One of the newest museums in Pigeon Forge, Wonderworks is hard to miss with its upside-down facade. Self-billed as an "amusement park for the mind", Wonderworks offers over 150 exhibits to challenge and amaze visitors. The exhibits are varied and challenging enough to appeal to both school children and adults.
Wonderworks has many of the same exhibits I've seen at childrens' museums, but in addition to the typical children's museum fare it offers plenty of exhibits that "wow" children and adults alike. The exhibits are ordered into five different zones as well as an illusion gallery and laser tag area. One of my personal favorites is the bed of nails where visitors can lay on a platform of 3,500 nails (controlled by a worker, of course). Amazingly, even though you feel the nails it doesn't hurt to lay on them. But you have to remember to lay still and don't attempt to get off the bed until you're told to. In the space zone you can try your hand at landing a space shuttle. The disaster zone is also fascinating where you can experience an earthquake like the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.
Although the illusion gallery is not the most elaborate part of the museum, you can easily spend an afternoon in just this part of the museum. The display that drove my friends the craziest was the giant tube of a million beads of different colors. There are ten black beads and one yellow bead inside this tube and the challenge is to find them. After about 30 minutes no one in my party had located even one of the black beads!
Wonderworks is a great family museum as long as your children are at least school aged. Most of the exhibits require lots of reading to fully appreciate and many of them also require a level of hand-eye coordination that most young children just don't have. Of course there are exhibits that younger children would enjoy, but there aren't enough of them to entertain preschoolers for long. And many of the exhibits have a height requirement that will exclude any child under 41" tall. I would recommend Wonderworks for families with children over age 7 so that everyone can read the exhibit directions and fully participate in the activities.
One other feature of Wonderworks I really enjoy is the re-entry policy. Once you've paid your admission you get a hand stamp that allows you to enter and exit the museum as often as you like that day. This allows you to go to Wonderworks in the morning, leave for lunch, then return later in the afternoon. If you choose to use this feature, please call Wonderworks before your visit to verify they haven't changed their policy. Also, if you visit the Wonderworks website you can print off coupons for your visit. There is also currently an online deal if you plan to visit both Wonderworks and Dixie Stampede.
Directions: Take exit 407 onto Hwy 66 off Interstate 40. In Sevierville Hwy 66 merges with 441 S. Stay on 441 S through Sevierville into Pigeon Forge. Wonderworks in on the Parkway on the right in Pigeon Forge just past traffic light #0
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