Non-Electronic Fun ‘n’ Games in the Mountains

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Need a little extra help unplugging from the day-to-day? These destinations specialize in the relaxed, the non-electronic.

Here are seven destinations that make getting off the electronic grid easier. A few are officially unplugged, while offering so many engaging activities that visitors are eased off the electronics without realizing it. 

Virginia: Playing, Wild and Tame at Mountain Lake

Mountain Lake Lodge 

115 Hotel Cir, Pembroke, Virginia 

540-626-7121; mtnlakelodge.com

Yes, you can get cell service atop Mountain Lake’s Bald Knob, but don’t expect it within the thick stone walls of the lodge or on the trails of this 2,600-acre property. 

Relax—that is the idea. In the spirit of a true getaway, Mountain Lake doesn’t even have TV in the rooms. But there’s plenty to do. Mix traditional resort activities, including daily scavenger hunts, outdoor movies, guided hikes, hayrides, shuffleboard and yard games, with splashy adventures such as the resort’s new high—its 65-foot Sky Slide.

Hurtling down five stories over slick plastic is a major adrenalin rush. But just standing atop the 65-foot structure and seeing the forest drop away on four sides kicks an ordinary day up a few notches. Atop 4,360-foot Salt Pond Mountain, the slide is the highest, coolest point around. The Sky Slide is also the nation’s largest inflatable water slide, created for the lodge with two chutes, a tapered one that is “super-fast” and another that drops straight down. You can drop those five stories 100 times and still feel the thrill. 

The resort erected a zip line adventure course in the forest several years ago. Even zanier games have more recently come online, such as playing soccer ensconced in a giant ball (bubble ball) and engaging in a version of Hunger Games that features shooting your friends with marshmallow-tipped arrows (archery tag). Huge Zorb balls have guests turning somersaults effortlessly. Rolling on Mountain Lake’s Zorb racing course, you feel as though you’re spinning through outer space, fully protected in your padded bubble. And it’s good for the waistline.

Other recreational activities range from yoga to mountain biking, trail running, tennis, pool swimming and disc golf. Mountain Lake also offers arts and crafts and naturalist programs. 

Playing Games in Nature at Pipestem 

Pipestem Resort State Park

3405 Pipestem Dr, Pipestem, West Virginia

304-66-1800; wvstateparks.com/park/pipestem-resort-state-park/ 

On cool mornings, the fog lifts out of Pipestem Resort State Park’s Bluestone gorge like a huge cotton swab. Some visitors make a daily ritual of watching its ascent from the balconies of McKeever Lodge. Others start the day playing games.

Murbles, Gaga ball, slack lining, road bowling, disc golf, foot golf, fling golf,  regular golf—Pipestem offers an array of games and activities unfamiliar to most people. But that doesn’t mean they can’t play them. 

In the sport of foot golf, for instance, guests who propel the balls through the 18-hole course with a cup-headed stick find a fast learning curve; no pro is necessary. Murbles, something like a free-ranging game of pool using grapefruit sized balls and your feet, can be picked up in minutes. Road bowling, slacklining (walking a fat, low tightrope), disc golf, foot golf—they all take some skill, but bumbling through that process at the 4,050-acre state park is half the fun.  

“We’ve made a human ‘Sorry’ board at Pipestem,” says activities director Kim Hawkins. “You are your own game piece. We’re planning to do the same thing with Monopoly.”

The overall goal, Hawkins says, is to create a list of activities large enough and unusual enough to pique guests’ interest and draw them outdoors.

“I call it ‘getting them some vitamin N’ — N for nature,” she says. “I get a lot of calls from people asking if we have wi-fi. I like to get those people outside and away from their computers for a while. I want to see us all outside and playing together.”

Wilderness at the Smokies: Living the Game 

Wilderness at the Smokies   

1424 Old Knoxville Highway, Sevierville, Tennessee

865-429-0625; wildernessatthesmokies.com 

Screaming teens cling to a little blue raft as they plummet into darkness, free-falling through a funnel of bright lights. They spin like kale in a smoothie blender before splashing down into a pool. 

Who wants to play an electronic game when they can live one?

Many teens and many adults say Wilderness at the Smokies Storm Chaser is the resort’s splashiest, most scream-inducing ride. But the adventure resort features three separate waterparks, one indoor and two outdoor, that in total boast several dozen rides, slides, climbing structures, wave pools, surf riders and interactive play structures. Toddlers play safely in a specially designed, zero-depth pool. 

Adventure Forest, standing next to the indoor waterpark, offers another spin on hands-on adventure. Guests swing through a ropes course or evade the revenuers at a moonshine theme, black-light mini-golf. Around the bend, they can snake their way through the Copperhead Laser Maze, the ultimate laser tag experience of the Smokies. When parents want a break, the resort Kids Klub offers an array of daily activities, from dancing and bird house building to field trips and story hours.  

The water parks are guest-exclusive so the package includes rooms (with a kitchen option) as well as waterpark passes. And yes, they do have wi-fi connection throughout the resort. 

But who cares?

Old-Fashioned Fun at Oconee State Park

Oconee State Park

624 State Park Rd, Mountain Rest, South Carolina

864-638-5353; southcarolinaparks.com/Oconee

At South Carolina’s Oconee State Park, time stops in an idyllic spot. Guests stay in 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps-built cabins, square dance in the barn on Friday nights, and swim in an old-fashioned “swimmin’ hole.” 

Fish? They’re here—bass, bream and catfish in the lake and trout in the streams. Lack of a rod is no excuse. The state’s tackle loaner program supplies rods and reels to potential anglers through the park office. Non-motorized fishing boats, paddle boats, canoes and kayaks are available for rent, and lifeguards watch over the old-fashioned swimming hole. The summer-camp vibe continues with nature hikes, free painting classes and guided tours to some of the area’s 25 waterfalls. Issaqueena and Hidden Falls are just down the road. If you want a long hike, Oconee has an access to the 82-mile Foothills Trail through South Carolina backcountry. For quiet evenings, they have board games, 18-hole carpet golf and a long fishing pier. 

 Complimentary wi-fi is available at the park office, but not in the cabins or campground. No television either. Oconee is a getaway. 

Mile-High Retreat at Cataloochee Ranch

Cataloochee Ranch

119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, North Carolina 

828-926-1401; cataloocheeranch.com

For 80 years, Cataloochee Ranch has been welcoming visitors to explore its mile-high setting on the peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains. The remote site offers a lovely slice of how things used to be—while brimming with outdoorsy things to do. 

Horseback riding is  practically a must; join a guided ride to the crown atop the property, Hemphill Bald, or the rhododendron-lined paths of surrounding Smoky Mountains National Park. Hiking is another great option for unplugging, with 240 species of birds to admire. Or cast a line into the trout pond—a big one could bite within 15 minutes. If you want to have it cleaned and prepared, the ranch chef will oblige.

Other activities include swimming in a heated pool, basketball, ping-pong, horseshoes, badminton and croquet. An informal cocktail party starts before dinner every evening, complete with local craft beers. Cataloochee opens its dining table to nearby mountain residents, who might tell a tale or two, giving a friendly vibe to the family-style dining. The mountain-style entertainment starts after dinner with bluegrass pickin’ and grinnin’ or perhaps true stories about wolves or maybe the bugling of the nearby elks.  

The fire is always ready for toasting marshmallows and an evening hayride may be on the slate. Whatever magic the elevation has, it seems to have an inverse relation to blood pressure. It goes down when you’re up there. Most folks find they don’t much miss their television or the Xbox.

Under, Over, Around, and Through: Kentucky’s Carter Caves  

Carter Caves State Resort Park

344 Caveland Drive, Olive Hill, Kentucky

606-286-4411; parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/carter-caves  

There’s no wi-fi lurking in the subterranean passages of Kentucky’s Carter Caves Resort State Park. But there’s no place for electronics when you’re scrambling, bracing and occasionally crawling in your own cave adventure. In these butterscotch chambers, you’ll find an otherworldly stillness that’s oddly rejuvenating. 

Not that it’s all quiet at Carter Caves. Movies are screened in Cascade Cave several times a year; guided cave tours go on year round. Above ground, hikers wind along a 26-mile wonderland trail network over stone arches, precipices and swinging bridges. On occasion, visitors can rappel from a natural rock bridge, kayak the Tygart River and learn 18th-century homesteading skills. They can challenge themselves during free archery lessons or on the park’s orienteering course.

High speed internet—if you really think you need it—is available only at the lodge, not at the 12 cottages or any of the campgrounds. 

But really, who needs it? There’s too much to do.  

Trackrock: The Ultimate Horsey Retreat

Trackrock Cabins/Campground and Stables 

4887 Trackrock Camp Rd., Blairsville, Georgia

706-745-2420; trackrock.com

What is there to do at Trackrock? Lots or a little, it’s your choice. 

Trackrock Cabins, Campground and Stables, surrounded by Chattahoochee National Forest, make an excellent getaway for those who love fishing, biking, hiking and birding. For many, it’s the ultimate horsey retreat. The Alexander family has been offering guided horseback rides, hayrides, riding lessons and horse camps for decades. Kids here don’t have time for electronic devices. They’re riding, grooming their horses, playing arena games and generally bonding with their steeds. With quizzes, contests and stall clean-out duties, the youngsters are focused on horses 24/7. Kids can advance from greenhorn to cantering in one intensive week. 

For some staying at Trackrock, fishing is the draw. Bass, bream and catfish are after your hooks at the four-acre stocked lake. Others like to mountain bike or hike the trails, while some are content holing up with a book until the evening campfire and volleyball games. The remote site is designed for relaxation. Wi-fi is available at the office, rec room, playground and beach, but when the trees leaf out it’s not always obtainable at the campsites and cabins.