February is Sweetheart Month at the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge.  The attraction celebrates the romance and adventure that were in the air when the Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912.  Fourteen couples traveling on Titanic were on their honeymoon , nine in first class. There were also young, brides-to-be sailing to America to start a new life there.

Vow Renewals are extremely popular at the Titanic Museum, as are held in elegant style on Titanic's $1 Million Grand Staircase.  Every ceremony is also presided over by the ship’s captain.  Reservations are required to arrange a vow renewal and due to their popularity, the sooner you call the better.

This year the Titanic turns 100 and a surge of renewed interest is underway. To commemorate the advent of the great ship’s epic maiden voyage, the Pigeon Forge museum attraction has upped the excitement level with year-long special events that include:

• Interactive participation in a sensitive Rose Petal tribute to the 2,208 passengers and crew who lived the experience
• A candle light service, lighting of an eternal flame and rescue rocket display
• Guests will also meet descendants of Titanic passengers and crew who have traveled from all around the world to appear at the museum attractions throughout 2012

With the re-release of James Cameron’s “Titanic” movie in 3D, Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge will open a new gallery featuring props and costumes from the film. A number of television shows and documentaries will also air during the year. ABC Television will present a four-part miniseries and John Joslyn, owner of Titanic Museum Attractions, will re-release his ratings-breaking Titanic television show.

Get ready for a rousing round-up of cowboy fun during the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Saddle Up! Festival.  The festival is four day salute to the American West, featuring concerts by western musicians and readings by cowboy poets.  New for this year’s event is the Stories & Strings Concert, during which musicians will discuss their musical influences, personal music styles and perform some of their favorite songs.  Saddle Up! rides into town on February 23 and lasts through February 26, 2012.

Entertainers for the 2012 Saddle Up! event include:

•   R.W. Hampton
• Stephanie Davis
• Saddle Cats
• Cowboy Celtic
• Kent Rollins
• Ray Doyle
• Andy Nelson
• Chuck Pyle

For the full schedule of events during Saddle Up!, click here.  Saddle Up! tickets are available for purchase now, with tickets for nine different events on sale.

Pigeon Forge has been chosen as a “Destination on the Rise” for 2012 by TripAdvisor.  Pigeon Forge is listed on No. 4 on the list, due in large part to its unique combination of outdoor appeal and family-friendly attractions.  

Known as the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the area provides easy access for visitors to explore the 800 miles of trails to experience as well as variety of other things to see and do throughout the Park.  As the park boasts an impressive 500 thousand acres, there is a lot of sightseeing available.  Many visitors choose to auto tour in order to see all of the Great Smoky Mountains. Some of the recommend auto tours that provide frequent scenic overlooks and fantastic views of the landscape are:

• Cades Cove Loop Road
• Cataloochee Valley
• Newfound Gap Road
• Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
• Upper Tremont Road.

After visitors discover the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains, the Dollywood theme park, Dixie Stampede and fun activities like racing go-karts at NASCAR Speedpark or playing interactive games at WonderWorks TN are a highlight of Pigeon Forge vacations.  There is a lot of shopping, whether craft, clothing or kitschy, and many travelers make a stop at Lil’ Dolly’s to pick up a southern belle-style dress for their daughters and granddaughters. 

Vacationers that travel to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee are always able to experience something new, too.  New additions include the Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud, Titanic Museum Attraction and the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater. Dollywood is also opening a new $20 million roller coaster this spring, creating even more of reason to visit.

TripAdvisor named Pigeon Forge a Top10 Best Family Destination in 2011. 

The Dixie Stampede Pigeon Forge is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2012.  The top-rated Pigeon Forge show opens for the 2012 season on January 13.

In honor of their 25th Anniversary, Dixie Stampede is planning to recognize its 25th, 250th, 2,500th and 25,000th guests throughout the year with special prizes and celebrations, including a grand prize giveaway for the 250,000th guest.

Known as “The Most Fun Place to Eat in the Smokies, “ the show features thirty-two magnificent horses and a cast of top-notch riders that thrill audience members with daring feats of trick riding and competition, pitting North against South in a friendly and fun rivalry. Performed is a 35,000 square-foot arena with seating for 1,000, Dixie Stampede highlights include pig races, illusions, a four-course meal, singing, dancing, special effects and family friendly comedy. Celebrate as the North and South join together in a patriotic salute of Red, White and Blue featuring “Color Me America,” written and recorded by Dolly herself. The patriotic grand finale soars with flying doves of peace, luminous costumes and fireworks, reminding you of the pride and spirit of America.  The Return of the Buffalo is a standout segment of the show as it pays tribute to a time when the buffalo ran free in the unsettled western frontier.

The Dixie Stampede Dinner includes:
• Whole Rotisserie Chicken
• Hickory Smoked Barbecued Pork Loin
• Dixie's Original Creamy Vegetable Soup
• Scrumptious Homemade Biscuit
• Hot Buttered Corn on the Cob
• Tasty Herb-basted Potato
• Dixie's very own Specialty Dessert
• Unlimited Pepsi, tea or coffee

Purchase your Dixie Stampede tickets to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Dolly Parton-helmed show.

For a limited time only, a Biltmore Estate visit includes the Fourth Floor of the Biltmore House.  This is normally only available with a guided tour, at an additional cost.  From January 2-March 31, the Fourth Floor, self-guided tour, is  free to guests.

Touring the Fourth Floor gives Biltmore Estate visitors the chance to see where the Vanderbilts’ servants lived and worked, and learn more about their daily lives.  Peruse George Vanderbilt’s Observatory and Architectural Model Room, and get a closer look at the unique architectural details of the estate as well as gain an appreciation for the people who created Biltmore, including George Vanderbilt, Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmstead.

ReservePigeonForge and ReserveGatlinburg guests can also discover more of Biltmore for a limited time while admission includes a complimentary audio guide of Biltmore House, with intriguing stories about the family and friends who stayed in the home. In addition, children 16 and younger are admitted free this season with an adult ticket purchase.

Be sure to explore the grand Conservatory on your visit, too.  A tropical flower exhibit featuring exotic orchids in peak bloom in the Conservatory is included with the purchase of Biltmore tickets.  Plus, there is a free wine tasting and guided tour at the Winery, included with Estate admission.

Dollywood, the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park, is creating a whole new experience for guests in 2012.

The park introduces the $20 million Wild Eagle steel wing coaster, the first of its kind in the United States, on March 24, 2012.  The coaster features an innovative floorless design that positions riders, seated four to a row, in a forward-facing position. Two of the riders will be seated on the “wings” of the coaster along either side of the coaster’s track, with nothing but air above and below them. Dolly Parton, owner of Dollywood, stated the Wild Eagle will offer guests a birds-eye view of the Smokies as they soar above Dollywood Theme Park.

Located in the park’s Wilderness Pass area, the coaster rises 21 stories high. The track measures 3,127 feet and reaches a top speed of 61mph. It features four inversions, including a giant loop, zero-gravity roll and giant flat spin. The $20 million coaster includes a plummeting 135-foot first drop and lasts nearly 2 ½ minutes.

Wild Eagle joins Dollywood’s award-winning lineup of coasters. Thunderhead, twice named the world’s best wooden coaster, consistently ranks among the world’s top five. It was built in 2004. Mystery Mine, a 1,811-foot-long steel coaster, opened in 2007 and was named Theme Park Insider’s best new theme park attraction the same year. In addition, Dollywood is a two-time Golden Ticket Award winner for Best Shows and three-time winner for Best Christmas Event. 
 
Reserve your Dollywood vacation today to soar with the Wild Eagle in 2012.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee visitors can look forward to the 2nd Annual Titanic Regional Ice Carving Competition on Saturday, January 14, 2012. The free family-friendly event will take place in Titanic’s outdoor entertainment area from 9am-3pm. Attendees will be amazed as they watch sculpturists carve works of art from 250-pound blocks of ice.  The event was a huge success last year, and officials with the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge expect a great turn out this year as well.

This event is one of the many the Titanic Attraction hosts throughout the year.  Up next is Sweetheart Month at the Titanic during February, then an Irish tribute during the month of March.

Purchase Titanic Museum tickets to explore the intriguing museum.  During a self-guided tour, guests discover galleries with over 400 personal and private artifacts on display.  There are interactive elements to the experience as well.  Guests can simulate shoveling coal into a burning furnace, get into an actual size lifeboat, try and send an SOS signal, learn to tie rope knots and touch 28-degree water as it felt that cold, dark night in the Atlantic Ocean.  Guests can also stand on the deck of the ship’s stern and experience the different precise angles of the ship as it gradually descended into the water over a span of 2 hours and 40 minutes. For young guests eight and under there is a special section (Tot-Titanic) devoted to them with various interactive elements for their little hands.

Pigeon Forge shows added some old fashioned fun to their line-up this year with the addition of the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud.

The show, produced by local entertainment group Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment, features the famous Hatfield’s and McCoy’s as they try to settle their differences mountain-style.  The show is an experience for guests as they are included in the feud, with each audience member labeled a Hatfield or McCoy.  The rivalry creates a friendly competition for guests but the show is also filled with humor, dancing and bluegrass music. 

The Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show serves a delicious dinner to guests too. The dinner starts with creamy soup and plates are piled high with fried chicken, pulled pork barbeque style, mashed potatoes, pinto beans, cornbread and coleslaw.  A scrumptious dessert, made from Granny’s homemade recipe, rounds out the dinner.

Be sure to arrive early for Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud as there are live animals out front prior to the show, and you’ll want to make time to look around the exterior of the theater, which has a dilapidated design, as well as have some fun with the two-seater outhouse and talking door bell.  You’ll be in stiches before the show even starts!

Purchase your Hatfield & McCoy tickets to get in on the feudin’ fun in Pigeon Forge.

Pigeon Forge has been named as one of the top nine most Christmassy towns in America by TIME Magazine.

Ranked as #3 on the list, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was chosen as one of the most Christmassy towns in America due to the national presence of the Inn at Christmas Place and the year-round excitement of the Incredible Christmas Place retail store.  Plus, Pigeon Forge is home to Winterfest, a four-month long festival that bedecks the town in over 5 million twinkling lights and features fun and educational festivals, such as Wilderness Wildlife Week and Saddle Up!  Dollywood, the area’s theme park, also presents A Smoky Mountain Christmas during the holidays.  During A Smoky Mountain Christmas the park dazzles with millions of lights and entertaining holiday shows.  

One of the newer attractions in Pigeon Forge – the Titanic Museum – celebrates Christmas with the Titanic Christmas in Winter Wonderland extravaganza, featuring thousands of holiday lights, Edwardian-period decorations, costumed merry-markers, a magical Gift Shoppe brimming with original, one-of-a-kind gifts and a return of last year’s crowd favorite, the legendary weekend snowfall.

Many Pigeon Forge Shows also have a Christmas theme this time of year.  Visitors can choose from Dixie Stampede Christmas, Country Tonite Christmas, Christmas Spectacular at The Opry and a Smith Family Christmas, among several others.

The 2011 Pigeon Forge show season will come to a close soon.  Many of the shows are currently presenting Christmas productions, but non-holiday Pigeon Forge shows are also available. 

The following list might be helpful when planning your Pigeon Forge vacation. It lists the final date of 2011 performances for shows in Pigeon Forge:

December 28, 2011:
Soul of Motown

December 30, 2011:
America’s Hit Parade
American Oldies
Smith Family Show
Tennessee Shindig

December 31, 2011:
Christmas Spectacular at The Opry
Cirque De Chine
Comedy Barn Christmas
Country Christmas Jamboree
Country Tonite Christmas
Dixie Stampede
Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show
Improv Comedy Show
Lumberjack Feud
Wonders of Magic

Be sure to reserve your Pigeon Forge show tickets today to see the these entertaining productions!