The Ultimate 2 Day Pigeon Forge Weekend Itinerary

This itinerary will focus specifically on Pigeon Forge and not the surrounding area.

I have a separate blog post with a Great Smoky Mountains National Park one day itinerary and another blog post with a Gatlinburg weekend itinerary.

You can combine all of these for a week-long stay or take your favorite pieces of each for a long weekend getaway.

With just one weekend in Pigeon Forge, I recommend exploring each of the entertainment districts – Old Mill District, The Island, and The Mountain Mile, and visiting the iconic Dollywood amusement park.

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a string of country western looking strip mall style shops in the Old Mill District

Day 1: Dining & Entertainment Districts

Pigeon Forge has a few different districts where you can enjoy a variety of shops, entertainment, and dining.

Today we’re going to explore them all!

view of the waterfall and potted flowers next to the old mill

Morning: Old Mill Square

Old Mill Square is like a historic Main Street historic with boutique and craft shops.

It’s fun to browse the shops, including the general store, because so much is uniquely hand-made or local to the area.

I recommend arriving around 10 am or later so that everything is actually open, unless you want to go early and do breakfast first, then explore the area.

After browsing all the shops, have a late breakfast or early lunch at the Old Mill Restaurant, which is home to a 200+ year old mill!

Because of its history (and delicious food), there is usually a waitlist, so plan ahead for your visit.

For our appetizer, we were brought a basket of corn fritters and biscuits with butter.

We also had a cup of corn chowder to go with it.

corn fritters, corn chowder, and biscuits from Old Mill Restaurant

For my meal, I had chicken & dumplings with green beans and mashed potatoes.

chicken & dumplings, green beans, mashed potatoes from Old Mill Restaurant

JP had fried catfish with coleslaw and hushpuppies and additional sides of green beans and mashed potatoes.

fried catfish, cole slaw, and hushpuppies from Old Mill Restaurant

Afternoon: The Island

The Island is a large entertainment district with attractions, shops, and restaurants, kind of similar to a place like Disney Springs.

There are a ton of carnival style rides that you can get a day pass for or purchase individual tickets for.

ropes course and ferris wheel at The Island in Pigeon Forge

There are also arcades, mirror mazes, laser tag, escape rooms, and a ropes course.

If you’re looking for a little more leisurely entertainment, you can check out the Alcatraz East Crime Museum and watch the water fountain show (which is even better at night).

The Island at Pigeon Forge fountains and ferris wheel

Now for the shops – there is a little bit of everything from popular brand names you see anywhere, souvenir shops, and some boutique shops.

You can also check out Bootleggers Winery to enjoy a wine tasting and Ole Smoky Moonshine for a moonshine tasting!

If you’re ready for another meal while you’re here, they have a lot of the popular regional chains that tend to only be in big tourism destinations.

We love to dine at places that are unique to the local area, but there are a few chains we love that you can get here that you should try at least once.

One is Margaritaville, which has a phenomenal key lime pie.

We’ve been to the ones in Key West, Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando, and Las Vegas.

Another is Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, which we had in Branson, and they serve family style southern food.

family style southern dishes at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen

Evening: The Mountain Mile

Mountain Mile is a mall just down the street from The Island.

It has lots of entertainment, shopping, and dining options.

The first place I recommend visiting is Escapology for an escape room!

We did a 7 Deadly Sins themed room, but they also have a Scooby-Doo themed room that I’d love to do.

If you’re into thrill rides, check out the Mountain Monster.

They have a drop tower, a pod launch, and a swing – these are not for me, but I know it’s a popular activity.

If you’re wanting some more wine, there is another wine tasting room here from Currahee Vineyards and Winery.

If you’ve never been to one of Guy Fieri’s restaurants, I recommend eating at Downtown Flavortown, which is also an arcade and bowling alley.

You can try his famous trash-can nachos that he’s known for in his Guy Fieri’s Kitchen restaurants, which we’ve been to in Las Vegas, The Poconos, and Branson.

Trash Can Nachos from Guy Fieri's Las Vegas Kitchen

Day 2: Dollywood

Dollywood is an iconic amusement park in Pigeon Forge that you should spend at least one full day visiting.

There is a Dolly Parton museum and they have fantastic themed lands all throughout the park.

entrance to the Dolly Parton Experience with a huge multi story pink and purple butterfly

Dollywood also has some great restaurants and bakeries.

I share the full one day itinerary in this other blog post.

But here are a couple food must do’s:

Lunch at Granny Ogle’s Restaurant

I recommend the sampler platter which includes pot roast, ham, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, beans, and collard greens.

sampler platter from Granny Ogle's restaurant. Sampler includes pot roast, ham, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, beans, and collard greens

2. Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Everybody that saw me with this box asked me where I got it from – it’s one of the most popular foods in the park.

pull apart cinnamon bread tray with icing

Where To Stay In Pigeon Forge: Sunrise Ridge Resort

Sunrise Ridge Resort is an all-suites property with 1 and 2 bedroom options.

Our room had a mountain view patio overlooking the pool, which I highly recommend.

What’s great about this resort is that you’re getting rooms with a full kitchen, in-unit laundry, and a separate bedroom space for the same price as a regular hotel room.