February 2010 - Issue #008
February 01, 2010
Smoky
Mountains RV Campgrounds
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February
Newsletter
There where
a couple of new additions to the Campground Directory late in the
season. Cove Mountain out in Wears Valley area and Up the Creek at the
far west side of Pigeon Forge. Both are very nice and are worth
checking out. For all you
travelers this season, please note the I40 going east towards
Asheville, NC is still closed due to rock slides and no real date given
yet when the pass will be open. We are
making some changes and additions to the website so keep checking back
!!!
Here’s
what’s happening in the Smokies area ….. Stimulus funds helping park fix long-awaited paving
projects NATIONAL PARK — Thanks to federal highway and stimulus
dollars, riding on some of the most-traveled roads in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park will soon be a much smoother proposition. There a
number of projects being completed on both sides of the park with money
from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including $1.3
million for cemetery and trail work, and a $4 million investment in
restroom rehabilitation and improvements. Still, the work that will be
appreciated by the most folks will come in the form of new asphalt on a
list of streets and parking areas. The work will encompass several
thoroughfares that are popular among local visitors, including the
Clingmans Dome Road, Gatlinburg Bypass, Cades Cove Loop Road and
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail/Cherokee Orchard Road. At current, most
of those roads are in an embarrassing state of disrepair, a patchwork
of stop-gap repaving efforts over the years and pockmarked by countless
potholes.
Bacon, NOC give boost to Gatlinburg A young
man with the unlikely name of Sutton Bacon will have a major impact on
Gatlinburg this year. He’s president of what may be the country’s
biggest outdoor recreation business, one with an economic impact in
western Carolina of close to $50 million.Bacon is
good friends with Heath Shuler, the former Tennessee and professional
quarterback from Bryson City, N.C., who was elected to the U.S. House
in 2008. Bacon, who contributed to Shuler’s campaign, likes the
congressman’s positions on environmental issues. Bacon is building the
Gatlinburg store with energy-efficient heating and cooling systems,
recycled materials on walls and displays, cisterns to conserve
rainwater and control runoff into area streams, and with dedicated
parking for hybrid vehicles and carpools. This store is a major coup
for Gatlinburg. Inside the store, to be known as the Great Outpost, you
can book trips and guided tours, buy apparel and outdoor gear, play on
a climbing wall — inside of which will be the elevator — and marvel at
attractions that will make this place a draw in and of itself.
Turley courts 407 merchants; group embraces a 408
interchange during meeting SEVIERVILLE
— The Sevierville 407 Merchants Group supports a 408 interchange and
the infrastructure to run to it. Dozens of local businesspeople
attended a lunch meeting at the Islamaroda Restaurant to hear developer
John Turley and others speak about the issues surrounding the 407
interstate interchange — for which the merchants group is named — and
the infrastructure Turley is asking local government leaders to build
in the same area for his Dumplin Creek project. Turley is making the
case to local businesspeople in the hopes of having them on his side as
he tries to convince local government officials to spend $8.5 million
to build a road from Highway 66 to Bryan Road. The road would serve the
Dumplin Creek project, and Turley said it would also serve as a
connector for a new interstate interchange one mile east of the
existing one. · Basically—they
are looking to build another exit, Exit 408 for the tourist season
because Exit 407 gets so crowded and backed up—it gets dangerous at
times.
(Adventure) Mountain of Fun: New attraction will be jewel
for Dollywood’s 25th PIGEON
FORGE — Dollywood is moving a mountain this year to ensure its visitors
have what park officials call “an experience you can only get at
Dollywood.”After being put off for a year thanks to the sagging economy
and rising steel prices, work on the new Adventure Mountain attraction
is progressing quickly. Media representatives were given a sneak peek
at the construction effort, which is set to be completed in time for
the area to be open when the park opens for its 25th season on March
27, on Wednesday. Park spokesman Pete Owens and Attractions Manager
Jeff Manning led the tour of what will be the largest challenge course
in America, with 46 different elements, four separate courses, a
children’s area, and more than two miles of ropes and cables. The
highly themed attraction is being constructed in the style of the
buildings government workers built in the national park seven decades
ago. Rock facades will cover much of the steel skeleton, while support
structures will resemble something akin to an old fire tower. “It’s
going to be themed after Civilian Conservation Corps-era architecture
in the park,” Owens explained. “Each of the elements will also have its
own unique features, so the Geyser Gulch area will have several water
features and other areas will have rock ledges our guests will actually
climb on.”
Most
campgrounds are taking reservations for the upcoming season—book early
to make sure you get the best spot for your vacation. TBS
Adventures is keeping there prices on RV Rentals the same this year !!! Feb 5 - 8 Starring Riders in the Sky along with Tennessee Shindig entertainers
For more information, call 1-88-908-3327 or visit tennesseeshindig.com 1-800-792-4308 or visit www.countrytonitepf.com March 11-June 7 Festival of Nations –
Dollywood; for more information call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit
www.dollywood.com (Closed Tuesdays and Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010)
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