A one-of-a-kind experience awaits at SkyLand Ranch in Sevierville, TN, just under three hours from Greenville, SC, with its scenic views, miniature animals, amazing entertainment, and thrilling mountain coaster.
Thank you to Visit Sevierville for hosting us at SkyLand Ranch.
I had heard about SkyLand Ranch in Sevierville, TN when they first opened up in the fall of 2022 and had it on my radar to go when I got the chance because it just looked really cool with its peaceful and relaxing chair lift, thrilling mountain coaster, and gorgeous views. Let me say: I was not disappointed in my visit to SkyLand Ranch!
About SkyLand Ranch
SkyLand Ranch is a new attraction in Sevierville, TN, just under three hours from Greenville, SC, that sits on 100 acres on top of a mountain. Owners Lisa and Mark Williford are longtime mountain coaster operators and wanted to bring something new to Sevierville that tells the story of life on a ranch but with that thrilling ride of a mountain coaster and fantastic entertainment.
The decor of SkyLand Ranch is gorgeous. White barns, dark rocking chairs, natural wood structures, and a stunning skywalk that overlooks the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is what you can expect there.
The entire experience is unlike other attractions in the Smokies and you can tell that the owners put a lot of thought into the guest experience. Yet this is just the beginning. They plan to expand their offerings, which we’ll write about when they happen.
Getting up to SkyLand Ranch
The actual ranch is on top of a mountain, which you’ll reach either by a relaxing chair lift ride or a shuttle bus. After getting over my initial fears of chair lifts and my feet dangling high above solid ground, I have truly grown to love these lifts. The open air and views are a huge draw. I still hold onto my kids (not my sunglasses though…RIP) tightly but I’m no longer scared of these lifts.
The ride up to the mountain is not that long, maybe 10 minutes, and if you’ve been on other chair lifts in the area, this one is not as steep. But if you’re not into chair lifts, just take the shuttle up.
Once you get up there, take as much time as you like to explore all that SkyLand Ranch offers.
Wild Stallion Mountain Coaster
While I’d say it’s usually hard to choose a favorite activity at any of the cool places in Sevierville I’ve visited, it wasn’t hard at SkyLand Ranch. The Wild Stallion Mountain Coaster was our favorite thing we did at the ranch.
I rode with my youngest daughter, 8, while my other daughter, 12, rode by herself, as did my husband. I think that for the older kids, riding by themselves gives them this great sense of independence, which is a lot of fun for them (and us parents to see).
The coaster is the longest in the Southeast at 1.25 miles long. You’ll be on it for about eight minutes and you can control how fast or slow you go. Being the daredevil Jersey girl I am, I hit it fast until my daughter told me I needed to slow down for her sake. Well, okay.
The views from the coaster are also stunning. You can see the Smoky Mountains in the distance, including Mt. LeConte, which my daughters and I hiked this summer. Big accomplishment that I like to remind them about so we can do it again! You can see the strip of the beginning of Pigeon Forge as well and all throughout Sevierville. It’s beautiful.
While we rode the coaster during the day, you can also ride it late into the night for a totally other experience because you can see the flickering lights of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Plus, you get to basically ride a coaster in the dark. It’s like Space Mountain but way better. How cool is that? I was really hoping to do this but we just ran out of time. Gotta go back.
To ride the Wild Stallion, kids must be at least three years old and 38” tall to ride. All riders under 54” tall must ride with an adult.
The coaster is an add-on to your admission price but you can also just go to SkyLand Ranch to ride the coaster and not go up to the mountain. You can view all the ticket options on the SkyLand Ranch website. If you do the combo ticket, which includes admission + the mountain coaster and you want to ride the coaster again, it’s just $10/person for the next ride. The coaster is open until 11 pm while the ranch closes at 8 pm.
Western Entertainment
When we got off the chair lift at the top of the mountain to see the ranch, we were fortunate enough to arrive just in time for one of the shows. We got to see a cowboy show us his best Billy the Kid gun twirling and whip snapping moves before he got to some serious rope swinging action.
We loved watching his amazing talents and getting to see some old Western skills that you really don’t get to see elsewhere. He was fantastic and a great introduction to Skyland Ranch.
Not long after the cowboy performed, a local band setup to start their country music set. They were really good! They did some cover songs and a couple of their own, which I loved. I’m a big country music fan so I thoroughly enjoyed their music.
A lot of people took to the rocking chairs in the shade and just hung out, ate lunch, and enjoyed the entertainment. It was definitely relaxing. My husband and daughters played cornhole while we listened to the music. It was great.
In the evening, we came back up the mountain to go line dancing, which was awesome. Even though I grew up in New Jersey, I’m a country girl at heart because my parents actually took my siblings and I line dancing. Yes, there were several places to go line dancing in NJ. So I got to show my kids what a great line dancer I was and I think they thought I was cool for five seconds. Proud parenting moment.
There is also a cute little playground that is partially shaded and a big area with picnic tables next to the playground that is totally shaded for parents to hang out or to have lunch or dinner. Gem mining is available for an extra cost and it’s located next to the playground.
Definitely don’t miss the big sky walk called Legacy Lookout. You can read about the history of Sevierville as well as learn what mountains you’re looking at in the distance and get incredible photos of you and your family.
The ranch has daily entertainment so be sure to check the website before you go or give them a call to see what’s on the schedule.
Animals at the Ranch
SkyLand Ranch has several miniature horses and there are even goats to play with. Y’all know how much I love goats. They were our first stop once we got off the chair lift.
I was so surprised at just how clean the animal enclosures were. They were nearly spotless. Actually, everything at SkyLand Ranch was spotless.
Once you are on the chair lift, you’ll get a view of the donkeys and alpacas, which are adorable. They have sheep and longhorns at the ranch.
Shopping & Dining
You don’t go all the way up to the mountain not to have food and shopping. There’s both a food court with pizza, sandwiches, and ice cream plus food trucks at SkyLand Ranch. The food trucks have BBQ, nachos, soft pretzels, street corn (delicious), and burgers.
There is no shortage of retail therapy to be had at SkyLand Ranch either. They have a huge store up on the mountain with quality apparel, cowboy and cowgirl hats, Western toys and games, SkyLand Ranch branded items, mugs, sparkly dresses, and all kinds of neat stuff. I almost walked out of there with a pink sparkle cowgirl hat.
Admission
Here’s the cool thing about admission to SkyLand Ranch: your ticket is good for three days of admission. Three days. You don’t find that anywhere in that area.
Ticket prices are $21.99/ages 10+, $12.99/ages 3-9, and free/ages 2 and under. Season passes are also offered at SkyLand Ranch.
Free parking is available as well.
SkyLand Ranch
1620 Parkway, Sevierville TN
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Kristina Hernandez
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