A Smoky Mountain local shares his favorite things to do in Wears Valley, Tennessee Growing up, I mostly treated Wears Valley as a negative space. It was a scenic drive at best, connecting the entrance as the quiet side of the Smokies near my home, with Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. It was a place you drove through to get to other
The 11-mile Tail of the Dragon features 318 curves along the side of a mountain When we moved to Blount County, Tennessee and I discovered we had a road known as The Dragon, my interest was piqued. What I found was that The Tail of The Dragon – a section of U.S. 129 – more than lives up to its name.
How Goats on the Roof got its start, and why we can’t seem to get enough Look, I’ve lived in the Smokies for a long time. I’ve seen a lot of attractions and tourist attractions come and go. Everything from restaurants to rides to places selling ice cream, homemade fudge and tourist trinkets. In this town, if you want to
A local dad compares Pigeon Forge’s WonderWorks and Beyond the Lens In a battle of entertainment venues, the only true winner is those of us who wish to be, well, “‘entertained”. In one corner stands WonderWorks, the venerated Pigeon Forge attraction of the upside-down facade, an attraction aiming to educate and entertain. WonderWorks bills itself as an amusement park for
A mom shares her favorite things to do in Gatlinburg with her family In my experience, I find that those visiting Gatlinburg for the first time are often surprised by the number of attractions competing for their tourist dollar. What seems like a sleepy mountain town can sometimes feel like an array of neon lights and eye-catching, quirky displays. But
My youngest son fancies himself as an exceptionally talented driver. Anytime we go to Pigeon Forge, he wants to race. And not only does he want to race, he wants to prove himself in the fastest go-karts around. There are at least three major challenges that will prevent him from proving himself in the fastest go-karts. First of all, he’s no good.
Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains are known for their family-oriented attractions. As such, the majority of entertainment, attractions and dining are designed to include the young or young at heart. But what about the couple on a romantic getaway? What about the group of friends looking for a fun night out on the town? What about mom and dad
You haven’t been ziplining if you haven’t been Smoky Mountain ziplining. If you’re visiting East Tennessee or Western North Carolina, definitely consider doing a zipline activity while you’re here. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s a tour in which you’re strapped to an aerial runway with a pulley suspended on a cable, and then you fly through the treetops