4th of July In The Smokies 2017

There is a lot to love about Summer - backyard BBQ, city park picnics (also BBQ), municipal swimming pools, frisbee, baseball, fireflies and so much more - but the moment everyone looks forward to is a single 20 minute segment in early July, and you already know what it is.

But in the Smokies of East Tennessee, the magic of the 4th of July isn't just 20 minutes after sundown, it lasts the whole day starting 5 minutes after 11:55PM on July 3rd with the Midnight Parade in downtown Gatlinburg. This parade has been a tradition in Gatlinburg for years and years and for more than an hour, you and the whole family can watch an amazing patriotic parade - and that just BEGINS the 4th of July celebration!

Then after that, starting at 10:00AM is the River Raft Regatta at Christ in the Smokies in downtown Gatlinburg where you can race any unmanned, floatable objects toward the goal at Ripley's Aquarium. This event is sponsored by the City of Gatlinburg Special Events Office and the Gatlinburg Recreation Department.

In Pigeon Forge, Patriot Park is having Patriot Fest at 12:00PM. The whole park becomes a center of activity with a huge sound stage, lots of activity, food tents, cooling off station, music by half a dozen acts on the stage that is specifically built for the occasion (headlined this year by Stock Creek Bluegrass Band, Vinyl Tap, Sammy Arriaga, Thompson Square) and much more that go on until the fireworks start between 9:30PM and 9:45PM. The fireworks in Gatlinburg start at 10:00PM and if you're already downtown, you won't have to go far. The fireworks in Gatlinburg are designed to be seen from anywhere on the downtown sidewalk.

Come spend your 4th of July here with us in the Smokies! There's lots to do that's awesome for the whole family and we would be glad to have you. www.allthesmokies.com.

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Get To Know Honeysuckle Hills

Honeysuckle Hills is a private, rustic and yet luxury wedding and honeymoon provider in Pigeon Forge, TN. The venue is located deep in the woods on family property that is made open to wedding couples who would like the Smoky Mountains to be more than just background for their wedding, but the entire atmosphere and experience.

From their website:
"Honeysuckle Hills is a venue that works to retain exclusivity for it’s wedding couples. In order to retain the utmost highest level of attention and service to our couples, only a certain number of weddings will be scheduled each week. From dressing to completion of our unique photo sessions to the saying of the vows, our desire is to keep it special for each and to that we must keep our bookings so that this level of service may be attained."

They provide the following wedding packages:
* Country Style
* My Sweet Garden Wedding
* Country Charm
* The Perfect Wedding
* Couples Only Elopement Packages
* Wild Horses
* The Outdoor Adventure
* An Hour of Beauty
* The Enchanted Forest
* Wildflower Preserve
* Wed Beneath a Willow Tree
* Beeler Mountain

And many more.

Honeysuckle Hills also offers onsite wedding photography, in fact, it's one of the main reasons couples are drawn to the venue.

Visit Honeysuckle Hills at http://honeysucklehills.com/.

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Requested Post: Summit Cabin Rentals Summer Special

We've been requested to share a lodging special that Summit Cabin Rentals is doing. From their website:

There's a lot about Summer 2017 you already know right now. You know this weekend is Memorial Day. You know June is the functional start of Summer in the Smokies. You know school will be out soon and that you and your family all dyin' to get in some Smoky Mountain fun the first chance you get.

But what you might not know is that Summit Cabin Rentals is doing a 7-day $995.00 special for our 1-2 bedroom cabins on all remaining dates for June and July. These cabins are perfect for a young family or those who want to get a good, long romantic vacation in the Smokies to start off the season!

And the best part? It comes with our Adventure Power Pass program where you can get over $2,000 in free tickets for a wide variety of attractions in the Smokies as part of it.

Reserve this special today at www.summitcabinrentals.com.

This is indeed an excellent special, as the Power Pass Adventure package includes:

* Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
* Great Smoky Mountain Wheel
* Ripley’s® Old MacDonald's Farm Mini-Golf
* Titanic Museum
* WonderWorks
* Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show
* Comedy Barn Theater
* Smoky Mountain Opry
* Adventure Park Zip Lines

And more!

See more on the Adventure Power Pass at http://www.summitcabinrentals.com/adventure-power-pass-pigeon-forge-free-attraction-tickets/.

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Smoky Mountain August Eclipse 2017

Here's some news we found out today. It seems the Knoxville area of East Tennessee (and presumably those of us in Sevier County) will get to experience a Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017. Although this will be a partial solar eclipse instead of a total solar eclipse, you should definitely save the date and get ready for a visual treat!

Here's all the current information we have on that:

Viewing Time: 1:04PM - 3:58PM
Max Viewing Time: 2:34PM

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park Service will also be holding a viewing event at three places within the Western side of the National Park:

* Clingman's Dome
* Cades Cove
* Oconaluftee

See more information on the viewing and tickets for it at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/2017-solar-eclipse.htm.

You can also build a simple card projector using these instructions from timeanddate.com:

"DIY: Simple Card Projector
The simplest and quickest way to safely project the Sun is with a projector made from only 2 pieces of card or paper.

You Need:
* 2 pieces of stiff white cardboard, e.g. 2 paper plates
alternatively, 2 sheets of plain white paper
* a thumbtack, a sharp pin or a needle.

What to Do:
Diagram of a DIY pinhole projector.
The concept of a pinhole projector ©timeanddate.com

To make a quick version of the pinhole projector, take a sheet of paper and make a tiny hole in the middle of it using a pin or a thumbtack. Make sure that the hole is round and smooth.

With your back towards the Sun, hold 1 piece of paper above your shoulder allowing the Sun to shine on the paper.

The 2nd sheet of paper will act as a screen. Hold it at a distance, and you will see an inverted image of the Sun projected on the paper screen through the pinhole.

To make the image of the Sun larger, hold the screen paper further away from the paper with the pinhole.

A box projector works on the same principles, it requires a little more time and a few extra items to construct, but it is more sturdy.

Keep Safe! Never look at the Sun directly without protective eye gear. Even sunglasses cannot protect your eyes from the damage the Sun's rays can do to them."

See more information on this at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-august-21.

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The Festivals of May!

One last month for Spring 2017, so the latter end of this month will make it worth the trip with two favorite special events going on at the same time.

The first one coming up is the Wilderness Wildlife Week going on from May 9th to the 13th. This event used to be held in January for over a generation was held in January, but that changed when the LeConte Conference Center in downtown Pigeon Forge was built! Other than the seasonal and location change, the W3 is every bit the same as we've always enjoyed. The hikes, lectures, workshops and special guest appearances continue to exceed our expectations. You can get more information on that at http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events/wilderness-wildlife-week/.

Next is the very unique Gatlinburg Cornbread and Beans Festival going on in downtown Gatlinburg on May 11th from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. Yes, we are in fact dedicating an entire festival to the Southern cuisine of cornbread and beans. Why not? This is the South after all. And like our Chili Cookoff, the event itself is free, but sampling the best in cornbread and beans from a multitude of local restaurants and restaurants from abroad requires the purchase of an "admission spoon". There will be additional entertainment with Jody Medford and Cash Creek performing music and items the whole family can enjoy. See more information on this at https://www.gatlinburg.com/event/gatlinburg-beans-and-cornbread-festival/.

And then after that, we have the Sevierville Bloomin' Barbeque and Bluegrass Festival which actually takes place around the Sevier County courthouse in the historic section of downtown Sevierville on May 19th and May 20th. It's usually the only event that shuts down that part of town and it's a really fun atmosphere. There is, naturally, hundreds of different ways to get the best barbecue platter you've ever had and there will be a marathon of bluegrass and local acts playing on stage while arts and crafts booths open up on the avenues surrounding it. Lots of great stuff there and you can see more at http://www.bloominbbq.com/

And finally, the most prominent one to talk about is Dollywood's "Barbeque and Bluegrass" Festival and it goes on until June 4th. For this awesome week-and-a-half, the price of admission at Dollywood includes round-the-clock performances from Blueline, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Sleep Canyon Rangers, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Hot Rize, The Gibson Brothers and dozens of additional artists playing throughout the park and the best in pulled pork, smoked sausage, chicken and much more served at Market Square. See more on this at www.dollywood.com.

Have an awesome May! We'll be back in June with more special events and news. www.allthesmokies.com

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Dollywood Festival of Nations 2017 Photos

These photos were provided to us by Ge'ne Kea-Lawhead on a recent visit to Dollywood during Festival of Nations 2017. This can give you a look at Dollywood from a very real perspective and some of the nice little details you don't often see.

Photos copyright to Ge'ne Kea-Lawhead.

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Spring 2017 Is Here In The Smokies!

All over, we're seeing trees blooming with the pastel and super-bright colors you've come to expect with Springfest. Our Dogwood trees are in full bloom and look like great balls of popcorn atop the aged wooden trunks. Hydrangeas, roses, tulips, rhododendron, frasier magnolia and many more stand out from even a fair distance. You won't see the colors from the mountains like you do in Autumn, but that gives you all the more incentive to go out and explore the Smokies through the hiking trails, motor trails and city parks.

Surely by now you know the Smokies are open for tourism as the Spring Break season takes upon us. If that wasn't enough, Dollywood is back open with the Festival of Nations back and better than ever to begin our new Springfest with a worldly blast!

Take a look at some of the events going on and coming up here in Pigeon Forge:

Dollywood's Festival of Nations
3/18/17 to 4/9/17
www.dollywood.com


Spring Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament
4/1/17 to 4/2/17
www.rockytopoutfitter.com

Pigeon Forge Spring Rod Run
4/6/17 to 4/8/17
www.rodrun-pigeonforge.com

And what sort of lodging specials can we recommend? Have a look:

Cove Mountain
March 2017 Special

Stay 2 Nights 3rd Night Free!
Excluding Holidays
(No Other Discounts Apply)

April 2017 Special

Stay 3 Nights 4th Night Free!
(No Other Discounts Apply)

Reserve these at www.covemountain.com.


Summit Cabin Rentals

Buy 2 Get 1 Free Night Now until June 1st! Excludes Premium Season and Luxury Cabin, Paradise Point.

Reserve this at www.summitcabinrentals.com.


Stayed tuned with us in April as we have more to talk about and special events coming up then and in May. www.allthesmokies.com.

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