Wild Bear Falls Water Park — Attraction in Gatlinburg

I’m not usually one to take the time to write negative reviews but my goodness… I was super disappointed in this waterpark, especially with it being the only reason we decided to stay at this resort with our 2 year old. The first issue is the lack of parking everywhere on the resort. We stayed at the very top of the hill and had to walk down to the waterpark in 30 degree weather. Once down there there was a huge line to buy tickets. I stood right inside the doorway for 45+ minutes without moving an inch while the door kept opening and letting cold air blow in. I started getting close to the desk after waiting forever only for them to announce their credit card machine was broken. They started taking tons of cash carrying customers before me thought I had been waiting longer. I sent my husband over to the marketplace for cash and we were finally able to get in. The rules of the waterpark said not to bring your own floaties or towels so we didn’t. Luckily we found towels but all the life jackets were taken so my 2 year old had no form of protection and we had to hold her the entire time we were in the pool. The water in the pool and lazy river was chilly. The water in the splash zone was downright COLD. The air in the room was also cold which made for a really miserable experience. It was also super crowded and we found out anyone can come to the park - not just guests of the resort which was frustrating. The waterpark itself has potential but needs better temperature control and management. This coupled with several other complaints about the resort means we won’t be...

First off, our kids had a blast. That’s what is important here, right?! 🩳

2nd- Goodness, the heat in there is awful. You can barely breathe on the second floor seating. We had a 3 day pass and only went once that’s how bad it was lol.

3rd- MORALE OF THE LONG STORY BELOW: Staff needs proper training on how to appropriately speak to children. Please always treat CHILDREN with patience & kindness. Oh yeah & stay with your children to advocate in every single way possible bc ppl are ridiculous here. 🗣️

However… as a parent of two neurodivergent boys, I was on edge the entire 2 hr visit. At the water slide, prepare to tell grown adults to wait their turn in line as they pass by your kids over & over again. Then at the top of the stairs, be prepared to have the whistle blown at you, over & over again, then yelled at bc my CHILD was so excited for his first water slide experience & can’t read the HOMEMADE sign with instructions. Thank GOD I was there to help my boys on their tubes too bc the lifeguard with the whistle wanted to stay seated, continue to yell instructions from her chair. I had to then, with everything I had in me remain calm, to inform her he has a communication disorder. She then responded with, “I see it now, I see it.” 🙄 I said nothing else, you can’t respond to ignorance. I just hope & pray they learned a lesson that day so the next child on the spectrum doesn’t have to go...

Wild Bear Falls is part of the Westgate Gatlinburg resort. We recently stayed at Westgate when some friends gifted a week of their timeshare. We would NOT have been able to afford to stay there under any other circumstances, so keep that in mind as context for my review.

Resort timeshare "owners" get unlimited access to the water park, and that is frankly what makes the water park most worth it. If I had to pay for each day of access on its own, I'm not sure I would consider it as high of quality.

I consider this a nice park for families. It has a larger pool area in the center which is fine, although it's not that big. Also a lazy river which is quite nice to drift in. It has two water slides, not huge, but still fun. It also has a nice kids area, including splash area for little kids, and multilevel play area with a big tipping water bucket. Couple of hot tubs as well. All in all, it has a number of components, although none of them are overly impressive. The fact that it's in doors is a nice plus.

I will also say that I felt that it was a very safe place for my kids; good life guard coverage, including in pretty low risk areas. Lastly, there's a lunch area that sells burgers and the like. A little too pricey however.

So, it was fun for my kids, and I enjoyed myself, but know that it's pricey on normal terms for what is probably a smaller...