Pigeon Forge, Tennessee-like country music star and local girl Dolly Parton–has attained almost mythic stature. This once-sleepy east Tennessee hamlet has carved out a vacation niche as sweet as hammered chords of a mountain dulcimer.
More than 11 million visitors annually cross the blue mist-covered Great Smoky Mountains
in search of Pigeon Forge and all things associated with its famous
songstress. Pigeon Forge (named for the nearby river and the passenger
pigeons that flocked to its banks in the late 1700s) has become a
center for country music theaters. Inarguably, Dollywood, with more
than 40 regular live music shows daily, is Pigeon Forge’s country
bandleader.
A
variety of shows–from rock’n’roll to bluegrass to gospel–provide
Dollywood’s musical backbone. Add approximately 30 amusement park rides
and a variety of mountain craft demonstrations into this mix for days
packed with entertainment.
Parton’s
Dixie Stampede, located down the road from Dollywood, fills the
entertainment bill at night. This four-course dinner theater has room
for 1,000 guests, as well as a cast of 32 horses and riders. The
antebellum theme highlights belles and beaus, with beak-to-beak ostrich
races.
For
additional fiddling around, try the Smoky Mountain Jubilee, billed as
the “longest running country music show in the Smokies.” Entering its
18th season, the variety show includes the gospel music of the Jubilee
Quartet, clogging and comedy performed in a 900-seat theater. And the
Country Music Association of America has voted Country Tonite’s musical variety the “Best Live Country Show in America.”
Theaters specializing in homespun comedy and music include the Comedy
Barn and Elwood Smooch’s Hillbilly Hoedown. Live barnyard animals,
incidentally, add to the musical melee on both stages.
It may be named for Tennessee’s first governor, but nearby Servierville, the oldest town in this Smoky Mountain
region, pays homage to Parton. A statue of the hometown gal shares
space on the courthouse lawn with a memorial to Servierville’s veterans.
Other local landmarks in this riverfront town include Virgil’s ’50s Restaurant (it doubles as Servierville’s bus station) and Temple’s
Feed Store, fondly referred to as “the marrying spot.” Located across
from the courthouse, couples obtain a marriage license and walk across
the street to the wedding room inside the store, where owner, Jimmy
Temple, performs a ceremony. A one-mile trail along the banks of Little
Pigeon River adds more romance to this Smoky Mountain setting.
Musical entertainment includes the Smith Family at
The Smith Family Theater. A musical medley ranging from oldies to
gospel, the show highlights Southern hospitality, grace and laughter.
Gatlinburg’s Sweet Fanny Adams Theater calls itself the area’s oldest professional theater. Its musical comedy shows offer another alternative to the host of Smoky Mountain entertainment. Classic Country Theater features country music hits from the 1950s-70s.
A variety of family attractions, plus shopping opportunities, also are available in Gatlinburg. The Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is filled with uniquely fascinating exhibits. For more than 40 years, the Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway has provided unforgettable views of the Smokies from the top of Crockett Mountain.
When
all the glitter from a round of shows settles, the drama of the Great
Smokies beckons. Explore hiking and horseback-riding trails that
meander through 800 miles of this national park treasure. This refuge,
dubbed shaconage (place of blue smoke) by the Cherokees, is home to
more than 1,600 species of native trees and wildflowers as well as a
multitude of wildlife. Perhaps nature provides the sweetest music
during your Smoky Mountain visit.