Pigeon Forge Tennessee Travel Information
For the longest time, Pigeon Forge consisted of a few small
attractions and shops surrounded by farmland framed by the Smoky
Mountains. In 1986, Dolly Parton located her popular theme park
Dollywood in this small town southeast of Knoxville and everything
changed. Shops and outlet malls now cluster three deep along the
congested main road and popular-themed museums and sdinner theatres
compete for attention. Over 2 million visitors come to Dollywood
each year, making it the number one tourist attraction in Tennessee.
With more than 40 live music performances each day, over 30 amusement
park rides and special events such as crafts fairs, the theme park’s
popularity has not waned over the years. The newest attraction at the
park is Thunderhead wooden roller coaster. Open from early April
through late December, the park features a train on a five mile track,
the Dolly Parton museum presenting the country singer’s life and Eagle
Mountain Sanctuary, a shelter for eagles that can’t be released into
the wild. Next door to the park is Dollywood Splash Country, a
35-acre water park. Dixie Stampede, also owned by Dollywood, offers a
dinner show of trick riding and roping for visitors seated in a five
tier dirt arena. Uniquely-themed museums are popular at Pigeon
Forge and include Carbo’s Smoky Mountain Police Museum, the Elvis
Museum and the Smoky Mountain Car Museum. The Veteran’s Memorial
Museum presents a huge collection of military items. For night
life, Pigeon Forge has a range of dinner theatres owned by
entertainers and country music singers like Louise Mandrell. Or try
the Comedy Barn which offers “clean but corny” entertainment for the
entire family. In addition to outlet shopping for everything
from power tools to gourmet candy, other Pigeon Forge stores range
from antique malls to handmade instrument shops. Dining ranges from
fast food to country-style fare at the Old Mill Restaurant open every
day. Pigeon Forge is located on the edge of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, on Hwy. 321/441, about 45 minutes southeast
of Knoxville.
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