If you are looking for a fun day out for the whole family, check out Soaky Mountain Water Park! The park sits in Sevierville, TN, at the northern end of the Parkway, and has water slides, attractions and activities for visitors of all ages. We spent a day at this 50-acre park with our family, and it was one of the highlights of our Smoky Mountain vacation. Here’s how our day went, and what to expect when you visit.
The first thing you notice when you arrive is the colorful rainbow water slides. They twist and turn on the mountainside and can be seen from the Parkway, begging you to visit and hinting at what’s to come for your day in the sun. As you’re guided into the parking lot you get a glimpse of the rest of the park, and there’s plenty to keep you busy all day. The kids could hardly contain themselves as we pulled up to the parking attendant.
Tip: Buy your park tickets online ahead of time for a discount, and prepay for parking when you buy them. You’ll save money and zip right past the parking attendant.
Once parked, the family shuffled clothing and shoe options around to find the ideal setup for the day: flip-flops for everyone, bathing suits with a cover-up, and dry towels to share. Sunglasses for the adults were a must, with a safety strap around the neck (they won’t let you down a slide without one). We planned on renting a locker for our towels and cover-ups. After grabbing a credit card, our IDs (for a cold adult beverage) and our prepaid tickets, we headed to the main gate.
After scanning through the entrance, we headed down the hill toward the lockers. On the way down, the whole park spreads out before you: the enormous wave pool, a dazzling array of colored water slides, and enough attractions to keep you entertained all day. On our way to the lockers we ran into Boomer, the Soaky Mountain mascot, and stopped for a few pictures.
Lockers are first come, first served and rented by the day. They’re on the small side, but we squeezed 2 adults’ and 4 kids’ worth of towels and clothes into one. We threw in everything but our shoes, including the phones, IDs and credit cards. One benefit of a water park: your teenagers are off their phones for a few hours (it’s a miracle!). The pavement gets hot, so you’ll want something on your feet. Water shoes work great; flip-flops are fine too, but you leave them in the shoe cubbies at the bottom of the slide lines.
Rainbow Revenge
We started with the slides near the lockers, beginning with Rainbow Revenge, a family raft ride for 2 to 5 people. Soaky Mountain describes it as “a state-of-the-art waterslide experience that will dazzle your senses. Translucent slide effects will twist and bend the light as you splash and turn your way down this 5-person raft ride.” With 6 of us, we split into two groups. They weigh your whole group on a scale before you board, and even knowing we’d be under the limit, it’s always a relief to see the green light. That ritual repeats on every multi-person ride. Rainbow Revenge is a dazzling, colorful tunnel ride on a gentle raft. It was my 12-year-old daughter’s favorite, but the rest of us thought it was a little too tame.
Blue Mountain Mayhem
Next came Blue Mountain Mayhem, and boy is it aptly named! It also takes 2 to 5 riders; my 12-year-old sat this one out, so five of us rode in one raft. In Soaky’s words: “This 2-5 person raft ride isn’t for the faint of heart as it features 2 massive, gravity challenging walls that will leave riders feeling moments of ‘take your breath away’ weightlessness before splashing into the finish.” It did not disappoint. A series of high, banking walls makes you feel like you’re on the edge of tipping over, though I don’t think the raft physically could. We all gave it a huge thumbs up, and it turned out to be one of my favorites in the whole park.
AVALAUNCH
After Blue Mountain Mayhem we moved on to AVALAUNCH, which Soaky calls “a first-of-its-kind water coaster” with “hills, valleys, and wide-open turns before you hit a heart-pumping wall climb.” It’s a two-person tube where you sit one in front of the other. My wife and I rode it together and felt a little squished on the smaller raft, but the ride delivered: you’re launched up hill after hill, catching high-velocity spray in the face. It’s one of the fastest, most thrilling slides in the park, almost a roller coaster.
Hang 10essee FlowRider
Then the Hang 10essee FlowRider: a standing wave you ride on a boogie board while water shoots up an incline. After watching other guests crash and burn, the parents passed, but the kids all wanted a go. After signing waivers on an iPad in the sun (does anyone actually read those?), the kids lined up. My wife and I tried to grab a drink at the bar conveniently placed in front of the FlowRider, but no alcohol was served on Sunday before noon during our visit. It was hot and I was thirsty. Each kid got shot spectacularly to the top of the wave before falling off the board, and watching them nearly lose their bathing suits to the jets was worth the price of admission.
Black Bear Rapids, the not-so-lazy river
We all decided it was time for the lazy river, called Black Bear Rapids. Little did we know it isn’t so lazy. Soaky describes it as “not a lazy river…this is an ADVENTURE RIVER complete with wave action!” Having assumed it was a normal lazy river, we fought through the growing crowd for a few tubes, and then every few minutes a huge wave pushed everyone forward for a boost around the loop. It was a highlight of the day; everyone loved it.
Soaky Surge wave pool and lunch
By lunchtime the kids wanted the giant wave pool, and I’m not exaggerating when I say giant. Soaky calls SOAKY SURGE “a massive 35,000 square foot wave pool capable of generating 6-foot tall waves.” It’s big enough to lose sight of your kids, especially when you’re at the bar finally getting that cold drink. After battling a few rounds of waves (and I mean battling: the boys were punching the waves like an invisible monster), we headed to the food area.
Lunch was grab-and-go from a large selection: burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chicken strips, salads, wraps and more. Everyone found something they liked, and the prices weren’t theme-park expensive, though I wouldn’t call them cheap either.
Whoop!, Holler! and Splash & Furious
After lunch we took on the bigger slides, Whoop! and Holler! Their lines share the stairs with Splash & Furious, a 4-lane racing slide, which caused some confusion about which line you were actually in. After our first trip down Holler! (nobody was waiting for it at the top) we just stepped around the crowd to go again. Whoop! loads you into a capsule where the floor drops out for an almost 90-degree drop that quickly flattens out. The anticipation is exciting, but we all liked Holler! more; it drops for much longer, just not as steeply.
Then we split up to race each other on Splash & Furious, a head-first mat racer. Even with a LARGE head start for the kids, the adults always reached the bottom first. It’s fun, but the line can run long while groups try to start together.
Next was Cottonmouth Coils, with “three explosive turns” and spiraling light effects. We should have ridden these first, since they’re at the back of the park. They didn’t match the thrill of our earlier rides, but they’re fun, standard water park slides.
The Hive for younger kids
The adults needed a break, and our 9-year-old twin boys REALLY wanted to play on The Hive, Soaky’s kids’ play zone with a giant honey-bucket dump, body slides and a swirling bowl slide. The honey bucket is a nice twist on the classic water-park dump. There’s plenty here for smaller guests, and they even have a mini version of Blue Mountain Mayhem.
Back to the river, and one more ride
As we wound down in the afternoon sun, we went back to the river. This time it was packed, and there weren’t enough tubes to go around, so we swam the loop and rode the wave when it pushed us from behind. Keep a close eye (and sometimes a hand) on everyone when it’s that crowded. Eventually we all got tubes and took many more laps.
The Edge wasn’t finished yet on our Memorial Day weekend visit (it opened later that summer), so it’s on our list for next time. To finish the day, everyone picked a favorite ride for one last trip down. By late afternoon we’d had enough and were ready to head back to the cabin and relax for the evening.
Our verdict
We had a great time at Soaky Mountain and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun day in the sun. Bring sunscreen, water shoes (the concrete gets HOT) and sunglasses with a strap. It’s a must-do on a summer trip to Sevierville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. Tickets, hours and season dates are on the Soaky Mountain website.
Rating: 5 out of 5. Must do!
Where to stay: 1.1 miles from Soaky Mountain
Firefly Hollow Cabin in Sevierville is closer to Soaky Mountain than the convention center is, an easy drive with no steep mountain roads. Spend the morning on the slides, come back for lunch and a nap, and go back for the afternoon. After the park, there’s a private hot tub, a game room with ping-pong, foosball and a 4-player arcade, and a private bathroom for every bedroom. See the cabin or check your dates below.
“Great Cabin, plenty of space and 2 mins from Soaky Mountain Waterpark. Quiet area, family enjoyed this Labor day getaway!!”
Emma B, guest review, Sep 2022