Planning a Wedding in the Smokies? You’ll Love our Smoky Mountain Wedding Planner Guide!

If you’re planning a Smoky Mountain wedding, chances are you’ve nailed down your venue, possibly one of the many beautiful places we mentioned in the first installment in this series. Your venue may offer a package that includes a wedding planner and all or most of the other components necessary to making your special day picture-perfect. If not, or, if you’re like many brides and want to make many of the vendor selections yourself, read on.

smoky-mountain-wedding-planner-heysmokies

We’re taking you behind the scenes with some of the most talented wedding professionals in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville areas. Maybe you’ll choose one we’ve highlighted! Here’s your Smoky Mountain Wedding Planner Guide to help with your big day!

In many a scene reminiscent of “Say Yes To The Dress” (Smoky-Mountain style) Joyce Maples of Fantasy Bridal in Gatlinburg has stepped in to lend a hand. She’s helped clothe full wedding parties and spur-of-the-moment brides alike. “We can be as last minute as the bride and groom want us to be,” she says. This is an important quality for any bridal-industry vendor in a place that’s known far and wide as a premier destination wedding location. The Smoky Mountains attract brides from all over the world. Their parties are often small and, at times, comprise only the bride and groom! “I’ll have girls come in and say my wedding’s today,” Joyce says.

Continue reading…

Celebrate Autumn at Oktoberfest 2016 at Ober Gatlinburg September 23 – October 30

Celebrate the season at Oktoberfest 2016 at Ober Gatlinburg from September 23rd to October 30th, 2016!

Oktoberfest 2016 at Ober Gatlinburg

It’s all things Bavarian at Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park during their 7th Annual Oktoberfest celebration as they honor the long-held traditions and heritage of Munich, Germany.

Enjoy a scenic ride to the top of Ski Mountain via Ober’s Aerial Tramway for all the daily Oktoberfest fun and outdoor games. You can drive up to the top; however, we highly recommend boarding the iconic, green gondolas for one-of-a-kind views of the Smoky Mountains and the village town of Gatlinburg.

Throughout the festival, the entire family can enjoy a great meal of authentic German sausages, schnitzels and strudels. And don’t worry if German food isn’t your thing, there’s other great treats available.

The Bavarian Fun Makers Oompah Band are back for the best in live German entertainment! Showtimes are at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, and 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Friday,  Saturday & Sunday. Sing and dance along and give us your best yodel! Seating is 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Kids are sure to enjoy free face painting on Saturday and Sunday at Oktoberfest 2016!

Raise a mug and toast friends and family, who are 21 years and older, at the Outdoor Bier Garten from noon to 6:00 p.m. Sunday through Friday and from noon until 7:00 on Saturday during Oktoberfest! Ober Gatlinburg is offering a special selection of Oktoberfest ales and German wines during the celebration.

Grab your lederhosen and have some fun Bavarian-style at Ober Gatlinburg this season! Be sure to check out their new Ski Mountain Coaster and Wildlife Encounter exhibit. And be sure to make time to enjoy Ober’s tried-and-true favorites like the Alpine Slide, Indoor Ice Skating Rink, and Scenic Chairlift.

For more information, visit Oktoberfest at Ober Gatlinburg or call 800-251-9202.

4 Good Reasons for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies!

Are you planning an upcoming cabin or condo stay in the Great Smoky Mountains? If so, then we’ve got a shopping tip for you! Online Grocery Delivery Service…and here’s 4 Good Reasons to give it a try for your next vacation to the Smokies!

4 Good Reasons for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies

Online Grocery Delivery Service is a simple way to make your vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains more economical, healthier, and as enjoyable as possible! Our friend Sheri Gioquinto, owner of Sheri’s Store to Door offers these 4 good reasons for online grocery delivery service in the Smokies:

#1 Reason for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies
Save time and hassle. Driving through traffic to head to grocery store for an hour or so is no way to begin your relaxing vacation in the mountains. With online grocery delivery service, you can arrive to an organized and fully stocked kitchen!

#2 Reason for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies
Save your budget with meal planning. Plan which meals you’ll eat in and select from a wide variety of foods, order and pay for your groceries online. There is usually a delivery charge and minimum delivery order. The grocery delivery service can deliver and stock your kitchen before you arrive giving you one less thing to worry about.

#3 Reason for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies
Great variety of fresh organic, non-GMO and gluten-free selections. Stay healthy and feeling great while you’re on vacation with the foods that keep you strong and at your best. Don’t worry about having to bring your own healthy foods along in a cooler,  Sheri’s Store to Door uses  hand-packed insulated bags and temperature-controlled containers for optimal temperature safety to keep frozen foods frozen and refrigerated products cold.

#4 Reason for Online Grocery Delivery Service in the Smokies
Resist the urge to impulse buy. Save money and calories! Do we need to say more? You know what it’s like to shop when you’re tired and hungry… or, hangry! So just don’t even go there and hit the pool, or the trail, instead.

Sheri's Store to Door Online Grocery Delivery Service in the SmokiesSheri’s Store to Door online grocery delivery service makes your shopping easy and affordable. They deliver to cabins, condos, hotels and campgrounds in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Wears Valley, Sevierville and surrounding areas. If you’ve got an upcoming family reunion, combine orders for even more savings with Sheri’s Store to Door!

To begin shopping, visit SherisStoretoDoor.com for fresh produce and bakery items, breakfasts, grilling, snack foods and other featured products. Be sure to check out Sheri’s Store to Door on Facebook! For any questions, give her a call at 865-307-7228.

City of Pigeon Forge Hosts Veterans Homecoming Parade on August 27, 2016!

Join the City of Pigeon Forge for a very special event, the annual Veterans Homecoming Parade on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. along the Parkway! Patriot floats and music honor America’s heroes, so bring your lawn chair and join the fun!

The Veterans Homecoming Parade will begin in the northbound lanes of the Parkway at the Methodist Church next to Food City. The parade route continues northbound to Jake Thomas Road at traffic light #5.

For more information, call the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at 800-251-9100.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg Gets A Gold!

This aquarium is the sparkling gem of Gatlinburg. Beautiful inside and out, and uniquely crafted to showcase the amazing array of aquatic life that lives there, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is simply not to be skipped!

Don’t let the notion that you’ve seen plenty of aquariums cause you to miss what I guarantee you will remember as one of the highlights of your stay in the Smokies. I’d been meaning to go for years and am now considering a family pass!

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Brand New Exhibit! Touch a Jellyfish! (photo credit: Christine M/Red Pin Adventures)

The absolute high point of my visit had to be taking the 340-foot-long glidepath (think moving sidewalk) through a glass tunnel with sharks and other sea creatures swimming by overhead and beside me. I was close enough to see the impressive teeth, and experience the smooth gliding movements of these magnificent creatures, in a safe environment. Can’t say I didn’t get chills, though! In addition to huge sharks, there was a green sea turtle, large stingrays billowing by, sawfish scooting past and many other interesting creatures!

“Touch a Ray Bay,” an indoor lagoon environment where visitors can get up close and personal, even petting the stingrays if they want to, was another very interesting feature of this aquarium. It injected another dimension of adventure to the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies experience. And be sure get hands-on at their brand-new exhibit, “Touch a Jellyfish!” Both are such fun and educational experiences.

There were clownfish and other gorgeous, brightly painted fish like the blue tang, exotic-looking jellyfish and darling penguins. Everywhere we turned we were met with something interesting and/or very beautiful.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies usually has a traveling special exhibit and this summer’s is “Pearl Harbor.” This special interactive museum gallery is both educational and fun. A Dive Show, featuring an employee in diving gear feeding the sea creatures, rounded out a very exciting and interesting visit. Another gold medal for a Gatlinburg venue! For more info, visit Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Laurie Crater Battles Writer Blogger Laurie Crater Battles is a professional journalist, writer, mom, wife, hiker, biker, coffee and animal lover who makes her home in Farragut, TN.