More people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than any other park in the United States. The park receives approximately 9 million visitors a year. Established on June 15, 1934, the park consists of over 500,000 acres.
Story by
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
February 11, 2009
On January 22, 2009, two North Carolina men were convicted and sentenced in Federal Court in Bryson City, NC, one for illegally digging American ginseng and both for a failure to obey a lawful order given by a U.S. Park Ranger in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Jeremy Farmer, 24, of Canton, NC and Larry Johnson, 46, of Clyde, NC were both found guilty, fined and sentenced to jail terms.
Each defendant pled not guilty to the poaching and failure to obey lawful order charges. A bench trial was held and Johnson was found guilty of digging ginseng and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $500 for the offense. He was also found guilty of failing to obey a lawful order from a law enforcement officer and sentenced to 15 days in jail and fined $500. Farmer was found not guilty on the ginseng charge but guilty of failure to obey a lawful order and sentenced to 15 days in jail and fined $800.
In July 2008, Johnson and Farmer were detected in the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains... (more...)
Story by
Dollywood
February 10, 2009
Entertainment superstar and East Tennessee native Dolly Parton will serve as the celebrity ambassador for the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in 2009.
“Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep and genuine,” Parton said. “The mountains have inspired so much of my music, and through my songs, I’ve always been sort of an unofficial ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m truly honored to join this yearlong celebration.”
“We are exceedingly pleased by Dolly’s willingness to be an ambassador for the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is obvious she has taken a personal interest in the stewardship of this national park. We are touched by her sincere love for these mountains and desire to embrace our shared responsibility to care for this wonderful place over the next 75 years,” said GSMNP Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.
Parton is one... (more...)
Story by
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce
February 3, 2009
Imagine that you’re rocketing down a 400-foot snow-covered slope, lying flat on your back in a canvas-covered tube. As you knife through the falling snow, the only thing louder than your squeals of delight are the screams of pure joy coming from your kids in the next lane. Or was that shriek from your best friend?
It’s called snow tubing, Smoky Mountains style, and it’s the newest reason to make the trek to Ober Gatlinburg for an unforgettable adventure this winter.
Located atop Mt. Harrison in the Great Smoky Mountains, Ober Gatlinburg has opened its new ten-lane snow tubing park and is drawing crowds of snow tubing enthusiasts.
Even better than you remember when you were a kid and on a much bigger hill with its own Magic Carpet lift back to the top of the hill, this $1.5 million dollar facility is one of the finest in the south, with the capacity to host several hundred visitors... (more...)
Story by
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce
February 3, 2009
The lights are on every evening during the wintertime in Gatlinburg, and now every display is environmentally friendly.
Whatever could Gatlinburg do to improve upon its annual four-month long citywide winter lights promotion, an endeavor which has grown in popularity every year since its inception in 1989? Why, start over, of course, with more than a million dollars worth of imagination and an eye on protecting our environment with the use of LED (light emitting diode) bulbs!
With the 100 percent conversion of Gatlinburg Winter Magic tm from incandescent to LED, the City has launched the milestone transformation to a new era of winter-long visual entertainment in Gatlinburg, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to its must-see collection of bright, colorful lights and favorite... (more...)
