Thanksgiving is the quintessential holiday for family gatherings, but not all family gatherings are at someone’s house. That’s one reason Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has become a major destination the week of Thanksgiving.
“Within our city limits are 10,000 rooms, so we definitely can put people up for Thanksgiving trips,” said Leon Downey, Pigeon Forge’s executive director of tourism.
“There are condos, cabins and log homes for families who want to fix their own Thanksgiving feasts, and there certainly are tradition hotel and motel rooms for people who don’t want even to see a kitchen,” he said.
Restaurants including the Alamo Steakhouse, Bennett’s Bar-B-Que, Mama’s Farmhouse, the Old Mill Restaurant and the Pottery House Café and Grill are offering special Thanksgiving Day meals, and the city’s dinner theaters will feed even more visitors.
The dinner theaters join Pigeon Forge’s traditional showplaces (more than a dozen in all) to offer an array of entertainment throughout the holiday period. They offer everything from magic and comedy to country music and Broadway tunes.
Because a four-month celebration called Pigeon Forge Winterfest started in early November, the town is brilliantly decorated for Thanksgiving week—brilliant as in five million Winterfest lights in displays throughout town, plus another four million holiday lights at Dollywood for its Smoky Mountain Christmas festival.
Thanksgiving, of course, marks the official start of the Christmas shopping season, and Pigeon Forge upholds that tradition with six outlet malls and more than 100 specialty shops.
If the weather is cooperative, return visitors know that the outdoor attractions on the Parkway will be open for family activities.
“There’s nothing like an inter-generational miniature golf tournament or a few laps around a go-cart track to create some special Pigeon Forge Thanksgiving memories,” Downey said.
As a special bonus, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge’s next-door neighbor, creates a backdrop for all Thanksgiving gatherings.
Information about all aspects of a Pigeon Forge visit is online at MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free 1-800-251-9100.