Today’s Knoxville News Sentinel has a nice article on corn mazes in their life section. They list local corn mazes with two located in Sevierville.
The Apple Valley Corn Maze is located at 460 Lonesome Valley Rd. and the Kyker Farms Corn Maze is at 938 Alder Branch Road. So if you are visiting the Smokies this fall and looking for some fun family activities give these a visit.
Posts Tagged ‘Smoky Mountains’
Local Corn Mazes
Sunday, September 25th, 2011New Dinner Show in the Smokies to Open Aug. 26
Sunday, August 21st, 2011The new Lumberjack Feud Dinner & Show will open Aug. 26 on the parkway in Pigeon Forge. The show will feature both actors and professional lumberjack athletes, some of whom have been seen on ESPN. The athletes, in head-to-head competition, will participate in log-rolling, boom-running, speed climbing and wood chopping.
Lumberjack Feud
The show, in its new 26,000 square foot arena, will be based loosely on this area’s logging business as the woodlands were transformed in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With three different price plans guests can choose from a show-only option, a snack-lunch ticket, or the full dinner show. The full dinner show option will include chicken breast, ribs, several sides, dessert, and a beverage.
Adjoining the theater’s retail & ticket center is the new Smoky Mountain Forestry History Center. The museum will highlight the area’s history beginning with native inhabitants continuing with the pioneers & homesteaders in the Smokies during the early days of the logging industry.
For show times and further information go to lumberjackfeud.com.
Music of the Mountains
Saturday, April 2nd, 2011The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host its 7th annual “Music of the Mountains”. The three day event will begin on April 8th at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend, TN. On Saturday the 9th the Sugarlands Visitor Center, just south of Gatlinburg, will host 6 free events through out the day. The final day’s event will be held Sunday afternoon in Cosby, TN at the Smoky Mountain Visitor Center.
There is a $5 per person admission charge at the concert in Townsend, which will begin at 7PM. The concert in Cosby costs $4 per person and will begin at 2PM.
Newfound Gap Road Construction Delays Starting in March
Saturday, February 26th, 2011Travelers on Newfound Gap Road (U. S. 441) through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will experience delays beginning March 1st. Repairs on the heavily traveled two lane mountain road will begin on the Tennessee side at the state line proceeding north. In addition to repaving and drainage work the stone retaining walls will require repairs including re-construction to support the roadbeds, forcing closure of one lane from March 1st through June 10th.
Just above the Morton Overlook the work on the retaining wall and roadbed will require flag crews to direct traffic from 8AM until 9PM. Overnight traffic will be open to both lanes. At a slightly lower location traffic lights will control traffic around the clock.
From June 11 through August 15 there will be no lane closures during daytime hours. Overnight between 9PM and 8AM construction will again cause lane closures.
The expected completion time of this first phase of the road work project is scheduled for October 2012. An additional two phases are schedule to complete the repairs of the 15 mile stretch of road between Newfound Gap and the park entrance north of Gatlinburg with projected completion in 2016.
Smoky Mountain Cabins Versus Condos
Monday, December 20th, 2010Ah, to be in a mountain cabin during a winter storm with the beautiful snow covered scenery. Sounds nice, doesn’t it. Think twice.
Being one who lives in the mountains here in Sevier County, winter time can be an eventful season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy where I live and would not want to be in town. I am also prepared for winter as I have four wheel drive with tire chains for all four wheels but many times that vehicle is parked down by the main road as I am hiking up the steep, winding mountain road to our home, due to too much snow and ice.
Is this how I want to spend my vacation, hiking up a snow covered road carry my possessions to find out when I get to the cabin the electric service is out because snow or ice covered trees have taken down the wires? Do I want to listen to my kids complain that they can not play their video games that I drug up the mountain? How are we going to cook with out electric for the stove? No TV?
This is in no way to belittle the fine cabin rental companies in this area. Most are very reputable and try to get you to your cabin. They attempt to get the roads clear and safe, but sometimes that is impossible. The sad thing is, there are few cabin companies that feel it is your problem not theirs; “We can’t control the weather”.
Think about a condo when making that winter getaway. The majority of the condominium complexes locally are in town with city road service and underground utilities. Basically a condo is a cabin in town. Many have indoor pools, game rooms and restaurants within walking distance. Enjoy the shopping, shows and attractions; don’t be stuck on that mountain the one time of the year you can get away with the family.
The Walker Sisters’ Home in Little Greenbrier
Thursday, February 11th, 2010With planned closures of many popular areas in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park due to much need road repairs, alternate sightseeing destinations will be required. Visitors not minding some time spent hiking may like to visit the home of the Walker Sisters in Little Greenbrier.
The Walkers’ were the children of Civil War veteran John “Hairy John” Walker and Margaret Jane King who moved to Little Greenbrier in the late 1860s or early 1870s. They raised 11 children, four boys and seven girls. Six spinster girls, Margaret Jane, Mary Elizabeth (Polly), Martha Ann, Nancy Melinda, Louisa Susan, and Hettie Rebecca spent the majority of their lives living and farming in a primitive lifestyle at Little Greenbrier, thus the famed “Walker Sisters”.
The Walker house is a three room two-storied log house that was completed around 1859 and this primitive house, with neither plumbing nor electric, was lived in until 1964. The house and land were sold to the U.S. Government in 1941 for $4750 but the sisters were granted a lifetime lease until their deaths. The formation of the National Park and the sale of their property brought many visitors to the sisters, curious of their way of life. They were able to sell hand made items as souvenirs to supplement their incomes as they welcomed travelers onto their land. An article in the Saturday Evening Post in 1947 brought then national publicity. Louisa Susan was the last of the six spinster sisters to pass, as she died in 1964.
The 4.2 mile round trip hike to the cabin is considered an easy to moderate ranking by most hikers. Beginning at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area off the Little River Rd, take the Metcalf Bottoms Trail (approximately 7/10 of a mile) to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse. This one room schoolhouse still has blackboard and desks from when it was last used in the 1930s. On the hillside above the school house is a small local cemetery. One may also drive, conditions permitting, to the Little Greenbrier School via a one lane gravel road, cross the bridge at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area and the road will be about ½ mile on your right.
Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse
To continue to the Walker Sisters’ home take the Little Brier Gap Trail from the parking area at the Little Greenbrier School. This is considered a mile hike but is probably closer to a mile and a half.
Walker Sisters' Cabin
Penguins Coming to the Smokies
Friday, January 8th, 2010Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies announced Thursday an expansion that will include a habitat for about 20 African penguins. The new multimillion dollar exhibit is scheduled to open in mid-March and is located at the site of the former Veranda Restaurant.
The black footed African penguins average about 2 feet in height and weigh around 5 to 9 pounds. The African penguins, with shorter feathers than the Antarctic penguin, are from a warm climate that will allow for them to be displayed in an indoor-outdoor facility.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, located in downtown Gatlinburg, was named the top aquarium in the nation last year by Trip Advisor, the online travel website.
Open Restaurants in the Smokies Christmas Day
Thursday, December 24th, 2009As more and more people spend their Christmas in the Smokies, the number 1 question is: What restaurants will be open Christmas Day? Thanks to our local Chambers of Commerce and The Mountain Press, we have the following list.
Sevierville
· Applewood
· Ball’s Supper Table
· Longhorn Steak House
· Moe’s Southwest Grill
Gatlinburg
· Bear Creek Grill (4PM)
· Blaine’s (2PM)
· Eleanor’s Restaurant
· Hard Rock Café
· Howards
· Legends by Max
· Linberger’s
· McDonalds
· Papa John’s
· Park grill
· Park vista
· Peddler
· Ripley’s Aquarium restaurant
· Smoky’s Sports Pub
· The Lodge at Buckberry Creek
Pigeon Forge
· Buddy’s Bar-B-Que
· Calhouns
· Corky’s
· Denny’s
· Flapjacks
· Golden Corral
· Happy Days Diner
· Hardee’s
· Kinkaku
· La Carreta
· Louie’s Grill
· Mama’s Farmhouse
· No Way Jose
· Papa John’s
· Shoney’s (Dixie Stampede location)
· Star Buffet Chinese
· TGI Friday’s
· Thai Thani, Oishi
· Wood Grill Buffet
We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year from The Resort at Governor’s Crossing.
Local Ski Resort Opens for 2009/2010 Season
Saturday, December 12th, 2009Local ski resort, Ober Gatlinburg, opened this weekend for this years ski season. With the recent colder weather here in the Great Smoky Mountains, the ski resort has been able to make snow and has five of their eight slopes open with 15-25” bases reported.
Ober Gatlinburg is accessible by car or by taking the Aerial Tramway from downtown Gatlinburg. The tramway happens to be one of the largest in the US.
Click here for further information on Ober Gatlinburg.
This Weeks Fall Foliage Update
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Today’s photos from the Campbell Overlook show the Great Smoky Mountains at peak color in the lower elevations even though these pictures were taken with overcast skies in between rain showers. With the rain expected to move out of the area overnight and with little wind to take the leaves down, the colors should be excellent through the weekend.
When a person sees something everyday, it becomes the norm and many times it is overlooked or taken for granted. Having lived in this area the last eleven years, I can not remember seeing the vivid yellows, oranges and reds we are currently seeing. For many years the park service has said that we need rain through out the year to produce the vibrant colors, and this year has been very wet.
If one has not had the opportunity to view the fall colors in this region, this is an exceptional year to take the time and visit. With the upcoming weekend being one of the slower of the fall season, The Resort at Governors Crossing has great rates for a fall foliage getaway.
Fall Foliage at Campbell Overlook 10/27/09
Fall Foliage at Campbell Overlook 10/27/09
Fall Foliage from the Gatlinburg bypass 10/27/09
