Smoky Mountain-Pigeon Forge Blog
Sharing Smoky Mtn travel info, pet/dog friendly vacation spots, great cabin rentals. attractions & restaurants near Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Townsend & "Wears Valley" areas of TN. Also the Bryson City, Dillsboro & Cherokee NC side of the Smokies.
Grand Fall "Rod Run" coming up in Pigeon Forge TN - Friday September 14 and Saturday September 15th, 2012. Even though these are the dates for the Rod Run, there will be awesome cars and trucks all week long. Lots of folks stay around from the weekend prior "Shades of the Past" show.. So get ready for smokin' tires and loud mufflers and MORE TRAFFIC than you can shake a stick at !!!
The actual "show" is held at the Grand Resort Hotel and Convention Center, however the hot rods are everywhere you look!!! You can see the Rods from Thursday 9/13/12 till Sunday 9/16/12.
Need a great cabin for your next trip to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville, check out http://www.BestCabinsByOwner.com
Guide to the Best"By-Owner"Vacation Rentals-Smoky Mtns of Tenn & NC
It's hard to believe that it's time again for the "Shades of the Past" Car Show in Pigeon Forge. It is Friday, September 7 and Saturday September 8, 2012. Get ready to hear the engines roar and the tires squeal !!! It's a blast..... unless you would rather not be stuck in traffic for hours !!
Try to enjoy the beautiful mountain views as well as the fantastic classic cars and trucks...
September 7 - 8, 2012 - The 30th - Shades of The Past is being held at Dollywood’s Splash Country in Pigeon Forge, TN.
This year's event features a collection of the most amazing rods, customs and classics made through 1972, all in one place.
Spectators can enjoy the sights as participants or enter for major prizes, including a 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster along with thousands of dollars in cash prizes, too. Add to that a variety of vendor booths, and it's one of East Tennessee's best events at Shades of the Past at Dollywood's Splash Country Sept. 7-8, 2012.
Gates open at 8 a.m. both days, and selected attractions at Dollywood’s Splash Country will be open for participants to enjoy which is included in your Shades of the Past admission ticket. For details and ticket information, please visit http://www.shadesofthepast.com.
Wilderness Wildlife Week is the best way to get in touch with nature. This free event is offered every year in Pigeon Forge year and it features eight days of wilderness fun! Jan 7-14, 2012 Music Road Hotel & Convention Center.
Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, TN opens up with a keynote address from Peggy Callahan, the executive director of the Wildlife Science Center. During the week you’ll learn from some of the area’s experts as well as participate in hands-on workshops, seminars, and lectures.
Get back to nature on more than 50 guided walks and hikes throughout the Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. These excursions are designed for all levels of experience. If you’re a music lover, you’ll enjoy some Smoky Mountain music performed during Appalachia Fest.
Every year, nature lovers flock to Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, TN for a week of fun, learning, and nature! The International Festivals & Events Association has recognized the event for its environmental and educational efforts.
New for 2012:
Photography Contest
Thanks in part to our wonderful friends at the Nantahala Outdoor Center,the Wilderness Wildlife Week Photography Contest has expanded. For the first time ever, the contest will feature seven divisions:
•Amateur
•Professional
•Wildlife
•Landscapes/Seascapes
•Youth & Young Adults (ages 17 and under)
•Great Smoky Mountain Landmarks
•Nature’s Wonders in Black & White
Also new to the contest is the implementation of the Judges’ Choice Award.
Cades Cove Heritage Track
Listen and enjoy as Cades Cove experts bring the history of the people and area to life.
Echoes of the Smokies!
Be prepared to relive the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Wilma Durpo.
Smoky Mountain Heritage Track
Reminisce and experience life throughout the history of Pigeon Forge, Sevier County and the Great Smoky Mountains.
Gatlinburg will welcome the arrival of 2012 in unique style with its 24th Annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show around the intersection of Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at the base of the Space Needle late Saturday night, December 31.
At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2012, the Space Needle area will shine with a red glow from the surrounding rooftops at the beginning of a music program which includes selected songs followed by a choreographed fireworks show produced by Pyro-Shows of LaFollette, Tennessee.
Leading up to midnight, popular musical entertainment will be headquartered on the balcony of the Gatlinburg Convention Center at the Historic Nature Trail/Airport Road entrance. Party favors provided by Mr. Tablecloth will be available near the base of the Space Needle on Historic Nature Trail.
“It has become a tradition for families and friends from across America to come back to celebrate the New Year here in Gatlinburg,” said George Hawkins, Special Events Manager. “We expect to have another big crowd to help us usher in 2012 with their loved ones and friends.”
The highlight of the evening is the ball drop from the Space Needle, signifying the old year is over and a new one has begun. Then music encouraging crowd participation and the fireworks show off the 342-foot structure will welcome the New Year in dazzling style.
The entire city of Gatlinburg celebrates New Year’s Eve in a big way with many restaurants and attractions offering special celebrations. Popular hotspots are right in the middle of the fireworks area below the Space Needle and offer varying packages which may include music, buffets and a champagne toast.
For information on other New Year’s Eve parties and activities as well as lodging and dining options, please call the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce at 800/568-4748, or visit www.gatlinburg.com.
Enjoy the Winterfest Trolley Tour of Lights.. Leave the driving to them !!
November 8, 2011 - January 13, 2012
See the Winterfest light displays and their five million shining lights on board the Pigeon Forge Trolley Tour of Lights. Your heated, enclosed trolley comes complete with its own personal tour guide who will share stories about Pigeon Forge’s history and our famous Winterfest light displays.
Park your car and leave the driving to us!
Winterfest Trolley Tour of Lights begins and end at Patriot Park. For specific departure times, call 865-453-6444.
Don’t miss the three-time Winner of America’s Best Christmas Event,
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana - 11/5 till 12/30/11. The 2011 season welcomes the premiere of Dollywood on Ice!, an ice dancing spectacular choreographed to the sounds of the season.
Walk amid a winter wonderland of four million lights as you enjoy more than 20 rides and attractions for the entire family. Settle in for one of the park’s award-winning holiday shows, including Christmas in the Smokies and O’ Holy Night before gathering around the table for a delicious holiday meal served at one of the park’s many restaurants.
Visit Santa’s Workshop where larger-than-life toy soldiers, wagons, a dollhouse, sailboats and other classic toys will astound you! See the 18-foot Christmas tree that is the centerpiece of Santa’s Workshop. Santa is also the centerpiece and star of the Parade of Lights that will come prancing throughout the park. A Dollywood Christmas is the most holiday fun you’ll have in the Smokies.
Santa’s Village with a free petting zoo, pony and camel rides are available including photos and plush animals, photos with Santa, a Christmas Tree lot with gorgeous christmas wreaths (after Thanksgiving), and festive refreshments including Hot Cocoa, Apple Cider, Funnel Cakes, Christmas Cookies, Pizza, Kettle Corn and so, so much more!!! Don’t miss it!!!
NEW THIS YEAR: Kids Santa’s Train, Inflatable Slide, and Ferris Wheel!
Gatlinburg Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade Presented by Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
December 2 , 2011 7:30pm Gatlinburg’s 36th annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade will showcase Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and one of the City’s largest and best known attractions families, Ripley’s Entertainment.
Sharky and Sharkette of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies will serve as the Parade’s Grand Marshals as it travels through downtown Gatlinburg on Friday, December 2 starting at 7:30 p.m. to the cheers of an anticipated crowd of more than 80,000 spectators.
Earlier this year, Ripley’s won an International Festival and Events Association Pinnacle award for Best Sponsor for Gatlinburg Special Events. The award recognized Ripley’s continued support of all of Gatlinburg’s events and community activities.
The Ripley’s Family includes the Believe It or Not Odditorium, Guinness World Records Museum, Davy Crockett Mini Golf, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze & Candy Factory, Ripley’s Moving Theater and, of course, the award-winning Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. Today, nearly 40 years after the company arrived in Sevier County, one can find a sampling of every Ripley's venue in this family destination. In fact, Gatlinburg now boasts the largest concentration of Ripley's businesses in the world.
The “Fantasy of Lights” Parade also won a Gold designation in the International Festival and Events Association Pinnacle Awards for its television production from last year.
Distinguished entries in this year’s parade include the world-famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The first Wienermobile was designed by Carl Mayer, nephew of Oscar Mayer, in 1936. The Wienermobile itself is 24 hot dogs high, 60 hot dogs long, 18 hot dogs wide and weighs 140,500 hot dogs.
The parade excitement for young and old also includes more than 100 parade entries, over a dozen marching bands from Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama, and giant helium balloons taking to the streets.
Santa’s Autograph Party cranks up at 6 p.m. at Riverbend Mall, in the midst of the main viewing area for the parade at Traffic Light #3. The parade begins at Traffic Light #1A on Hwy 321 at 7:30 p.m. and ends about an hour-and-a-half later at Traffic Light #10.
Jamming sidewalks and balconies along the parade route, a large crowd will be able to soak up the illuminating glow of Gatlinburg Winter Magic, the City of Gatlinburg’s popular holiday lights program which has received a $1.5 million injection of new displays plus a 100-percent conversion to energy-efficient LED bulbs over the past few years.
To learn more about these and other events in Gatlinburg, call 800-56-VISIT (568-4748) or visit the Gatlinburg website at http://www.gatlinburg.com/.
It's hard to believe that it's time again for the "Shades of the Past" Car Show in Pigeon Forge. It is Friday, September 7 and Saturday September 8, 2012. Get ready to hear the engines roar and the tires squeal !!! It's a blast..... unless you would rather not be stuck in traffic for hours !! .png "Wilderness Wildlife Week")
Gatlinburg will welcome the arrival of 2012 in unique style with its 24th Annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show around the intersection of Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at the base of the Space Needle late Saturday night, December 31.
Don’t miss the three-time Winner of America’s Best Christmas Event, 
Shadracks Stunning Christmas Light Display 
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