Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism Newsroom

Archive for the ‘Attractions’ Category

Titanic Plans Huge November Fireworks Show

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (August 2012) – If you liked the July 4 fireworks during Pigeon Forge’s Patriot festival, hang on until Nov. 22.

That’s the date when the Titanic Museum Attraction will light up the night sky with a major fireworks show that marks the end of the centennial year of the Titanic’s sinking.

Attraction owners say the year has been a tribute to the 2,208 people aboard the ship in 1912 and that the fireworks show will celebrate the lives and legacies of the ship’s passengers, crew and rescuers.

“We wanted to end the Titanic centennial year on a note of celebration and hope,” said John Joslyn, expedition leader of the first private exploration dive to the Titanic and co-owner of the Titanic Museum Attraction.

“We knew a fireworks show such as the one that helped open the museum in 2010 was the perfect way to provide a celebration in honor of the passengers and crew rivaling anything they could have hoped for if they had arrived safely in New York a century ago.”

After the fireworks show, the museum/attraction will renew its tradition of a snowfall from the ship’s bow Thanksgiving weekend and continuing every Saturday in December. Father Christmas, dressed in a style most familiar to the children aboard the Titanic in 1912, will visit on snow days.

Hollywood Wax Museum Has Fun with Ferrell Photo

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (August 2012) – Actor Will Ferrell generates a lot of laughs, and the Hollywood Wax Museum is using a Ferrell photo to gin up some more.

Museum employee “Hollywood Joseph” shot a photo of Ferrell at the premiere of “The Campaign” that practically begs for a caption. From that came a contest on Facebook that the museum is promoting on its Hollywood Joe blog.

ImageThe photo shows Ferrell in a crowd, gesturing with his left hand and with a curious expression on his face.

Contest entrants are encouraged to answer the question, “What the heck is Will Ferrell saying?”

The contest continues through Aug. 24, and the winner gets six tickets to any of the three Hollywood Wax Museum locations – Pigeon Forge, Branson, Mo., and Hollywood, Calif.

Ferrell is one of more than 100 personalities depicted at the Hollywood Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge, which opened earlier this year.

Veteran TV comedian Bob Nelson joins Comedy Barn cast

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (July 12, 2012) – Veteran stand-up comedian Bob Nelson, who has appeared on shows hosted by Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Regis Philbin and Merv Griffin, has a new performance home at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge.

Nelson performs at 5 and 8 p.m. nightly except Mondays.

Nelson opened for Rodney Dangerfield for eight years and was featured in two of Dangerfield’s HBO showcases. He is also known for appearances on the “Bananas” comedy television show.

“He is one of the best comedians performing today, has great fans and is a very funny guy,” said David Fee, president and co-owner of the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group.

Nelson was a theater major and did summer stock at Nassau Community College on Long Island, N.Y.

“I was always the class clown,” Nelson said. “I was always trying to make people laugh in different ways, and I did very physical Jerry Lewis-type of stuff. It was always in me – a gift from God.

“Right out of high school I was working as an amateur clown with circus acts doing juggling, trapeze and trampoline,” Nelson said. “I almost joined the circus but found I could make more money as an amateur clown.”

Red Skelton was Nelson’s mentor.

“I wanted to be a family comic and not do dirty material, and Red encouraged me at a time when the whole industry was tilted against conservatives. He told me, ‘You are a clown like me.’ He praised me for not cursing.”

Army Family Deploys to Pigeon Forge Before Afghanistan

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (July 2012) – An Army family facing a sixth deployment to a war zone got some special time together in Pigeon Forge, and their experience was captured as a half-hour show for the Great American Country (GAC) cable TV network.

“Operation Pigeon Forge: A Family Story” focuses on Staff Sgt. Gerald Britt, his wife Shasta and their children Gabe and Madison. It premiers July 12 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern and has 11 more airings later in the month.

Gerald has orders to Afghanistan this fall. He has been to Iraq three times, as well as to Kosovo and Bosnia. Shasta, a veteran herself, is a civilian employee of the Family Readiness Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, assisting other military families with members overseas.

“Before this soldier deploys to Afghanistan, GAC deploys his family to Pigeon Forge,” said show host Nan Kelley, explaining the concept of the program.

The Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism partnered with GAC, which is available in 62 million households and online at GACTV.com, to salute the Britts.

GAC cameras tagged along with the Britts at Pigeon Forge attractions such as Dollywood, the Titanic Museum Attraction, Dixie Stampede, The Track and the Country Tonite show. The Lumberjack Feud dinner show plucked Gerald from the audience for an ax-throwing challenge. His marksmanship was solid.

The Britts’ vacation coincided with the annual Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade, and Pigeon Forge surprised them by building a float for them to ride on and receive the applause of thousands lining the parade route.

An even bigger surprise came when Dolly Parton greeted them before the parade and offered her personal thanks for their service.

“Families are hugely important to Pigeon Forge, and we are pleased that Pigeon Forge is hugely important to many families. We make memories that strengthen family bonds,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

Information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge is available online at MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free 1-800-251-9100.

 

Dolly Becomes ‘Splash Woman’ for Coaster Announcement

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (June 2012) – Dollywood launched America’s first wing-design roller coaster, Wild Eagle, in March and now has announced another coaster addition. This one adds water.

It is RiverRush, Tennessee’s first water coaster, which will open in May 2013 at Dollywood’s Splash Country.

“You know me. I love making a big splash, and RiverRush is all that and a whole lot more!” Parton said, dressed as super hero “Splash Woman” at the coaster’s announcement.

RiverRush will be a hydromagnetic coaster with climbs, drops, twists and tight turns – just like a traditional land roller coaster – but you’ll need a swimming suit to ride it.

Four-passenger toboggan-style boats will zoom through a 1,175-foot-long track after making an initial climb of 237 feet. The first drop is at a 45-degree angle. It will be four stories tall and have a footprint of more than an acre.

Meeting Movie, TV Stars at Hollywood Wax Museum

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (June 2012)  – Pigeon Forge’s newest attraction lets you get closer to some of your favorite movie and television stars than you ever imagined.

The stars at the Hollywood Wax Museum might not give you an autograph, but you can get amazing photos with many of them as you meander though the two-story, 22,000-square-foot attraction.

The museum is on the Parkway at Showplace Boulevard and is impossible to miss. Its major architectural features include the Hollywood sign and the New York City skyline, a tribute to the movie-making capitals of the U.S.

Its crown gem is the Great Ape of Pigeon Forge with its VIP Observation Deck that allows guests to enjoy spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Additionally, the venue includes a 32-foot Hollywood version of Mt. Rushmore.

A team of artists took three months to complete each celebrity wax figure, from sculpting the head out of clay to costuming.  This link offers details of the process. You’ll find everyone from Clint Eastwood and John Wayne to Marilyn Monroe, George Clooney and Bradley Cooper. There are more than a hundred to inspect.

The museum is a family-owned company now in its third generation. The family opened the original Hollywood Wax Museum in California in 1965 and also has a location in Branson, Mo. The Pigeon Forge museum is the largest of the three.

Two other attractions complement Pigeon Forge’s Hollywood Wax Museum – Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors and Castle of Chaos. A “Pick 3” tickets covers all attractions at a discounted rate. Details are at this link.