🏊 Wild Bear Falls Indoor Waterpark (Gatlinburg)
- Indoor, heated all year with retractable roof
- Lazy river and body slides
- Bear Fort treehouse and water cannons
- Zero-entry toddler pool
- No resort stay needed for day admission
- Lockers and cabanas available
When the weather turns cold but the kids still need to move, Wild Bear Falls is the fix. It is an indoor waterpark inside the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg, with a retractable glass roof and heated water that stays around 84 degrees all year, so it works just as well on a chilly November day as it does in July.
At 60,000 square feet with a lazy river, body slides, a giant dumping bucket and the interactive Bear Fort treehouse, it is one of the bigger indoor waterparks in the region. There is a zero-entry pool built for toddlers, along with hot tubs and rented cabanas for the grownups. Kids need to be at least 42 inches tall to ride the slides, and children must stay with an adult.
You do not have to be a resort guest. Day admission is a separate ticket (it is not rolled into most room rates), and prices run roughly $25 to $35 per person depending on the package, with little ones under 3 free on most plans. Lockers rent for about $10, so bring towels, water shoes and a change of clothes.
It is about an hour from Maryville, or a little under 30 minutes from Gatlinburg's main strip. Hours vary by season (usually mid-morning to early evening), so it is worth confirming before you load everyone up. For more detail: westgateresorts.com.