Pigeon Forge

Another perfect day of cool sunshine. 

Today's adventure was to Pigeon Forge - home of Dollywood.

First stop:

The Dolly Parton statue is situated on the front lawn of the Sevierville courthouse. The bronze statue depicts Parton playing her guitar while barefoot.

Not a very good picture, but I had to take it from my window as there was no place to park or stop.

Built in 1875, the Harrisburg Covered Bridge offers a single lane for vehicle traffic over Little Pigeon River. The bridge is about 88 ft. long.

 

I visited a couple of quilt shops for local fabric and then stopped for lunch at the Apple Barn.  While you wait for your meal, they provide warm apple fritters with their own apple butter and an orange julep, made from assorted juices.  You can tour the cider mill and general store.

And then onto Dollywood.  It cost $70 for a senior ticket plus $12 to park.  The park is built on the mountain, so all of the sections are uphill ...  It is all about Dolly - with a movie of her life, a replica of the cabin she grew up in, her tour bus, her "closet," etc.  There is a show with 8 of her siblings, but she is "on" the movie screen above them singing along and offering commentary.

Dolly Parton's flamboyant theme park has plenty of rides including the award-winning wooden rollercoaster, The Thunderhead. But the main feature of the park is live entertainment showcasing country, bluegrass, mountain, and gospel music. For a taste of local mountain culture visit one of the master craftsmen and learn about blacksmithing, glass blowing, and woodcarving.

The park itself has a limited number of rides (they are either children oriented or "thriller" coasters...not much for us tamer ride riders.  They did have a Scrambler, which I enjoyed.  This was my favorite ride as a teen and it was fun.

Here are a couple of rides I DID NOT venture onto ...

And ...

The park had a feel of the old Knott's Berry Farm, except with a Hillbilly vibe, and lots more shopping and places to eat.

I watched three of the shows, passed on the parade, and headed home.  The shows only repeat twice, and they are on at the same time, so it was impossible to see any more than I did.

On a sad note, for those of you who knew him, Les passed away this week, Monday, from a heart attack.  He would have been 73 next month.  I am arranging for him to be buried with his parents in Westminster; his father had purchased a plot for the three of them.