PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE (Jan. 10, 2017)—Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the popular family vacation destination located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, announces several new attractions for the 2017 travel season.
“As folks begin to make their spring break plans or look for a summer family getaway, we want to remind them of the great variety of attractions and accommodations that Pigeon Forge has to offer,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. “Tourism is our lifeblood and helping our visitors make their memories is what we do best.”
Pigeon Forge is well known for delivering on the promise of something new each year, along with offering a wide variety of attractions, museums, entertainment, special events, lodging and restaurant options.
New for 2017 visitors includes:
- Alcatraz East Crime Museum, a family friendly 25,000-square-foot facility that houses five unique galleries and more than 100 interactive displays including a crime scene investigation laboratory. Authentic crime-related artifacts feature John Dillinger’s death mask, Al Capone’s rosary, a Bonnie & Clyde collection, the Bronco from the OJ Simpson chase, an FBI polygraph machine, Al Pacino’s submachine gun from the movie Scarface, and the latest in law enforcement technology. www.alcatrazeast.com
- Dollywood theme park adds two new rides and two special events. Drop Line, a 200-foot-tall free-fall experience takes guests approximately 20 stories in the air before plummeting down. Whistle Punk Chaser, a junior coaster, features exciting twists and turns in a logging-themed experience. This spring, enra, a Tokyo-based dance company (featured on America’s Got Talent in 2015) fuses multi-media dance, light and video in a new show at the park. For fall, the award-winning theme park unveils GREAT! Pumpkin LumiNights, an evening-time event. Also, a new pumpkin trail comes to life after dark featuring glowing pumpkin displays. Dollywood opens March 18. www.Dollywood.com
- Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark adds TailSpin Racer which allows up to six riders to race each other along a journey through a unique spiraling tube design with exciting drops and curves. Dollywood’s Splash Country opens May 13. www.Dollywood.com
- The Pigeon Forge Chuck Wagon Cookoff featuring Food Network star Kent Rollins on Saturday, March 4, (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) brings more than 10 authentic chuck wagons to compete for top honors in this day-long outdoor cooking food event. Attendees can purchase lunch for $12.50 per person from these Western kitchens on wheels while learning more about life on the open prairie through roping and branding demonstrations, Western poetry and music, and Sisters on the Fly, the largest women’s outdoor adventure group in the U.S. www.MyPigeonForge.com
- New lodging properties include the 178-room Black Fox Lodge offering panoramic river and mountain views; the 137-room Courtyard Marriott featuring modern, contemporary rooms with private balconies, river and mountain views; and, opening later this year, the Summit Tower with 98 family suites and a 30,000-square-foot waterpark.
Other upcoming events in Pigeon Forge this year include:
- A Mountain Quiltfest—March 21-25, showcasing one of the country’s oldest hand-sewn crafts
- The annual Dolly’s Homecoming Parade—May 5, marching bands and floats travel the city’s main thoroughfare along with grand marshal Dolly Parton
- Wilderness Wildlife Week—May 9-13, with seminars and workshops showcasing the vast variety of wildlife and nature in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Patriot Festival—July 4, an annual celebration of our nation’s independence, featuring a free concert by Grand Ole Opry member Craig Morgan
Pigeon Forge is home to approximately 6,000 permanent residents but welcomes more than 10 million visitors annually. The town offers more than 15,000 overnight accommodations ranging from hotels and motels to cabins and condominiums. Pigeon Forge is home to entertainment legend and hometown girl Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, the state’s number one ticketed attraction. It also is a gateway city to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country most-visited national park.
Tourism is the city’s top-ranking industry and number one employer. For more information, please visit www.MyPigeonForge.com.
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Media contact: Trish McGee
615-327-1189