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The wooden door of the Old Mill creaks open to reveal the gloomy interior of a 177-year-old building. The air is filled with flour dust as the huge water-powered French granite stones grind grain into flour and meal.
Time seems to have stood still and the same can almost be said for a shopping mall nearby. Here a bakery, creamery, pottery and craft shop offer handicrafts and tasty gifts such as homemade cake and marmalade made to recipes handed down over the generations.
The give-away is the trendy T-shirt worn by 24-year-old miller Ryan Matthews, which shows that this old mill in Pigeon Forge on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, has entered the 21st century. Matthews has seen his home village turn into a magnet for visitors.
'When I was small, this was nothing but cornfields,' he said, pointing into the distance where the Smoky Mountains touch the sky. They are part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which boasts 9 million visitors a year or more than any other such park in the United States.
The highest summit is Clingman's Dome, which stands at 2,025 metres. Pigeon Forge is the gateway to this natural habitat, an elongated community strung out along a six-lane highway route called the Parkway. All the attractions are here, ranging from restaurants to shopping centers and amusement arcades.
The valley used to rely on agriculture for its income and the surrounding mountains were relentlessly exploited for their reserves of coal and lumber.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the peaks were almost completely devoid of trees. Erosion triggered landslides and it was not until 1920 that the battle began to save these idyllic surroundings from disaster.
When there was nothing left to chop down, the lumberjacks moved on and the state began buying up the land owned by the mountain crofters. In 1934, the area along the border with North Carolina was proclaimed a US National Park and Pigeon Forge began its ascendancy.
Neighbouring Knoxville hosted the Expo or World Fair in 1982 and triggered a big influx of tourists in the process. It was a blessing for this impoverished region and attracted many investors.
An estimated 11 million visitors pour along the Parkway every year, says Leon Downey who is in charge of tourism. The hotels are affordable and the unspoilt landscape of the Smokies is just around the corner.
'People love the contrast,' says Downey who points out that many who come here end up seeing most of the National Park from behind a car windshield since they try to take in all the other attractions during a short vacation.
There are big dippers on every corner in Pigeon Forge and the chain of restaurants along highway 441 stretches for five kilometres. Drivers only need to pull off the road to enjoy all the fun of the fair and all they can eat to go with it.
'The program has been specifically designed for families and to appeal to the various generations,' said Deborah Fee Newsom whose company maintains a number of stages in Pigeon Forge where shows are regularly hosted.
Her latest innovation is a magician. Terry Evanswood saws his assistant in two before pronouncing: 'God made his dream come true.' By doing so, he shows that this area belongs firmly to the so-called 'Bible Belt' where citizens are devout Christians and proud of it.
Country singer Dolly Parton appears on stage here with the star- spangled banner at her side. Parton grew up in difficult circumstances in the little town of Locust Ridge as one of a family of 14. Today the 62-year-old is a superstar and has tried hard to give her former homeland a helping hand.
In 1986, she transformed what used to be known as 'Silver Dollar City' into a theme park called 'Dollywood.' She also brought the horse stunt revue 'Dixie Stampede' to Pigeon Forge. This indoor extravaganza of beating hooves complete with four-course meal sees mounted riders re-enact scenes from the US civil war three times a day in front of an audience of 1,400 people.
Visitors who long to get away from the crowds can seek sanctuary in the wilderness of the park. A network of paths for backpackers stretches for more than 1,300 kilometres through an area which has been extensively reforested.
Signs warn visitors to be on guard against bears roaming the region. 'There are about two bears to the mile,' said John LaFevre, a local hiker. 'But the black bears tend to be shy and keep away from people just as long as they pick up their garbage behind them.'
The only visitors' lodge in the park is to be found on the peak of Mount Leconte. The accommodation is highly sought-after and those who want to stay here have to book months, if not years, in advance to secure a bed.
The ascent takes three hours via narrow paths, across small bridges and through a rock-hewn tunnel. From halfway up, the view stretches for miles across the valleys of the Smokies and suddenly Pigeon Forge seems a very long way off.
Information courtesy of Monsters & Critics
Time seems to have stood still and the same can almost be said for a shopping mall nearby. Here a bakery, creamery, pottery and craft shop offer handicrafts and tasty gifts such as homemade cake and marmalade made to recipes handed down over the generations.
The give-away is the trendy T-shirt worn by 24-year-old miller Ryan Matthews, which shows that this old mill in Pigeon Forge on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, has entered the 21st century. Matthews has seen his home village turn into a magnet for visitors.
'When I was small, this was nothing but cornfields,' he said, pointing into the distance where the Smoky Mountains touch the sky. They are part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which boasts 9 million visitors a year or more than any other such park in the United States.
The highest summit is Clingman's Dome, which stands at 2,025 metres. Pigeon Forge is the gateway to this natural habitat, an elongated community strung out along a six-lane highway route called the Parkway. All the attractions are here, ranging from restaurants to shopping centers and amusement arcades.
The valley used to rely on agriculture for its income and the surrounding mountains were relentlessly exploited for their reserves of coal and lumber.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the peaks were almost completely devoid of trees. Erosion triggered landslides and it was not until 1920 that the battle began to save these idyllic surroundings from disaster.
When there was nothing left to chop down, the lumberjacks moved on and the state began buying up the land owned by the mountain crofters. In 1934, the area along the border with North Carolina was proclaimed a US National Park and Pigeon Forge began its ascendancy.
Neighbouring Knoxville hosted the Expo or World Fair in 1982 and triggered a big influx of tourists in the process. It was a blessing for this impoverished region and attracted many investors.
An estimated 11 million visitors pour along the Parkway every year, says Leon Downey who is in charge of tourism. The hotels are affordable and the unspoilt landscape of the Smokies is just around the corner.
'People love the contrast,' says Downey who points out that many who come here end up seeing most of the National Park from behind a car windshield since they try to take in all the other attractions during a short vacation.
There are big dippers on every corner in Pigeon Forge and the chain of restaurants along highway 441 stretches for five kilometres. Drivers only need to pull off the road to enjoy all the fun of the fair and all they can eat to go with it.
'The program has been specifically designed for families and to appeal to the various generations,' said Deborah Fee Newsom whose company maintains a number of stages in Pigeon Forge where shows are regularly hosted.
Her latest innovation is a magician. Terry Evanswood saws his assistant in two before pronouncing: 'God made his dream come true.' By doing so, he shows that this area belongs firmly to the so-called 'Bible Belt' where citizens are devout Christians and proud of it.
Country singer Dolly Parton appears on stage here with the star- spangled banner at her side. Parton grew up in difficult circumstances in the little town of Locust Ridge as one of a family of 14. Today the 62-year-old is a superstar and has tried hard to give her former homeland a helping hand.
In 1986, she transformed what used to be known as 'Silver Dollar City' into a theme park called 'Dollywood.' She also brought the horse stunt revue 'Dixie Stampede' to Pigeon Forge. This indoor extravaganza of beating hooves complete with four-course meal sees mounted riders re-enact scenes from the US civil war three times a day in front of an audience of 1,400 people.
Visitors who long to get away from the crowds can seek sanctuary in the wilderness of the park. A network of paths for backpackers stretches for more than 1,300 kilometres through an area which has been extensively reforested.
Signs warn visitors to be on guard against bears roaming the region. 'There are about two bears to the mile,' said John LaFevre, a local hiker. 'But the black bears tend to be shy and keep away from people just as long as they pick up their garbage behind them.'
The only visitors' lodge in the park is to be found on the peak of Mount Leconte. The accommodation is highly sought-after and those who want to stay here have to book months, if not years, in advance to secure a bed.
The ascent takes three hours via narrow paths, across small bridges and through a rock-hewn tunnel. From halfway up, the view stretches for miles across the valleys of the Smokies and suddenly Pigeon Forge seems a very long way off.
Information courtesy of Monsters & Critics
Labels: Great_Smoky_Mountains, Pigeon_Forge_Attractions, Pigeon_Forge_Shows
posted by Ashley at
3/05/2008 04:07:00 PM
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