Activities

Pigeon Forge [1] leads the United States in far-fetched extreme activities—the type of thing you’ll be talking about after you get home.

Case in point: Pigeon Forge was the first U.S. location of Zorb, the New Zealand–invented sport of rolling downhill in an 11-foot inflatable ball. In Zorbit, you are harnessed in and watch as the world spins around you and you roll 600 feet downhill. In Zydro, they throw in a bucket of water and you cascade downhill in a cross between a waterslide and a roller coaster.

A ride costs $37–44, but prices decrease if you have a larger group. Smoky Mountain Zorb (203 Sugar Hollow Rd., 865/868-1000, www.zorb.com/smoky [2], daily 11 a.m.–5 p.m.) is located near traffic light No. 1 in Pigeon Forge.

Indoor skydiving is a Pigeon Forge [1] tradition. At Flyaway (3106 Parkway, 865/453-7777, www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com [3], daily 10:45 a.m.–6 p.m.) you can “body fly” in a vertical wind tunnel. For your $30 ticket, you’ll get about 20 minutes of instruction, plus the use of a suit, helmet, and other safety gear. Then you’ll get about three minutes of flying time inside the tunnel. What fun!

Finally, there is bungee jumping at The Track (2575 Parkway, 865/453-4777, www.pigeonforgetrack.com [4]). Jump from a 65-foot platform attached by a harness and elastic bungee cord for just $16. The Track also has bumper cars, go-karts, and an arcade.