A local with a fear of heights talks about swaying in the sky at Grandfather Mountain I am afraid of heights. It is not, for the most part, a debilitating fear. I can – usually – overcome it. If I’m inside and feeling secure, I don’t have a problem. Neither the former Sears Tower in Chicago or the St. Louis
A movie fanatic ranks famous flicks filmed at Biltmore Estate in Asheville In Selma, the muddy and mighty Alabama River curves under the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge where the infamous Sunday Civil Rights March took place. I worked in one of those buildings, next to the bridge. Working next to an iconic location you get used to a few things, including
Is Dollywood better than Disney? It was the summer of 1978. I was about to be 5. My mom and my Aunt Amy loaded into an automobile of the age. In other words, a gigantic steel rectangle with a massive backseat that featured considerably more in car ashtrays than seat belts. Mom’s parents – Nanny and Papaw to me –
A comprehensive guide to the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN by a local Building the perfect theme park is an ineffable combination of science, technology and alchemy. In Pigeon Forge, the magical formula is just right at the Dollywood theme park. The journey from Rebel Railroad to Goldrush Junction to Silver Dollar City is a fairly mundane tale of minor
The Best Things To Do in the Smoky Mountains in the Summertime Ah, summertime in the Smoky Mountains – the kids are out of school, the temperature is hot and humid, and the mosquitos are out to play. Families are packing up their minivans and attempting the impossible, aka, trying to please everyone for the annual summer getaway. But the
The Ultimate Guide to the Best Rides at Dollywood I grew up with Pigeon Forge, Tenn. in my backyard. As a result, I visited Dollywood nearly every summer and every holiday weekend since childhood. I’ve had the distinct privilege of not only watching our beloved park evolve over the years but also the opportunity to ride every ride in the
A list of the best things to do in Pigeon Forge with kids, according to a local You’ve brought the family to Pigeon Forge. Now what? Great news, person who doesn’t do a heck of a lot of planning for family vacations! There are quite literally hundreds of fun things to do in the area. And certainly, not all of
Record-holding attractions in the Smokies and beyond When it comes to attracting attention in the Smokies, you’ve got to try … hard. Any angle or idea. In other words, any possible thing you can trumpet that will attract the public’s attention – and folding money – is what is necessary to succeed. It’s not enough to provide a mountain coaster. It
For those about to visit North Carolina’s most famous rocks, we salute you I am technically a native Tar Heel. My people are mostly Hoosiers and I’ve been a Volunteer now for the better part of 35 years but I was born in North Carolina, the son of a Marine at Camp Lejeune. Truthfully, I don’t remember much of life
How a Hoosier With a Dream – and a Surprising Amount of Financing – Found the Largest Underground Waterfall in the Country and Opened It to the Public As a former Hoosier myself, I often joke about the effect that the siren song of the mountains of East Tennessee has on the people of Indiana. Time and again, when researching