Pigeon Forge in 2010 is Packed Full of Excitement

A silver anniversary for a top-rated theme park and the grand opening of an ocean liner – something you might not expect in the Great Smoky Mountains – top the list of what’s new in Pigeon Forge, TN., for 2010.

Dollywood, of course, is the theme park with the big anniversary, and Titanic Pigeon Forge, a $25 million museum/attraction, is the ocean liner. Dollywood jumps into its 25th season of mountain fun on March 27, and Titanic Pigeon Forge sets sail in early April.

Titanic Pigeon Forge

In a tourist town full of attractions, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge may take the prize for the most unexpected. Against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck reproduction of the ill-fated ship known the world over.

Titanic Pigeon Forge, a $25 million project, opens in early April to share the story of the ship, its one voyage and its 2,208 passengers and crew. The museum attraction will display hundreds of priceless Titanic artifacts in more than 20 galleries that also will contain exact replicas of the “Grand Staircase,” a first-class suite, a third-class cabin and the bridge. Interactive experiences include touching an iceberg, getting into a lifeboat and feeling the chill of 28-degree water. There’s a special area called Tot-Titanic for children 8 and younger.

Guests will receive a boarding pass bearing the name of a real Titanic passenger or crewmember. At tour’s end, each guest will learn the fate of the passenger or crewmember named on the boarding pass.

Adventure Mountain at Dollywood

Part of Dollywood’s celebration of its 25th season is Adventure Mountain, a two-acre expanse of 140 interactive elements laid out in four courses. Adventure Mountain will challenge visitors to navigate rope trails, net ladders, swinging bridges, flying islands, pulleys, moving beams and a tire traverse. Those who take on the biggest challenges will find themselves 90 feet above the park’s Wilderness Pass pathway.

Adventure Mountain, designed exclusively for Dollywood, includes Camp Teachittoomee, an area specifically for guests 42 inches and under. Camp Teachittoomee is ADA accessible. The Dollywood season beings March 27.

The Partridge & Pear at Christmas Place

The Incredible Christmas Place, the year-round Christmas emporium that expanded its scope with the 145-room Inn at Christmas Place in 2007, is adding a restaurant, the Partridge & Pear at Christmas Place. The restaurant, which promises a gourmet flair in the evening, also will serve lunch.

The chef is Aaron Ward, and one of his special touches is retaining his mother as the dessert baker. The restaurant also will feature a small bakeshop. It will include three dining rooms that can be reserved for meetings and private events. Opening is planned for June.

Slick Rock Racer at Dollywood’s Splash Country

Dollywood’s Splash Country water park is adding Slick Rock Racer, a multi-lane mat slide, for the 2010 season. Slick Rock Racer spans 300 feet and features four water-drenched lanes. Positioned belly down on mats, each rider travels head first on channels that include an initial dip to build speed. Multiple bumps along the length of the slide allow riders to gain additional momentum that propels them to the finish. The new attraction can accommodate approximately 600 guests an hour.

Slick Rock Racer joins Dollywood’s Splash Country’s more than 30 water adventure slides including The Butterfly, Mountain Scream, Mountain Twist and the 70-foot-tall Fire Tower Falls, Tennessee’s tallest twin speed slides. The 35-acre water park operates from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Travel Channel has recognized it twice as one of America’s top ten water parks.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Miracle Theater

The Miracle Theater has added a lavish production of the Broadway hit “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” for the entire 2010 season. “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle will be a special guest performer for five weeks this spring (March 1-April 9). The theater’s original production, “The Miracle,” joins the repertoire on March 12 for matinee performances.

Joseph,” of course, is a comical telling of the story of Joseph, his jealous brothers and one extremely loud garment. It’s a tale that spans musical styles from calypso to rock to disco to country. This Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice hit has been an audience favorite for more than 35 years.

WonderWorks

Popular magician Terry Evanswood, the youngest illusionist to perform at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle, brings his skills in sleight-of-hand tricks, comedy and audience interaction to the 300-seat Imagination Theater at WonderWorks. The first of his more than 400 “Wonder of Magic” shows in 2010 is March 1.

Most of Evanswood’s performances will be matinees, and the “Hoot ‘n’ Holler” dinner show remains the featured evening production. Evanswood’s personal collection memorabilia from the world of magic entertainment will be showcased in the WonderWorks lobby.

Smith Family Dinner Theater

The Smith Family Dinner Theater is expanding its seating to 500 with the addition of a balcony. The primary show features country, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll and gospel songs delivered through the family harmonies and comedy of Charlie, Jim and Charlie Bob Smith.

Country artist T.G. Sheppard performs on selected dates, and “Blast from the Past” is set for numerous matinee and evening performances. “Blast from the Past” features songs from the 50s and tributes to “Grease” and Elvis Presley.

New Magician — and a Monkey — at Magic Beyond Belief Theater

Sean-Paul the Magic Man, his telepathic wife Juliane and Frankie the Monkey are the stars of a new production at the Magic Beyond Belief Theater on the Parkway. Sean-Paul’s act includes his magic, quick-witted comedy, Frankie’s mind reading skills and “guest appearances” from birds, tigers and serval cats. The show combines sleight-of-hand tricks and large-scale illusions. Sean-Paul was captivated by magic at age 8, and he performed his first show at age 11 at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

New Lodging: Clarion Inn and SpringHill Suites Hotel

The 94-room Clarion Inn will open in March next to the Walden’s Landing shopping and restaurant development. It will offer complimentary breakfast, a hospitality room, indoor and outdoor pools and a lazy river attraction.

The 112-room SpringHill Suites Pigeon Forge is scheduled to open this spring. The property, just off the Parkway at 120 Christmas Tree Lane, will offer complimentary breakfast, a fitness room, meeting space and indoor and outdoor pools.

African Black Footed Penguins Will Have New Home At Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has announced the opening of “Ripley’s Penguin Playhouse,” a new indoor/outdoor multi-million dollar habitat featuring a colony of African Black Footed Penguins. The exhibit is scheduled to open in March of 2010.

The 4,000-square-foot exhibit features a habitat that closely models the home of African Black Footed Penguins, also known as Jackass Penguins for the distinctive braying sounds they make. Naturalistic rockwork and plantings surrounded by more than 30,000 gallons of temperature-controlled saltwater depict the coastal island rookeries along the coast of South Africa.

“We are really happy and proud that we are able to debut this amazing exhibit during our 10th anniversary. We feel our “Penguin Playhouse” will soon become another iconic exhibit within the aquarium and will be at the top of must-see lists for visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Ryan DeSear, manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Aquarium guests will be able to view the penguins from both above and below water level. Visitors will also be able to crawl through clear underwater acrylic tunnels and pop up on the penguins’ private beach to view the birds nose to beak. At the same time, as visitors crawl through the tunnels, penguins swimming above and below them will be able to get a good close-up of the human species.

The highly interactive habitat will have two wave machines and multiple spa jets that will create continual water movements, which in turn will create an inviting watery playground for the birds.

Ripley’s Vice President of Husbandry, Joe Choromanski, who helped create the exhibit, notes that “we have studied penguin exhibits from zoos and aquariums around the world, as well as their natural habitat, and we are building what we believe to be the most realistic, interactive and fun exhibit in existence.”

The penguins that will be calling Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies home have all been bred at other zoos and aquariums and are a part of the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. When these young birds reach breeding age, they too will contribute to the survival of this species in the wild.

The exhibit is the largest and costliest expansion ever at the aquarium, now celebrating its 10th year in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. More than 14 million visitors have visited the aquarium since its opening in December 2000.

The Aquarium of the Smokies is the second most attended attraction in Tennessee. For more information about the exhibit and the aquarium, you can check out the Aquarium’s website.

Gatlinburg Rings In the New Year With a Unique Style

Gatlinburg will welcome the arrival of 2010 in unique style with its 22nd Annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show at the Space Needle late Thursday night, December 31.

At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2010, 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, live entertainment and music delivered by local favorite Kevin McGuire will be headquartered on the balcony of the Gatlinburg Convention Center at the Historic Nature Trail/Airport Road entrance. Performers will entertain the crowd prior to midnight at the free public event, with party favors provided by Mr. Tablecloth available near the base of the Space Needle.

“It has become a tradition for families 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 2010 with their family 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.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies offers a “Dance With the Sharks” party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. A ticket includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast, fireworks viewing from Aquarium Plaza, and two dance floors, one with an 8-piece band, the other with a DJ. Kids arrangements and programs are also available.

Popular hotspots like Blaine’s Restaurant, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere. Lineberger’s Seafood Company and T.G.I. Friday’s 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 parties and activities as well as lodging and dining options, please call the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce at 800/568-4748, or visit their website.

Flipping the “Green” Switch on Winterfest

During the winter months, Sevierville and the Great Smoky Mountains area sparkle with millions of twinkling lights during Smoky Mountain Winterfest (Nov. 3 – Feb. 28). Best of all a full 75% of the lights are LED lights meaning brighter colors, more variety and lower energy usage.

Now celebrating its 20th year, Smoky Mountain Winterfest has become a holiday tradition for many visitors who return year after year to enjoy the lights, shopping, shows,  luxury lodging and attractions. Viewing Smoky Mountain Winterfest lights with friends and family is a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

For added fun while viewing the lights, visitors are encouraged to make a quick stop on their way into town at the Sevierville Visitor Center on Hwy 66 (1.5 miles from I-40 Exit 407). There they can pick up a free pair of Winterfest in 3D glasses while supplies last. The glasses shift each point of light into a snowflake, adding even more interest to the intricate light displays. Winterfest lights are a huge draw, but once visitors arrive in Sevierville they also find incredible shopping, shows and attractions.

Sevierville features nearly 150 name brand outlet stores where shoppers can find everything from fine China and clothing to tools and furniture. Specialty retail shops featuring items like fine art, antiques and collectibles and outdoor items are also popular. Visitors can even take a piece of Winterfest home by visiting stores like Country Christmas and Christmas Done Bright where Winterfest style lighting displays are for sale and custom displays are built to order.

The fun continues through February with holiday shows and year-round attractions. For more information about visiting Sevierville and the Great Smoky Mountains during Winterfest, contact the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. 1-888-SEVIERVILLE (738-4378) or (865) 453-6411

Christmas Wonderland of Lights at Smokies Stadium

CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND AT SMOKIES STADIUM Presented by Shadrack Shadrack Watersports and RV brings Christmas Wonderland to Smokies Stadium in Sevierville, Tennessee during the 2009-10 Winterfest Celebration.

The lighting spectacular, which kicks off November 6, 2009, is one of America’s largest drive-through, fully computerized LED light shows. Hundreds of thousands of lights are included in this perfectly synchronized show filled with holiday tunes. The entire drive-through spectacular is nearly one mile in length and lasts approximately 20 minutes.

“Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium presented by Shadrack will be a great addition to Sevierville’s Winterfest Celebration this year,” says Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Amanda Marr. “There are already millions of people who come to our area during Winterfest but having a new attraction like Christmas Wonderland will give those visitors something new and exciting for this year as well.”

Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium presented by Shadrack will continue through January 2, 2010. Hours of operation are 6pm-10pm daily.

Admission:
$10 per car Monday-Thursday
$15 per car Friday-Sunday
$20 per Activity Van
$30 per Limo and $65 per bus
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve are weekend rates.

Proceeds will benefit area food ministries. For more information, call (423) 652-0120. Located at the Smokies Stadium – 3540 Line Drive – Kodak, TN 37764.

Paranormal Events for Fright Nights at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is celebrating its 11th annual Fright Nights show this year with “Phobias”, a show dedicated to fears of the human psyche! “We have been toying with this idea for a couple of years, but we wanted to really spend some time putting together just the right collection of phobias that we can portray in the largest sense,” says Suzanne DeSear, manager. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, best known for its year-round haunting, will become even scarier during this time as the number of performers multiplies and themed surroundings play on your sight, sound, touch, and even smell. There is no extra charge for the special Fright Nights shows which run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October. Shows are kicked off nightly at 6:13pm with a character parade.

This year there will be added special events with the “Eat a Cricket for a Ticket” promotion in which people will be randomly picked on the street to see if they can truly eat a cricket to win a ticket to the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Fright Night show. There will also be special visits from some of the creepy crawly bugs and reptiles from Rainforest Adventure for those brave enough to touch, pet, and hold. And what would a Fright Nights show be without a special horror celebrity? On the weekend of October 23rd and 24th in conjunction with The Grand AdventureCon, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure will be hosting two guest celebrities, Daeg Faerch and William Forsythe from Rob Zombie’s Halloween.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is a year round haunted house that was opened in 1999 by Ripley Entertainment on the site of what was once the Grimsby & Streaper Casket Company. The old casket factory was abandoned under mysterious circumstances during the early 1900s shortly after residents started disappearing. Until Ripley’s can decide the most beneficial development for the area, they continue to conduct tours of the facility.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is one of the few haunted houses in the nation that is open 365 days a year. Tickets are $12.99 + tax for ages 12 and up and $7.99 + tax for ages 6-11. No one under the age of 6 is allowed due to the graphic nature of the facility, and those under 12 must be accompanied by a guardian. Wristbands for the celebrity autograph session will be an additional fee with the regular admission.

The Duggar Family Will Turn On The Millions of Winterfest Lights in Pigeon Forge

Twenty special guests will help Pigeon Forge kick off the 20th celebration of Pigeon Forge Winterfest. Collectively, they are the Duggar family from TLC’s “18 Kids and Counting” reality show.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 18 natural-born children—plus one on the way—will flip the switch to illuminate millions of lights and start the four-month winter event that runs through Feb. 28, 2010.

The grand illumination will conclude an opening event at the city’s Patriot Park on Nov. 5 (Thursday) at 5:30 p.m.

Pigeon Forge Winterfest, which transformed winter from a quiet season to one of the city’s busiest, is a Top 100 Event in North America, according to the American Bus Association

Expansive and elaborate Winterfest light displays are located throughout the city. More than five million lights are used, and several displays—including the celebration’s signature snowflakes along the Parkway—have been fitted with energy-saving LED bulbs.

Dollywood enhances the first two months of Pigeon Forge Winterfest with Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, a two-time winner of the Golden Ticket Award for the nation’s best theme park Christmas event. Dates are Nov. 7-Jan. 2, 2010.

Dollywood adds to Winterfest’s light displays with more than four million lights of its own and the nightly Lighted Christmas Parade. It’s musical entertainment lineup includes “Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland,” “Christmas in the Smokies” and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” plus the Polar Express 4-D Experience, a multi-sensory cinematic experience based on the beloved Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Pigeon Forge has more than a dozen theaters, and most of them offer special Christmas show segments during November and December. While some do take a post-New Year’s break, several offer their signature shows in January and February.

October is Full of Crafts in Pigeon Forge

Scores of talented artists and craftsmen seem to take a cue from Mother Nature when the leaves start changing colors in the Great Smoky Mountains and appear in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for two major autumn festivals.

Basket makers, carvers, painters and others are on hand for the Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Craft Festival and Dollywood’s National Gospel & Harvest Celebration.

♦ The Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Crafts Festival (Oct. 1-30) is one of the region’s biggest crafts events, attracting almost 50 craftsmen, artists and exhibitors from more than a dozen states. It takes place under a giant red and white tent at Patriot Park. Rotarians volunteer their time to run the festival, and proceeds benefit many charities.

♦ Dollywood’s National Gospel & Harvest Festival (Oct. 2-31) complements the theme park’s regular operation with an array of traditional and contemporary craftsmen and adds scores of free gospel music concerts to the entertainment lineup. Among the featured crafts are spinning, weaving, sorghum making, fiddle making, rug hooking and woodworking.

Both events take place against the backdrop of Pigeon Forge’s Harvestfest season, which continues through Oct. 31.

During Harvestfest, businesses throughout the city erect fanciful fall displays of hay bales, scarecrows, cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers, mums and other symbols of the season.

The Pigeon Forge Travel Planner and information about all aspects of the city are available online at MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100. The travel planner includes the Pigeon Forge Value Card, which offers more than $300 worth of discounts.

Dollywood Receives “Best Shows” Award From The Golden Ticket

Dollywood took home its first-ever trophy for Best Shows and claimed a second consecutive win for Best Christmas Event at the 2009 Golden Ticket Awards ceremony on Sept. 10, 2009, at LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad.

Dollywood was a finalist in four additional categories, taking third place honors for Friendliest Park and Cleanest Park and fourth place honors for Best Food and Best Water Ride for the Mountain Slidewinder. Dollywood’s Thunderhead, twice named the number one wooden coaster in the world, placed fifth in the rankings of Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World.

“Congratulations to all of the Golden Ticket Award winners and the finalists on their well-deserved honors,” says Gary Slade, publisher and editor-in-chief of Amusement Today. “The competition is friendly, but the voting is becoming tighter every year. It’s fun to see parks and attractions the world over vying for a Golden Ticket Award, which truly recognizes superior quality in all facets of the amusement industry.”

The Golden Ticket Awards are presented to the “best of the best” in the amusement industry and calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today magazine. Surveys were sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world–in balanced geographical regions–asking them to rate the “bests” in 25 categories such as amusement parks, roller coasters, shows, friendliest staff and water rides.

Amusement Today newspaper covers international amusement and water park news and trends and in its 13-year history is a five-time winner of various awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open nine months a year (March 28, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit the Dollywood website

A Greener Trolley System Is Rolling in the Smokies

In age where we are concerned with carbon footprints, miles per gallon, fuel cost and saving money in general the City of Sevierville is rolling out a new, greener trolley service.

The electric-propane hybrid trolleys will carry passengers from Pigeon Forge to Sevierville with stops along the route to popular spots that include NASCAR SpeedPark, The Apple Barn, Tanger Five Oaks Outlet Center and Governor’s Crossing Complex. Additionally the trolleys will take guest to the historic downtown Sevierville district where they will find find dining and unique boutique shops.

Trolley stops, that are currently under construction, will be equipped with video screens and GPS tracking software that will display exactly where the next trolley is to awaiting riders and provide more accurate arrival time. The trolley service runs seven days a week starting at 8:30 am and ending at midnight from March to December.

While the new hybrid powered trolleys will be saving the environment, it will be the visitors that will notice a savings immediately. The cost to ride the trolley service is only 50¢ per rider.

For more information about the new trolley service you can visit the City of Sevierville’s website.

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