Eastern Tennessee
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According to Amy Warner, interim director of the Pigeon Forge Dept. of Tourism, Pigeon Forge combines the scenic beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains with world-class attractions, like Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park. “Our small town, located just six miles from the entrance to the nation’s most-visited national park, has an abundance of attractions, restaurants, dinner shows, lodging properties, and shopping options to keep everyone entertained both day and evening,” Warner says.
Pigeon Forge has more than 16,000 lodging options with numerous venues for groups needing less than 50,000 square feet of space. For larger groups, the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge has 100,500 square feet of clear-span exhibit space, a 12,000-person capacity main hall, and additional breakout and reception spaces.
Hotels with event space include the 208-room Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center, with 18,066 square feet of meeting and event space; 303-room Music Road Resort Hotel, Inn & Convention Center, with 16,000 square feet of function space; 303-room Country Cascades Waterpark Resort, with 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space; 112-room Hilton Garden Inn, with 2,595 square feet of function space, including a tiered theater; and the dual-branded Embassy Suites by Hilton Pigeon Forge Resort, with 10,672 square feet of event space, and Tempo by Hilton. The two hotels offer a total of 276 guest rooms.
At Dollywood, the 302-room HeartSong Lodge & Resort and the adjacent 300-room DreamMore Resort and Spa together offer 32,000 total square feet of indoor and outdoor space for meetings and events of up to 700 people.
Pigeon Forge has several dinner shows, including Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, and Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Supper Show. “The Cottage and Sawyer’s Farmhouse are two new breakfast/lunch options, serving classic Southern dishes with a modern twist,” Warner says, “and unique choices for excursions or teambuilding include Pink Jeep Smoky Mountain Adventure Tours and Outdoor Gravity Park, the country’s only zorbing experience.”
The Old Mill Historic District and Dollywood’s Craftsman’s Valley are home to artisans who carry on Appalachian traditions in pottery, blacksmithing, milling, leatherworking, and candle making.
