wild bear in the Smoky Mountains
Pigeon Forge, TN was originally called Fanshiers, but later renamed “Pigeon” from the river and “Forge” from the iron works at the Old Mill on the river. The Old Mill (right) is on the National Register of Historic Sites and serves to remind us of the original pioneer community that once lay alongside the Pigeon River.
Pigeon Forge TN is home to Dollywood Theme Park, which was named for country superstar Dolly Parton and which highlights the rich heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains area. Tennessee’s most visited attraction (next to the Park), Dollywood draws over 2 million travelers annually and features rides, live entertainment shows and artisan’s work. Next to Dollywood sits Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park, which has rides for kids of all ages.
In 1996, Southern Living magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards ranked Pigeon Forge, TN as the #1 shopping spot in the South. Truly a shopper’s paradise, Pigeon Forge has some of the best outlet shopping in the South with more than 100 outlet stores. You can spend days checking out River View, Belz and Tanger outlet malls. Some of the companies represented are: Eddie Bauer, Nautica, Oshkosh, Nike, , Coach, Liz Claiborne, Rockport, Tommy Hilfiger, Samsonite, and many more. Check them all out yourself!
Lodging choices in Pigeon Forge run the gamut: dozens of hotels and motels, thousands of cabin and chalet rentals, bed and breakfast inns, campgrounds, and condo rentals will ensure that you’ll have a place to rest your head at the end of a busy day. Enjoy breathtaking mountain vistas from your own luxury cabin rental, get pampered at a bed and breakfast inn, or stay right on the Parkway in a Pigeon Forge, Tennessee hotel or motel.
Pigeon Forge, TN attractions include fishing, whitewater rafting and river tubing, golf, putt-putt, museums, Pigeon Forge entertainment and comedy, bumper cars, skiing, aquarium, carnival rides for kids, horseback riding, crafts, and much more.
view of the GSMNP from pigeon Forge
With more than 20,000 Smoky Mountains weddings annually in the Great Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge TN is high on the list for a chapel wedding, and hundreds of brides opt for an outdoor Park wedding or a wedding ceremony in their own cabin.
A truly exciting and enjoyable family vacation destination, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has something to appeal to everyone. In addition to being a shopper’s paradise, Pigeon Forge serves as a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), where you will find backpacking, camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures.