The Track in Pigeon Forge Closes Oct. 31

PIGEON FORGE, TN – The Track in Pigeon Forge is closing October 31 after 42 years of go-karts, mini golf and arcade games on the Parkway. If Wild Woody is on your trip list, the clock is running.

The company calls this its final season. The park is open daily until the end.

Closing Date and Hours

The Track sits at 2575 Parkway, Traffic Light #3, next to The Island. According to the park’s website, the posted hours are:

• Sunday to Friday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
• Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

October 31 falls on a Saturday. The company says the park closes that day, so call ahead for last-day hours.

Hours can shift as the season winds down. A quick check before you load the car is worth it.

The park asks guests to share photos from their final visit using #FinalLapAtTheTrack and #TrackMemories.

The park also handles group and party bookings. With the closing date near, call before you count on one.

Rides and Points

Wild Woody is the signature ride. The three-level elevated track lifts your kart three and a half stories into the air, then brings it back down with a drop at the bottom.

A ride on Wild Woody costs 12 points. The Family Track, a classic figure-eight with an overpass, costs 9.

Drivers of a single kart on Wild Woody must be at least 4 feet, 8 inches tall. A double kart requires a driver who is 16 or older with ID, and passengers between 3 feet and 4 feet, 7 inches ride free.

Younger drivers have their own tracks. The Rookie Track costs 6 points and requires a minimum height of 4 feet. Kiddie Karts cost 5 points for riders from 3 feet, 6 inches to 4 feet tall.

Mini golf costs 12 points and winds through jungle animals, tunnels and waterfalls. Children 5 and under play free with an adult.

Blaster Boats and bumper cars are 9 points each. Boat drivers must be at least 3 feet, 8 inches tall, and bumper car drivers at least 4 feet. In the boats, the water cannons soak everybody, so expect to get wet.

Kids Country rides run 5 points apiece, with a carousel, a miniature Ferris wheel, a train and Red Baron planes. Most top out at 4 feet, 10 inches, and the Ferris wheel at 4 feet.

Fat Daddy’s Arcade has more than 50 games, and points work there too. It is a good spot to wait out a rain shower.

Point cards are sold online, and you pick yours up at the will call window. The park says the 60-point card covers a ride or two for a family of four. A family that wants Wild Woody, the boats and the arcade will need one of the bigger cards.

The prices listed on the park’s website:

• 60 points: $55
• 125 points: $110
• 250 points: $215
• Single points: $1 each

Since 1984

The Track opened in 1984 and was the first of seven locations the company developed. Millions of guests have come through the gates. About 5,000 people worked there over the years, and for many of them it was a first job.

General Manager Jeff Wolfe has been with The Track for more than 35 years. He was 27 when he started. He told WATE in Knoxville that the job helped him buy a house and that the park became his family. Founding partner Vic Barrett said it grew into something “far greater than we ever envisioned.”

To me, The Track was more than a go-kart track. It was a place to take your whole family and spend an afternoon or the whole day.

The Lease

The company’s announcement does not give a reason for the closing. According to WATE Knoxville, Alysyn Williams, chief operating officer of Recreation Investments, said the park could not renew its lease on the land.

Williams called the closing bittersweet, since Pigeon Forge was the company’s first market. I have not seen an announcement about what comes next for the property.

The company’s other parks stay open in Destin, Florida, Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Where to Race Next

Points never expire. A card with a balance works at the company’s other parks and at Fat Daddy’s Arcade locations in Destin and Orange Beach. That is fine if a beach trip is on your calendar. Otherwise, spend them before the 31st.

If you want go-karts closer to the mountains, NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains in Sevierville is a short drive up the Parkway. It has eight go-kart tracks, two mini golf courses and an indoor arcade. The headline track, Smoky Mountain Speedway, is shaped like a NASCAR oval.

Park entry is free, and you buy a wristband for the rides. Wristbands are sold online or at the gate.

The two parks price differently. The Track charges points for each ride, while NASCAR SpeedPark sells one wristband that covers the tracks.

For more to do in town, see our Pigeon Forge attractions guide.