Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Are you excited to ride the NEW Crystal Express at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg? Here is our most recent tour of the other areas of Anakeesta ► youtu.be/PlkWBsSDiBU
⏱️⏱️VIDEO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - Anakeesta Plaza
1:43 - Founding Partner of Anakeesta
6:37 - 1st Ride on the Crystal Express
7:10 - Crystal Express Ride POV
12:33 - New Bear Paw
13:52 - Crystal Express Details
15:31 - Firefly Village Updates
17:58 - Bears Show Up at Construction
19:48 - Ride Down Crystal Express
20:44 - Anakeesta Review
⏰ Tik Tok | tiktok.com/@AIOTfamily
📸 Instagram | instagram.com/AIOTfamily
👤 Facebook | facebook.com/AIOTfamily
🐦 Twitter | twitter.com/AIOTfamily
🎥 The Camera Gear We Use ► youtu.be/8xn_AnL776E
📬 Contact Us
AdvOutThere@gmail.com
Ryan & Brie
PO BOX 4975
Sevierville, TN 37864
Anakeesta, the award-winning mountaintop adventure park in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, has officially reopened and is proud to debut the Crystal Express, the world’s only all-glass gondola system,
redefining how guests arrive at the summit.
This long-term investment reflects Anakeesta’s ongoing commitment to Making More Magic—a vision to reimagine the guest experience while elevating every step of the journey through the Smokies. The Crystal Express now welcomes guests from the same convenient Parkway location, delivering a faster and smoother ascent to the mountaintop.
“The Crystal Express represents a major step forward at Anakeesta,” said Bob Bentz, Founding Partner of Anakeesta. “From the moment visitors leave the Parkway, we want them to feel the magic of this mountain. This new lift enhances that experience with incredible views, greater comfort, and the efficiency needed to welcome even more families to the Smokies.”
The Crystal Express redefines scenic travel with its 56 luxurious panoramic cabins, featuring glass floors and walls that deliver uninterrupted 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape. As the world’s only all-glass gondola ride, guests are fully immersed as they glide above mountains, forests, and valleys—transforming every ride into a floating overlook where comfort
and awe-inspiring vistas come together for an unforgettable experience.
The approximately 4-minute journey carries guests more than 2,000 feet up the mountainside, rising 600 feet above downtown Gatlinburg and soaring nearly 80 feet above the ground at select points along the route. The Crystal Express offers a gentle yet exhilarating ascent through the forest canopy and above the Gatlinburg skyline.
To support the new detachable gondola system, Anakeesta’s Parkway station has been thoughtfully retrofitted to maintain its familiar footprint while incorporating major behind-the-scenes upgrades. These enhancements improve efficiency and feature easy on-and-off loading, allowing families to roll strollers directly into the cabins for a seamless start to their adventure.
Coming soon, Anakeesta will introduce its newest immersive attraction, the Firefly Experience, debuting later this spring as part of the reimagined Treetop Skywalk. Inspired by the synchronous fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains, the experience uses advanced lighting, storytelling, and technology to recreate the natural phenomenon year-round, allowing guests to walk among choreographed waves of light along elevated canopy pathways. Blending art and science, the attraction transforms one of
nature’s most extraordinary displays into an immersive nighttime journey high above the forest floor.
With Anakeesta and the Crystal Express reopening next week, guests can once again experience the magic of the mountain—
now elevated to new heights as part of Anakeesta’s continued evolution and long-term vision.
#anakeesta #magicinthemountains #gatlinburg #gatlinburgtn #gatlinburgtennessee #smokymountains #pigeonforge #sevierville
Are you excited to ride the NEW Crystal Express at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg? Here is our most recent tour of the other areas of Anakeesta ► youtu.be/PlkWBsSDiBU
⏱️⏱️VIDEO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - Anakeesta Plaza
1:43 - Founding Partner of Anakeesta
6:37 - 1st Ride on the Crystal Express
7:10 - Crystal Express Ride POV
12:33 - New Bear Paw
13:52 - Crystal Express Details
15:31 - Firefly Village Updates
17:58 - Bears Show Up at Construction
19:48 - Ride Down Crystal Express
20:44 - Anakeesta Review
⏰ Tik Tok | tiktok.com/@AIOTfamily
📸 Instagram | instagram.com/AIOTfamily
👤 Facebook | facebook.com/AIOTfamily
🐦 Twitter | twitter.com/AIOTfamily
🎥 The Camera Gear We Use ► youtu.be/8xn_AnL776E
📬 Contact Us
AdvOutThere@gmail.com
Ryan & Brie
PO BOX 4975
Sevierville, TN 37864
Anakeesta, the award-winning mountaintop adventure park in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, has officially reopened and is proud to debut the Crystal Express, the world’s only all-glass gondola system,
redefining how guests arrive at the summit.
This long-term investment reflects Anakeesta’s ongoing commitment to Making More Magic—a vision to reimagine the guest experience while elevating every step of the journey through the Smokies. The Crystal Express now welcomes guests from the same convenient Parkway location, delivering a faster and smoother ascent to the mountaintop.
“The Crystal Express represents a major step forward at Anakeesta,” said Bob Bentz, Founding Partner of Anakeesta. “From the moment visitors leave the Parkway, we want them to feel the magic of this mountain. This new lift enhances that experience with incredible views, greater comfort, and the efficiency needed to welcome even more families to the Smokies.”
The Crystal Express redefines scenic travel with its 56 luxurious panoramic cabins, featuring glass floors and walls that deliver uninterrupted 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape. As the world’s only all-glass gondola ride, guests are fully immersed as they glide above mountains, forests, and valleys—transforming every ride into a floating overlook where comfort
and awe-inspiring vistas come together for an unforgettable experience.
The approximately 4-minute journey carries guests more than 2,000 feet up the mountainside, rising 600 feet above downtown Gatlinburg and soaring nearly 80 feet above the ground at select points along the route. The Crystal Express offers a gentle yet exhilarating ascent through the forest canopy and above the Gatlinburg skyline.
To support the new detachable gondola system, Anakeesta’s Parkway station has been thoughtfully retrofitted to maintain its familiar footprint while incorporating major behind-the-scenes upgrades. These enhancements improve efficiency and feature easy on-and-off loading, allowing families to roll strollers directly into the cabins for a seamless start to their adventure.
Coming soon, Anakeesta will introduce its newest immersive attraction, the Firefly Experience, debuting later this spring as part of the reimagined Treetop Skywalk. Inspired by the synchronous fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains, the experience uses advanced lighting, storytelling, and technology to recreate the natural phenomenon year-round, allowing guests to walk among choreographed waves of light along elevated canopy pathways. Blending art and science, the attraction transforms one of
nature’s most extraordinary displays into an immersive nighttime journey high above the forest floor.
With Anakeesta and the Crystal Express reopening next week, guests can once again experience the magic of the mountain—
now elevated to new heights as part of Anakeesta’s continued evolution and long-term vision.
#anakeesta #magicinthemountains #gatlinburg #gatlinburgtn #gatlinburgtennessee #smokymountains #pigeonforge #sevierville
