Harvest Festival in the Smokies 2013

After much speculation and watching, this week is the start of the full Autumn bloom, and we would love to have you out in Pigeon Forge to enjoy it with us! There's also a plentitude of good special events going on from here until the end of the month that really adds to the Harvest Festival or Halloween ambiance.

Here's what we have going on this month:

* Patriot Park Rotary Club Craft Tent *
September 28th – October 26th, 2013

A 28 year old tradition, every Harvest Festival, the Rotary Club sets up a huge tent as a showcase for local artists and crafters to show off their wares and skills in the parking lot of Patriot Park. Admission by donation. http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events/pigeon-forge-rotary-club-craft-fair/

* Dollywood National Southern Gospel and Harvest Celebration *
October 2nd – November 2nd, 2013

More Southern Gospel and genuine, homemade arts and crafts from age-old Appalachian family skills than you can find anywhere else in the South. Come for the music, stay for the rides and take home Appalachian souvenirs you can’t get anywhere else! www.dollywood.com

* Ripley's Fright Nights *
October 4th - October 31st, 2013

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure celebrates Halloween with an additional horror show bringing the New Orleans ghost lore to supplement the already skin-crawlingly creepy show with no extra charge every Friday Saturday, and Sunday evening plus Halloween Night. http://www.ripleys.com/gatlinburg/your-visit/ripleys-haunted-adventure/

* Halloween At The Island *
October 31st, 2013

Wow! The newest, hottest spot in Pigeon Forge will be open for families to enjoy Halloween. Free hayrides, ghost storytelling, kids circus, candy stations, costume contest and free rides on the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel for all kids in costume with Adult purchase. http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events/halloween-at-the-island/.


The Smoky Mountains and their many bountiful colors are waiting for you! www.allthesmokies.com.

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Changing Fall Colors 2013

We don't want cry wolf, but it's been confirmed that the color change has already started in Pigeon Forge and we could see the full Autumn Bloom as early as two weeks ahead of schedule. Those of you looking to get a bright and colorful Autumn getaway in the Smokies might want to start planning now and make your trip sooner.

And what is there to look forward to in the coming weeks? In Pigeon Forge, we have the 10th Annual Heritage Day at the Old Mill on September 28th, 2013, which will include music performances and crafts in a festival setting plus the opening of this year's Rotary Club Craft Tent in Patriot Park. Then, for a full week starting on October 1st, The Christmas Village on the other side of Pigeon Forge will hold MountainFest for another awesome Appalachian culture festival, and just the next day is Dollywood's world-famous National Gospel and Harvest Celebration where the music will play non-stop, booths will set up for more Appalachian artists to congregate and show off their talents, and the rides will be even sweeter! National Gospel and Harvest Celebration is October 2nd to November 2nd for 2013.

You can get more information on these events at www.mypigeonforge.com. Get more information on the Smoky Mountains at www.allthesmokies.com.

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What's New at The Island?

If you've been keeping up with news from the Smokies throughout Spring and Summer, you no doubt have heard the big news about The Island, Pigeon Forge's newest section of town and home to the equally brand new Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. The Island was a project several years in the making and finally came to fruition during the Summer of 2013.

Does it live up to its hype or is it just more tourist-trap tripe? Well, if you already held Pigeon Forge in the tourist-trap esteem, The Island won't do much to change your mind (one wonders why you're reading this blog in the first place) because The Island very much has the spirit of Pigeon Forge in it with quite a few twists. The huge ferris wheel joining the skyline is the first major addition and it is a fun way to see the town both upclose and above along with the mountains in the distance, but The Island brings more to the city itself than just a new ride.

The Island offers a variety of restaurants, most of which are new (but classics like Mellow Mushroom get a new location there) including the Poynor's Pomme Frite authentic German Food, Margeritaville, Dude's Daiquiris, Timberwood Grill, Auntie Anne's and Cinnabon (can you believe we haven't had them before?) and more.

There is also a little stage on the main street where bands play at different times of the day. Night you can be certain of, but at times during the day too. Classic attractions like an arcade, streetside carousel, and trampoline station also make up good fun for the kids and parking is free, plentiful, and even offers a free tram to minimize walking. You almost can't get that anywhere else in town!

Enjoy some of the rest of the pictures here and keep up to date with more information from http://islandinpigeonforge.com/

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Summit Cabin Rentals near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Have you been to Shagbark in the Smoky Mountains? Just off of Walden's Creek and between Wear's Valley and Pigeon Forge? Have you even heard of it? Probably not, and it's this reason that Summit Cabin Rentals has chosen the area to house many of its houses in the Smoky Mountains.

Shagbark is a heavily forested and isolated area of the Tennessee Smokies just 10-12 minutes from downtown Pigeon Forge, making it the perfect place to enjoy the purest solitudes and environments of the mountains. All the seasons of the year come to your doorstep and flow all around our houses at Summit Cabin Rentals. They feature 1-6 bedroom cabins, loaded with luxury amenities from top to bottom, swimming pool access, hot tubs, jacuzzis, game rooms, heavy discounts throughout the year - everything you need to make an incredible getaway to the Smoky Mountains!

Reserve a cabin with them today at www.summitcabinrentals.com.

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More Summer Fun In The Smokies

The summer's still on in the Smokies! Here are some awesome suggestions for getting the most out of the vacation season.

* Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair *

This Gatlinburg expo is so big that the city holds it every season. During Spring, Summer, Fall and Thanksgiving, the W.L. Mills auditorium hosts a huge showcase where over 100 artists and artisans from around the Eastern side of the country get to show off their skills and wares. What to expect? It'd be easier to list the things you probably WON'T find there: cars and car parts, medical lab supplies, DIY zeppelin kits, anti-gravity lawn furniture, drums of plutonium, used cores of the sun... anything else you can think of will be there, complete with live entertainment!

This event is going on from July 19th to the 28th for 2013 and you can see more on this at www.craftsmenfair.com.

* Murder Mystery Dinner Show *

How many times have you ever been to a show where you where literally part of the set and atmosphere of the plot? If never, come on out to Pigeon Forge's Murder Mystery Dinner Show and watch the madness unfold not just in front of you, but ALL AROUND you too! If you're really looking for something different, here it is! http://www.murder-mystery-theater.com/

* GSM Outfitters *

For all the hype there is to talk about enjoying the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we really don't have much in the way of getting hikers and tubers prepped, especially not out in Wears Valley. GSM Outfitters, the newest store in the community, remedies with this with everything you need with all your favorite brands there. Check them out at http://gsmoutfitters.com/.

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Independence Day 2013

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 a.m. 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, the Gatlinburg Recreation Department and the Boys and Girls Club.

In Pigeon Forge, Patriot Park is having Patriot Fest at 1:30 PM. The whole park becomes a center of activity with a huge sound stage, lots of activity, food tents, cooling off station, music by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, and much more until the fireworks start between 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. The fireworks in Gatlinburg start at 10:00 p.m. 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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GSM Outfitters in Wears Valley, Tennessee

Those of you who wanted to do some fishing and kayaking out in Wears Valley will want to know that there is a new store out in that area catering specifically to you! We welcome GSM Outfitters to our brethren of local business owners helping to enrich and expand the experiences of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Their press release is as follows:

"GSM has been started by Heather and Michael Shepperd. We were married on June 14th 2010. One of the many things we have in common is a love for the outdoors. When we met, my soon to be wife was getting ready for a backcountry trip with an organization call BOW (“Becoming an Outdoor Woman”). Their trip would be in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was also getting ready for a trip to Tennessee. Once in Tennessee I planned to hike Ramsey Falls for the second time. I decided to invite Heather to come with me.


I have been coming to Tennessee my whole life. My mother was born here and as a kid we would come for vacations and stay on my great uncle Wayne’s farm. I have always had an appreciation for this state. Beautiful county and nice people make for a perfect place, in my opinion. Heather agreed to join me on the trip. Once here, she had the same love and passion for this part of the country that I had always known.

Following that trip, almost every vacation or long weekend revolved around the Smoky Mountains. We have traveled and hiked various trails in and around the Smoky Mountains from Cades Cove to Cherokee, North Carolina. We never seem to grow tired of waterfalls, lush forest, mountain trails, butterflies, bears or Tennessee. It took no time to decide that when we retired Tennessee would be our home. We started saving money to facilitate the process. Just over a year ago we had a 3 hour brainstorm meeting at our kitchen table to try to figure out a way to purchase a vacation home in the mountains sooner rather than later. We tightened our belts for several months, cashed in stocks and did everything we could to squeeze every nickel.

In October we made a purchase of a home in Wears Valley.

The thought of living in this area became a vortex we could not and did not want to escape from. We were obsessed with the thoughts of daily life in the mountains and the experience that would be more than a vacation.

Sadly in January my mother passed away. In the last year of her life she had moved from Michigan back down south. Once she passed away something clicked inside of me. I did not want to spend abbreviated periods in the place that felt more like home than the place I was born in. Sometime during this confusing mix in our lives Heather and I decided to go all in and pursue our passion of a life in Tennessee combined with our love of the outdoors.

That is when we decided to open GSM Outfitters and make this magnificent place our home. Please come in and see us at GSM if not to shop than to share in your mountain experience. If you are not able to make it into the store please join us on facebook at GSM Outfitters LLC or visit our website: www.gsmoutfitters.com.

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