Pigeon Forge Tennessee


When settlers first come to the eastern Tennessee town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee no one would have imagined it would have developed into a thriving vacation town. These settler’s traveled through the Smoky Mountains down alongside the Pigeon River. The town of Pigeon Forge was slowly coming together and in 1820 Isaac Love built an iron and ten years later his son, William built a mill. This mill is now known as The Old Mill, which is a country store and restaurant that serves delicious meals, daily. Between the iron forge, and the flocks of pigeons that resided in the area the name of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was established. The quiet Tennessee town slowly began to grow when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened in 1940. In the 1980’s new tourism businesses were built in the area, which in turn brought in a great increase in the number of jobs in the area. In 1986 Pigeon Forge, Tennessee experienced an important event that would forever change the area, tourism wise. Country music star, Dolly Parton changed the once known Silver Dollar City, into what we all today as Dollywood.

Today you would never have known that this booming tourists city was once a quiet little town that not many people had even heard of. The entertainment in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee grows every year and is now up to dozen theaters, fifty family orientated attractions, six outlet malls, at least five miniature golf courses, almost ten arcades and even more special entertainment opportunities all within minutes of each other. Some of the most favorite attractions in the area do provide fun for everyone in your family and kids and adults of all ages will enjoy them. WonderWorks, Dixie Stampede, Black Bear Jamboree, The Comedy Barn and the still famous, Dollywood are just a few of the many activities you can enjoy in downtown Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. So from miniature golf and comedy shows to shopping and go kart tracks, Pigeon Forge has grown into a town with activities to keep you busy all day long.

In the beginning before tourists started coming to the area for a vacation there were only a small amount of family owned and operated restaurants in the area but now there are around fifty restaurants for you to enjoy during your vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Of these restaurants you can choose from dinner shows, fine dining, casual dining, fast food restaurants and even some, like The Old Mill that are only in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The popular dinner shows, like Dixie Stampede and The Black Bear Jamboree keep people coming back year after year for great food and wonderful entertainment. The dinner shows in downtown Pigeon Forge are perfect for families with children, youth group, teenagers and all the ages in between. Some casual or fine dining restaurant suggestions would be Olive Garden, Bullfish Grill, Red Lobster, Huck Finn‘s Catfish or Bennett‘s Pit Bar B Que. Even if you are in a hurry to grab some food then you can choose from any of the fast food restaurant chains that are located right on the parkway in downtown. Oh and if you love Cracker Barrell then there are two in downtown so take your pick and enjoy a delicious home cooked meal.

Since the 1930’s when the only places to stay were small stone cabins that were on the riverbanks Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has grown into a booming town with plenty of accommodation choices for everyone. The Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area now has several campgrounds that are great for the people wanting the full effect of what it felt like in the early year of Pigeon Forge’s history. Since visitors started coming to the area close to fifty hotels and motels have been put up in various places along the river, on the Parkway or at the bottom of the Great Smoky Mountains. Now, you can even stay in modern day cabin or chalet rentals close to downtown or on top of a mountain. The best thing about cabin rentals is they have any size cabin you need for the group you are bringing to the area. Whether it be a one bedroom or a 14 bedroom, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has plenty of options for you to choose from when it comes to your lodging needs.

Today Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is a popular vacation town and a home to many people who just love the feel of sweet Southern hospitality. Over 30,000 people are happy to call Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we are sure that there are even more that are happy to say Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is their number one idea of a great vacation spot. From romantic anniversary vacations and honeymoons to youth retreats or family reunions there is always somewhere to shop, dine, stay and there is surely enough entertainment to keep everyone busy throughout the entire vacation.