Tag Archives: Great Smoky Mountains

In black ties and ball gowns, Friends of the Smokies gathered for an evening of elegance at Cherokee Country Club for the Evergreen Ball to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and to raise more than $500,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Evergreen Ball, now in its 13th year, featured a silent auction, wine auction, ...

The votes are in! ConventionSouth readers and destination Facebook fans have selected Gatlinburg as their top pick for “The South’s Cool Spots For Summer Meetings.” In December 2015, ConventionSouth editors compiled a Facebook ballot with a list of 60 meetings destinations that are well fit for summer meetings as they offer escape from the summer heat. From those 60 “Cool ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed all park facilities today, Jan. 20, 2016, due to impending inclement weather moving through our area today. Sugarlands Visitor Center, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and all administrative offices including Park Headquarters are closed. All Facility Management and Emergency Services staff who are responsible for snow removal and visitor safety remain on duty. Several ...

In celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, Superintendent Cassius Cash has committed to hike 100 miles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park during 2016 and is challenging the public to do the same. The 100-mile goal is part of the “Smokies Centennial Challenge – Hike 100” program. This program aims to inspire all potential hikers—young and old, new and ...

The Southeast Region of the National Park Service (NPS) has issued a prospectus seeking proposals for the award of a concession contract to operate Smokemont Riding Stables within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The new concession contract is expected to begin on Jan. 1, 2017 and will be awarded for a 10-year term. The services that will be required under ...

Set your New Year resolution to celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial and experience America’s most visited national park on guided hikes with Friends of the Smokies. View breathtaking vistas, rushing waterfalls, historic homesteads and much more tucked away in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the 2016 Classic Hikes of the Smokies Series. Friends of the SmokiesClassic Hikes of ...

More than 32,000 drivers in Tennessee and North Carolina are giving back this holiday season with Friends of the Smokies specialty license plates. Sales of full-color specialty license plates in Tennessee and North Carolina support critical projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Projects supported by the license plate fees include Student Conservation Association internship positions as well as Parks ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a Holiday Homecoming at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. Park staff and volunteers will provide hands-on traditional crafts and activities from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Children and adults will have the opportunity to learn about and experience some of the traditions surrounding an Appalachian Christmas. Hot apple cider ...

Dolly Parton wants to provide one lucky winner, and three guests a once-in-a-lifetime getaway to the Great Smoky Mountains, which includes a tour of her own Tennessee Mountain Home, by providing chances to win the Coat of Many Colors Sweepstakes. In celebration of NBC’s TV-movie, “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” the superstar is inviting everyone to enter the Coat ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park announces the 40th annual Festival of Christmas Past celebration scheduled on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sugarlands Visitor Center. The event, sponsored in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is free to the public. The festival will include old-time mountain music, traditional harp singing, mountain craft demonstrations, and living ...