Annual Dollywood Homecoming Parade in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is scheduled for May 2, 2014 featuring Dolly Parton as the grand marshal

Appleview River Resort Blog

Welcome home Tennessee’s favorite daughter, Dolly Parton! The Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade features Pigeon Forge’s one and only Miss Dolly Parton herself  and is one of the most attended events of the spring season. This years parade is scheduled for May 2, 2014, at 6pm , the parade attracts over 50,000 spectators and includes one-of-a-kind floats, marching bands, horses and even some local celebrities. Like many events in Pigeon Forge, the Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade is completely free. Everyone who attends the parade will get a sneak peak at the amazing and diverse entertainment found only in Pigeon Forge.

This year is the 29th Annual Dolly Parade and as always Dolly serves as Grand Marshal of the parade and waves to the visitors and locals who line the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. The parade route begins on River Road near Traffic Light #7 and travels north along the Parkway before…

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Riding the FireChaser Express

Thanks for letting everyone see an inside look at this ride. I plan on going to Dollywood for the first time in April. I am sure my kids will love it.

Jake Old

Jake Old/JakeOld.com
VIP and media wait for the unveiling of the FireChaser Express roller coaster.

In advance of the 2014 season opening, Dollywood invited local media to try out the newest roller coaster at the theme park, the FireChaser Express.

The ride is a firefighting-theme, dual-launching roller coaster that carries riders both forward and backwards. It was originally announced on Aug. 21, 2013, along with the announcement of the Dollywood DreamMore resort, which is slated for completion next summer.

In addition to simply riding the ride, Dollywood also offered the option of riding the roller coaster with a gopro camera mounted to the front of the ride to capture the user’s experience on video.

I was the lucky one drafted at my office to attend the media event. My PR contact at Dollywood told me to be at the park at 10:30 a.m. Apparently another media member was scheduled at…

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Ober Gatlinburg Getaway – A mountain ski retreat that’s fun for the whole family

Great summary. Ober Gatlinburg has a lot of things to do besides skiing. Thank you

Southern Scrawl

I am caught in a sea of cars eager to escape the Atlanta’s grey sprawl of buildings and return to their cold garages for the weekend, while mine revs up for the 200-mile drive to the little mountain town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee nestled at the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gatlinburg welcomes more than 11 million visitors a year to its hundreds of family-friendly activities, oddball museums and unique shops selling arts and crafts made by the nation’s largest organization of independent artisans. But I plan to spend my time riding down the snowy slopes of the ski resort at Ober Gatlinburg.

While Ober Gatlinburg’s nine ski trails covered in man-made snow are no match for the huge resorts in the West, Ober Gatlinburg is a popular destination for beginner to advanced skiers and snowboarders alike. The slopes get packed during weekend and twilight times, so it is…

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Getting Around Gatlinburg

This is a good recap of the trolley. Although, we were just there in January and took the trolley. I think it runs year round.

aroundustyroads

One of the things I always try to do whenever I visit a new area is find a trolley tour. Most of the tours I’ve gone on have been sight seeing tours, some have the on again off again option so you cane hop off to explore a stop while other are just an excursion. In either case it’s a great way to get the lay of the land.

Gatlinburg has a trolley and from what I’ve read it’s a whole mass transit system. It sounds like the Tennessee equivalent of Boston’s MBTA. Most of the reviews indicate that parking is expensive and getting around by car , cumbersome at best. Everyone seems to recommend the trolley.

The trolley line map looks like our subway map  and it looks like most things are accessible from the trolley stops.

Gatlinburg’s Trolley System is the fifth largest mass transit system in the State of Tennessee. …

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