PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (Dec. 26, 2024)— More than 90 free educational sessions, five days of outdoor excursions and key note speakers await attendees of Pigeon Forge’s 33rd Wilderness Wildlife Week Jan. 28-Feb. 1. One of the largest gatherings of wildlife experts and enthusiasts in the Southeast, the event features activities for participants of all ages and fitness levels. Headquartered at The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, the event also offers off-site trips throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This winter celebration of the great outdoors is free and open to the public. Online registration for all hikes, trips and craft classes begins on Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. Eastern at MyPigeonforge.com/event/wilderness-wildlife-week. The event program and schedule is available here, also.
“Pigeon Forge is blessed to be just six miles from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and that is something we never want to take for granted,” said Pigeon Forge Executive Director of Tourism Leon Downey. “We’re honored to have hosted more than three decades of Wilderness Wildlife Week to celebrate the park, its nature and its abundance of offerings to those of us who live here and the people who visit.”
For three decades, Wilderness Wildlife Week has introduced thousands of attendees to some of the country’s leading wildlife experts. Attendees have access to a full roster of topics and experts who highlight the nature, terrain, culture, and history of the Great Smoky Mountains. The event has won numerous awards for its variety of presenters, overall attendance, and ability to offer attendees opportunities to interact with fellow enthusiasts over a broad range of topics.
This year’s event includes sessions on a wide variety of topics including wildlife and history such as Wonder of Wolves where attendees will learn about wolves’ behaviors, family life, and general facts about this animal(Jan. 29 at 2:30 p.m.) Author Mark Warren presents A History of Native People in Southern Appalachia (Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.), and Ken Jenkins, Judy Felts and friends host the moving program Heaven & Nature Sing (Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.).
Other notable feature presenters include naturalist, award-winning author and newspaper columnist Sam Venable who will present The Ever-Changing Majesty of these Mountains (Jan. 28 at 7p.m). Former Olympian and television fitness host Missy Kane discusses Fitness, Fun and Raising Funds (Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.)
Additionally, music and storytelling are celebrated with sessions like People, Plants and Their Stories from Sherra Owen (Jan. 28 at 10 a.m.) who explores Southern Appalachian plants and the people associated with them. Appalachian Sounds Parts One and Two (Jan. 30 at noon and 3:15) features a small group of musicians from the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club performing traditional Appalachian songs.
Outdoor excursions of all levels are available throughout the week. Highlights include a four-mile hike to Huskey Branch Falls, traveling past the remains of some of the very first tourist homes along with the famous “Troll Bridge” and learning about the history of the once booming logging industry of the early nineteen hundreds (Feb. 1 at 9 a.m.). Bus trips include a guided tour of the American Eagle Foundation’s new facilities (Jan. 28, 29 and 30 1 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.). Six Pink Jeep Tour excursions are available on Jan. 28, 29, and 30 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Appalachian Bear Rescue tours take place on Jan. 28 and 29 at 9 a.m.
Nearly 40 exhibits and vendors, including the not-for-profit Cades Cove Preservation Association, Smokies Life (formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association), Great Smoky Mountain Homesite Preservation Program and Keep Sevier Beautiful, are open daily during the event beginning at 10 a.m.
—MyPigeonForge2025—
About Pigeon Forge: Pigeon Forge is in East Tennessee, approximately 35 miles from Knoxville and McGhee-Tyson Airport. Two-thirds of the nation’s population east of the Mississippi River lives within a day’s drive, making it an easily accessible family vacation destination. The city’s neighbor is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the U.S. It also is home to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, Tennessee’s most-visited ticketed attraction. More information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge is available at MyPigeonForge.com or toll-free at 1-800-251-9100.
Media Contact:
Trish McGee
865-453-8574