Wild Bear Falls Water Park at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort

Wild Bear Falls features many of the standard water park slides and attractions, and at 60,000 square feet, it's an average-sized indoor facility. Like all other indoor water parks, it offers a weatherproof have where bathing suit-clad visitors can hoot and holler all year long. What distinguishes the park, which is located at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort is its state-of-the-art retractable roof. It allows the facility to transform from an indoor to a (more or less) outdoor park with (more or less) the touch of a button.

Another novelty worth mentioning at Wild Bear Falls is the 15,000-sq.-ft. wraparound mezzanine, which houses a restaurant, retail shop, and electronic game room, all while giving guests a 360-degree view of the aquatic activities below. e.

The property is part of the Westgate chain and provides both timeshare and nightly rental opportunities at the resort. The "rustic luxury villas" provide guests with close access to the adjacent Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the popular Dollywood theme park located only a few minutes down the road in Pigeon Forge.

Water Park Slides and Attractions

The two most thrilling attractions at Wild Bear Falls is Clingman's Dome (named after the popular viewing spot at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park), a body slide that send passengers racing down a 350-foot-long route, and Laurel Falls, a 300-foot-long enclosed slide. There are more moderate thrills at Ramsey Cascades, an interactive water play structure with two smaller slides, water sprayers, and a huge tipping bucket.

Visitors of all thrill tolerance levels should enjoy Cades Cove, a 900-foot-long lazy river, and The Swimming Hole, a pool that includes water basketball hoops. The park offers two hot tub saunas: Grotto Falls and Moonshine Hollow, which extends both indoors and outdoors. For the youngest visitors, Wild Bear Falls offers Little Pigeon River, a pint-sized splash pad.

In addition to the water park, the resort offers mini-golf, a zipline attraction, and a game room.

Hotel Accommodations

All of the rooms at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort are billed as villas. The most basic is a Studio Villa, which offers a queen bed and a full sleeper sofa and sleeps four guests. It includes a kitchenette with a mini-fridge, a two-burner stove top, a microwave, and a sink. A one-bedroom villa includes a separate living room and dining area, a more full-featured kitchen, and a washing machine. It also sleeps four. Other configurations, which are larger, accommodate more guests, and toss in more amenities, include a one-bedroom “deluxe” villa, a two-bedroom villa, and a three-bedroom villa. The resort’s five-bedroom villas sleep up to 20 guests.

The resort offers Serenity Spa as well as a fitness center.

What’s to Eat?

Dining options include The Roaring Fork, which serves flatbreads, sandwiches, salads, and more in a casual atmosphere, Southern Comfort, which offers traditional Southern dishes, and The Marketplace, which features grab-and-go items, Starbucks offerings, and groceries.

Admission Policy and Location

Guests that stay on property at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa can purchase packages that include admission to the water park. Day passes are available for the general public also. The park typically offers special discounted rates for guests arriving after 6 p.m. Group rates are available.

The resort is located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The address is 915 Westgate Resorts Road. From Nashville or Knoxville: Take I-40 E to Exit 407 toward Gatlinburg/Sevierville/Pigeon Forge. Turn right on TN-66 S, which will then become TN-441 S/TN-71. Resort will be on the left. From Chattanooga: Take I-24 E to I-75 N (via exit 185B), then merge on to I-40 E and follow directions above. From Charlotte, NC: Take I-85 S to I-26 W to I-40 W. Take exit 440 off I-40 and turn onto TN-73, which will take you all the way to the resort.