It’s Wedding Season in the Smokies! Elope to the Great Smoky Mountains this Summer!

Can’t wait another minute to marry your intended? Want to keep things simple? Elope to the Great Smoky Mountains this summer! There are a plethora of chapel/minister options waiting to make your quick nuptials affordable and very, very convenient! What’s more, you’ll have a built-in honeymoon paradise awaiting you beyond the chapel doors. You can picnic by rushing mountain streams, watch deer and their young sipping the pristine waters, shop until you drop, dine out at fabulous restaurants or embark on a hiking, zip line or other outdoor adventures in the gorgeous, lush green of a mountain summer.

The venue choices in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville area of the Smokies are dazzling, with something to fit every budget. However, if you want a ceremony that makes you feel as if the entire world has faded away, leaving only you and your fiancé in the elegance of a private estate, Bluff Mountain Inn is the choice for you. Located one mile outside of the Pigeon Forge city limits, the inn has a secluded feel while still very convenient to excellent dining and shopping. Owner Rick King says many couples who were planning a large wedding but decided last minute that it was simply not for them or had specific reasons forcing them to cancel will make use of his inn’s “Elope to the Mountains” package, then head home for a big reception with friends and family. The package includes flowers, a wedding cake, a minister or justice of the peace and a choice of chapel or outdoor wedding on the beautiful five-acre grounds. The package also includes a professional photography session, a cozy dinner for two with a private chef and a honeymoon stay at the inn, among other perks. It’s amazingly turnkey and affordable. Visit  bluffmountaininn.com for more details!

People have been getting married in the Smokies for decades, and Rick says it’s easy to pinpoint why. “There’s something about the mountain air, the opportunities for adventure and finding that secluded spot where you and your loved one can tune out the rest of the world, forget about time and concentrate on life, love and each other,” he says.

Guy Jacobs, co-owner of the company that operates the Chapel at the Park and Cupid’s Chapel of Love feels his community is a wedding venue for a variety of reasons. “Gatlinburg tends to be the center point for a lot of surrounding states,” he says, adding that his chapels “rarely marry locals.” The idea of promoting elopement through his wedding business came through an encounter with a teller at a local bank he patronizes. She had recently eloped to a romantic island and was glowing after the event. He sees Gatlinburg, which is so convenient to a park that gets an astounding number of visitors annually, as a trademark hub for tourists and an ideal place to get away and get married. He aims to make it very, very easy on the eloping couple. “We do everything. It’s one stop shopping and I think that’s very, very alluring to people,” he says. The Chapel in the Park, a quaint, white clapboard, very traditional chapel in  Gatlinburg, has become a favorite of lovers from all over the country. The atmosphere and package details (visit chapelatthepark.com) make the bride feel as if she has had the traditional wedding she always dreamed of without a hint of the hassle and far less expense. The ceremony is meaningful, allows for treasured photos, and makes the day very special. Cupid’s Chapel of Love, also in Gatlinburg is, Guy says, the company’s “fun, affordable” venue. See details at cupidschapeloflove.com.

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Sushi, Sake, and Good Times for a Great Cause at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House in Pigeon Forge on June 9th

Enjoy sushi, sake, and good times for a great cause at Harpoon Harry’s in Pigeon Forge on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. The special event, We Roll 4 United Way, features a cocktail Meet & Greet beginning at 6:30 p.m. with an incredible Eight-Course Sushi Dinner at 7:30 p.m. with sake and wine pairings exquisitely prepared by Sushi Chef Josh Rosenburg.

The delicious dinner menu includes items like Tuna Tataki, Kobe Beef Carpaccio, Sashimi, Salmon Two Ways, and more! Enjoy learning how each course is prepared and the pairings are chosen by the knowledgeable staff at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House.

All proceeds for We Roll 4 United Way benefit United Way of Sevier County. Tickets are $125 per person or a table for eight is $1,200. Tickets can be purchased by calling Harpoon Harry’s Crab House in Pigeon Forge at 865-428-2006 or United Way of Sevier County at 865-430-5727.

National Trails Day! Celebrate in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

National Trails Day is June 4, 2016 and what better place to celebrate than the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Sponsored by the American Hiking Society, the day is celebrated all over the country and provides an opportunity for everyone to get outside and enjoy the day in a variety of ways!

We’re taking today to celebrate one of our favorite trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Alum Cave Trail. Lauded by many to be the most scenic trail in the park, Alum Cave Trail leads to the popular Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluffs and the iconic Mount LeConte Lodge. The trail offers a walk through an old-growth forest along with spectacular views not found on other trails in the park.

Here’s a peek at a Hike on Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte Lodge, you’ll want to experience for yourself!

Alum Cave Trail is undergoing restoration and is currently closed from 7:00 a.m. on Mondays through 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays each week until November 17, 2016, the anticipated completion date for the project. Alum Cave Trail is open for hikers on weekends and federal holidays. A Trails Forever crew will be repairing eroding sections of the trail including the cable/handrail system. For more information about closure visit GSMNP Alum Cave Trail Restoration Project.

National Trails Day is officially celebrated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the 20th Annual Appalachian Trail Work Day to be held on June 4, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will perform trail maintenance on the popular Appalachian Trail. Of the 2,143 miles that make up the popular footpath, 71.4 of them traverse the highest peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains. Registration for the event is $20-$25 per person with each participant receiving a commemorative t-shirt and picnic at the end of the work day. For more information, visit the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club.

For more information on National Trails Day celebrations across the country, visit American Hiking Society

July 4th in the Smokies | Celebrate America’s Birthday in the Great Smoky Mountains!

It’s All-American fun in the Great Smoky Mountains as we celebrate our nation’s 240th birthday in 2016! Here’s the all-star lineup of awesome events on July 4th in the Smokies!

Gatlinburg hosts the First Independence Day Parade in the Nation at Midnight on July 3rd. Get into the patriotic spirit of the holiday and celebrate America’s military heroes at this 41st annual parade. With marching bands from across the country and lighted floats, this is a one-of-a-kind parade not to be missed!

The celebration continues in Gatlinburg on Monday, July 4th with the Gatlinburg River Raft Regatta on the Little Pigeon River. Any unmanned, floatable craft can be entered in the race to compete for prizes and trophies. Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. at the bridge on River Road in front of Christ in the Smokies. The race begins at 12:00 noon there and ends down at the bridge at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. To register for this free race, call the City of Gatlinburg Special Events Office at 800-588-1817.

The City of Pigeon Forge hosts the 26th Annual Patriot Festival  beginning at 12:00 noon on Monday, July 4th at Patriot Park. This free event  is an afternoon and evening of live music, great street food, and kid’s activities. Kids’ Carnival and food vendors open at 12:00 noon with live entertainment beginnning at 1:30 p.m. Festival music features Joe Diffie (performing at 8 pm) and an Allman Brothers Tribute Band along with our talented community chorus and local musicians. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets (no umbrellas or pop-up tents allowed) and enjoy a wonderful afternoon of patriotic family fun Pigeon Forge style. Then as the sky darkens, get ready for the grand finale. a Fireworks Spectacular at 9:30 pm. Free parking is available at the Municipal Parking Lot on Teaster Lane with free trolley shuttle service to Patriot Park for the festival. For more information, contact Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at 800-251-9100.

There’s Fourth of July fun to be found at Smokies Stadium in Kodak as the Tennessee Smokies host the Jackson Generals at 7:00 p.m. It’s Dollar Night at the stadium so you can load up on hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi products (and get a program) for just $1 each! And enjoy a special post-game fireworks show for the holiday!

Gatlinburg’s Fireworks Finale will be held at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, July 4th. The downtown Parkway in Gatlinburg is a great vantage point to view grand fireworks finale at the Gatlinburg Space Needle. Word is the Plaza at Ripley’s Aquarium is a favorite spot, but really anywhere between traffic lights #3 and #5 provides a great view of the musical show.

Dollywood has a nightly fireworks show called Dolly’s Nights of Many Colors! From June 11 through August 7, 2016 at 9:30 p.m. Dollywood guests will enjoy an inspiring show of synchronized music featuring “Paint Your Dreams Across the Sky,” written by Dolly specifically for this special event.

If you’re planning on spending the Fourth of July holiday in the Smokies, check back in with HeySmokies’ again soon as we update all fun events going on this special weekend!

Amazing Animals Show at The Comedy Barn to Raise Emergency Operating Funds for Sevier County Humane Society

The brand-new “Amazing Animals Show” at The Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge will donate 100% of the proceeds from a special show on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. to the Sevier County Humane Society. Tickets are $29.95 + tax for adults and $9.95 + tax for children ages 3-11.

Join Alena and Anthony King and their menagerie of critters for performance like none other! Where else could you find housecats, dogs, parrots, pigs, and an adorable mini-donkey that get together for lots of tricks and laughs? You may have seen them before on TV’s Animal Planet or The Tonight Show, but here’s your chance to see them perform live and all for a good cause…the emergency funding for the Sevier County Humane Society.

Due to insufficient operating funds, the Sevier County Humane Society will be unable to accept any new animals after June 1, 2016. “The staff will continue working with animals still in the shelter. We simply do not have the funds to continue taking in animals,” says Martha Gilchrist, president of the board of directors for the Sevier County Humane Society.

The owners and staff of The Comedy Barn and Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment seek to raise $50,000 for the
Sevier County Humane Society by June 1 and have set up a GoFundMe Campaign where they will match up to $25,000 in donations. Please write “Amazing Animals” on your donation to ensure the match.

For more information, call The Comedy Barn at 865-428-5222 or the Sevier County Humane Society at 865-453-7000. Check out this video from the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group about the importance of supporting our furry friends the Sevier County Humane Society.