Hollywood Wax Museum

Hollywood Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge is exactly what it advertises and works best for kids who have strong pop culture knowledge and will recognize the figures. The museum spans celebrities, athletes, musicians, movie characters, and superheroes — a wide enough range that most kids between 8 and 16 will find their person and want to stand next to them.

The real experience is photographic. The figures are life-sized and the displays are posed for interaction — Thor's hammer is extended, athlete figures are positioned for a handshake, musician figures are mid-performance. The museum is basically a high-quality photo booth that takes an hour to walk through.

Kids who come from a social media generation understand this format intuitively and get into it.

Younger kids (under 7) often don't have the pop culture reference points to be as engaged. A 5-year-old who doesn't know who LeBron James is will walk past the figure without reaction. The same 5-year-old will be interested in movie character figures if they recognize them from films.

The combo package is where the pricing math gets attractive. Hollywood Wax Entertainment runs several venues in the same building complex — Hannah's Maze of Mirrors, Outbreak Dread the Undead, and Castle of Chaos are typically bundled at a discount. If you're going to spend an afternoon at the complex, the combo is the right call.

This is a supplemental stop on a busy Pigeon Forge day, not a headliner. Pair it with an afternoon activity that requires more active engagement.