Smoky Mountain 2020 EDITION TOUR GUIDE SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO! WELCOME LETTER Welcome to the Vista Gardens Sunset Photo courtesy of Anakeesta Smoky Mountains! Log roll is one of 13 competitions. For centuries, people have been coming to these mountains for two reasons. First, the inspiring beauty of God’s creation. The peaks and vistas of Mount LeConte are obvious but the coves and meadows here in our mountains make a haven for wildlife and explorer alike. Sunrises and sunsets appear to emanate and descend into the ground itself. Purity and sustenance are bountiful. Then there are the people. Understanding our connection to the land is necessary to understand the people of the Smoky Mountains. No one leaves here unchanged. We like to think it is a change for the better. Some of us planted roots here and now like a great cruise ship welcome people aboard week in and week out. Though we may fuss about traffic on occasion, we know that people come to our area because they love the Lumberjack Deen’s Photo courtesy of Paula Park Feud Show & Adventure way the mountains make you feel. Whether it is serene next to a mountain stream or excited enough to get up and dance to blazing fiddle, these mountains make you want to shout and sing. They make you want to try something new and different. I suppose I can’t explain how it might make you feel, but my guess is you’ll like it enough to come back. Whether you are here for the mountains, music, people or fun. You’ll find it in these mountains. I’m so glad you are here. Thank you for visiting our mountains and our people. Pete Smith TourSmokies.com Photo courtesy of SkyLift Park Grand Opening of the new SkyBridge Cover Photos Courtesy of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Resorts, Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, Titanic Museum Attraction, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, Dollywood® Theme Park, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show. 2020 Smoky Mountain Tour Guide 3 GETTING HERE iStock.com/Denys Petersburg VIRGINIA Renfro Valley KENTUCKY Abingdon Coming or going Nashville Pigeon Forge NORTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE Maggie Valley Asheville from the Smokies, Chattanooga there are great Muscle Shoals SOUTH Myrtle CAROLINA Beach destinations to visit Birmingham Atlanta Regardless of where your travels originate and end, there’s plenty to experience along the way. Abingdon music from the Barter Theater to the ALABAMA GEORGIA Crooked Road is awesome. Atlanta is proudly tied to Martin Luther King, Jr., while the culinary scene is truly international. Birmingham’s civil rights past is a must-see experience while Muscle Shoals’ recording history is a great story. Louisville bourbon and Churchill Downs are synonymous. The drive to Maggie Valley through the Great Smoky Mountains is great, but just the beginning of the fun. You do not want to miss the surf, sand and sounds of Myrtle Beach. Delve into Nashville’s historic homes by day and discover the music style of your choice each evening. The Renfro Valley Entertainment Center truly is “Kentucky’s Country Music Capital.” And for a spiritual experience, a visit to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum should be on your bucket list. Miles to Pigeon Forge From: Abingdon, VA ...................................................123 miles Asheville, NC .....................................................96 miles TABLE OF CONTENTS Atlanta, GA ........................................................147 miles Birmingham, AL ............................................ 292 miles Chattanooga, TN ............................................147 miles 3 Welcome to the Smoky Mountains! Louisville, KY ....................................................281 miles 6 Here We Grow Again Maggie Valley, NC ........................................... 57 miles Muscle Shoals, AL ..........................................315 miles 9 Two Faith-Based Events for 2020 Myrtle Beach, SC ...........................................392 miles Nashville, TN ....................................................215 miles 12 Showtime in the Smokies Itinerary Renfro Valley, KY ............................................154 miles The Ark Creation Museum/ 14 Sing Smokies Summer Spectacular Itinerary Petersburg, KY ...............................................294 miles 2020 Smoky Mountain Tour Guide 4 Be driven by joy. Inspire miles of smiles for your tour group with hundreds of unique attractions conveniently located in one beautiful mountain town. Stunning views, shows, Dollywood, down-home cooking, arts, crafts and much more make us a destination to remember. PIGEONFORGETOURS.COM 1-800-285-7557 PFT002049_Mrr_LeisureGroupTrvl-Dec2019_7.5x4.75.indd 1 10/1/19 10:16 AM Here We Grow Again There are no growing pains as Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville are each adding new, soon-to-be tour & travel favorites to their lineup rom new attractions and entertainment to accommodations and dining options, 2019 saw expanded Smoky Mountain offerings with even more to come. “2019 was a great year for FTennessee’s Smoky Mountains and we’re Photo courtesy of Anakeesta ready to welcome even more group- The new Treetop SkyBridge friendly hotels, restaurants, attractions and theaters in 2020,” said Joy McNealy, CTIS Coasters and a whimsical tree house Ober Gatlinburg Amusement Park senior sales manager for the Pigeon Forge village connected by bridges of varying and Ski Area added 250-foot lanes for Department of Tourism. Here are just a few challenge levels. New restaurants and summer tubing. More than 100 rare pinball new attractions to gather your interest. expanded retail space will be opening in and retro arcade games are housed at the spring 2020. anakeesta.com Pinball Museum at the Gatlinburg Space Gatlinburg Since 1954, SkyLift Park has offered Needle. Gatlinburg’s Tennessee Cider Sometimes the journey is half the fun. Gatlinburg’s best views and most Company offers the sweetest ciders and From Downtown Gatlinburg, you can take memorable experience. It got even southern hospitality. The Goodwater the Chondola or 45-passenger Ridge better in 2019 with the opening of the Winery Gatlinburg offers the vineyards Rambler to Anakeesta. You’ll arrive at spectacular new SkyBridge, the longest unique and locally made blends. Firefly Village filled with quaint shops, pedestrian suspension bridge in North Specializing in craft beer, craft pizza dining options, a botanical garden and America stretching 680 feet. Also, the and cold brew nitro coffee, Gatlinburg truly panoramic views. Firefly Village is expansive new SkyDeck overlooking Brewing Company is located downtown. your gateway to adventure including Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Gatlinburg racing ziplines, the Treetop Skybridge, Mountains is perfect for catching a sunset, restaurant is now open, as is Local North America’s longest tree-based or just relaxing on the top of Crockett Attraction Gastropub. Located in the bridge, the Rail Runner Mountain Mountain. gatlinburgskylift.com marketplace, Cookie Dough Bliss is 2020 Smoky Mountain Tour Guide 6 where you can satisfy your sweet tooth. Groups will learn of history, geology, Slug in the Village shops features gifts flora, and fauna from a Pink Jeep Tours and souvenirs by local artists, designers certified interpretive guide. The tour and makers. Paying tribute to the of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail Appalachian Trail and the Gatlinburg takes guests on ecosystem changes mountain setting, Appy Lodge offers a equivalent to drive from Georgia to Maine truly local feel. on your 3,000-feet climb to Newfound Gap. Groups will experience some of Pigeon Forge the most incredible views in the nation Located in the heart of Pigeon Forge, along Foothills Parkway and learn the Mountain Mile is a major development story of the decades-long project. Each as a new retail, entertainment, attractions tour concludes with a thrilling off-road and dining destination. Construction of experience on private land, designed the Tower Shops retail space is underway and built by Pink Adventure Tours. with a variety of upscale retail partners, “We’re excited to be part of the Pigeon including premier national brands and local Forge Community. Groups of all ages will shops committed to 2020 openings. REI enjoy their guided experience through Coop and Appalachian Apparel company the Great Smoky Mountains National are just a few retailers committed. New Park, and the 4x4 adventure on private dining options at Mountain Mile will be land,” said Jodi O’Gara, sales manager. Cream & Sugar Sweet Shop, Currahee pinkadventuretours.com Winery, Mountain Rifle Coffee Company, The Big Show came to Pigeon Forge while Junction 35 began serving late in October with music and comedy October. Already open and centered in the Tower Shops, the Mountain Monster features three rides from a 200-foot tower. mountainmilepigeonforge.com When the Dawson and McGraw families square off in 13 competitive logger events, there’s sure to be real completion among world-class lumberjacks at Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show. This authentic outdoor show performs regardless of the weather with the lumberjacks outside and spectators in a climate-controlled grandstand. The adjacent all new Lumberjack Adventure features the Flying Ox Zipline Roller Coaster, High Woodsman Challenge, Logger Sports and Timber Towers. lumberjackfeud.com The newest way to see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is on a guided excursion with Pink Jeep Tours. For the first time in its 60-year history, Pink Jeep Tours has expanded east from the desert southwest. The