Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States.

Pigeon Forge is located on the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30.0 km²).

Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a tourist destination that caters primarily to Southern culture and country music fans. The city's attractions include Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country as well as numerous gift shops, outlet malls, amusement rides, and musical theaters.

The name "Pigeon Forge" comes from an iron forge built by Isaac Love (1783–1854) some time around 1820. The name of this forge referred to its location along the Little Pigeon River, in the vicinity of what is now the Old Mill. The name of the river comes from the flocks of passenger pigeons that frequented its banks at the time of the first Euro-American settlers' arrival.

For centuries, the Cherokee used the valley where Pigeon Forge is now located as a hunting ground. A Cherokee footpath known as "Indian Gap Trail" crossed the Great Smokies from North Carolina and passed through the Pigeon Forge valley en route to its junction with Great Indian Warpath in modern Sevierville.

The West Fork of the Little Pigeon River flows north from its source high on the slopes of Mount Collins through Sevier County before linking up with the Middle Fork in Sevierville.

Pigeon Forge occupies a narrow valley along this river between Sevierville and Gatlinburg. High ridges surround Pigeon Forge on three sides, with Pine Mountain to the west, Shields Mountain to the east, and Cove Mountain to the south.

A bend in the Little Pigeon provides the city's northern border with Sevierville, and a narrow gorge cut by the river between Cove Mountain and Shields Mountain acts as the city's boundary with Gatlinburg.

HISTORIC SITES

Pigeon Forge Mill: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, this working gristmill – also known as Old Mill – is on the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River (along its east bank), and is accessible via Old Mill Drive (which intersects the Parkway at Light #7). The site includes a millhouse, milldam, and breastshot wheel.

TOURISM

Besides the natural environment of the area, the attractions in Pigeon Forge draw approximately 11 million visitors each year. Attractions include the Dollywood theme park and the Stampede theater, both owned by country music superstar Dolly Parton, whose home town is Sevierville, just a few miles from Pigeon Forge.

Other tourist places:

Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud Show & Adventure Park
Buttonwillow Civil War Theater
TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena
Crave Golf Club
Titanic Museum
Alcatraz East Crime Museum
Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
Country Tonite Theatre
Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud
Comedy Barn Theater
WonderWorks Children's Museum
Smoky Mountain Opry
Elvis & Hollywood Legends Museum
Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Feud
The Tomb Escape Adventure
Biblical Times Dinner Theater
Memories Theatre
Flyaway Indoor Skydiving
NASCAR Speedpark
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride
Hollywood Wax Museum Pigeon Forge
The Island in Pigeon Forge (featuring the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel)
Tribute to Frank Sinatra & The Rat Pack
The Island Show Fountains
American Oldies Theater
Grand Majestic Dinner Theater
Great Smoky Mountain Murder Mystery
Ripken Experience
Seasonal events such as Winterfest

Pigeon Forge has various entertainment opportunities for car and truck enthusiasts. The calendar of car and truck show events varies each year and has included:

Spring Rod Run
Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals
Hooter's GMC/Chevy Truckin' Nationals
Annual Smoky Mountain Classic Chevy Roundup
Great Smoky Mountain Truck Show
Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion
Silver Dollar Open Rod Run
Pontiac Car Club Show
Camaro, Chevelle, Nova Nationals
Cobra Mustang Club
Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup
Fall Rod Run
Smoky Mountain Model-A Car Rally
Annual Pigeon Forge Starion/Conquest Meet
Ford F-100 Super Nationals

PARKS & RECREATION

The Pigeon Forge Parks and Recreation Department manages the Pigeon Forks Community Center along with 134 acres of park land and approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of greenways.

Pigeon Forge City Park has sports fields and courts, walking trails, and large picnic areas.

Patriot Park has 16 acres (65,000 m2) and is the site of various special events, including Independence Day fireworks,

Wear Farm City Park is the main park for Pigeon Forge and has sports fields and courts along with playgrounds, pavilions, and concession stands.

ROADS & HIGHWAYS

U.S. Route 441, known as "The Parkway", runs through the middle of Pigeon Forge en route to Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where it crests at Newfound Gap before descending to Cherokee, North Carolina. The six-lane strip along US-441 contains most of Pigeon Forge's tourist attractions.

U.S. Route 321 (known as Wears Valley Road in Pigeon Forge) connects the town with Wears Valley and Townsend to the west. Teaster Lane runs along the eastern side of the city and serves as a local four-lane road bypassing some of the Parkway and is relatively undeveloped, except a few shopping centers. TN-449 serves as a bypass for both Sevierville and most of Pigeon Forge and directly connects with Dollywood.

BUSES

Pigeon Forge is served by a mass transit system of buses that are referred to as "Fun Time Trolleys" due to their physical resemblance to early 20th-century trolleys. The system operates more than 40 vehicles and has more than 200 stops throughout Pigeon Forge as well as in neighboring Gatlinburg and Sevierville.