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| Local Area Information
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| Minutes into your first visit to The Great Smoky Mountains you realize why so many never go back. From Gatlinburg's arts & crafts and Pigeon Forge's family entertainment to the natural beauty that is The Great Smoky Mountains, it's easy to see why more than 10 million people visit us every year.
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• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park •
Once known as the "Place of Blue Smoke" by the Cherokee Indians, due to the bluish haze that is often found enveloping the moutains. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is home to approximately 100 species of trees, more than any other North American national park. In addition, more then 5,000 species of plants have been identified within the park. And there's a few animals too. . . more than 200 species of birds, 66 types of mammals, 43 species of amphibians, 39 varieties of reptiles, and 50 native fish species also call The Great Smoky Mountain National Park their home. Together, over 10,000 different species have been documented in the park and scientists believe the total number of species to be closer to 100,000.
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• Gatlinburg •
Just outside The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) lies the little town of Gatlinburg; it is “little” in that it had a population of 3,382 in 2000 and that it is two miles long by five miles wide covering approximately 10.1 square miles. This is all that is “little” about it. The GSMNP came into being in the 1930’s and Gatlinburg’s persona grew and grew and grew. It is the perennial “Mountain Getaway” choice of Southern Living Magazine’s readers and was awarded the number one “Mountain Destination” designation by the readers of AAA Magazine in 2003. It entertains more than10 million visitors annually with an array of festivals, entertainment venues, arts and crafts studios and institutions, specialty shops, boutiques, art galleries, fine restaurants and an endless choice of lodging accommodations. In addition to the arts and crafts, there are the large attractions such as Ober Gatlinburg, America’s largest aerial tramway, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies holding more than a million gallons of water and ten thousand fish, Ripley’s Believe It or Not displaying curiosities and artifacts from around the globe, and Christus Gardens where you can come face to face with the life of Christ. These are just some of the things to do in glamorous Gatlinburg.
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• Pigeon Forge •
Just five miles up U.S. Highway 441, is Pigeon Forge, the fastest growing tourist city in the South. It is filled with action-packed entertainment, natural beauty and old fashioned hospitality. Pigeon Forge is 35 miles southeast of Knoxville and 150 miles north of Atlanta within a day’s drive of two thirds of the nation’s population. It is easily accessible from Interstate 40, just a few miles from Interstate 75. There are more than 40 attractions located along Pigeon Forge’s Parkway (Hwy 441) with many new ones added each year. There is miniature golf, go-carts and bumper boats, skydiving and educational exhibits, such as Carbo’s Police Museum, Dinosaur Walk Museum, Elvis Museum, Veterans Memorial Museum and the Smoky Mountains Car Museum. In addition to the fun filled attractions, there are music, magic and variety shows; the City’s theaters present the very best in wholesome family entertainment. Pigeon Forge is the fourth largest shopping destination in the country with all the name brand merchants located in the many shopping and factory outlet malls. Wedding chapels and facilities are many and varied including drive-through wedding chapels. With more than sixteen city-sponsored special events throughout the year, the action never really stops in Pigeon Forge. The four months long Winterfest celebration is chuck full of winter magic; it was voted “Festival of the Year” three times by the Southeast Tourism Society. Pigeon Forge is truly a family vacation playground.
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