2011 Thanksgiving in the Smokies

Make a Gatlinburg Vacation your new Thanksgiving Tradition

Spending the Thanksgiving Holiday in Gatlinburg is a great place to enjoy your family and have a vacation filled with lots to do.  Most restaurants are open and serving traditional Thanksgiving meals, welcoming your entire family to the table with roast turkey, ham, and all the fixin’s.  If you need help in deciding where to dine, click here for a list of restaurants and details about their Thanksgiving menus and whether or not reservations are accepted or required.  After a great dinner, your entertainment options are plentiful!

The 2011 Thanksgiving Bowl takes place at Mills Park and Gatlinburg-Pittman Highschool throughout the weekend and hosts up to 48 teams with multiple age categories.  If you enjoy youth football, this event is free for spectators.

The Gatlinburg Festival of Trees is an annual event from November 22-26 that supports Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries.  Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.  You can view numerous trees sponsored and decorated by local businesses and listen to holiday music while the kids enjoy the crafts center and getting their picture taken with Santa!  Staff will even be on hand to help you immediately send a photo card home to friends and family.  Kickoff your Christmas spirit with the Festival of Trees at the W.L. Mills Conference Center, and then stroll next door to the Gatlinburg Convention Center for the Arts & Crafts Holiday Show.

Members of the Smoky Mountains Arts & Crafts Community are holding their annual craft fair from November 22-December 4, and admission is free.  Browse through handcrafted gifts of Appalachian culture while enjoying beautiful holiday decorations and music.  Plan to some early Christmas shopping for heirloom quality gifts!

Winterfest kickoff was held throughout Sevier County earlier this month, but that just means those millions of twinkling lights in hundreds of displays are waiting for you!  Both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge offer a unique opportunity to ride through each city on a Trolley Ride of Lights.  Gatlinburg rides depart from downtown Gatlinburg and cost $5 per person, and Pigeon Forge rides depart at Patriot Park.  You’ll be warm and cozy in a heated trolley, but reservations may be required.

Rooms and suites are still available at both Twin Islands and Crossroads Inn, but Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  Don’t wait until it’s too late to enjoy convenient downtown access from both of our locations.

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

October 2-30, 2011

The Big Red and White Tent at Patriot Park

The Rotary Club of Pigeon Forge is hosting their annual Craft Festival in Pigeon Forge October 2-31, 2011.  There is plenty of free parking in the Patriot Park lot and a donation gains your admission.

The Craft Fair is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout October, and will feature woodworking, handcrafted home decorations, Native American jewelry and gifts, stained glass, quilts and much more by crafters from across the USA.

Rotary is a worldwide organization that focuses on making a positive impact in the community through “Service Above Self.”  The Pigeon Forge Rotary utilizes the Annual Crafts Fair to generate revenue through booth rental from the crafters, donations from guest admissions, and concessions to support local non-profit organizations such as Handicap Scouts, Sevier Food Ministries, House of Hope programs, and scholarships.

Ride the trolley next door from Crossroads Inn or Twin Islands at the main trolley station at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies directly to Patriot Park to browse and shop the craft festival.  You will find no better selection for handmade Smoky Mountain souvenirs for your friends and family back home while supporting a great Sevier County organization!

All 6 Movies for $15.99!

Did you ever imagine that a trip to Gatlinburg could actually have you traveling on the World’s largest roller coaster or smashing up cars?  How about to the Artic or a far away planet?  It’s true!  These wild destinations are just a couple of blocks away from Twin Islands and Crossroads Inn at a cost far less than $100 Million dollars.

At Fort Fun, in the middle of downtown Gatlinburg between lights #6 & #7, you can experience the wildest rides you’ll ever have in a motion simulator… GUARANTEED!  The Venturer Motion Ride is a 12-seat, futurist theater capsule with a screen that moves with the seats, making your experience more realistic than most other simulated amusements.  There are 4-foot drops, g-forces and wildly wacky turns and twists.  Fort Fun offers the area’s best movie selections too, with six ‘blood racing’ movies to choose from.

Astro Canyon Coaster
A space coaster hurls you toward the frontiers of an uncharted alien planet!

The Big One
Vertical simulation of Black Pool Pleasure Beach, the world’s tallest, fastest rollercoaster!

Slot Car Boogie
A high-speed, futuristic Slot Car race!

Smash Factory
Drive with a maverick crew through an underground labyrinth of terror!

Volcano Mine Ride
Ride a runaway mine car through a blazing Volcano, experiencing all the rattles, bumps, and jumps along the way!

Glacier Run
It’s a race through an ice quarry with avalanches of ice blocks and gaping ice chasms!

Walk to Fort Fun or ride the trolley from our downtown hotels, and request their BEST VALUE Venturer package.  This will get you ALL movie rides offered for only $15.99.  Be sure to tell them that Best Western Ogle’s Properties sent you!

Adventures in the Smokies

Enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of the Smokies!

Looking for something different to do in Gatlinburg?  When planning your Smoky Mountain vacation, consider including a Field School activity on your agenda.  Activities include topics such as Use of Map & Compass, Elk in the Smokies, Fall Photography, Incredible Edibles, A Day with a Naturalist, and so much more.

A partnership between the Great Smoky Mountains and the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School celebrates 32 years of bringing educational adventures to lover’s of the great outdoors.   Expand your interest and knowledge of the park’s natural wonders through hikes and activities lead by instructors who bring their enthusiasm, dedication, experience and love of the Smokies to every course.

Courses are available to adults of any age, and special family programs welcome children ages 6-12.   Space is limited on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you’ll want to register early either online, by telephone or by fax, and make your lodging reservations with us!

Click for the Smoky Mountain Field School Activity Schedule and Course Descriptions available on various weekends from September 18 through October 31.

August 6 - 10, 2010

Chongqing (pronounced Chung-Ching) is a major city in China, with its history dating back as far as 3,000 years. Beginning August 6, that history comes to life in Tennessee when some of China’s finest artists and performers will be in Sevierville at the Smoky Mountain Palace, current home of the Cirque de Chine. This extraordinary event will include free admission from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. to view cultural displays in the lobby throughout the day, with an hour of demonstrations and live performances at 6:30 p.m. Plan to stay and purchase tickets for the evening show when all performers share the stage at 7:30 p.m.

This 5-day event will feature:

Wang Yi – a master of the Yang Qin (a hammered dulcimer), and Chief of the Chongqing Folk Arts Troupe

Wang Yali – a master of the Erhu, a centuries-old traditional two-stringed Chinese fiddle

Liu Yingying – a Sichuan Opera star internationally recognized for her skills in Face Changing, rapidly changing face masks technique.  Successors of World Intangible Heritage

Liu Guibing – an architect who creates highly detailed sugar sculptures

Zhou Mingchun – one of two inventors of the patented Leaf Veins Painting

Chen Zifu – a magician of fans who can create exquisite fans from any material

Wen Yuguang – a master of wood engraving depicting Chinese peasants’ daily lives

Liang Su – traditional art craft of Paper Cutting

Hu Wenfu – renowned for his unique calligraphy technique, using only ink, his fingers, palm and fist

Cast of Cirque de Chine – the theater’s own resident award-winning masters of dance, acrobatics, and contortion.

All the exhibitions in the lobby prior to the evening event are free to the public. Each evening at 6:30 p.m., there will be live performances in the lobby by acrobats, demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy by Hu Wenfu, and demonstrations by the master craftsmen showcasing traditional folk arts.

Book your stay at Crossroads Inn or Twin Islands during this special event running August 6-10, 2010 at the Smoky Mountain Palace on Collier Drive in Sevierville, straight across from Wal-Mart.

Annual Summer Craft Show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center

“A Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event!”

The 35^th Annual Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Summer Fair has been voted one of the South’s most popular summer events, and appropriately so! Over 180 of the finest artists and craftspeople from across the USA will gather at the Gatlinburg Convention Center July 16-24 to demonstrate and exhibit their crafts. The Gatlinburg Convention Center transforms into an enormous multi-level community of craftspeople performing their talents and offering their handicrafts for sale. Many exhibitors will be favorites seen from year to year, but new juried craftsmen always offer something interesting and exciting for guests to enjoy. The craftsman’s fair provides an ideal opportunity to purchase heirloom quality Smoky Mountain souvenirs for friends and family back home.

Plan to give yourself plenty of time to see all that the Gatlinburg craft show has to offer. You can even take a shopping break and relax with the country, blue grass and gospel music played throughout the day by Dennis Lee and Band, July 16-20, and Keith Longbotham, July21-24. They can be heard at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily, and at noon and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Fair hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission to the craft fair is only $6, or free for everyone ages 12 and under. Book your stay at Twin Islands or Crossroads Inn, and forget about paying for Convention Center parking. You can grab a ride from the trolley station next door and head straight to the summer fair!

Smoky Mountain Ziplines is an attraction you should plan to experience! If you’re looking for something different to do in the Smokies, this is it. Call ahead to schedule a tour that will not disappoint!

Smoky Mountain Zip Lines is located just 1.5 miles from the Pigeon Forge Parkway at traffic light #10. You can’t miss the building because it’s a beautiful log building with a great big, welcoming front porch and ziplines off to the side. Inside you’ll find a souvenir shop and cold drinks, and receive a hospitable greeting from the staff. Once you read the safety sheet and pay for your tour, trained guides will gear you up and you’ll pile into the back of a military personnel mover and head to the top of a mountain.

Training Line Prior to Soaring the Canopy Tour at Smoky Mountain Ziplines

Once at the first of two training lines, your guides will instruct you in braking and using hand signals to help your maneuvers and to maintain safety at all times. Our guides were Jimmy and “Hit Man” and they were awesome! They made the entire 2.5 hour tour fun with their sense of humor and antics, but their top priority was always our safety.

We soared through the treetops of the mountainous terrain on 14 ziplines! We traveled from “post to post,” experiencing higher, longer and faster lines each time. Our group had an absolute blast! The next stop was the four side-by-side super ziplines that were 100 feet high and 800 feet long. Talk about flying… it was an experience we can’t wait to have again!

If all that fun doesn’t convince you, then keep reading. Nearly everyone with average mobility and strength can participate in a zipline adventure. The age limit is 8 years old, but younger guests can ride if comfortably harnessed to a guide. The weight limits are 80-250 lbs., but heavier guests may be accommodated if their bodies are proportionate and can be harnessed. Unlike some other zip companies in town, the Smoky Mountain Ziplines are set up so that there is no strenuous hiking between runs. There is one, grassy 50-foot walk that is slightly downhill about midway through the tour where you’ll find complimentary cold, bottled water and a restroom, and that’s it. This company also has taken all safety requirements and recommendations, and doubled them to adopt their own. The Smoky Mountain Ziplines attraction is top-notch! You’ll be assured a great time, top industry safety standards, trained guides, and a true vacation value. If you have questions, call ahead at 865.429.9004 or visit the web site at www.SmokyMountainZiplines.com. Ross and Kerry will be glad to have you!

Plan to be in Gatlinburg next week, and take the whole family to Mynatt Park on Tuesday, April 20 from 3-7 p.m.   It’s the Annual Earth Day Festival!

Not only will there be free crafts, games and other activities, there will be live music provided by Boogertown Gap (click to hear music samples), Taylor Brooks, Rex Gibson, Jeff Bowen and others.  You can bring a blanket and stretch out on the lawn for a relaxing afternoon in the city park.

Bring money for eats provided by local vendors and to shop for items provided by non-profits to fund their charities.   It will be a lot of fun for all… and even your pets are welcome.

Admission is free, crafts, activities and live music are free, and you can even get a free night stay at Crossroads Inn.  All of this makes for a really affordable mid-week getaway.  We sure hope you can make it!

African Penguins come to Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies April, 2010

A big “Congratulations” goes out to our next door neighbor, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, celebrating their 10th anniversary in Gatlinburg.   In addition to having had more than 14 million visitors, they were chosen ‘The #1 Aquarium in America’ by TripAdvisor.com.

If you haven’t visited the aquarium during previous vacations–and even if you have–this is a year you don’t want to miss!  We are eagerly anticipating the debut of their brand new Penguin Playhouse Exhibit, scheduled to open sometime in April.  The indoor / outdoor habitat will be the home and playground for African Black Footed Penguins and will give visitors an up close and personal birdseye view.   The interactive habitat will feature underwater, acrylic tunnels that allow visitors to pop right up on the penguin’s private beach, offering everyone above and below perspectives of these spectacular birds.

Stay with us, right next door at Twin Islands or just a block away at Crossroads Inn, and be one of the first visitors to the Smokies to experience the Penguin Playhouse Exhibit.  We have printable discount coupons available to use this April that will save you 50% off one night or give you one night free!