Anakeesta, a mountaintop theme park sprawling over 70 acres of craggy cliffs with spectacular views, is improving and expanding in time for the summer season, as restrictions in the US are lifted. The parks founders and owners, Bob and Karen Bentz, design and handcraft each and every detail within the park, and have been busy at work preparing to open their park with improvements in place.
As part of the $6.5 million expansion, the park now has a new attraction, TreeVenture. TreeVenture is a new treehouse adventure course within the park, added as part of phase one of the expansion. “TreeVenture is one way we’re adding something for young and old alike,” said Nick Thompson, Anakeesta partner and owner of CLIMB Works, “We took a whimsical concept and let our imaginations run wild on this one with no limits.”
The TreeVenture course has three entries, with easy, medium and hard challenges to cover different ages and confidence levels. The swinging logs, climbing nets and slide are made for all guests to enjoy. Visitors who would prefer to take in the natural beauty and spectacular views can overlook the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Mount LeConte from the Vista Gardens.
Within the gardens is the Anavista Tower, a 360-degree observation tower sitting atop the mountain. Guests will soon be able to climb to the highest point in downtown Gatlinburg, once the tower is complete. Owner Bob Bentz designed the unique structure to resemble a flower opening up to the sky. The tower is expected to open to guests at some point in July, although a date has not yet been confirmed.
A short walk away from the Vista Gardens, guests will find a new water play area, shops, restrooms, concession stands, seating and the Smokehouse Brewery, a full-service barbecue restaurant, all new as part of phase one of the redevelopment. Seating areas will cater for up to 400 people when finished, with high top counters so guests can feast upon the views whilst dining.
In addition to the added attractions, Anakeesta is being improved to provide more shade and climate-controlled spaces for guests to cool off.
