Check out the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guide for comprehensive information about the park, as well as photos and videos.
Smokies Guide
July 31, 2008 by seo2winsDon’t Miss Gatlinburg’s July 4th Midnight Parade!
July 2, 2008 by seo2winsLighted floats, giant helium balloons, lively marching bands and more make up Gatlinburg’s Fourth of July Midnight Parade, which beings promptly on July 4th at 12:01 AM - making it the first Independence Day parade in the country each year.
Oconaluftee Village Offers “Hands on Cherokee”
June 19, 2008 by seo2winsThe Oconaluftee Indian Village has opened for the 2008 season, with brand new events, including “Hands On Cherokee” where visitors can learn how to make their very own Cherokee work of art.
The Oconaluftee Indian Village is a living, outdoor representation of Cherokee life circa 1750 that features replicas of traditional structures and interpreters in authentic, centuries-old dress. Village tours include demonstrations of ancient arts and crafts - basketry, beading, woodwork and pottery, along with hunting techniques such as the blowgun and arrowhead carving. And this year, visitors can take an active part in the experience. Every week, Wednesday through Saturday at 11am and 2pm, the Village will host “Hands-On Cherokee”- where guests can create their own piece of Cherokee Pottery or Beadwork, under the expert instruction of Village Crafters – a true Cherokee treasure to take home with them.
Other new village additions include traditional Cherokee dance performances held twice daily on the Square Grounds. Some of the featured dances include the Quail Dance, Beaver Dance, Horse Dance and Green Corn Dance.
And Cherokee Legends and Storytelling will be offered 4 times a week. This free event will take place in the Village Outdoor Classroom.
Gatlinburg to Host Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales
June 5, 2008 by seo2winsBack by popular demand, Gatlinburg’s 3rd annual run of Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales™ begins in downtown Gatlinburg on June 13 and will run through August 9. Tunes & Tales is a summer-long street performance event featuring costumed musical performers, storytellers and artisans portraying time periods as far back as 1800. A collection of personalities and performers arrive nightly at 5 p.m. via horse-drawn wagon in the center of town. Visitors witness a magical transformation of sidewalk to stage as the characters disperse along the downtown Parkway for an evening of entertainment and storytelling until 10 p.m.
As many as 14 nightly acts perform throughout the evening. This popular eight-week event truly highlights one of Gatlinburg’s greatest assets – the walkability of the community – and provides guests with an interactive, educational and entertaining experience the whole family can enjoy.
As part of Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales™, visitors can stroll along the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg and catch a toe-tappin’ performance by “The Back Porch Cloggers,” a group showcasing the original dance of the Appalachians.
In addition, guests can meet Whittlin’ Joe as he demonstrates his craft and shares his stories of living in the Smokies, and Miss Nan the school marm shares her experiences and fun stories as a pioneer teacher. “Zeno the Gatlinburg Bear” also makes nightly appearances during this popular summer special event, dishing out hugs and waving to his new friends.
Other popular returning Appalachian characters include Hammer and Strings, the dulcimer duo, and Animal Mac, who sings about his four-legged friends from the Great Smoky Mountains.
Visitors also get a chance to hear traditional mountain music by the Spring Lizards, a musical husband and wife team, who plays the music of the 1800’s. The pure and rustic music and folk-like lyrics tell stories of the joys and tribulations of life of the early pioneer families.
Folks will enjoy hearing from Annie the Quilter as she shows off her family’s quilt noting that each square has its own story. She even gives tips and show how quilts are made to any would-be seamsters.
Since Gatlinburg is the birthplace of the famous bluegrass tune, “Rocky Top”, Tunes & Tales features traditional bluegrass bands each night such as the Tennessee Mountain Boys, Mountain Mike & the River Road Ramblers and White Oak Flats playing favorite bluegrass standards. All performances are free and happen all along the Parkway, seven nights a week until August 9 making every evening a special event in Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg’s Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales is an official activity of the City’s Department of Tourism.
Dolly Parton Debuts “River Battle” at Dollywood
May 30, 2008 by seo2wins
Dollywood Prepares for KidsFest
May 14, 2008 by seo2winsKid crafts, karaoke, puppets, clowns, jugglers, magicians, a trained dog show, extreme sports and much more highlight the festivities at Dollywood theme park during Kidsfest, which will take place daily from June 13 to August 3, 2008. Dollywood is located at 1020 Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
For more information about Dollywood KidsFest, visit http://escapetothesmokies.com.
National Park to Host Music of the Mountains Fest
March 18, 2008 by seo2winsGreat Smoky Mountains National Park will hold its fourth annual “Music of the Mountains” festival on Saturday, March 29, 2008, in partnership with the City of Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains Association. This year’s day-long festival marks a departure from previous year’s events, whch had been exclusively evening concerts. A series of six concerts will be held from 10 AM until 5 PM at the Park’s Sugarlands Visitor Center and an evening performance will be held at W.L. Mills Conference Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. ”Music of the Mountains” is a celebration of musical traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, showcasing the evolution of mountain music over time. Each of the following six concerts are free to the public: Tony Thomas (10 AM), Lost Mill String Band (11 AM), Matt Morelock and Brian Vollmer (noon and 1 PM), Bobby Fulcher (2 PM), Boogertown Gap (3 PM) and Sparky and Rhonda Rucker (4 PM). Following the Sugarlands Visitor Center concerts, the event will be capped off with an evening concert by “Jimbo Whaley and Friends” at W.L. Mills Conference Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, starting at 7 PM. Tickets for the Whaley concert can be purchased online for $20 each or at the door of the event for $25.
Dollywood Theme Park Set to Reopen for 2008
March 17, 2008 by seo2winsIn addition to its usual stellar lineup of attractions, live shows and crafts, Dollywood will feature a new, $5 million River Battle Ride when the theme park opens its doors for the 2008 season on Friday, March 21, 2008. Dollywood will also add a 750-foot walkway to connect Timber Canyon with Craftsman’s Valley, reopen its Thunder Road attraction at Adventures in Imagination and host five spectacular festivals for the 2008 season. Finally, Dollywood will provide a new entrance for 2008 to improve traffic flow into the theme park.
RIVER BATTLE
A totally interactive, themed water raft ride, River Battle is equipped with powerful soaker guns. Nine rafts, each with room for eight passengers, follow a 500-foot channel. As the rafts navigate the waters, the battle begins as passengers, each armed with a soaker gun, take aim at each other and more than 100 targets along the way such as “talking animals” - beavers, skunks, otters, bears and more. Some of the targets shoot back while others display a variety of special effects, creating surprises at every turn and ensuring that no two rides are ever exactly the same.
In the official press release for the new Dollywood attraction, Dolly Parton comments, “When I was a kid, me and my brothers and sisters used to sneak away and start up a river battle of our own, but I never dreamed that kind of childhood fun would end up creating a great ride like my new River Battle.”
With an hourly ride capacity of 800 passengers, River Battle will be located just beyond Dollywood’s Mystery Mine steel coaster. The River Battle project also includes a new 750-foot walkway that provides a direct route to the theme park’s Craftsman’s Valley area from Timber Canyon. The new connector represents the largest earthworks project since the Dollywood Express train’s track bed was completed in 1960. The connector project entails moving 170,000 cubic yards of soil and rocks – the equivalent of 8,500 truck loads.
THUNDER ROAD
In addition to River Battle, Dollywood will reopen for the 2008 season after several years’ hiatus. An indoor attraction, Thunder Road takes you along for a wild adventure with bootlegger Luke Doolin as he attempts to outrun both the sheriff and the revenuers during a lively three-car chase.
Thunder Road will operate from March 21 through November 1, 2008, at Dollywood. The minimum height requirement for Thunder Road is 42 inches. Thunder Road lies in the Adventures in Imagination area of the theme park.
2008 DOLLYWOOD FESTIVALS
Dollywood also will host five of the South’s largest festivals during the 2008 season: Festival of Nations, KidsFest, Barbeque & Bluegrass, Harvest Celebration and Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Festival of Nations (March 21 – May 5, 200 
An international celebration, Festival of Nations features dancing, live entertainment, culture exhibits, crafts and great food.
KidsFest (June 13 – August 3, 200
Kid crafts, karaoke, puppets, clowns, jugglers, magicians, a trained dog show, extreme sports and much more highlight the festivities at Dollywood during Kidfest. Don’t miss Creature Adventures, which takes audiences on a worldwide expedition through the eyes of the Kratt Brothers, stars of the popular PBS series, “Zoboomafoo.”
Barbeque & Bluegrass (September 5-28, 200
Enjoy great bluegrass music and tasty barbeque at Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass, a 15-day festival that features more than 500 bluegrass concerts, including Ricky Skaggs (September 5-6, 2008), Del McCoury Band (September 7-8, 200 and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (September 14-15, 2008).
Harvest Celebration (October 3 – November 1, 200
View the talents of more than 100 craftspeople from around the United States and enjoy the best in Southern gospel music at the Harvest Celebration, which features more than 250 concerts.
Smoky Mountain Christmas (November 8, 2008 – January 3, 2009)
Dollywood shines brightly with 3.5-million lights and a variety of special holiday events throughout the theme park during Smoky Mountain Christmas.
NEW DOLLYWOOD ENTRANCE
In order to provide the most efficient traffic flow possible, ALL Dollywood traffic will be routed through the entrance on McCarter Hollow Road (just off Veterans Boulevard) for the 2008 season. The Dollywood Lane entrance will be closed to all traffic.
BOOK YOUR DOLLYWOOD VACATION TODAY!
“Make plans to take the whole family to Dollywood during the 2008 season and experience all of the new attractions, live entertainment venues and great festivals this dynamic theme park has to offer,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing at HotelsCorp.com. “And by booking your Dollywood vacation online, you can enjoy incredible savings on discount Dollywood tickets, Pigeon Forge hotels and Smokies vacation packages.
Gatlinburg to Host Ribfest & Wings Festival
March 13, 2008 by seo2winsGatlinburg’s 7th-annual Ribfest & Wings Festival will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2008, from 5 PM to 8 PM on River Road and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza in downtown Gatlinburg. Highlights will include live entertainment, children’s activities and a hot wing eating contest!
Back by popular demand, the Beat Daddys return to the stage to offer their unique brand of soulful rock ‘n roll blues.
Hot wing eating contests take place throughout the event and feature sauces such as “The Hottest Sauce in the World,” “Ring of Fire,” “Sweatin’ in the Smokies” and “Death by Wings.” The City of Gatlinburg will award prizes to the “Hot Wing Eating Contest Champion of the Year.” See if you can handle it!
The list of last year’s participants included Crawdaddy’s, Corky’s BBQ, TGI Friday’s and Lineberger’s Seafood Company.
An armband for Ribfest & Wings is only $10 and allows all-you-can-eat sampling or a “buck for a bone or two wings.”
