National Trails Day is June 4, 2016 and what better place to celebrate than the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Sponsored by the American Hiking Society, the day is celebrated all over the country and provides an opportunity for everyone to get outside and enjoy the day in a variety of ways!
We’re taking today to celebrate one of our favorite trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Alum Cave Trail. Lauded by many to be the most scenic trail in the park, Alum Cave Trail leads to the popular Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluffs and the iconic Mount LeConte Lodge. The trail offers a walk through an old-growth forest along with spectacular views not found on other trails in the park.
Here’s a peek at a Hike on Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte Lodge, you’ll want to experience for yourself!
Alum Cave Trail is undergoing restoration and is currently closed from 7:00 a.m. on Mondays through 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays each week until November 17, 2016, the anticipated completion date for the project. Alum Cave Trail is open for hikers on weekends and federal holidays. A Trails Forever crew will be repairing eroding sections of the trail including the cable/handrail system. For more information about closure visit GSMNP Alum Cave Trail Restoration Project.
National Trails Day is officially celebrated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the 20th Annual Appalachian Trail Work Day to be held on June 4, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will perform trail maintenance on the popular Appalachian Trail. Of the 2,143 miles that make up the popular footpath, 71.4 of them traverse the highest peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains. Registration for the event is $20-$25 per person with each participant receiving a commemorative t-shirt and picnic at the end of the work day. For more information, visit the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club.
For more information on National Trails Day celebrations across the country, visit American Hiking Society
It’s All-American fun in the Great Smoky Mountains as we celebrate our nation’s 240th birthday in 2016! Here’s the all-star lineup of awesome events on July 4th in the Smokies!
Gatlinburg hosts the First Independence Day Parade in the Nation at Midnight on July 3rd. Get into the patriotic spirit of the holiday and celebrate America’s military heroes at this 41st annual parade. With marching bands from across the country and lighted floats, this is a one-of-a-kind parade not to be missed!
The celebration continues in Gatlinburg on Monday, July 4th with the Gatlinburg River Raft Regatta on the Little Pigeon River. Any unmanned, floatable craft can be entered in the race to compete for prizes and trophies. Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. at the bridge on River Road in front of Christ in the Smokies. The race begins at 12:00 noon there and ends down at the bridge at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. To register for this free race, call the City of Gatlinburg Special Events Office at 800-588-1817.
The City of Pigeon Forge hosts the 26th Annual Patriot Festival beginning at 12:00 noon on Monday, July 4th at Patriot Park. This free event is an afternoon and evening of live music, great street food, and kid’s activities. Kids’ Carnival and food vendors open at 12:00 noon with live entertainment beginnning at 1:30 p.m. Festival music features Joe Diffie (performing at 8 pm) and an Allman Brothers Tribute Band along with our talented community chorus and local musicians. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets (no umbrellas or pop-up tents allowed) and enjoy a wonderful afternoon of patriotic family fun Pigeon Forge style. Then as the sky darkens, get ready for the grand finale. a Fireworks Spectacular at 9:30 pm. Free parking is available at the Municipal Parking Lot on Teaster Lane with free trolley shuttle service to Patriot Park for the festival. For more information, contact Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at 800-251-9100.
There’s Fourth of July fun to be found at Smokies Stadium in Kodak as the Tennessee Smokies host the Jackson Generals at 7:00 p.m. It’s Dollar Night at the stadium so you can load up on hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi products (and get a program) for just $1 each! And enjoy a special post-game fireworks show for the holiday!
Gatlinburg’s Fireworks Finale will be held at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, July 4th. The downtown Parkway in Gatlinburg is a great vantage point to view grand fireworks finale at the Gatlinburg Space Needle. Word is the Plaza at Ripley’s Aquarium is a favorite spot, but really anywhere between traffic lights #3 and #5 provides a great view of the musical show.
Dollywood has a nightly fireworks show called Dolly’s Nights of Many Colors! From June 11 through August 7, 2016 at 9:30 p.m. Dollywood guests will enjoy an inspiring show of synchronized music featuring “Paint Your Dreams Across the Sky,” written by Dolly specifically for this special event.
If you’re planning on spending the Fourth of July holiday in the Smokies, check back in with HeySmokies’ again soon as we update all fun events going on this special weekend!
The brand-new “Amazing Animals Show” at The Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge will donate 100% of the proceeds from a special show on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. to the Sevier County Humane Society. Tickets are $29.95 + tax for adults and $9.95 + tax for children ages 3-11.
Join Alena and Anthony King and their menagerie of critters for performance like none other! Where else could you find housecats, dogs, parrots, pigs, and an adorable mini-donkey that get together for lots of tricks and laughs? You may have seen them before on TV’s Animal Planet or The Tonight Show, but here’s your chance to see them perform live and all for a good cause…the emergency funding for the Sevier County Humane Society.
Due to insufficient operating funds, the Sevier County Humane Society will be unable to accept any new animals after June 1, 2016. “The staff will continue working with animals still in the shelter. We simply do not have the funds to continue taking in animals,” says Martha Gilchrist, president of the board of directors for the Sevier County Humane Society.
The owners and staff of The Comedy Barn and Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment seek to raise $50,000 for the
Sevier County Humane Society by June 1 and have set up a GoFundMe Campaign where they will match up to $25,000 in donations. Please write “Amazing Animals” on your donation to ensure the match.
For more information, call The Comedy Barn at 865-428-5222 or the Sevier County Humane Society at 865-453-7000. Check out this video from the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group about the importance of supporting our furry friends the Sevier County Humane Society.
Relay For Life of Sevier County gets tough this year with an all-new annual event themed “Rumble For Relay” on June 3 & 4, 2016 at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge! No worries, there’s still the same special traditions like the Survivor’s and Caregiver’s Lap and the beautiful Luminaria Ceremony as in the past. However; this year a local Relay Team kicked it into high gear to bring some brand-new events to the mix!
All the fun begins on Friday, June 3, 2016 with the Running Cancer Out of Town 5K Glow Run/Walk at 9:00 p.m. Registration begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Patriot Park Pavilion near The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. Register online at runsignup.com; cost is $25 per person. Come run or walk under the stars along the beautiful Pigeon Forge Riverwalk Greenway.
Then get ready for an action-packed afternoon of fun on Saturday, June 4, 2016 where cancer survivors and care-givers get ready to rumble! Here’s a rundown of all the events:
Saturday, June 4, 2016 Quaker Steak & Lube, Sevierville 12:30 pm Motorcycle Poker Run
Registration begins at 12:00 noon with first bike out at 12:30; last bike out at 1:00 p.m. Enjoy a ride in countryside that includes beautiful Wears Valley. Cost is $25 per driver, $10 for rider. T-shirts and 50/50 drawing also available. For registration, please call Tammy at The Mountain Press at 865-640-5344. Visit Rumble for Relay on Facebook for more details.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Patriot Park, Pigeon Forge
1:00 pm Survivor Registration Begins
1:30 pm Pigeon Forge Community Choir Performance
2:00 pm 2016 Relay For Life Opening Ceremony
3:15 pm Live Music by Matt Cordell
4:30 pm Live Music by Stephen Goff
5:00 pm Kevin Nowak Poems
5:45 pm Fight Back Ceremony
6:00 pm KFW Pro Wrestling
7:30 pm Live Auction
8:30 pm Live Entertaiment by Jay Adams
9:00 pm Luminaria Ceremony
10:00 pm Womanless Beauty Pageant & Closing Ceremony
With live music, food vendors and games for kids of all ages, Rumble For Relay is a great event to enjoy with family and friends…and all for a great cause…the fight to destroy cancer!
KFW Pro Wrestling event is presented by The Mountain Press and features the Cadillac Cowboy vs. WWE Hall of Fame Legend, KoKo B. Ware; Tristin Ramsey vs. Menace; Southern Bad Boys vs. Drew Game & Shane Daniels; and more!
Big Bear Cabin in Wears Valley sleeps eight guests in ultra comfort and affordability, so text your friends and family, and head to the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains for big fun this summer! The knowledgeable and friendly staff of Smoky Creek Cabin Rentals are waiting to help you plan your next Smoky Mountain Vacation!
Smoky Creek Cabin Rentals, locally owned and operated by Chuck and Melanie McGinnis, offers a variety of quality, well-maintained vacation homes in the heart of Smoky Mountains in Wears Valley, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg TN. Smoky Creek Cabin Rentals friendly staff is happy to assist in helping you pick out the perfect cabin for your next getaway! Choose from 1, 3, 4, 5 and 11-bedroom cabins.
A guest favorite is a three-bedroom that sleeps eight, Big Bear Cabin. Built of big logs, this beautiful cabin makes a big impression! With 3-levels of luxurious fun, Big Bear’s amenities include a covered hot tub, pool table, foosball, deluxe grill, wet bar, and huge wrap around deck with rocking chairs to soak in the view! The cabin’s great room features a 30-foot ceiling with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and stack stone gas fireplace.
With a modern, full kitchen, two big screen TVs, Wi-Fi, two decks and a fire pit, Big Bear Cabin makes for awesome accommodations for your next Smoky Mountain adventure! Each of Big Bear Cabin’s three bedrooms offer king beds and televisions. The cabin has two baths with Jacuzzi tubs along with another half bath. There’s a lovely mountain stream just down the road within walking distance, nearby swimming pool access and a pond for fishing. All the better is that you are conveniently located to Cades Cove and Metcalf Bottoms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Plus you’re just minutes away from Townsend TN, known as the “peaceful side of the Smokies” and a great place to spend an afternoon tubing down the river. And you’re just minutes away from action-packed Pigeon Forge. It just doesn’t get any better for location!
Smoky Creek Cabin Rentals offers great discounts to many local attractions including white water rafting on the nearby Pigeon River in Hartford TN. For reservations, call 877-256-STAY or 865-206-7414 or email info@smokycreekcabins.com. To view all the cabins available, visit www.smokycreekcabins.com.
HeySmokies got a tour of Big Bear Cabin by Audia Ricker, director of sales and marketing for Smoky Creek Cabins. Enjoy the tour and we’ll see you soon in the Great Smoky Mountains!
