PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (June 10, 2021) — Having just finished a decade of unparalleled growth, The Dollywood Company is embarking on an ambitious investment strategy that will see the Smoky Mountain vacation destination invest more than half a billion dollars over the next 10 years across its properties. Announced today, one of the first projects in the campaign is Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort, a 302-room property currently under … [Read more...]
Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival Is in Full Bloom April 23 through June 7
More than Half a Million Flowers, New Dining Pass and Inspirational Entertainment Are Highlights Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (April 20, 2021) -- Springtime visitors to Dollywood, the world-famous theme park located in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, will find more than half a million flowers blooming throughout the park from April 23 through June 7, all part of the spectacular "Flower & Food Festival." The air is filled not only with the … [Read more...]
The Pull of Haystack Rock: Why I Keep Coming Back
I'm from a sleepy town in the Triad region of North Carolina. All my life, my parents took us kids to the closest beach on the east coast there was: good, old-fashioned Myrtle. Even back in the mid-1990s, it was a treasure trove of commercialism, with high-rise condos juxtaposed against centuries-old motels still somewhat holding on, amid the tearing down of the old Pavillion and the installation of a brand-new boardwalk. My toes never touched … [Read more...]
Gray Fossil Site: An Accidental Discovery
On the morning of January 20, 2018, I found myself roaming the back roads of Washington County, Tennessee with my camera and an itchy shutter finger. I had been in Kingsport for a week on business and was desperate to find something to write about in the area. It was by pure coincidence that I happened upon Gray Fossil Site and General Shale Natural History Museum. Dig Site In May of 2000, a Tennessee DOT crew was grading an unsafe hill … [Read more...]
Enjoying an Elvis Extravaganza at Graceland in Memphis
No trip to Memphis, Tennessee, is complete without a visit to the Graceland home of Elvis Presley, and with over 650,000 visitors each year, this National Historic Landmark is the second most visited house in America, only surpassed by the White House residence of the US President in Washington. Of course, for many fans of Elvis and his remarkable musical career, a visit to the Graceland mansion is almost like a pilgrimage, or even a once in a … [Read more...]
4 Best Holiday Vacation Destinations
The holidays are coming and it's time to book your hotel! It's always fun to get away for the holidays, whether to relax or see family and friends. If you don't know where to go this year, check out these four best holiday vacation destinations. Each has something unique to offer to put you in the holiday spirit. Portland, Oregon (Image via Flickr by Mike Rohrig) If you're staying in Oregon for the holidays, several annual events take place … [Read more...]
Why Nashville Is A Bucket List Destination
A strange article for me to write is "how cool" Nashville is. Don't get me wrong, it's a great city. In fact now, it's possibly the hottest, growing city in the American South. It's hip. It's cool. People are moving there by the thousands from larger, more well-known cities such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Nashville is not only a travel mecca, but in fact a domestic mecca - a place where 30-somethings are congregating in hoards to … [Read more...]
31st Tennessee Williams /New Orleans Literary Festival: “Time is the longest distance between two places.” – Tennessee Williams
The 2017 program includes master classes; scholarly and entertaining discussions among distinguished panelists; celebrity interviews; theater, food and music events; a scholars conference; breakfast book club; French Quarter literary and LGBT walking tours; a book fair; and special evening events and social gatherings. New Orleans, Louisiana - The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival returns to the historic French Quarter (Hotel … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
Music, Music Every Where and a Sip of Tennessee Moonshine to Drink
“Hippie” Jack Stoddart handed around a Mason jar of chilled moonshine as music filled the air. We were close to the main stage under the big tent during the second day of the September 2015 Jammin' at Hippie Jack's Americana Roots Music, Camping & Arts Festival in Overton County, Tennessee, the home of Americana Music: so delicious. This funky, progressive, and educational gathering of Americana roots musicians and enthusiasts served … [Read more...]