How do you give someone directions to the middle of Pigeon Forge once The Track is gone? Alysyn Williams grew up in Sevier County and is chief operating officer of Recreation Investments of Tennessee, the company behind the park. She told The Mountain Press that for people raised here, the park at Traffic Light #3 was how you knew where you were. "You turn at The Track," she said, or "when you get to The Track you have gotten to main Pigeon Forge."
That landmark has four weeks left. The reason it's closing has little to do with go-karts and a lot to do with who owns the ground under them.
A Lease Ran Out, Not a Business
The Track Family Fun Park opened in Pigeon Forge in 1984. Today it sits at 2575 Parkway. It was the first of seven parks the company built, and the others keep running. The Track parks in Destin, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina stay open, along with Fat Daddy's Arcade in Destin and Orange Beach, Alabama. So the company isn't shrinking. It's leaving one address.
The Mountain Press reported that property records show Smith Global has owned the Parkway site since 2020, and park officials said their lease ends this year. In late May, WATE reported Williams saying the park is closing because the land lease couldn't be renewed.
The park grew a little every season it stood on that lease. General manager Jeff Wolfe walked The Mountain Press through how it grew. "We went from an 18-hole golf course to a 36-hole golf course. The bumper cars have been added, an addition to the arcade, the big building in the back was added, Super Track went to Wild Woody. Kids County has added probably three or four rides. Every year it was a little bit of something." The paper's verdict on the footprint today was that it's "significant." That big footprint is part of why the site's next use matters.
The Calendar Left on the Final Lap
The closing date has shifted a little in print. When the closure was announced in May, WATE reported November 1, and The Mountain Press used the same date. The park's own final-lap page now says it will "close its doors on October 31, 2026," and a post on its website dated October 1 repeats October 31. Go by the park's own, newer date.
October 31 falls on a Saturday, so the last day is also Halloween. The posted hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. The location page doesn't list a separate fall schedule. Counting from today, October 4, here's what's left:
- October 10–11. The first of the last four weekends.
- October 17–18. The weekend after the Cooter's Place watch-along covered below.
- October 24–25. The last full weekend.
- Saturday, October 31. Closing day, open until 9 p.m. if the posted Saturday hours hold.
The park has announced no farewell event, closing-day schedule or discount. It's asking guests to share photos with #FinalLapAtTheTrack and #TrackMemories. The park still lists go-karts, mini golf, blaster boats, bumper cars, thrill rides, Kids Country rides and the arcade.
What 5,000 Jobs Looks Like in One Family
Over 42 years the park employed about 5,000 people, and for many it was a first job. In a town this size, that number shows up in families. Wolfe has been there mostly since 1990. Both of his daughters started their first jobs at The Track, and his mother worked the Rio Grande train ride in Kids Country. Williams said her son also got his start at the park.
"It's hard to see it close. I don't want to see it close, but it's just another stepping stone. I'm not finished wanting to work, so I'll do something for a little while. I'm 63."
Jeff Wolfe, general manager, to The Mountain Press
Wolfe also said managers were expected to be role models for a front line that, when he started, was "mostly high school kids and college kids." Founding partner Vic Barrett said in the closing announcement that the park "became part of the fabric of this community."
A Year of Final Days on the Parkway
The Track isn't the only long-running business ending this year. Corky's, the Memphis-style barbecue restaurant, closed August 17 after 30 years. Its farewell note said many customers "became more than customers. You became friends and family." Hard Rock Cafe opened in Gatlinburg in 1999 and moved to Pigeon Forge in 2014. Its location at 2050 Parkway closed for good effective August 23, and the state layoff notice listed 61 employees.
Cooter's Place, the "Dukes of Hazzard" museum owned by actor and former U.S. Congressman Ben Jones and his wife, Alma Viator, has its final day December 31 after 25 years. It's at 177 East Wears Valley Road, Suite 23. Its final-season guest list includes Catherine Bach, Tom Wopat, Byron Cherry and Jeff Altman. The museum's online shop lists a $150 "Special Watch-Along" in Pigeon Forge with Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke, and Sonny Shroyer, who played Deputy Enos. It's dated October 16 at 6 p.m., and the ticket includes popcorn, drinks and a photo. Seating is limited and there are no autographs. The listing calls the date a Saturday, but October 16, 2026 is a Friday, so check the night with Cooter's before you plan around it.
What happens next to these addresses varies. The Hard Rock building already has a name attached. Knox News reported in August that Giordano's, the Chicago deep-dish chain, will move into the former Hard Rock Cafe, though no opening date has been published. Elsewhere in town, the indoor slide park Slick City is already open, and the NERF Action Xperience, a play district built around three Hasbro brands, is set to open in 2027. No one has named a successor for The Track's site.
What the Planning Record Shows So Far
The one public record we found about the land since the closure was announced is a city agenda item. The Pigeon Forge Planning Commission met at City Hall on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 3 p.m. The agenda listed "Minor Subdivision of The Track, 2575 Parkway, Cody Rogers – EMC Engineering Services, Inc." No rezoning requests were on that agenda.
We couldn't find minutes showing whether the item was approved or deferred. The agenda names no buyer and no planned use, and we found no September or October news report on what Smith Global or anyone else plans for the property. As the record stands, someone has asked the city to subdivide the parcel. Nothing public says what will go on the new lots or when. The city's CivicClerk portal is where later Planning Commission agendas and minutes will be posted, and that's where the next answer is likely to show up first.
Until then, Light #3 stays the landmark for four more weekends, and the last ride is Saturday, October 31.
A leased landmark changing hands is the kind of Parkway detail Kelly White follows closely as both a Sevier County agent and an active rental operator. To hear when filings like the one at 2575 Parkway turn into actual plans, BuyWithKelly will send them to you as they happen. Receive Listings & Investment Insights.
