Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: WonderWorks - Upside-down Building

Once you step through the inverted lobby and purchase your ticket, you walk through a "simulated tornado" (an optical illusion tunnel) and are magically turned upside-down to experience over 100 different science-themed exhibits, virtual reality games, simulated rides that show the forces of hurricane winds and earthquake tremors, a real bed of nails you can lay on, virtual roller coasters you can program yourself, etc.

Test your physical prowess on the rock wall or the current North American record-holding indoor ropes course -- a four-story exhibit that takes you through a maze of mini-challenges that get you to the top and back down again. Because the ropes course usually is THE thing people are attracted to: WEAR SNEAKERS HERE! The staff do not allow flip-flops or sandals, nor do they allow you to experience the exhibits barefoot.

Outdoors, for an extra fee, there's the Wonders of Flight, a tethered helium-filled balloon that can carry 30 people at a time 400 feet in the air.

The upside-down building attracted my kids. I have to admit, I haven't seen too many upside-down buildings erected on purpose. The high admission price -- $25.75 for adults and $14.50 for kids -- discouraged me from testing out the hands-on exhibits, inversion tunnel, space zone and illusion gallery.

The magic show looked interesting, but cost extra. The gift shop had some fun items, like a large safety pin that looks like it's going through your nose, which weren't too expensive.

The Anita Bryant show is not returning, but someone finally bought the building and is doing something with it! I am unsure of what it is, but it looks really neat! It seems they have ripped the roof off of the original buiding and are replacing it with another building that is upside down! Weird, huh? I took pics of the construction and of the billboard with the finished product! It looks cool! We'll see.

After looking around myself online, I found that the place is an uppity science museum or something, but the building is still really neat. The Combo pack costs (the interactive stuff, laser tag, and dinner show) about as much as it is to get into Dollywood!