Our family visited Anakeesta on New Years Eve December 31st 2022. This article contains information about Anakeesta and tips from our experiences.
What is Anakeesta?
Anakeesta isn’t your typical amusement park. It’s a unique mountaintop attraction filled with all kinds of fun. They have something for everyone.
Anakeesta means place of high ground in the Cherokee language.
We absolutely loved our visit to Anakeesta and to the Astra Lumina add on light show at the park.
It was one of the top experiences we had while in Gatlinburg. You can see our full list of family fun favorites in Gatlinburg in the article below.
Top 10 Family Fun Things to do in Gatlinburg! Article coming soon!
What all does Anakeesta have to see and do?
Anakeesta has a Lookout tower, suspension bridges, Astra Lumina night walk light show, a mountain coaster, zip lining, gondola rides, a tree house playground, treetop skywalk, multiple restaurants and shops and some of the best views of the smoky mountains.
The Lookout Tower brings some of the best views of the Smoky Mountains. It is an amazing viewpoint for photos and sightseeing.
Astra Lumina is a must see attraction at night. It’s an amazing immersive light display. This was one of our favorite attractions in all of Gatlinburg and you can find all the details in our article below.
The Treehouse playground and the treetop skywalk were tons of fun for the whole family.
We even saw a wild black bear running around below us during our treetop skywalk.
We also ate at the Cliff Top restaurant. It was delicious and we will have a foodie review about our restaurant experience soon!
How do you get to Anakeesta?
There are a few options for reaching Anakeesta. You can ride the Gondola , the open ski lift, or ride up in a rambler (military grade truck).
The ski lift line was an hour or so wait when we visited on the busy New Years weekend so we opted for the rambler to take us up. It was faster and we were able to take the ski lift down so we could still experience that.
There are many hotels you can stay at and easily walk to the entrance of Anakeesta.
We stayed at the Econo lodge and were very pleased with the location, our balcony and the price. You can see our hotel review here.
5 reasons to stay at Econolodge in Gatlinburg. Coming soon
What’s the cost to visit Anakeesta?
Below are the prices for general admission which include all day access.
Adults: 12-59 $34.99
Seniors: 60+ $27.99
Children: 4-11 $22.99
3 and under FREE
But we recommend paying the extra to get the combo tickets so you can see Lumina.
You can get tickets on their website here
What are the hours of Anakeesta?
During the winter they are open 10am- 7pm. Friday Saturday and Sundays. But hours vary by season and events. See hours for your dates on their website here.
Over all thoughts on Anakeesta
Overall we loved our visit at Anakeesta and we will definitely visit again next time we are near Gatlinburg!
For more info check out their official site here.
Be sure to check out our other Gatlinburg Articles Below.
Astra Lumina Light Show in Gatlinburg
