History

Ogle's Waterpark in TN

These Photos of Ogle’s Waterpark Will Take You Down Memory Lane

Local recalls everything that made Ogle’s so special in Pigeon Forge Ogle’s Waterpark in Pigeon Forge was once the largest waterpark in the area with six giant water sides, a wave pool, a kid’s play area and snack stations throughout the park. For three decades, it served as a beacon summoning tourists and locals to frolic in the East Tennessee

water boggan blue and yellow slide - old attraction in pigeon forge tn

There Used To Be a Huge Slide in Pigeon Forge Called the Water Boggan

Local reminisces on old Water Boggan attraction in Pigeon Forge As an East Tennessee local, I’ve seen plenty of Pigeon Forge attractions that have come and gone. Some were products of the time. It was the 70s and 80s. So if you could talk someone into financing it, you could make it a reality. I think, looking back, not every

A crew from Samaritan's Purse assists with clean up after the 2016 Gatlinburg fire (archive photo by Dr. Candi Overholt/TheSmokies.com)

The Real Story Behind the Gatlinburg Fires of 2016 as Told by a Local

Strong winds and communication issues were to blame, according to officials I remember it well. As someone who has called these mountains home for the last 35 years, it was a devastating event to witness. Years have passed, but the scars remain. Large swaths of the forest burned in November of 2016. Of course, some scars heal eventually. As more

a roller coaster against a mountain backdrop

There’s a Real Ghost Town in the Sky on Top of a Mountain in North Carolina

A once beloved, now abandoned theme park deteriorates through decades of unfortunate events In the days before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, mountain folks were raised with the threats of haints and spirits, of goblins that snatched spiteful, mean or lazy children away never to be seen again. Nowadays, it’s harder to believe in the legend of haunted hollers, in