Tag Archives: Gatlinburg

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 10,712,673 visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015 spent $873,886,500 in communities near the park. That spending supported 13,709 jobs in the local area. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service. “In 2015, over ...

A search is underway for the body of a man who drowned at Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park this afternoon. According to park spokesperson Dana Soehn, personnel were notified just after 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2016 that 58-year-old Jitendra Patel, of Roswell, Ga., was hiking with a group of friends when he slipped into the ...

The University of Tennessee Sevier County Office will be offering Food Preservation Classes in May. Research based information will be shared and demonstrated on canning jelly, jam, pickles, fruits and vegetables. These classes are designed to encourage first time canners, as well as update information for experienced canners. These food preservation classes will be presented at the UT Extension Office ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the dates for the firefly viewing event in Elkmont. The ticketed event will take place from Tuesday, May 31 through Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Parking passes will be distributed this year via a lottery system administered through www.recreation.gov. Since 2006, access to the Elkmont area has been limited to shuttle service during ...

A job fair will be held in Sevierville for people interested in working at Ripley’s Attractions in Tennessee. Ripley’s is looking for energetic people who enjoy working with the public in a fun, fast paced environment to fill positions at their eight attractions in Sevier County: Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium Ripley’s 5D Moving ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with special activities at Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove Visitor Center and Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The park is also hosting two InstaMeet opportunities with photographers who will share tips on creating unique social media posts using camera phones at ...

Fire officials say a home in the Glades area was completely destroyed by a wildfire on Thursday. The Gatlinburg Fire Department was investigating reports of smoke in the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community at about 1:45 p.m. on April 21, 2016 when personnel discovered a 4-acre wildfire that had spread to a residence at 970 Glades Road. Dark smoke ...

Author Courtney Lix profiles the lives and accomplishments of Dolly Parton and other local women in her book “No Place for the Weary Kind: Women of the Smokies.” What does it mean to be a woman of the Smokies? While author Courtney Lix spent more than five years researching and writing her way to an answer, the Gatlinburg, Tenn. native ...

A flurry of activity has begun at the Anakeesta Village development on the Parkway in Gatlinburg as the site is prepared for construction. During the month of March, Layman Construction Company and House Movers carefully prepared the historic Ogle Cabin for relocation to the City of Gatlinburg Welcome Center on the Parkway. The evening of Wednesday, April 20, 2016, after ...

An 8,600 square foot structure associated with the former Wonderland Hotel in the Elkmont area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park burned to the ground on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The fire was reported by a park visitor at approximately 7:15 a.m. The park fire management crew and Gatlinburg Fire Department responded to the area. The Wonderland Hotel Annex was ...