For 25 years, Smokies Stadium was a centerpiece of the Sevier County tourism scene, it’s been essentially vacant for a year, what’s next? Baseball season is over in East Tennessee. The boys of summer have turned their attention to the endeavors of the fall. And for the first time since it opened 25 years ago, Smokies Stadium has mostly sat
What Anakeesta’s $100 million investment means for your future Gatlinburg vacations When Anakeesta launched in the fall of 2017, it was an ambitious project, and it was excellent but somewhat limited. However, even from that opening day, the vision was that there would be more to come. And more has come. Expanded dining options, more rides, more experiences. Anakeesta has
Christmas at a Water Park? Wilderness at the Smokies offers a plethora of holiday happenings Many years ago, a young Hoosier in the wilds of Northern Indiana, I knew how to ice skate pretty well. I was never graceful at it, in fact, I was a plow horse on the ice. But I could get around, play a little hockey
Should you visit higher-elevation attractions when it’s cold? I spent the formative years of my youth living in Northern Indiana where the winter wind whips across the flatland and creates chill factors that feel like frostbite is only moments away. When we moved south to Tennessee 35 years ago, my cold weather immunity followed. While my fellow Tennesseans were shivering
Damaged but undaunted, Western North Carolina agribusinesses is back and better than ever In the mountains of Western North Carolina is an agrarian paradise that is the product of perfect climate and the right soil. The mountain fields around Hendersonville are ripe with apples, grapes, pumpkins and cabbages each fall and the cornfields remain tall and green, because of the
TN native lists tips for navigating Dollywood’s Christmas festival Dollywood at Christmastime brings together the very best of the holiday season – music, food, millions of Christmas lights and even jolly people. Honestly, visiting Dollywood to see the lights is one of my favorite holiday family traditions. This year, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas event (presented by Humana), runs from Nov.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas event is a favorite for Dolly Parton, who enjoys bringing families together for a magical holiday celebration each year. The Dollywood crew traditionally works behind the scenes beginning mid-June, stringing lights on days when the park is closed, overnights and early mornings. The park usually closes for about a week after the Great Pumpkin LumiNights and
The Smoky Mountains’ amusement park cleans up (again) at Golden Ticket Awards If I’m being honest, I never really understood just how many amusement/theme parks there were in the United States. Growing up in the Midwest before moving to the mountains, I was well aware of places like King’s Island, Cedar Point and Six Flags. I knew about smaller parks
Dollywood’s Biggest Secret Has Just Been Revealed It’s Christmas in September, but Dollywood guests and theme park aficionados around the world will have to wait until 2026 to open the present. That’s when NightFlight Expedition – Dollywood’s longer rumored, teased and hinted at new attraction will open for the world to experience. For quite some time now, we’ve known something
How to plan the perfect day at Dollywood? Let’s start with three seemingly contradictory thoughts. First, perfection is our goal. Perfection is not attainable. However, any day at Dollywood is perfect. When we first conceive of a theme park vacation – or a theme park day as part of our vacation – we must first recognize that there will be