Gatlinburg Space Needle

What to expect

The Space Needle is the 407-foot tower you can see from just about anywhere in downtown Gatlinburg. Glass elevators take you up more than 400 feet to an observation deck with a 360 degree view of town and the mountains. There are free viewfinders on the deck and some signs explaining what you are looking at.

At the bottom is a large arcade, more than 30,000 square feet of games and simulators, plus Slice Pizza Bakery for New York style pizza.

Tickets

Tickets are virtual. You buy online and pick them up by name and ID at the ticket booth. Prices and hours are on the official Space Needle site.

Tips

• Go up around sunset if you can. You get the mountains in daylight and the town lights coming on.
• The Space Needle is at 115 Historic Nature Trail, at traffic light #8. This is where Gatlinburg holds its New Year’s Eve ball drop, so expect huge crowds and road closures that night.

Nearby

Grab a slice at Slice Pizza Bakery downstairs. Anakeesta and Gatlinburg SkyPark are both a short walk up the Parkway. More ideas are on our Gatlinburg attractions page, and our New Year’s Eve page covers the ball drop.

Packages and the arcade

The Space Needle sells packages online that bundle the view with the arcade. In October 2026 the official site listed a Family Pass at $36.95, a VIP package at $34.95 and a Family Entertainment Package at $67.95. Prices can change, so check the Space Needle website for the latest and to see what each one covers before you buy.

The arcade runs on play cards. You win eTickets on the games and trade them in at the redemption counter. Slice Pizza Bakery also has salads, calzones, appetizers and sandwiches if not everyone wants pizza.

Up on the deck there is an educational display called Higher Learning. The Space Needle also has a webcam on its website, so you can check the view and the weather before you go. The phone number is 865.436.4629.

Photo at top: the Gatlinburg Space Needle observation deck with the moon behind it by Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).