Going on vacation doesn’t have to be expensive! There are plenty of cheap things to do in Gatlinburg your whole family will love, from unique museums to moonshine tasting for the adults! You won’t miss out on all the fun when you try these affordable attractions on your next Smoky Mountain vacation!
1. Visit the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum
The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum is a fantastic and affordable attraction in town! Admission is only $3 per person, and it goes towards a purchase in the gift shop! Guests can enjoy seeing salt and pepper shakers from all over the world. There are all shapes, sizes, materials, colors, and time periods to see. Plus, you can pick up your own set in the gift shop!
2. Check Out the Hollywood Star Cars Museum
Another cheap thing to do in Gatlinburg is visit the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. This is the perfect place for car enthusiasts or film aficionados because this museum is full of the real vehicles from some of the most popular TV shows and movies of all time. You’ll see the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, the Delorean from Back to the Future, and The General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Kids and adults will enjoy this museum, and you can even pay an extra fee to take a photo in the car of your choice!
3. Experience Attractions at Ober Mountain
While you may not think of Ober Mountain as an affordable attraction in Gatlinburg, it actually can be! When you consider all the fun activities that are included in the wristbands, it’s a pretty great price! If you still don’t want to pay for the wristband, you can pay for activities individually, so you can spend what you want! Some of the fun things to do at Ober Mountain include skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing in the winter, and hill tubing, water slides, and a guided hike in the summer. Other year-round activities include a rock climbing wall, ice skating, ice bumper cars, an arcade, and more!
4. Play Games at Fannie Farkle’s
A cheap thing to do in Gatlinburg that you control how much you spend is playing games at an arcade. Our top pick is Fannie Farkle’s! This arcade is right on the Strip, and they are known for their sausage, pepper, and onion sandwiches, as well as their Ogle Dogs! You’ll find all kinds of games at this arcade, and once you’re done playing, you cash in your points for prizes!
5. Go Moonshine Tasting
If you mostly have adults on the trip with you, a fun activity that won’t break the bank is moonshine tasting! Adults who are over 21 years old may participate at any of the distilleries in Gatlinburg, and they include Ole Smoky, Sugarlands Distilling Co, and Tennessee Shine Co. Each one has unique and signature flavors, and you’ll get to taste a variety of them for a small $5 fee. This charge does go towards a purchase in the gift shop so you can take one of your favorites home!
6. Enjoy Mini Golf Courses
One cheap thing to do in Gatlinburg you won’t want to miss out on is playing mini golf! There are several courses around town, and any of them are perfect for people of all ages! Gatlin’s Fun Center has two outdoor courses and an indoor blacklight course. Ripley’s also has their Davy Crockett Mini Golf with two outdoor courses, and Hillbilly Golf is another cool outdoor course. Your whole family will love playing mini golf together!
Will you be spending time in Pigeon Forge too? Don’t miss out on these cheap things to do in Pigeon Forge as well!
Now you know about some of the cheap things to do in Gatlinburg on your next trip. Want even more ideas of what you could do when you stay with us? Check out these other attractions in the Smoky Mountains!
