Ober Gatlinburg Reviews

We enjoyed the atmosphere (food, band and involving the patrons into the floor dancing) of the Oberlin Gatlinburg.

We loved the band at the top of the mountain! The view was breathtaking, my only regret was not buying the pictures.

The tram ride views and guides are 5 star...the ticket ladies need some training as its not professional to be having personal conversations with co workers when you have guests in lines waiting to buy tickets. The chair lift guys were awesome. They stopped the chair to help my 85 yr. Old father get on and off safely. This was his first ever chair lift ride. Thank you for making this so safe. We also did the animal exhibit which was perfect. The animals looked healthy and cage areas very clean. The otter feeding was the best. We look forward to next year.

Totally disappointment. Nothing to do. Anakeesta is much better.

The experience was bad and contrary to expectations. We rode the tram and we expected the place to be sweet and the games are sweet and many, but unfortunately the place is old and answers the narrow and games that suit me.

Place was nice. Many things to do. Some of the staff members were rude but many were nice. We had a good time though. Will definitely visit again.

Beautiful, awesome, love it, so many things to do, I definitely want to come back.

Take the tram up to the top of the mountain and enjoy ice skating skiing or summer tubing and coaster ride Grab a beer at the Swedish style pub and shop

The weather was not so good but we enjoyed inside activities when it rained and outside activities when it was not.

What a great place to come visit. Theu have an indoor ice skating rink, there are some amusement park rides for kids. The skylift for skiing in winter and to enjoy the view of the Rocky Mountains. The view is breath taking.

Very fun place. The tubing was SUPER Fun! The ice skating was very nice, although some people had some casualties, the EMT was very helpful. The shops were nice for little trinkets and the although overpriced, the peanut butter chocolate chip fudge was fantastic. The lift ride up was fun and exciting, a must do while in Gainburg.

We always have fun. Did mt Baker & mt coaster. Our 5th year!

Wait to get on the tram to the mountain took 2 hours. Then spent an hour waiting to get ski rentals and boots. It was my first time skiing so I wanted to do the lessons. First had to wait 45 mins to watch a 1 minute video and then was put in a group with 12 other people and one instructor who only just stood on the slope and offered next to zero help. I then waited 45 minutes for a cold pretzel. Overall ended up in line for 75% of my day there. A complete waste of a day

Very cool place, but two-thirds of the way up they stop you and charge you 8 bucks to park. Ridiculous

Dreadful customer service when cancelling. you have to send one email after another because never anyone answers your phone. they never have anyone available. they only give you an email that no one answers today I sent 7 emails and I've been waiting almost a month for an answer, and no one answers so if you buy the tickets to go to the tubes in this place, they say you

Great ride on the tram, but once on top, the activities were not very interesting.

Our kids loved this place. The Alpine coaster and Alpine slide we're awesome!

Spent the whole day here and ran into numerous issues. The biggest issue being that the directions are incredibly vague. We purchased two tickets; one for the scenic ride to the top of the mountain and the second the the slide down that you can get on half way up. The lady selling tickets couldn t communicate that to us and the line to get on both of these was combined. The line took around half an hour or more and by the time we reached the top we were told there was no way for us to catch the slide on the way back down. So they said we could get back in line to ride the slide and all of a sudden they shut everything down and told us no refunds. If you want to do the slide only buy the slide ticket the lift takes you up to there and you have to get off. They of course don t make this clear at all so don t waste your money on both trips. Also food took well over half an hour & the place was packed shoulder to shoulder the entire time. I hope you re patient!

Several rides frequently closed for rain with no refunds or exchanges. Tried for 2 days and lost a lot of money. Every activity costs money, even to go see the bears

It s been many years since I have been here and was honestly disappointed with my experience this time. Nothing seems to be updated and it felt like they tried to squeeze in more carnival type rides and games. Prices are also not good.

Disorganized place, no proper directions/instructions, rude staff, people there need some racial diversity & inclusion training to get educated about treating others

Tons of fun, not crowded dress warm bring gloves, Great for kids and adults

Overpriced coupled with terrible service and half the attractions were closed. Not what I remember from years ago. Wish we hadn't wasted our time.

We went early and drove to the parking lot with no issues. They were making snow so we were required to buy goggles and gloves at their store. Again we went early and were one of the first ones to buy the tickets and take the ski lesson. I think if we didn t arrive early we would not have liked our experience so much. Our ski instructor however was patient and helpful.. just no mask. I m not sure of the requirements for that. With the mass amount of people they see, temperature checks would be nice. The Older lady giving us the ski boots was rude didn t even talk to us but her male co worker actually made a good suggestion to us. When getting on the lift ask where to sit or questions because the attendant will get an attitude for you not knowing. Overall things just seemed disorganized and inside is outdated. Skiing is fun but difficult!

Loved riding the tram to the top of the mountain! Ice Skating & shopping all in one building is awesome!

Disappointed, there was not much to do at this time of year

Staff in the restaurant could be nicer, they did not seem happy about serving guest. Half our food was hot and the other half was cold. Personally, we liked Boone, NC better for skiing. Ski lift stops often slowing down the trip to the top of the slop.

This is the place to go for all the snow activities! We did not do any of those, but we did walk around the facility and go to the wildlife encounter. Heads up, do not waste your money on the wildlife encounter. They have maybe 4 or 5 animals to look at, the bears were not out, and there is no staff out there. It was a waste of 7 bucks. They also have ice skating, but the rink is cut in half because one side is for ice bumper cars. Its still a neat place to walk around. There are several little stores to check out. If you enjoy riding the tram thing up the mountain you can also do that for $14 a person. If not, you can drive and park at the top for $5 a car.

It is a wonderful place to visit as a family. I would go again without thinking

They charge your card after the day even if you not took their equipment

Breath Taking views, numerous activities, and LOTS OF FUN FUN FUN!!!

If your not going here to ski, save your money and time and do other things

We love Ober!!! Riding the Tram to the top and then there's so many activities for the whole family!!!

Show up EARLY! Like 7:00 early.
Be aware Goggles aren't included in your rental clothing and they are $110 to purchase. Ski school is mandatory and your instructor will leave you if you fall behind. It's beautiful and Ober's Lounge (restaurant) was great! The animal exhibit is not worth the $8 unless you have never been in the outdoors. NO REFUNDS are given!

Beautiful place to go to when you go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and Dollywood!

This place is a total tourist trap. Extremely overpriced version of a county fair. I will say that their marketing pamphlet is a work of genius because it totally tricks people into taking the tram ride up the mountain and then you see what you are really in for-a total dump.
It was hilariously awful. We turned back around and went back down the mountain. It is insanely overpriced and we went to Dollywood later in the week and it is literally night and day. Dollywood is a true lovely experience and worth the cost.
Save your money and avoid ober!

No snow on the mountain when we went. Everyone let us pay and walk all the way up to no snow. Then they didnt know when they would put snow back on the mountain.

We came last weekend to ski and hangout. We ended up having to come back the next day because after sitting in traffic up the mountain for a long time the parking lots were full and they shut down. The next day we re near the top my 7:50am and we got in. We were happy with the skiing and experience and had a great time. Shout out to Zack one of the ski instructors. He and his friend / roommate (forgot his name) were fun to ski with and had great personalities. Fun time! Ice skating, food and snacks were good. We will be back.

Place is awesome plenty of stuff to do all year round

Just based off of the complete lack of any COVID-19 precautions, I can t rate this any higher. Definitely getting tested after this. If you want to share the same bucket of pens with 1000 people, be herded and asked to scoot closer to people around you and just be surrounded by children touching everything, then this is the place for you!

Its a great place with family for ice skating and for snow tubing.

I didn't ski/snowboard so I can't speak for the lifts, the hubs went and loved it. Said his private lesson was awesome. I did the kid play area and the inside. It was great shopping but it's not a stroller friendly place and that was a bummer. Ice skating is great the ring wasn't too crowded but they don't offer toddler walkers for the ice so if you take your lo you'll have to hold their arms, they don't let you carry them and skate... The kid play area was kinda cool but snow is very hard and compact so it's not like you can make a snow man. My 2yo liked playing in the soft snow in the parking lot more.
Oh, hubs said to purchase lift tickets online. In person lines were up to a 4 hour wait and we got their before they officially opened.

Everything is so expensive, and the trees have grown up so high that you can barely see a decent view of the city.

A lot of fun to be had, gondola ride to the top is worth it by itself.

If you don't want to ride the tram to the top use mtn rd to drive to the top it's 8$ to park when you get up there

Charging for the ride up, the parking, looking at animals from so far away you need binoculars, and 5$ per person to take your toddler into a 20x20 square with ice crystals is ridiculous. Felt nickle and dimed to death. Charge one fee and then at least you can get something for your money. Paid $25 for us to take our 2 year old into the snow area. Turned out to be equivalent to playing in a snowball with out the syrup. Total waste of money.

Great for kids off all ages. If you like puzzles make sure to visit the puzzle store

Very unorganized, the ski school was really lame. When we got up the mountain my kid couldn t even make a wedge. Something so basic in ski school, and they didn t even teach him that!!!!

Tons of fun. The skies to the coaster. It has everything. The only problem is you have to pay for EVERYTHING you even have to pay to get into the kid zone.

Was here tonight for the Annual Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest "Business After Hours" event. As an 8 year Chamber Member. I can honestly say that these folks go out of their way to make us all feel like family. Ober Gatlinburg has so many wonderful things to do through the day and, like Appalachian GhostWalks' Ghost, History, and Bigfoot Adventure tours, it is a wonderful experience for families with children. For more information about our antern-led haunted history tours please visit the Appalachian GhostWalks website for additional information and reservations and don't forget to include Ober Gatlinburg on your next visit to the Smokies. Thanks for a wonderful night guys!! We really appreciate your hospitality!!!

The good:
Tram ride. Get in the front of the line to be in the front of the tram car for the best experience. But even if in the middle of the car its not bad.
Lift to the mountain top. Peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. The mountain top view is incredible. Live bluegrass band is playing on the mountaintop. Great photo ops.

The bad:
Overall the place is very dated. The arcade upstairs is laughable. The assorted rides and shops are cheesy. Everywhere you turn it feels like they are just trying to nickel and dime you. They even charge a few cents for refills, even tho your original $4 drink is nothing more than an empty paper cup and a point to the fountain machine for ice and soda.

Overall: I like this place. It's been around since the 60's, but it feels like it's been around since the 60's. They better get with the times of they want to survive for the long term.

Fun fake snow in off season. Indoor skate rink. Lots of shops. Good indoor activity center. Great view of Gatlinburg.

In the warmer months Not much there unless you have small kids. Kind of boring

Never will I ever wait to come back here during the holidays times. A 3 hour wait for the tram even though we got there at 8:00am.. and once you got up there a two hour wait for equipment.. and they stopped selling the equipment at 1:00 but they didn t have enough equipment at that point anyways.. over 200+ $ giving to the trashy most UNORGANIZED, RUDE, inconsiderate and biggest disappointment of 2020 our family has unfortunately experienced... the two start is because I ve been before and it was great.. that was 15 years ago though..

Got a lot of fun to offer for awesome prices. They accommodate the whole family. True mountain experience. Loved it.

Came up for October fest an not,what I thought it would be. Great beer.

The little kids loved it, bigger kids were bored. Kinda dated.

This is a must go for family fun!! Ice skating, ice bumper cars, alpine slide, mountain coaster, ski, and snow tubing!! There's also shops & food.

Great ride and experience. A lot of pretend rides trying to copy the Ober but none come close. Fun ride with entertaining employees.

Had a great time, wish it wasnt so foggy so we could have seen more on the ride up the mountain. However we cant control the rain!