February is a Sweet Time to Visit the Great Smoky Mountains! Your Valentine will Love a Smokies Getaway!

February is a sweet time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains and your valentine will love a Smokies getaway AND these decadent Chocolate Lava Cakes that you can easily make!

Who wouldn’t love a romantic getaway this winter in beautiful, and sometimes snowy, Great Smoky Mountains! It’s a great time to celebrate the one you love or the love of the entire family! Either way, if it’s a cabin getaway you desire, Jackson Mountain Homes in Gatlinburg can make your dreams come true! And better yet, our friend Chef Ray with Fruitful Vintage can take your vacation plans to a whole new level with personal chef service at your cabin!

Just in time for the chocolate lover’s holiday, Chef Ray shows us how to make an easy and oh-so-decadent dessert that you’re sure to want to treat your loved ones to this time of year! Check out his how-to video and get your ramekins ready for love!

Video filmed at beautiful Dreamscapes cabin by Jackson Mountain Homes in Gatlinburg. For reservations, call 800-473-3163.

Here’s Chef Ray’s super easy and delicious recipe for Chocolate Lava Cakes a la Mode!

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The 17th Annual Smoky Mountain Spring Trout Tournament on April 2 & 3 Offers Cash Prizes!

The 17th Annual Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament offers $10,000 in cash and prizes for children and adults, locals and visitors!

Between 5,000 – 10,000 trout will be stocked in over 20 miles of streams prior to the 17th Annual Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament. Grab your kids and your rods and don’t miss the opportunity to fish in the largest trout tournament in the Smokies on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 2016.

Your chances to win are great! They’re giving away $500 for the largest trout and $500 for the smallest trout; and there are lots of other great prizes and drawings for area attractions passes, gift certificates, fishing equipment, and more!

Weigh-ins will be held at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge.

Register online at www.smokymountaintrouttournament.com. Cost is $25 daily or $40 for both Saturday and Sunday. Late registration for Spring Trout Tournament from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. at Rocky Top Outfitters on April 2 & 3.

smoky-mountain-spring-trout-tournament-poster-heysmokiesFor more information on how to enter the 17th Annual Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament email Rocky Top Outfitters at rockytopoutfit@aol.com or call 865-661-3474 (FISH). You must possess a valid fishing license to participate.

Dollywood Opens March 19, 2016 with Another Amazing Festival of Nations Celebration!

Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge kicks off it’s 2016 season on Saturday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m. with the fantastic Festival of Nations! Dollywood brings musicians, dancers and other artists from around the globe to share their culture and food to the delight of theme park guests!

Here are some of the great shows and performances at Dollywood’s Festival of Nations 2016!

Atahualpa @ Showstreet Theater
Discover the culture and history of the Andes Mountains with Atahualpa, performers from Ecuador, who hope to promote brotherhood and world peace through their music. Atahualpa uses native Incan instruments, South American dance rhythms with contemporary and traditional music.

Celtic Coast @ Rivertown Junction
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada this trio features award-winning singer/songwriter Buddy MacDonald along with up-and-comers Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen.

David Charrier @ throughout the park
This percussionist, guitarist and vocalist from France has become known for his playing of the Hang, a rare instrument developed in 2000. Charrier’s interactive street performances are celebrated the world over.

Duo Del Sol @ Rivertown Junction
Guitarist Tom Farrell and violinist Javier Orman take Latin music up a notch with their innovative, cutting-edge performance. Duo Del Sol were recently nominated for Best Instrumental Album by the Independent Music Awards.

Los Pampas Gauchos @ Showstreet Theater
Take a fun trip to Argentina during comic production with traditional folk dancing that shares the coloruful culture of the eighth largest country in the world.

Mother Africa @ Showstreet Theater
Talented performers from across the continent come together to celebrate the diversity of each country with traditional and modern dance, music and amazing acrobatics. Guests will be transported to the South African township of “Khayelitsha” during this inspiring, high-energy show.

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A Mountain Quiltfest March 15-19, 2016 at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge

 

One of the premier quilting events in the nation, the 22nd Annual A Mountain Quiltfest, will be held at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge.

Over 450 beautiful antique and new quilts will be on display, over 85 classes and lectures will be offered, and over 50 vendors will be on hand for all your quilting needs. With over 20 categories for judging, total prize awards exceed over $22,000.

To see the variety of quilting classes offered and prices, and to enter a quilt in the show, visit A Mountain Quiltfest Registration.

22nd Annual A Mountain Quiltfest is hosted by Piecemakers Quilt Guild and Sevier Valley Quilters Guild in partnership with the City of Pigeon Forge. For more information, contact the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at 865-429-7350.

What’s the Smoky Mountains Connection to the “Mountain of Butterflies” in Mexico? And How Can You Be a Part of It?

The “Mountain of Butterflies” in Mexico is the winter habitat for millions of beautiful orange and black Monarch Butterflies. In 1980, the habitat became officially known as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it’s also designated a World Heritage Site. But what’s the connection between these two places and how can you be a part of this amazing world of butterflies?

Some of the butterflies that winter in Mexico have traveled through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and have been tagged by volunteers via the Great Smoky Mountains Monarch Watch Project led by the staff of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. 

In the summer of 2015, Jaimie Maussan, a journalist from Mexico, visited Cades Cove and presented National Park and Tremont officials a 14-year-old Smokies Monarch Butterfly tag that was recovered from a part of the reserve known as El Rosario. The tag had been placed on a female monarch in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on October 4, 2001.

How can you and your family be a part of the fun and exciting Great Smoky Mountains Monarch Watch Project?

The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont offers opportunities for volunteers to tag monarch butterflies every year in September and October as they migrate to Mexico for the winter. The program allows scientist to learn about migration patterns and population which sadly has been in steady decline over the years.

You and your family can have a great outing in the fall as you run through the beautiful fields of Cades Cove with butterfly nets and have experts on hand to help you tag  the Monarchs. The staff at Tremont will also assist in identifying other butterfly and insect species you may catch.

For more information on exact dates in September and October for the tagging events, visit Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and be sure to check out their Facebook page for other great activities and programs offered for students and families.