When you’re visiting the Smoky Mountains, make sure you spend some time exploring the fantastic shops in Pigeon Forge for souvenirs. Here are the best specialty shops in Pigeon Forge that offer their visitors a truly unique shopping experience.Read More
Top Five Family-Friendly Things to do in Pigeon Forge
Five Oaks Riding Stables
You can’t think about things to do in Pigeon Forge without mentioning horseback riding. A time honored tradition since the pioneering days, Five Oaks Riding Stables offers guests a premier horseback riding adventure for any experience level. Their fleet of over 60 horses are well behaved, and their staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Five Oaks Riding Stables is the perfect thing to do in Pigeon Forge for families, church groups, business retreats or friendly outings.Read More
Dollywood Pigeon Forge TN 2013 Expansion
Every year Dollywood, the amusement park in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, gets a little more exciting and a little more entertaining. In 2013, the biggest news is the addition of the water coaster, RiverRush. This one-of-kind roller coaster zooms through rushing water. It is the biggest addition to Dollywood’s Splash Country since the park’s creation in 2001. This coaster combines roller coaster magic with the thrill of a massive water slide. Rising four stories high, over the plentiful trees of this mountain amusement park, the River Rush zooms through a roller coaster’s traditional hairpin twists and turns as well as through the long dark tunnels that amusement park guests associate with their favorite water slides. It’s like a log flume ride on steroids! Still lots of fun, Dollywood’s other water rides are still there including the one-of-kind toboggan Mountain Slidewinder and the water-raft River Battle.Read More
Attractions In The Smoky Mountains To Entertain The Young And Young At Heart
There are many attractions in the Smoky Mountains to entertain the young and the young at heart. When you are vacationing in the Pigeon Forge area, consider adding adventures to your plans in the form of zorbing, ziplining, horseback riding, white water rafting or indoor sky diving.Read More
Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community Showcase Smoky Mountains Artisans
The Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community Showcase in the Smoky Mountains is the ideal place to discover all the wonderful local artisans and their wares. Over 120 craftsmen are situated along this eight mile loop. All are eager to show you how they create their special handcrafted items, answer your questions, and give you an opportunity to purchase their creations. The several studios, shops, and galleries are intermixed with cafes, and there is plenty of free parking throughout the area. Open all year round, you can watch sewing, painting, casting, carving, and weaving among other crafts.Read More
Hiking Trails Near Gatlinburg TN
Because the Gatlinburg area is filled with natural beauty including wildlife, scenic woodlands, tumbling cascades and impressive mountains, hiking trails near Gatlinburg TN is one of the most popular outdoor activities for many visitors. Below are some of the best hiking trails near Gatlinburg TN.Read More
History Of The Great Smoky Mountains Shared At Cades Cove
Historical homes and cabins, early primitive churches, old graveyards and many trails all serve to illustrate Cades Cove’s interesting and colorful past. Cades Cove, Tennessee, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, transports visitors back to the early 1800’s when life was harsh, but the inhabitants were steadfast in their determination to create a viable lifestyle.Read More
Visit A Local Winery In Gatlinburg And Get A Free Sampling
The rich Appalachian soil of the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area produces the superior fruits used in making the Gatlinburg area’s prize-winning wines. Tour the Rocky Top Wine Trail for a sampling of first-class wine from each of five area wineries, all within 12 miles of each other. Visit each of the wineries for a tasting, to purchase unique local wines and to browse the gift shops which are filled with items unique to the area. Patient and knowledgeable guides are happy to answer your questions.Read More
Taste A Legendary Secret At Smoky Mountain Moonshine in Gatlinburg
At traffic light number eight in Gatlinburg Tennessee you can taste a legendary secret at Smoky Mountain Moonshine. Open daily from 10AM to 10PM, visitors can learn just what goes in to producing the area’s best moonshine and taste samples.
One can get the real moonshine experience at the Ole Smoky Distillery. Guests can view the entire process of a working moonshine still, including the unique smells of cooking grains and fermentation. Knowledgeable distillers are on hand to answer all questions and explain moonshining’s history. Free samples of White Lightnin’, Unaged Corn Whiskey, and Moonshine Cherries are available after the tour. Visitors can take home their favorites from the Ole Smoky Store.
Smoky Mountain Moonshine is owned and operated by a family who has spent generations perfecting the art of making moonshine, running it, and selling it. Their ancestors were early settlers to the Smoky Mountains who used this craft to survive the hard times. They are one of the few willing to share their story and art of whiskey making.
The recipes used for the products you’ll sample are the result of over two hundred years spent perfecting the taste. The corn used is raised on the family land, and they use their own mill to grind it. You’ll see the final steps in creating the whiskey at the distillery.
Once the laws allowed spirit distillation, this family saw a chance to share their product with the world. Ole Smoky became the first distillery in Tennessee to be federally licensed.
The following Smoky Mountain Moonshine whiskeys are available for purchase.
• Ole Smoky Original Moonshine
• Ole Smoky White Lightnin’
• Ole Smoky Moonshine Cherries
• Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine
• Ole Smoky Peach Moonshine
• Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine
Seasonal flavors can be found at the Gatlinburg store only. That would include blueberry, grape, Hunch Punch, lemon drop, pink lemonade, and strawberry.
Breakfast Is Ready With Pancakes In Gatlinburg Restaurants
Gatlinburg is a great place to be busy, but it is also a place to relax. For many couples and families, it is a tradition to pull up a chair to a big breakfast. Gatlinburg restaurants certainly aim to please. There are many pancake houses by many different names that make it easy to find just what you want. If you are craving a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, homemade biscuits, and more, the place to be is Gatlinburg.
On the Parkway, you may see lots of people heading to a cabin-like restaurant. That’s the Flapjacks Pancake Cabin. They also have a location in Pigeon Forge as well! Be sure to check out these other amazing places to get breakfast in Pigeon Forge! There are two, 146 Parkway and 956 Parkway, with plenty of breakfast to offer any appetite. If you want a stack of pancakes, this is a sure thing. Of course, there are other sure choices on the Parkway. The Pancake Pantry, at 628 Parkway, also piles ‘em high. Moms really enjoy the chance to indulge on a big breakfast without lifting a hand except to pick up the syrup.
The Atrium Pancakes Restaurant is at 432 Parkway. This fixture of Gatlinburg restaurants serves up plenty of golden, delicious pancakes and all the breakfast fixings. Aunt B’s Pancake and Grill is another recognizable landmark at 200 Parkway. You may see a line on a Saturday, but don’t let that stop you from having a big breakfast cooked the way only Aunt B can.
Of course, East Parkway has its share of pancake restaurants, too. The Little House of Pancakes at 807 E. Parkway offers stacks and stacks of the tasty breakfast treat. You will also find another location of Flapjacks Pancake Cabin at 478 E Parkway. If you are near River Road, you can get your big pancake breakfast at River Road Pancake House. This pancake haven is at 831 River Road.
Don’t miss these other breakfast places in Pigeon Forge!
With so many choices of Gatlinburg restaurants, the best advice is: bring an appetite. After you enjoy a big stack, you can walk it off during a stroll down the beautiful, welcoming streets of Gatlinburg.
Springfest In Gatlinburg Shows The Great Smoky Mountains In Full Bloom
Springfest in Gatlinburg is a wonderful three month long celebration of winter’s end. It starts in early March and is marked by the amazing blooms that are found throughout the area. People come out to enjoy the warmer weather, along with some incredible activities and events that you’ll only find at this time of year.
Several of the Springfest events highlight the talented craftsmen of this area. The Mountain Quiltfest is a spectacular showcase of the Smoky Mountains best stitching from expert quilters. After enjoying the colorful displays of hand sewn quilts throughout the area, visitors can head to the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Here one will find the annual Arts and Crafts Show. Hundreds of local artists are on hand to sell their wares.
What would a Smoky Mountain Springfest be without Dolly Parton. Dolly herself is the grand marshal of her yearly homecoming parade. The Dollywood Parade includes bands, floats, celebrities, and plenty of entertainment. For those who haven’t got their fill of this talented country singer, head over to Dollywood for the Festival of Nations.
Visitors to Gatlinburg know that the local food is a big part of a vacation to the Smoky Mountains, and Springfest is no exception. Ribfest is a tasty street fair on the Parkway where one can sample ribs and sauces from several vendors. Nothing else compares, except maybe for the Bloomin’ BBQ and Bluegrass Festival.
When talking about the Springfest in Gatlinburg, we cannot forget the star of the show. The colorful array of flowers, shrubs, and trees is amazing. People decorate the Parkway with a variety of baskets and planters over flowing with blossoms, but it’s the native plant life that truly delights. The Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will introduce you to the many species. Shrubs such as Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and Azalea are at their peak this time of year. Dogwoods and other spring trees bring the forests to life, along with the spring ephemerals. These appear in late winter and are very special as they flower and are gone quickly. There is a short two month time period in which to view the ephemerals. This category includes all-time favorites like Trillium, Showy Orchids, Lady Slipper, Crested Dwarf Iris, Columbine, Fire Pink, Bleeding Heart, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Phacelia, and Little Brown Jugs.
Encounter An Iceberg At Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge
The Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge is a must see while in Tennessee. It is the largest Titanic museum in the world. As you explore, you’ll find it’s a respectful way to honor the crew and passengers, as well as celebrate the craftsmanship of the ship itself. Self-guided tours will give you an accurate feel for what those people experienced on that historic night.Read More