Soaring above the Great Smoky Mountains for a birds-eye view of the natural beauty of East Tennessee…getting a glimpse of hundreds of creatures found in a rainforest…gasping in amazement and wonder as Chinese artists perform and digging in to a five-course meal that starts with apple fritters and ends with apple cobbler.
These are just a few of the things awaiting visitors to Sevierville, Tenn. During a four-day visit, these were the highlights of our visit to country superstar Dolly Parton’s hometown.
Adventure Ziplines of Sevierville features five ziplines ranging from 450 to 2,000 feet long. It takes around one hour to complete the course, which is located across from Five Oaks Outlet Mall and beside of Fairfield Inn & Suites.
Family fun in Sevierville: Outdoor adventure, indoor entertainment
Sevierville is a gateway city to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America’s most visited national park. Located a short three-hour drive from North Georgia, Sevierville is a great destination for a family vacation. Outdoor adventure, shopping, entertainment and more are found in this East Tennessee vacation destination.
To get a great overview of the area, take a helicopter ride with Scenic Helicopter Tours, located at 113 Helicopter Ride Blvd. in Sevierville. Our pilot, Dan Haynes, was great. Our take off was smooth and we were soon gliding over the beautiful countryside. Mountains, lakes and farmlands are among the scenes we spotted on our adventure in the air. During the ride, Dan gave a narrative of the countryside and history of the area.
It was the first helicopter ride for my 8-year-old nephew and it was a great start for him. He took the front seat beside of the pilot and said, “wow,” as soon as we took off. My father, in the back with me, was just as amazed by the ride. It’s a fun thing to do for all ages.
For more information, go to www.scenichelicoptertours.com.
CIRQUE DE CHINE
Cirque De Chine is an explosion of color, dance and motion. The show features circus-style acts, including acrobats, musicians, martial artists, magicians and contortionists. The grand finale, with the “flying motorcycles” was an exciting end to this magical show. The five flying motorcyclists are a Guinness World Record holder.
The two-hour show is a delight from the first act to the last one. Each act is more amazing as the last and will leave you in awe. The performers display strength, agility and creative art form.
You are guaranteed to see things you’ve never seen before and even things you never thought possible. The amount of training that goes into this show is mind-boggling. It’s a must see for visitors to this area.
For more information, go to www.SmokyMountainPalace.com or call 1-800-826-2933.
SOUL OF SHAOLIN
Visitors to Sevierville get the unique opportunity of seeing a Broadway-style production without having to go to New York City. “Soul of Shaolin” is a moving production retelling the legend of Hui Guang, an infant separated from his mother during the war who is raised to be a Shaolin master by monks. The cast comes direct from Broadway where it was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2009.
For more information, go to www.easternshanghaitheater.com or call 1-877-453-1188.
RAINFOREST ADVENTURE
Rainforest Adventure is the world’s largest indoor reptile museum with indoor and outdoor exhibits and more than 600 animals.
Begin your adventure by walking along and looking at reptiles from around the world. Information is presented alongside each display.
Several presentations are held throughout the day with visitors able to hold snakes and spiders as information is presented.
Outside, visitors can pet an Aussie sheep, walk through the bird aviary and feed the goats.
For more information, go to www.rfadventures.com or call 865-428-4091.
ADVENTURE ZIPLINES
If you’re looking for something exciting to do during your stay, check out Adventure Ziplines of Sevierville. We saw the zipliners whizzing by from the pool of our hotel and went over to check it out.
The adventure includes five ziplines ranging from 450 to 2,000 feet long. It takes around one hour to complete the course and everyone we saw returned with a smile on their faces.
My nephew decided to try it out and he loved it. At age 8, he was the youngest one in his group but he wasn’t nervous at all. One of the guides, Denny, did the ziplines with Jake and made him feel comfortable.
Even though a downpour came during Jake’s adventure, he still loved it and wanted to return later in the day to finish the course after lightning caused a delay in finishing all five of the lines.
APPLEWOOD FARMHOUSE RESTAURANT
One restaurant not to miss while in Sevierville is Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant where visitors are served a five-course meal. Dinner starts out with apple fritters, homemade apple butter and applewood julep. Next up are salad and soup and then the main entrée.
The menu has a wide variety of entrée choices, including Southern fried chicken, country ham with red eye gravy, roast turkey and dressing, meatloaf, catfish, pork chops and country fried steak. Great choices for sides are the fried okra and macaroni and cheese.
For my entrée, I tried the trio of fried chicken, chicken and dumplings and chicken pot pie. All three are great and it’s hard to pick a favorite. I ended my meal with apple cobbler. Other dessert choices include chocolate cake and strawberry cake.
The Apple Valley complex includes a general store, two restaurants, a candy store and ice cream parlor. You can spend hours wandering through the complex, which is nestled in the countryside along Little Pigeon River. It’s a tranquil location in the middle of a bustling area.
For more information, go to www.applewoodrestaurant.com.
WHERE TO STAY
Fairfield Inn and Suites, located at 1650 Parkway, is a great place to make your headquarters during your visit to Sevierville. It’s centrally located and you can walk to many of the main attractions and businesses on the main strip, including Five Oaks Outlet Mall.
An outdoor pool and sun deck, spacious rooms, balconies, hot tub suites with fireplaces, a fitness center and nearby horseback riding are other features and amenities of the hotel.
One of the greatest things about a stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites is the free continental breakfast. It’s a full breakfast with bacon, cheese and egg biscuits, biscuits and gravy, a waffle station, pastries, fruit, cereal and bagels among the selections during our stay.
For more information, go to www.fairfieldinnpigeonforge.com or call 1-865-429-8300.
For more information, on visiting Sevierville, go to www.VisitSevierville.com.
To get a great overview of the area, take a helicopter ride with Scenic Helicopter Tours, located at 113 Helicopter Ride Blvd. in Sevierville. Our pilot, Dan Haynes, was great. Our take off was smooth and we were soon gliding over the beautiful countryside. Mountains, lakes and farmlands are among the scenes we spotted on our adventure in the air. During the ride, Dan gave a narrative of the countryside and history of the area.
It was the first helicopter ride for my 8-year-old nephew and it was a great start for him. He took the front seat beside of the pilot and said, “wow,” as soon as we took off. My father, in the back with me, was just as amazed by the ride. It’s a fun thing to do for all ages.
For more information, go to www.scenichelicoptertours.com.
CIRQUE DE CHINE
Cirque De Chine is an explosion of color, dance and motion. The show features circus-style acts, including acrobats, musicians, martial artists, magicians and contortionists. The grand finale, with the “flying motorcycles” was an exciting end to this magical show. The five flying motorcyclists are a Guinness World Record holder.
The two-hour show is a delight from the first act to the last one. Each act is more amazing as the last and will leave you in awe. The performers display strength, agility and creative art form.
You are guaranteed to see things you’ve never seen before and even things you never thought possible. The amount of training that goes into this show is mind-boggling. It’s a must see for visitors to this area.
For more information, go to www.SmokyMountainPalace.com or call 1-800-826-2933.
SOUL OF SHAOLIN
Visitors to Sevierville get the unique opportunity of seeing a Broadway-style production without having to go to New York City. “Soul of Shaolin” is a moving production retelling the legend of Hui Guang, an infant separated from his mother during the war who is raised to be a Shaolin master by monks. The cast comes direct from Broadway where it was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2009.
For more information, go to www.easternshanghaitheater.com or call 1-877-453-1188.
RAINFOREST ADVENTURE
Rainforest Adventure is the world’s largest indoor reptile museum with indoor and outdoor exhibits and more than 600 animals.
Begin your adventure by walking along and looking at reptiles from around the world. Information is presented alongside each display.
Several presentations are held throughout the day with visitors able to hold snakes and spiders as information is presented.
Outside, visitors can pet an Aussie sheep, walk through the bird aviary and feed the goats.
For more information, go to www.rfadventures.com or call 865-428-4091.
ADVENTURE ZIPLINES
If you’re looking for something exciting to do during your stay, check out Adventure Ziplines of Sevierville. We saw the zipliners whizzing by from the pool of our hotel and went over to check it out.
The adventure includes five ziplines ranging from 450 to 2,000 feet long. It takes around one hour to complete the course and everyone we saw returned with a smile on their faces.
My nephew decided to try it out and he loved it. At age 8, he was the youngest one in his group but he wasn’t nervous at all. One of the guides, Denny, did the ziplines with Jake and made him feel comfortable.
Even though a downpour came during Jake’s adventure, he still loved it and wanted to return later in the day to finish the course after lightning caused a delay in finishing all five of the lines.
APPLEWOOD FARMHOUSE RESTAURANT
One restaurant not to miss while in Sevierville is Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant where visitors are served a five-course meal. Dinner starts out with apple fritters, homemade apple butter and applewood julep. Next up are salad and soup and then the main entrée.
The menu has a wide variety of entrée choices, including Southern fried chicken, country ham with red eye gravy, roast turkey and dressing, meatloaf, catfish, pork chops and country fried steak. Great choices for sides are the fried okra and macaroni and cheese.
For my entrée, I tried the trio of fried chicken, chicken and dumplings and chicken pot pie. All three are great and it’s hard to pick a favorite. I ended my meal with apple cobbler. Other dessert choices include chocolate cake and strawberry cake.
The Apple Valley complex includes a general store, two restaurants, a candy store and ice cream parlor. You can spend hours wandering through the complex, which is nestled in the countryside along Little Pigeon River. It’s a tranquil location in the middle of a bustling area.
For more information, go to www.applewoodrestaurant.com.
WHERE TO STAY
Fairfield Inn and Suites, located at 1650 Parkway, is a great place to make your headquarters during your visit to Sevierville. It’s centrally located and you can walk to many of the main attractions and businesses on the main strip, including Five Oaks Outlet Mall.
An outdoor pool and sun deck, spacious rooms, balconies, hot tub suites with fireplaces, a fitness center and nearby horseback riding are other features and amenities of the hotel.
One of the greatest things about a stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites is the free continental breakfast. It’s a full breakfast with bacon, cheese and egg biscuits, biscuits and gravy, a waffle station, pastries, fruit, cereal and bagels among the selections during our stay.
For more information, go to www.fairfieldinnpigeonforge.com or call 1-865-429-8300.
For more information, on visiting Sevierville, go to www.VisitSevierville.com.
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