Jayell Ranch Family Adventure Park

Jayell Ranch sits on 250 acres in Sevierville, and honestly, it's one of those places that does everything pretty well instead of being amazing at one thing. We've taken our kids here twice, and both times they begged to stay longer. The horseback rides are legit — not those nose-to-tail pony rides where you feel like you're on a conveyor belt.

The guides here actually know what they're doing. Wes walked our nervous 8-year-old through everything step by step, and by the end she was trotting like she'd been riding for years. They've got ATVs too, which is where things get messy — and I mean that literally. You will get mud on you. The trails wind through actual forest, not some manicured path around a parking lot.

Oh and the exotic animal thing is weird but fun. They've got this capuchin monkey named Abu who's basically the star of the show, plus around 200 birds you can feed. My husband was skeptical until a macaw landed on his shoulder and wouldn't leave.

One thing though — fill out the liability waivers online before you go. We didn't know this our first visit and spent 20 minutes at check-in while the kids bounced off the walls. They're open 9am to 5pm every day, but if you want to do multiple activities, get there by noon. The combination packages save money, though I can't remember the exact prices since they seem to change seasonally.

The zipline views stretch clear to North Carolina on a good day. Worth it just for that, even if you're not usually an adventure sports person.