Goin' Country in the
Tennessee Mountains

By Renee Wright

Originally published in Square Dancing Today Magazine

From the Mississippi to the mountains, Tennessee is home to some of America’s favorite music.

Memphis stands as a shrine to Elvis and the Blues. Nashville hosts the Grand Old Opry, as well as the brand new Country Music Hall of Fame. Further east, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton put the little town of Pigeon Forge on the music map when she established Dollywood in 1986. Since then, Pigeon Forge, once just a wide place in the road, has developed into one of the nation’s top family-oriented resorts. Music halls and dinner theaters rub shoulders with outlet shopping malls along the town’s main drag, called The Parkway. Just beyond, Dollywood treats some 2 million visitors a year to a whopping big serving of country music and dance. Situated barely five miles from Gatlinburg, gateway of the Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge’s 80 hotels and 15 campgrounds attract nearly 11 million annual guests. Here, in the hills at the foot of the mountains, folks find a family-oriented entertainment capital, and some of the best discount shopping in the eastern U.S. Every winter, a special trolley tour takes guests around town to view the lights of Pigeon Forge’s WinterFest, a four-month celebration (November-February) featuring over seven million lights, plus special sales and discounts at area stores. Other annual events in the area include a Wilderness Wildlife Week, Storytelling Festival, Quiltfest, Harvest Festival, and “Celebrate Freedom!” - a salute to America’s veterans. Every February, the Saddle Up! festival showcases the country’s top “cowboy poets” and the songs and stories of the American West.

Dollywood's Country Show, photo courtesy of Dollywood © 2003 ARR

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