Cades Cove Car Ban

Cades Cove Car Ban - Heysmokies

If you have never experienced the serenity of Cades Cove without the noise and exhaust fumes of cars you are in for a treat!

Cades Cove Car Ban begins Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed to motor vehicles from sunrise until 10:00 a.m. on both Wednesday and Saturday mornings to allow bicyclists, runners, and walkers time to enjoy the cove without having to worry about heavy traffic. This special experience on the 11-mile paved loop road will last until late September.

During the season, bicycles can be rented at the Cades Cove Campground Store. For pricing info, give them a call at 865.448.9034. Of course, you can bring your own bikes and helmets to enjoy the scenic ride through this historic landscape. Be mindful that Tennessee law requires cyclists under the age of 16 to wear a helmet. HeySmokies and the GSMNP recommend anyone of any age wear protective head gear…just sayin’!

You won’t find any mountain biking trails within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are only 3 trails in the National Park that allow bicycles:

  • Gatlinburg Trail
    Begins at Sugarlands Visitor Center and travels 1.9 miles one-way toward the outskirts of Gatlinburg along the West

    Deep Creek biking in the Smokies

    You will love the remote beauty of Deep Creek ranger district in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

    Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail.

  • Oconaluftee River Trail
    Begins at Oconaluftee Visitor Center and travels 1.5 miles one-way toward the outskirts of Cherokee along the Oconaluftee River. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail.
  • Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails
    From the Deep Creek Campground, cyclists can access both Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails. Bicycles are allowed on both trails until the point where the old roadbed ends and the hiking trails begin. Pets are not allowed on this trail.

Bicycles are allowed on most roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so drivers need to be alert of cyclists when driving through the park. Due to the narrow, steep, curvy conditions of park roads the HeySmokies cycling team recommends avoiding biking park roads in the interest of the safety of all park visitors.

Bonus Biking Tip! – Tsali Recreation Area has over 40 miles of mountain bike trails with varying degrees of difficulty. Tsali is located on the Southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the southern shore of Fontana Lake near Bryson City, North Carolina.

For more information on bicycling in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and adjacent National Forests, please visit NPS.gov.

Rockin’ The Commons

 

Sevierville Commons Arts CouncilRockin’ The Commons is sure to be a blast. The first Sevierville Commons Arts Councils capital campaign fundraiser will be a rockin’ good time!

Where else but Sevierville can you spend time rocking your cares away on a beautiful spring afternoon? The Rockin’ The Commons fund raiser is scheduled at the Gazebo, 136 Bruce Street in downtown Sevierville from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, 2018. The free event showcases beautifully decorated rocking chairs painted by talented artists, and music provided by a local rock n’ roll group, The Reunited.

About thirty rocking chairs, enhanced by area artists, will be auctioned off to raise funds for the

Severiville commons arts council rocking chair auction

Rock away your troubles in this comfy, funky rocker!

Sevierville Commons Arts Council. The rockers are on display throughout town, but all chairs can be previewed online at SeviervilleCommonsArtsCouncil.org, on Facebook (@CommonsArtsCouncil), or during the event beginning at 3p.m.. The live auction, by Todd Thompson Auctions, begins at 4p.m. Live music featuring The Reunited takes place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Proceeds from Rockin’ the Commons will be used for renovation, operations and programming at Arts in Common Gallery located at 129 Bruce Street, as well as arts programming and operations.

For more information about or how to purchase a rocker, visit our website www.SeviervilleCommonsArtsCouncil.org or contact Andrea Wilson at andreas-studio@comcast.net, phone at 865-604-0577.

Sevierville hosts 14th Annual Bloomin’ Barbecue and Bluegrass

Sevierville hosts 14th Annual Bloomin’ Barbecue and Bluegrass. Load up the family and your appetites and come downtown Sevierville Friday,May 18th from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday May 19th from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Last year more than fifty ‘Cue experts descended on downtown to serve the tastiest food in Tennessee! Cooking teams from as far away as Nebraska, Florida, Ohio, Georgia and Virginia vied for the winning trophy in this official Tennessee State Barbecue championship and we are doing it again this year! A $15 ticket allows visitors to sample and vote for their favorite pulled pork in the People’s Choice Tasting Contest. Advance tickets are available by calling the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce at 865-453-6411.

Current rising country star and Curb Recording artist Mo Pitney will headline Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 8 p.m. He will be featured in a very unique set showcasing his bluegrass roots combined with his current mainstream country sound. His show will feature some of his favorite bluegrass players and he is currently in the process of selecting special guests to join him for the 2018 Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass Festival.

Continue reading…

Smoky Mountain Synchronous Firefly Dates Announced

Smoky Mountain Synchronous Firefly Dates Announced. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the dates for firefly viewing in Elkmont. Shuttle service to the viewing area will be provided beginning Thursday, June 7 through June 14th. All visitors wishing to view the synchronous fireflies at Elkmont must have a parking pass distributed through the lottery system at www.recreation.gov.

Every year in late May or early June, thousands of visitors gather near the popular Elkmont Campground to observe the naturally occurring phenomenon of Photinus carolinus, a firefly species that flashes synchronously. Since 2006, access to the Elkmont area has been limited to shuttle service beginning at Sugarlands Visitor Center during the eight days of predicted peak activity in order to reduce traffic congestion and provide a safe viewing experience for visitors that minimizes disturbance to these unique fireflies during the critical two-week mating period.

The lottery will be open for applications from Friday, April 27 at 12:00 noon until Monday, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. Results of the lottery will be available on Wednesday, May 9. A total of 1,800 vehicle passes will be available for the event which includes: 1768 regular-parking passes (221 per day) which admit one passenger vehicle up to 19’ in length with a maximum of six occupants, and 32 large-vehicle parking passes (four per day) which admit one large vehicle (RV, mini-bus, etc.) from 19’ to 30’ in length, with a maximum of 24 occupants. Lottery applicants must apply for either a regular-parking pass or large-vehicle parking pass and then may choose two possible dates to attend the event over the eight-day viewing period.

The lottery system uses a randomized computer drawing to select applications. There is no fee to enter the lottery this year. If

selected, the lottery winner will be charged a $20.00 reservation fee and awarded a parking pass. The parking pass permits visitors to park at Sugarlands Visitor Center and allows occupants to access the shuttle service to Elkmont.

Parking passes are non-refundable, non-transferable, and good only for the date issued. There is a limit of one lottery application per household per season. All lottery applicants will be notified by e-mail on May 9 that they were “successful” and awarded a parking pass or “unsuccessful” and not able to secure a parking pass.

The number of passes issued each day is based primarily on the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot capacity and the ability to accommodate a large number of viewers on site. Arrival times will be assigned in order to relieve traffic congestion in the parking lot and also for boarding the shuttles, which are provided in partnership with the City of Gatlinburg. The shuttle buses will begin picking up visitors from the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area at 7:00 p.m. A $2.00 round-trip, per-person fee will be collected when boarding the shuttle. Cash is the only form of payment accepted.

The shuttle service is the only transportation mode for visitor access during this period, except for registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. Visitors are not allowed to walk the Elkmont entrance road due to safety concerns.

Firefly Etiquette

  • Take a flashlight (it will be dark) and cover the lens with blue or red cellophane tape. Shine directly on the ground and use only until you reach your viewing site.
  • Stay on trails to protect firefly habitats.
  • Pack out all garbage (your mother does not work here!)
  • Do not catch the fireflies!

Visitors may visit the website www.recreation.gov and search for “Firefly Event” for more information and to enter the lottery. Parking passes may also be obtained by calling 1-877-444-6777, but park officials encourage the use of the online process. The $20.00 reservation fee covers the cost of awarding the passes, viewing supplies, and nightly personnel costs for managing the viewing opportunity at Sugarlands Visitor Center and Elkmont.

For more information about the synchronous fireflies, please visit the park website at NPS.gov.

Shine And Dine On Bruce

Shine And Dine On Bruce, or Cinco In The City, is an amazing day showcasing local food and live music in downtown Sevierville, Tennessee on May 5, 2018 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

This 5th annual community celebration fundraiser benefits the Sevierville Commons Association. Area drink and food vendors will congregate all in one location for you to sample the best of the best. Local restaurants will be serving up some of the tastiest grub while a variety of distilleries will help you get your shine on!

Food and drink are not the only reasons to put Shine and Dine on your calendar, there will also be great music. The tunes will commence with the acoustic stylings of Rossdafareye’s laid back sound. As the sun races around to shine no more the 80’s cover band, The Breakfast Club, will take the stage. Be sure and get your big hair done and “Don’t you forget about me” will be our theme for the day!

“We love Shine and Dine,” said Bill Smith, “My whole family will join me again this year and we plan on having a blast!“

Tickets for the event are only $30 and this includes admission, food, drink, and live entertainment. If you don’t plan to drink alcohol or are under 21 years of age you may pick up your ticket for only $20! Either way you will get to eat some great food and hear some awesome live music in a beautiful outdoor venue. All of the proceeds of this event will go to support future events and growth in downtown Sevierville, TN.

There are a limited number of tickets available for this event so don’t wait, get yours today and be sure and bring you a comfy camp chair to sit back and take it all in. For updates visit Shine and Dine On Bruce.