PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — The devastating fires outside this popular resort town last November haven’t derailed tourism in the area known for Dollywood theme park and numerous other attractions, and for being a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Pigeon Forge attractions were unscathed and business has been steady, said Joy McNealy, senior sales manager for the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. New attractions also have opened recently and two new hotels, including one with a water park, opened this spring, she said.
The area around Gatlinburg, six miles up U.S. Highway 321 from Pigeon Forge, was harder hit, although its major attractions along the main street, the Parkway, were not damaged. The fire claimed 12 lives, another died of a heart attack and another in a vehicle fleeing the blaze, and 191 were injured. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam called the fire “the worst in a century in Tennessee.”
More than 2,460 structures were damaged or destroyed, according to coverage of the fire in local newspapers.
Many of the structures belonged to employees who work at Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas and the outpouring of support for them has been significant, including from motorcoach operators and tour passengers, McNealy and others said.
“We’ve been receiving so much support from all our state motorcoach associations,” McNealy said. “We’re out there getting the word out and nowhere have any of the associations stopped promoting (and) sending coaches here because they understand nothing has happened here.”
Motorcoach and tour operators report the same thing.
“For us, the fire has not impacted our trips there, so it’s a normal cycle,” said Buddy Young, owner of Capitol Tours in West Columbia, S.C.
His company even kept a tour last December a couple weeks after the conflagration, with customers donating toys for children of families whose homes and Christmas presents had been destroyed.
“We filled the baggage bin full,” Young said.
Capitol Tours has another multiday trip planned there in August.
“Everybody just needs to know they’re open and doing well,” Young said. “If you’re inclined to go see ‘em, go see ‘em. You will have a great time.”
According to the Department of Tourism, “Pigeon Forge is well known for delivering on the promise of something new each year, along with offering a wide variety of attractions, museums, entertainment, special events, lodging and restaurant options.”
McNealy said some of the new Pigeon Forge attractions this year include a 107-suite Home2 Suites by Hilton that opened in May and The Summit Tower at Country Cascades, a 98-room hotel with accompanying 30,000-square-foot Cascades Outdoor Water Park that opened Memorial Day weekend.
Other new attractions include Alcatraz East Crime Museum, which opened last fall and McNealy said is proving a hit with student groups.
New this year in Dollywood theme park is a ride called Drop Line, a 200-foot free-fall experience; Whistle Punk Chaser, a junior coaster that features twists and turns in a logging-themed experience; and a Dollywood Splash Country ride called TailSpin Racer, which allows up to six riders to race each other along a journey through a spiraling tube with drops and curves.
Many motorcoaches that come to Pigeon Forge also visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sometimes adding step-on guides playing moonshiners who will talk about the moonshine trail, McNealy said, noting that the city also is home to an Ole Smoky distillery.
Ole Smoky Moonshine is the first licensed distiller of premium moonshine in the U.S. and has four distilleries, including The Barn in Pigeon Forge.
The 522,427-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park, divided almost evenly between Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most visited of 59 national parks in the U.S., according to the National Park Service.
The park, which offers free entrance, generated more than $734 million in economic impact in 2013 and supports 10,734 jobs in surrounding communities, the Park Service said.
For two-thirds of the United States east of the Mississippi, Pigeon Forge is within a day’s drive, McNealy said, adding that motorcoach traffic hasn’t dropped off at all.
“The motorcoach industry here in our area is very strong and will continue to be strong because when I talk to my attractions, which is my theaters or a lot of my hoteliers, they’re booking companies that they’ve never heard of before and what they’re hearing is, ‘We want to come help you and we can do that by bringing a tour to you.’”
Diane Eagle, tour planner for Abbott Charters & Tours in Roanoke, Va., said some customers call and ask if certain Pigeon Forge attractions are open. But most everyone knows the attractions weren’t damaged, she said, calling it business as usual for trips there.
Jimmy Cantrell at Daniel’s Charters and Tours in Lula, Ga., said business has improved to Pigeon Forge.
“We’ve actually seen it respond a little better, because people seem to have an interest in going and seeing what’s going on, but more than that to support them through the fire and everything,” Cantrell said, also noting that passengers have contributed to relief funds.
“It’s been a positive thing as far as our tours and everything. I think maybe some of it was curiosity, but more than anything, it was just to help a neighbor out.”
Pigeon Forge is a popular tour destination because there is so much to do there and so many destinations are accommodating to motorcoaches, he said.
“Pigeon Forge is probably one of the No. 1 destinations in the Southeast now, and they do a good job on making motorcoach customers happy when they get there,” Cantrell said. “There are so many activities that a person can do, you can plan a three- or four-day trip in Pigeon Forge and never repeat yourself.”
