1987 Dollywood Commercial

Planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains this fall? Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort provides the ideal locale for your Great Smoky Mountains getaway. Nestled on approximately 70 acres adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort features the 60,000-square-foot Wild Bear Falls water park (the largest indoor water park in the South), two outdoor pools, two hot tubs, fitness facility and 24-hour marketplace. Enjoy award-winning barbecue at the casual Westgate Smokehouse Grill. The adjacent Mason Jar Lounge serves appetizers and snacks along with your favorite beverage. Escape to the Serenity Spa by Westgate and indulge in a mountain hot stone massage, manicure, pedicure or facial. For more information about Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.wgsmokymountains.com.

Cirque de Chine

For more information about live shows and attractions in the Great Smoky Mountains, visit www.escapetothesmokies.com.

Dollywood to Host KidsFest 2010

This summer, a new spin on a familiar favorite is in store for KidsFest (June 11-Aug. 1, 2010) at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as a different headliner appears each week in the park’s new Adventure Theatre. Special family entertainment includes The Paper World Show by Mimirichi, comedic juggler Mark Nizer, extreme magician Curtis Adams, master ventriloquist Kevin Johnson, Fan Yang’s Gazillion Bubble Show, The Passing Zone and much more. Don’t miss it! For more information about KidsFest at Dollywood, visit www.dollywood.com.

Planning to visit the Great Smoky Mountains this summer? Check out the latest deals at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort features the 60,000-square-foot Wild Bear Falls water park (the largest indoor water park in the South), two outdoor pools, two hot tubs, fitness facility and 24-hour marketplace. Enjoy award-winning barbecue at the casual Westgate Smokehouse Grill. The adjacent Mason Jar Lounge serves appetizers and snacks along with your favorite beverage. Escape to the new Serenity Spa by Westgate and indulge in a mountain hot stone massage, manicure, pedicure or facial. For more information about Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.wgsmokymountains.com.

Flashback: Goldrush Junction, ca. 1966

Rebel Railroad, which opened in Pigeon Forge in 1961, was renamed Goldrush Junction in 1966. In 1976, Goldrush Junction was renamed simply “Goldrush.” In 1977, Goldrush was renamed Silver Dollar City Tennessee. In 1986, country music superstar Dolly Parton became co-owner of Silver Dollar City Tennessee and the name was again changed to Dollywood. And now you know the rest of the story!

Gatlinburg: Gateway to the Smokies!

A bustling mountain resort town, Gatlinburg has evolved into one of the world’s most popular family vacation getaways. Nestled within the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg lies within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the population of the United States. Gatlinburg provides easy access to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an International Biosphere Reserve that features spectacular scenery and wildlife, as well as more than 850 miles of hiking trails, great fishing opportunities, horseback riding, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, picnic areas, historic sites and much more.

Gatlinburg also boasts a multitude of family-friendly attractions such as Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, mountain crafts, world-class dining, miniature golf and excellent shopping opportunities. Neighboring Pigeon Forge is home to the immensely popular Dollywood theme park and Splash Country Water Adventure Park, as well as a wide range of live entertainment venues such as Dixie Stampede and Black Bear Jamboree.

Planning a vacation getaway to Gatlinburg? Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort lies on 70 acres adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and features spacious accommodations with spectacular mountain views and a multitude of onsite amenities such as the 60,000-square-foot Wild Bear Falls water park, award-winning Smokehouse Grill and world-class Serenity Spa by Westgate. For more information about Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.wgsmokymountain.com.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Videos

Abrams Falls

Appalachian Trail


Cades Cove

Clingmans Dome

Dolly Parton Sings at Park’s 75th Anniversary Rededication Ceremony

Explore the Wonders of Cataloochee Valley

Hike to Mount LeConte


Laurel Falls


LeConte Lodge

Mingus Mill


Ramsey Cascades


Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail


Traveling Newfound Gap Road

Seeking great deals on spacious and comfortable accommodations that provide convenient access to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Look no farther than Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa! For more information about Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, visit www.wgsmokymountains.com.

Smoky Mountains Offer Peaceful Escape

Not all vacations leave us with the impression that we’ve actually had a vacation. One of the biggest mistakes we make when going on holiday is to pack too much sightseeing, exploring and other activities into our schedules, leaving little time for relaxation and personal reflection. A lot of why we do this has to do with where we choose to go on vacation. By choosing destinations that are high on points of interest and low on scenic beauty, we feel that we must visit and photograph each and every museum, ruin, architectural wonder and street scene.

The Great Smoky Mountains area of Tennessee doesn’t have an Acropolis, Eiffel Tower or St. Paul’s Cathedral, nor does it hum with the hustle and bustle of city life. There are no man-made skyscrapers, no concrete and steel canyons and no heavily traversed canals to be found in the Great Smoky Mountains. What the area does have to offer is some of the most breathtaking views of nature in existence, and the peaceful serenity that accompanies only a place as visually magical and wondrous as a mountain retreat.

That’s not to say that activities aren’t available for those who are so inclined. In fact, one can fill his or her schedule quite easily with activities such as hiking, fishing, horseback riding, river tubing, whitewater rafting and camping at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, even these activities are less about sightseeing and more about active participation, which is something today’s couples and families do very little of together.

Whether urban or suburban, the pressures of work, school and our individual interests often guide us away from spending quality time with our families. This is why vacations can be so important. Vacations should give us the opportunity to reconnect and strengthen the bonds between us and our loved ones. Vacationing in the usual tourist destinations is all about taking us out of our element and providing external stimulus, which doesn’t always have the effect of bringing people closer together. Vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, on the other hand, is conducive to exploring the wonders of nature together, spending time in activities that require human interaction and appreciating the world around us, including each other.

Best of all, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort provides the ideal locale for your Great Smoky Mountains escape. Nestled on approximately 70 acres adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort features the 60,000-square-foot Wild Bear Falls water park (the largest indoor water park in the South), two outdoor pools, two hot tubs, fitness facility and 24-hour marketplace. Enjoy award-winning barbecue at the casual Westgate Smokehouse Grill. The adjacent Mason Jar Lounge serves appetizers and snacks along with your favorite beverage. Escape to the new Serenity Spa by Westgate and indulge in a mountain hot stone massage, manicure, pedicure or facial. For more information about Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.wgsmokymountains.com.

Traveling Newfound Gap Road

A 32-mile stretch of road that connects Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to Cherokee, North Carolina, Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) features scenic overlooks, picnic areas, mountain streams, and the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee visitor centers. Numerous hiking trails can be found along the way such as Chimney Tops (4 miles round trip), Alum Cave Bluffs (11 miles) and a portion of the famous Appalachian Trail. The highest point along the road is Newfound Gap with an elevation of 5,048 feet. Newfound Gap offers a spectacular overlook, as well as the Rockefeller Memorial, which marks the spot where President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940.

Clingmans Dome

At 6,643 feet above sea level, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Clingmans Dome was named in honor of North Carolina Senator Thomas Lanier Clingman, who helped measure it in 1858. Take a short but (steep!), 0.5-mile hike along a paved walkway up to Clingmans Dome’s 54-foot-tall observation tower for a spectacular view of the Smoky Mountains. To reach Clingmans Dome, take a 7-mile side road off Newfound Gap Road. The road to Clingmans Dome is typically closed from December through March because of icy weather conditions.