5 Things Not to Do at Dinner Shows in Pigeon Forge According to a Local

A local offers his advice on 5 things not to do when booking, attending dinner shows in Pigeon Forge

Dinner and a show. Sounds like the perfect night out – or matinee – in Pigeon Forge. Dinner theaters have long been part of the fabric that is Pigeon Forge. But it’s only in recent years that everyone wised up and followed Dolly.

The preeminent dinner show attraction began in Pigeon Forge as The Dixie Stampede. It was a North and South affair with a plantation backdrop and North and South Civil War theming. Patrons were assigned a side to root for, and a winner was announced every night. The entertainment consisted of horse riders doing tricks and competition while the crowd was fed a prix fixe meal of country cooking.

Over the years, some competitors arose … and fell. Now, there are three main dinner theaters – four if you count Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Supper show. But the main three are owned and operated by Dolly Parton and her partners.

The three main dinner shows in Pigeon Forge

The Dolly Stampede: They dropped the Dixie stuff in 2018, but some fans are still pretty salty about it.

The Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud: Why are the Hatfield & McCoys – who famously fought at the Kentucky-West Virginia border – in Pigeon Forge? I don’t know. We’ve got a Titanic and an Alcatraz. In comparison, West Virginia is local.

The Pirates Voyage & Dinner Show: This is probably the top show in Pigeon Forge now. There are acrobatic pirates, high divers and a seal.

Each of the three follows the old Stampede model. The audience is divided into teams, fed a mediocre meal, and entertained with a variety of dad jokes, athletic and/or acrobatic feats and an animal act or two. It’s pretty good family fun as long as you follow our five rules:

1. Don’t forget to turn off your phone light, flash or ringer

It’s easy to forget the power of the computers we all carry in our pockets. You’ve paid significant money for a ticket and there’s a pirate about to do a 30-foot dive. You grab your phone only to bump the lighthouse-like beacon Apple put on these things, an industrial light capable of guiding a ship home or, maybe worse, a flash. More than likely you’re not going to distract the performer or animal acts, but there’s a chance. And you do not want to be the guy that put Red Beard into traction.

2. Don’t heckle

There’s a camaraderie the performers try to build. They like a little audience interaction and a little call and response. But it’s pretty clear when the audience is supposed to participate and when it’s not. At least, clear for most people. But some seem to think themselves entertaining, think they can add a little something to the show – or worse – take a little something away from it. Shows – by and large – are meant to be watched. Eat your chicken. Clap when you’re supposed to and sit back and enjoy the show.

3. Don’t expect a terrific meal

You have to come to peace with the idea that the majority of your ticket price is going to the show. I’d rather they knock $20 or $25 off the price, give me a show and let me grab something to eat later. What do you get? It’s a full meal. Fried chicken, a side or two, usually involving a mealy, formerly frozen, half corn cob. My favorite thing is usually the appetizer soup. I don’t want to give you the idea that it’s bad – although I’d say it’s closer to bad than good. However, I will say there’s not a chance in heck I’d swing by the dinner shows just to eat.

4. Don’t arrive at the last minute

You’re better off buying your seats in advance online, the arrival process can be a bit of a mixed bag. You’ll have people bellying up to the bar where appropriate and others jockeying for the best spot when the theatre opens, and you race for the best seat. There are upsell options where you can guarantee premium seating – or even front-row seating. But if you’ve only got a regular ticket, you gotta speedwalk like nobody’s business.

5. Don’t forget the Christmas special

My favorite time to do a dinner show is when they switch to the Christmas season offerings. The jokes are sometimes worse, but there is something about the holiday season that makes me feel a little more forgiving. It’s as if a usually somewhat meh show is transfigured into the world’s best Christmas pageant. If every Christmas pageant had animal acts and acrobats, my Sunday attendance would be significantly improved. Like a lot of things in Pigeon Forge, it’s just a little better at Christmas.

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