Explore local distilleries and tasting rooms on a guided Great Smoky Mountains moonshine tour. Sample small-batch spirits, wine, and cider with experienced local guides.
Free Cancellation Go behind the scenes at local distilleries to see working stills and taste 15+ moonshine flavors over three hours.
Sample small-batch moonshine, whiskey, and cider on a Sevierville walking tour that includes a sit-down lunch.
Free Cancellation Sample moonshine and wine at eight locations across Pigeon Forge and Sevierville on this four-hour guided tour.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Great Smoky Mountains — from practical tips to personal highlights.
These tours hit the tasting rooms of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. You walk or ride between independent distilleries to sample high-proof spirits, local wines, and hard ciders. Expect heavy pours and direct access to working stills.
Sample over 15 varieties of moonshine, whiskey, and bourbon. Guides pour traditional corn liquor alongside flavors like blackberry and apple pie.
Walk through the production floors of small-batch operations. You see the copper stills and fermentation tanks up close.
The route breaks up the hard liquor with regional dry reds and sweet ciders. Most stops pour a mix of both.
Some tours handle the driving between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. You sit in a shuttle van while the guide navigates the heavy Parkway traffic.
Bartenders mix full drinks during the tastings. They hand out the exact recipes to recreate the drinks at home.
Select itineraries include a full lunch between the tasting flights. Eating a heavy meal is highly recommended before drinking this much high-proof alcohol.
Moonshine tours in the Smokies strictly require a valid, unexpired physical government ID. Bartenders will turn you away without it, and digital copies do not work.
Bring your physical driver's license or passport. Every distillery checks IDs at the door, and expired documents mean you sit out the tasting.
Read the itinerary closely. Gatlinburg and Sevierville tours often require walking 0.7 miles between stops, while Pigeon Forge routes use a shuttle van.
Only a few tours include lunch. Eat a heavy meal before arriving because the pours are large and frequent.
Gatlinburg parking garages cost about $15 per day. Free street spots on River Road fill up by 9 AM.
Walking tours run in the rain. Dress for the weather, as refunds are only issued if conditions become hazardous.
Tour prices cover the alcohol but not tips. Bring cash for the tasting room bartenders and your tour guide.
Standard tours offer full refunds with 24 hours notice. The Sevierville lunch tour is completely non-refundable once booked.
Swipe to see more
| Walking Tasting Tour | Lunch & Shine Tour | Driven Distillery Route | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3.5 hours | 3.5 hours | 4 hours |
| Transportation | On foot | On foot | Shuttle van |
| Includes Food | No | Yes | No |
Swipe to see more
Distilleries in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge usually open around 9 AM and close between 9 PM and 11 PM. Tours run mid-day to avoid the heaviest evening crowds at the tasting bars.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The one exception is Cades Cove Loop Road, which opens at dawn and closes at dusk daily.
Visitor centers keep separate seasonal hours. They close only on Christmas Day. The historic Cable Mill in Cades Cove operates from 9 AM to 5 PM daily from mid-March to late November.
Fly into McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, about 45 miles from the Gatlinburg park entrance. Drive south on US-129 or the Foothills Parkway. This route takes about an hour.
Traffic on the main Parkway through Pigeon Forge crawls during summer weekends. Park your car in Gatlinburg for $15 a day and walk to the tasting rooms. There is no direct public transportation into the national park from major cities.
Local commercial shuttle operators run seasonal service from March through October. They transport hikers from gateway towns to popular trailheads.
Late April through May brings moderate weather and spring wildflowers. October delivers fall foliage across the elevation gradient. These are the busiest months in the region.
Book weekday tours to avoid packed tasting rooms. Weekends in October draw heavy traffic on Cades Cove Loop Road and Newfound Gap Road. Summer sees over one million visits per month.
Mid-winter brings the fewest crowds. Snow and ice close high-elevation routes like Kuwohi Road from December through February.
The walking moonshine tours navigate flat city sidewalks. The Pigeon Forge shuttle tour requires climbing into a van. Most distilleries have ramps and accessible restrooms.
Inside the national park, the paved areas around Sugarlands and Oconaluftee Visitor Centers handle wheelchairs easily. The Oconaluftee River Trail is a flat, 3-mile roundtrip path suited for mobility devices.
The park loans adult- and child-sized GRIT Freedom Chairs free of charge. You can use these off-road wheelchairs on evaluated trails like Little River and Deep Creek. Reserve them 3 to 30 days ahead from May through October.
Tasting rooms provide restrooms and water stations. Drink water between stops to pace yourself.
Inside the park, visitor centers have flush toilets. Trailheads rely on vault toilets. Cell service drops completely once you enter the national park boundary. Download offline maps before leaving town.
There are no gas stations or restaurants inside the national park. Buy all supplies in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, or Cherokee before driving in.
Yes. Every distillery requires a valid, unexpired physical government ID. They make zero exceptions for anyone.
The alcohol is included. Only specific tours, like the Sevierville Dine Me route, include a meal.
No. Tour operators explicitly ask guests not to consume alcohol beforehand. The tastings provide a high volume of liquor.
It depends on the tour. Gatlinburg and Sevierville routes are usually walking tours covering about 0.7 miles. Pigeon Forge tours use a shuttle van.
No. These tours strictly require all participants to be 21 or older.
Gratuities are not included in the ticket price. Bring cash to tip both your tour guide and the individual tasting room bartenders.
Tours operate in all weather conditions. Bring an umbrella for the walking routes.
No. The distilleries are located in the gateway towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. The park itself prohibits open alcohol containers outside designated picnic areas.
Most tours visit between three and eight different tasting rooms. You will sample over 15 different varieties of spirits and wine.
Parking is on your own. Expect to pay around $15 per day in the municipal garages near the meeting points.
Browse verified tours with free cancellation and instant confirmation.
Find Tours
This three-hour walking tour visits several small-batch distilleries and wineries to see working stills and production areas usually off-limits to visitors. You'll taste over 15 varieties of moonshine and wine, including a full moonshine cocktail. It's a heavy pour. The route covers independent, small-scale distilleries located away from the main commercial strip. Guides explain the specific techniques old-timers used to hide their stills in the brush during stops between tastings. The entire path is accessible for mobility scooters, though the tasting rooms can get cramped when they're busy. Eat a meal before you start—the tastings hit fast.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
Walk between Sevierville tasting rooms with a guide to sample small-batch whiskey, moonshine, tequila, and wine. You'll get a full sit-down lunch between pours. The guide gives you recipes for the cocktails served during the afternoon. Ignore older photos showing a tour bus. This route is now entirely on foot within a single walkable district. It's better than driving. Expect locally distilled bourbon, vodka, cider, and seasonal spirits in the tasting lineup, often paired with mixers you can replicate at home. Most stops have tour-exclusive discounts on bottles and merchandise. With this much alcohol, the included lunch is a necessary buffer. Pick this if you want the VIP seating and the bottle discounts rather than fighting for a spot at the bar on your own.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
English
This four-hour tour visits up to eight distilleries and wineries across Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Local guides, who've run these routes since 2015, handle the driving between the different stops. You'll try high-proof moonshine flavors like blackberry and apple pie along with local dry reds and sweet muscadine wines. It's a lot of alcohol for one afternoon. The route covers the Pigeon Forge strip and Sevierville's historic square. Because the stops are concentrated, you spend most of the time at the tasting bars rather than in the van. Drink plenty of water and eat a heavy meal before the trip starts. Saturday slots usually sell out a week in advance.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English