Pigeon Forge, TN
Fall in Pigeon Forge is loaded with many events and activities. It will be hard for you to decide what to do first. You certainly have a lot more options how to play than the five areas i’m telling you about now. so much to do, so little time! One of the best ways for you to enjoy Pigeon Forge is to get outside and play. The weather is gorgeous, the changing leaf colors will delight your eyes, and the magnificent mountain views will have you snapping photos all day. You can go fly fishing, you can take ATV tours, you can soar thru the trees on a zip line, or you could go horseback riding. Kyker Farms is a fun fall thing to enjoy. Take the whole family and just see how much fun you can have getting lost in one of the five corn mazes. They also have hayrides, a pumpkin patch, a zip line, a zombie paint ball adventure, corn cob swing and so much more. They have bonfire sites and concessions. All this fun is located 1.7 miles off TN Hwy 66/Winfield Dunn Pkwy. Their phone number is 865-679-4848. As you can tell, fall is a busy time of year in Pigeon Forge. There is the Fall Harvest Festival at Dollywood and you know Dollywood knows how to celebrate autumn in the Smokies. There is live gospel music, thousands of illuminated pumpkins, and incredible fall decorations. There are also Smoky Mountain crafts demonstrations going on. Your children will enjoy getting candy in a non-scary event. There are interactive displays by local vendors who will hand out the candy to all the little super heroes and beautiful princesses. Take a ride to Wears Valley and attend the Fall Fest where you will see craft-making, art displays, live music and entertainers, story telling and some of the best southern food around. While you are there you can look into some of the Wears Valley real estate for sale. Can you imagine October without a few spine-tingling thrills? You don’t have to here in the Smoky Mountains. You might be interested in Ripley’s Haunted Adventure or maybe take a tour of the Mysterious Mansion. You could even enjoy a Gatlinburg Ghost Tour. One of the new scary attractions in Pigeon Forge is OUTBREAK, a zombie adventure at the Hollywood Wax Museum. So many Scenic Smoky Mountain Drives that it will be hard to choose just one. In the Smoky Mountain National park – On the Roaring Fork Motor Trail you will see historic home and beautiful waterfalls. You can see incredible mountain views on the way to the tallest peak in the Smokies on your way up Clingman’s Dome Road. There is the Cades Cove Loop which can become crowded but, you can see old historic homes and mountain views and maybe a bear. Outside the national park – try the Foothills Parkway – gorgeous drive with views of the mountains, the Dragon – a very interesting ride near Fontana Dam that’s a very popular motorcycle route, and there is the Gatlinburg By-Pass, a short scenic drive with views of Gatlinburg. Over 100 years ago, the Old Forge Distillery was an old historic barn that housed a farm supple store. Now, moonshine made from mountain spring water and fresh-ground grains are turned into original moonshine and flavored moonshines. Some of the flavored moonshine are Chocolate, French Toast, and Coffee. The moonshine is made in small 80 proof batches. The Old Forge Tasting Bar is open daily. There is a gift store that has hand forged knives...
Read MoreSevierville, TN and things to do in the Fall
Sevierville, TN Although Sevierville is not as famous as Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, there are still a lot of things to do and well worth taking the time to visit. There is the Apple Barn Cider Mill and General Store. It’s a very popular dining and shopping area. It sits beside a 4000+ apple tree orchard. The Apple Barn has some of the most delicious desserts such as fried apple pies, apple cinnamon donuts, and old-fashioned apple stack cakes. Besides the Cider Mill and General Store you will find a winery, a Christmas Shop, a creamery, a candy store and a couple of outstanding restaurants. The Apple Barn is a great place to rest and refresh yourself after a day walking around enjoying the city called Sevierville. You can take a walk around downtown Sevierville to the Sevier County Courthouse and take a selfie with the bronze statue of the one and only Dolly Parton, the Queen of Country Music. It was sculpted in 1987 by a local artist, Jim Gray. Jim Gray spent more than 2,000 hours working on this project. He used a steel skeleton and then about 300 pounds of clay. Once he finished with the sculpting of it, he shipped it from Knoxville, TN to the Wagner Foundry in Fredericksburg, VA. There it was cast in bronze. At the Deer Farm Exotic Petting Zoo in Sevierville, you can pet and feed some of the animals there such as, deer, kangaroos, camels, wallabies, and zebras. There is also horseback riding with pony rides for your little ones. There are well-maintained trails for you to enjoy the beautiful mountain views. Admission for those 13 and up is $10.95 and children are $5.95. however, you do need to call ahead as prices are subject to change. 478 Happy Hollow Lane, Sevierville, TN. Would you like to walk the same area that was used by the Eastern Woodland Indians hundreds of years ago? You are in luck! There is a place just like that in Sevierville, TN. It’s called Forbidden Caverns. This cave was used by the Indians as a good source of water and a place to stay out of the winter cold so you may see some drawings engraved on the walls of the caverns. From around 1920 until 1943, the cave was used to house homemade moonshine operations. In June of 1967, after 3 years of development, a group of business men opened this natural attraction to the public. There are guided tours of the caverns that last about 55 minutes. You can take photos inside during your tour. Parking is free for cars and buses, there is also a picnic pavilion, a souvenir shop and refreshments. Take a light jacket since it’s always at 58 degrees It’s open Monday – Saturday, April – November opening at 10am to 6pm. The last tour leaves at 5pm. Prices are adults $16. Children 5 -12 are $10 and children under the age of 5 are free. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December, January, February and, March. Forbidden Caverns is located at 455 Blowing Cave Rd in Sevierville, TN. Smoky Mountain Knife Works is an interesting blend of old and new one of a kind store that not only has 120+ brands of knives but, also has a wildlife trophy display, Native American relics, and a Civil War display. In their relics area, there are several dinosaur bones, an antique non-working ‘pirate’ lock, and many arrowheads. It can take a while to see everything in this 55,000 square foot building. There are three floors stocked with thousands of knives, outdoor tools, martial...
Read MoreFall in the Smoky Mountains
There is so much going on Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the Smoky Mountains in the fall that I honestly don’t know where to start telling you about them. So, I’ll just pick a few from each city so that you can make the decision where to go and what to do. I do have to begin with the Fall color changes in the Smokies. Mid-October thru the end of November is peak time for the color change. It starts at the highest elevations and works its way down the mountainsides. This means you will be able to see the colors for approximately 7 weeks. Most are saying that the peak colors this year will be the last week of October thru the first week of November. There are several easy to moderate hikes thru the forests for those of you that want to walk thru the colors and avoid the vehicle traffic which include Baskins Creek Falls, Old Settlers and Porters Creek Trails. For those of you who are of the hardy brand of hikers there is the Appalachian Trail, Mt. Sterling and the Goshen Prong Trails. Also, there are roads that provide beautiful displays of the fall color such as Newfound Gap Road, Cove Creek Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature...
Read MoreFALL IS IN THE AIR
With mornings starting to be in the 40’s and 50’s, you can feel fall is here. We are just starting to see some color change from the trees. All too soon there will be frost and snow on the ground and freezing temperatures. The Farmers Almanac says it will be as harsh a winter as last year. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place to visit anytime of year. What is your favorite spot in the park? Call Louise...
Read MorePrepare Homes for the Upcoming Autumn and Winter Seasons
Did you know Vacation Property Monitors can check your home for maintenance needs. We can do an inspection to be sure your home is ready for the exceptional traffic that arrives for the leaf changing season and then for the winter season ahead. Remember to have your gutters cleaned out. It will save you a lot of issues later.
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