase some at The Island’s Ole Smoky Moonshine. I’m not a huge fan of moonshine, but if you’re in Pigeon Forge then you have to get it. It’s an unspoken rule.
Aside from food and drinks, you can also buy jewelry at Miner’s Gems, build a bear at Build-A-Bear (creative name there, huh?), buy sunglasses at Smoky Mountain Sun Shades, and buy souvenirs at The Island Trading Post or the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel Gift Shop. There are a ton more shops also and you’re sure to find that perfect gift for your loved ones back home.
You can also stay at The Island beginning this October in the Margaritaville Island Hotel. Yes, you read that correctly. A whole hotel devoted to Margaritaville – how awesome!! I will definitely be making a visit back to The Island to experience this myself. As you can see, The Island is truly a fantastic new addition to Pigeon Forge. Whether you are looking to eat, shop, stay, or play this is the perfect place to do so.
Will you be visiting The Island anytime soon? What are you most looking forward to?
 *Thanks to My Pigeon Forge for partnering with Curb Free with Cory Lee and making this trip possible. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Hi Cory,
Glad you got to visit the Island in Pigeon Forge and had fun. I’d like to invite you to visit the Puzzled store at the Island also. We think it is the coolest store in the whole complex. Jam packed with over ten thousand puzzles of all kinds it is full wheelchair accessible with nice wide aisle. Our staff will be happy to show you around.
Hope to see you on your next trip,
Pete
Hi Pete! I will definitely visit Puzzled the next time I’m in town. Sounds fun! Especially since I love completing puzzles.
Moonshine, Fudge, Margaritas, sounds fairly epic! Pigeon Island sounds like so much fun, really enjoying your reviews of it. The views from the wheel look awesome, as do the fountain show – I love anything like that, I can remember watching a fountain display onboard The Allure of the Seas in the Caribbean – Was magical.
I never knew there was an island in the Great Smoky Mountains. I have wanted to visit the mountains to hike part of the Appalachian trail for quite a while so mayeb I could head to the island after for some fried green tomatoes when Paul Deen’s Restaurant opens (I have never tried them!)
Katie @ The World on my Necklace recently posted…Island time on Florida’s quirky Key West
We rented a cabin in Douglas Lake a few years back. It was only a 20 minute drive to Pigeon Forge. I was amazed by the amounts of activities, restaurants, and shops it had to offer. Our kids really enjoyed our time there. I guess “The Island” is something new because I don’t remember it.
Carmen (CarmensTravelTips) recently posted…Pompeii, A City Rediscovered
You had me at the blueberry pomegranate margarita! Mmm… Looks like a fun place! I’d love to check it out some day.
I haven’t been to Pigeon Forge in several years. It’s only a few hours away from me, I’ll have to check out the Island soon!
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What a colorful place!! Cool view of the fountain–getting to see it from a bird’s eye view 🙂
I love entertainment precinct like this. Everything you could possibly want on a night out is in one place. So jealous that you’ve been to Margaritaville. I really wanted to go there when I was in Orlando but my friends thought it looked too touristy. I love touristy restaurants!
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