Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing at Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Total lunar eclipse viewing at Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Monday, August 21, 2017. Great Smoky Mountains is providing a unique ticketed event to view a total lunar eclipse at Clingmans Dome as well as informal viewing at Cades Cove and Oconlaluftee. The park has partnered with NASA, Southwestern Community College and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to provide a well rounded program of storytellers and speakers as visitors discover the scientific and cultural connections to this unique natural event.

Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smokies at 6,643 in elevation. This elevation will allow viewers to see the shadow of the moon approach across the mountains. The area will be closed to all but the lucky 1,300 ticket holders. The parking area will be converted into a special event site including a jumbotron for participating in a nation wide NASA TV broadcast, telescopes, educational exhibits, and a stage for the featured speakers.

March 1, 2017 tickets will be available for purchase on a first come first serve basis for $30.00 each at www.recreation.gov. No one will be admitted to Clingmans Dome without a valid ticket. Eclipse viewers will be shuttled to and from the site from Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC by a coach bus. The event will last approximately three hours in the afternoon when the sun will be briefly be obscured by the moon.

“We are thrilled that the park lies within the narrow viewing band of this spectacular, natural phenomena,” said Deputy Superintendent Clay Jordan. “I have great memories of the time I experienced a partial solar eclipse as a child and I am thrilled to view my first total eclipse from the top of the Smokies in the company of a passionate group of visitors.”

Newfound Gap Road, may close on the day of the event depending on traffic congestion. For more information about the solar eclipse events, please call the information line at 865-436-1585 or visit the park website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/2017-solar-eclipse.htm.

Nurture your Inner Hillbilly with Cuzzin Eddie’s Toors of the Smokies!

If you’re ready for some belly laughs, you’re ready for Cuzzin Eddie’s Toors of the Smokies! Cuzzin Eddie offers up novelty, tongue-in-cheek tours on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge side of the Great Smoky Mountains that are sure to tickle your funny bone! Nurture your inner hillbilly and take in the sights and sounds of the Smokies on Cuzzin Eddie’s custom 14-passenger bus for a rollicking good time!

Here are a few of Cuzzin Eddie’s Toors of the Smokies that are fun for grown-ups and kids.

Aunt Tweedy’s Hillbilly Roots Toor – This 90-minute tour cruises by the sewage treatment plant, the feed store and more novel sites in Sevier County TN. With music, arts and crafts, and a few surprises, Aunt Tweedy will help you get in touch with your inner hillbilly. Tour price $29 per person.

Mrs. Beanfahrt’s Field Trip – Kids will love their teacher, Mrs. Ima Beanfahrt, who leads an entertaining, two-hour outing to the local deer farm and petting zoo. This special tour includes sing-alongs, a kid-sized lunch, and a cup of animal food. Tour price is $26 adults, $19 children ages 3-12, $3 children under 3.

White Lightnin’ Express – Visit several local, craft distilleries on this 3-4 hour tour for adults only and learn all about the rich and colorful history of moonshine in the mountains and how it’s made today. Tour price $39 per person.

Eddie’s Cheap Thrills Ride – No frills, no prizes, no snacks. Just ride up and down the Parkway singing, yelling, and waving at people in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for about an hour. Your “celebrity” host will take you by some of the newest attractions and talk about the local culture and history. Then you get a package of Ramen noodles as a souvenir. Tour price is $19 per person.

To schedule your tour, call 615-289-4815 or visit Cuzzin Eddie’s Toors. 

Who are the entertainers behind Cuzzin Eddie’s Toors?

Jack Bullard and C.J. Morgan are professional celebrity impersonators who entertain audiences around the world but make their home in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. Jack Bullard is a leading Jack Nicholson impersonator. Together, the couple perform “Jack Loves Dolly” a fast-paced, motivational presentation for businesses and organizations.

C.J. Morgan’s family roots run deep in East Tennessee and her blood runs orange for the University of Tennessee from where she received her master’s degree. A lifelong songwriter and performer, Morgan is an award-winning Dolly Parton tribute artist. This year, Morgan is nominated for the “Country Heavy Hitter” Award at the annual Reel Awards Celebrity Tribute Artist Convention held in Las Vegas this month.

Morgan, who naturally resembles Parton, chose to perform “Sha-Kon-O-Hey” for this video without the costume, long fingernails, and other enhancements that add to the image because she wanted it to come from the heart. The nomination for Morgan comes on the heels of last year’s wildfire storm.

Southeastern Regional Alpaca Show and Fiber Arts Workshops in Sevierville March 3-5, 2017


This is your opportunity to get up close to gentle and beautiful Suri and Huacaya alpacas and talk with experienced breeders from all across the southeast. Also, shop for gorgeous items made from luxurious alpaca fleece, and learn how to make some great items for yourself. Artisans will be on hand to demonstrate felting, fiber arts and more.

It’s all at the Sevierville Convention Center on Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5 for the new Southeastern Regional Alpaca Challenge.

Doors open at 9:00 a.m. each day and close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. This FREE event is open for the public to enjoy and learn more about alpacas.

Almost a dozen different workshops for beginners to the more experienced will by presented by Moonwood Farm Fiber Studio so bring your knitting and crochet needles and your spinning wheel and take advantage of these free classes. For a schedule of classes, visit Fiber Arts Mini Workshops Schedule.

Breeders competing in the show rings will be judged in classes on conformation and fleece quality in many categories. The Southeastern Alpaca Association has partnered with the Georgia Alpaca Association to bring two halters shows to this expanded weekend event. For more information on these associations, visit www.sealpaca.org/southern-select.

16 Sweet Valentine’s Day Ideas | Let the Smokies show you some love!

Let the Smokies show you some love this Valentine’s Day! We’ve got 16 sweet Valentine’s Day gift ideas and activities that are sure to put some love in your heart and a smile on your face this season! XOXO

1. Love your creative side with a paint party for friends or couples at Art Studio of the Smokies, Gatlinburg

2. Let your love fill the skies with a helicopter tour from Scenic Helicopters, Sevierville

3. Treat your love or yourself to a Spa Day or Spa Membership from The Spa at Oak Haven Resort, Sevierville

4. Cuddle up in a cozy cabin with an amazing view! Cabins of the Smoky Mountains, Galtinburg

5. Is there a more perfect day to renew your vows or get hitched? Smoky Mountain Wedding Association

6. Peace, Love, Donuts! Treat someone special to a dozen of these hand-crafted goodies from Courthouse Donuts, Sevierville

7. Hats off for the sporty and stylish lady in your life! The Bees Knees, Sevierville

8. Give someone you love the warm fuzzies! Pets Without Parents Animal Shelter or Sevier County Humane Society, Sevierville

9. Luxury lodging and fine dining at The Everett Boutique Hotel and Cork & Bean Bistro in Bryson City

10. Love is in air (200 feet in the air) at The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel at The Island in Pigeon Forge

11. Pure joy can be found in the coconut macaroons at Sassy Sunflowers Bakery & Cafe in Cherokee

12. A lovely read. Women of the Smokies: No Place for the Weary Kind by Courtney Lix

13. If your love is as deep as the oceans. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg

14. You can always say it with flowers! Cupid’s Petals Florist, Gatlinburg

15. And you can say it with sparkly jewelry too! Honeysuckle Rose Boutique in Wears Valley

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16. And let’s not forget about saying it with chocolate. Aunt Mahalia’s Homemade Candies, Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge

Safe Harbor Sock Hop on February 11th at Park Vista in Gatlinburg! Yowsah! Yowsah! Yowsah!

Here’s a perfect-amundo way to get a head start on celebrating Valentine’s Day! Flip your collar and cruise over to the Safe Harbor Sock Hop on February 11, 2017 at the beautiful Park Vista Doubletree in Gatlinburg!

Things get rocking and hopping at 6:30 p.m. with a Welcome Reception. A fabulous fifty’s-style Buffet Dinner will be served from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. And then beginning at 8:00, get ready for Dancing, Dance Contests and Best 50’s/60’s Attire Contest.

Don’t be a Potsie and get your tickets today! Tickets for the event are $65 per person, $125 per couple, or $650 for a table of ten.

Proceeds from the event benefit Safe Harbor of  the Smokies Child Advocacy Center in Sevierville. For reservations, call 865-774-1777 or email connie.burns@safeharborcac.com.