Fall Colors - When will the leaves change in the Smoky Mountain areas?

Hi Everyone,

Fall is one of, if not the best season in the Smoky Mountains!  I know I am not alone in thinking so, because it is full of visitors wishing to take in the majestic color transformations of the leaves,  and the weather is so nice and crisp. It is such a pleasant break from the heat of summer.

Naturally, everyone wants to time their Smoky Mountain vacation with peak leaf changes.  Obviously, that is no easy task to accomplish.  With that said, there are some experts in Environmental Science out there that study this very subject and they've got thoughts about when the peak time is.

This interactive map with the slider below it can help you decide about the timing of your trip.

Check out the interactive map here --> Smoky Mountain Foliage Map

Above is an image of what the map suggests will happen on September 26th.  Click the map at the link to move the slider left and right to see the timing for different dates.  Around September 26th you'll see some minor changes in the colors of the leaves making their way through this area.

Let's jump ahead by a month and see the changes, below.

Clearly, a big difference in one month's timeframe.  You will definitely be seeing the colors during this time - if the timing plays out as suggested by this map, but I can attest from living here long enough to know mid-to-late October is a great time to see color in the Smokies.

If you want to watch a video I produced in the Fall of 2021 of the Foothills Parkway, you can do that here.  Notice that the early parts of the video are at the lowest altitude of the trip, and around the Look Rock observation area-part of the video, you'll see the leaves are different than at the beginning.  From Look Rock, the elevation continues to climb and with that, you'll see more noticeable changes.  So, you may want to add a trip down the Foothills Parkway to your agenda.  I would describe the Foothills parkway as a road that runs on the adjacent ridgetop to the Smokies, so you are looking at the Smokies from the outside of the park.  Read my more comprehensive description on the YouTube page for probably too much info, lol.

You can watch that here, if you like:

Of course, Dollywood looks great in Fall Colors too.  And that is not limited to the timeframe of their Fall Festival.  I noticed in the video I produced of the Smoky Mountain Christmas that the leaves were still putting on a show well into November.  So, keep that in mind if your preferred dates don't work out for your trip.  

As I mentioned, November's foliage can still be impressive.  Check out the trees from the tram ride going into the park and even around the park further in the video.  Still pretty.

If you would like more information about this, then check this info out.  

• https://fox59.com/news/national-world/2022-leaf-peeping-guide-when-is-peak-fall-foliage/
  
• https://www.wate.com/news/smoky-mountains/fall-colors-forecast-smoky-mountains/
  
• Interactive Map Link - 2022 Fall Foliage Map & Nationwide Peak Leaf Forecast (smokymountains.com)
• Excellent Live View Webcam from the Chair Lift in Gatlinburg.  This is one of my favorite webcams from the Gatlinburg area.  Gatlinburg Skylift Webcam
• I have a blog post about Hotels in the Pigeon Forge area, all close to Dollywood.  Check that out here --> https://whatsupatdollywood.blogspot.com/2022/08/hotels-with-high-ratings-in-pigeon-forge.html
• Are you flying into the area to go to Dollywood?  Check out my blog post here about alternate airports to Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport.  Check that out here -->> https://whatsupatdollywood.blogspot.com/2022/07/getting-to-dollywood-by-plane.html
• Check out my YouTube channel for my show "What's Up At Dollywood".  I have tons of videos giving you a look at what you can experience at Dollywood all year long.   Check that playlist out here --> https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLumR0CRQrqoD20oYntBUmvHXy7MkvNcwM

I hope that helps you plan your Fall trip to the Smokies and Dollywood!  What is your favorite thing about Fall in the Smokies?  Please let me know in the comments below.

Until next time!

Hotels with High Ratings in Pigeon Forge

Update August 11, 2023, for the 2023-2024 planning period.

Hi Everyone!

I have updated the spreadsheet for the next year.   I have double checked all of the ratings from Google and Trip Advisor and updated that information.  There were more movers on the list than I had anticipated, so I made another column to the right of my Average Column to indicate whether the property moved up or down the list.  The biggest mover was Camp Margaritaville Resort, which fell to Row 19 from Row 4.  What may have happened was this property was brand new a year ago and its possible that fewer reviews were in at that time, and now that has changed a year later.

Two New Hotel Things to Note...

1) A brand new Adult (Marriott) Hotel is scheduled to open in September 2023, and that may be of interest to some of you.  Read an article about it here:  https://tinyurl.com/4dhh7vaj

From the article: 

Get ready to go back in time for your vacation. Way back in time.

The Wayback is a groovy, retro-themed hotel mostly for adults opening in Pigeon Forge between Flapjack's Pancake Cabin and the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride.

Inspired by old roadside motels in Palm Springs, the hotel is hoping to provide a "vibrant escape amidst the high energy of downtown Pigeon Forge."

The 134-room hotel is expected to open in early September, according to general manager Marty Rothchild, and is developed by Sevierville-based company Aatmos. It's a Tribute portfolio hotel, part of the Marriott family.

2) Country Cascades - Row 25 on Spreadsheet - Recently announced a new $14 million dollar expansion to its indoor water park offerings.  It's scheduled to open in 2025.  You can read more and see renderings here:  WATE TV news

🟠 🟠 🟠 🟠 🟠

Original Post is Below 

Hi Everyone,

I see many requests for hotel suggestions on social media, so I thought I would do some research and create a post that can serve as a good starting point for anyone looking for a hotel near Dollywood.

I began by narrowing the choices to Pigeon Forge to make the list more manageable. I excluded Gatlinburg and included only one hotel option in Sevierville, which is very close to Dollywood.  Not every single hotel in Pigeon Forge is listed.

I created a column that averages the Google Rating and the Trip Advisor Rating.  This column is sorted by the average rating, so you can easily find the best-rated hotels.  I also created columns for the most requested features, such as a lazy river, indoor pool, hot tubs, balcony, fireplace, Trolley Stop, pet friendly, etc.  There are also four columns of notes where I have added some info that you might find helpful, and in some cases firsthand reviews that I have seen on social media.  There is a column that indicates the distance of each property from Dollywood, if that's important to you.   Please though, if your child or child-at-heart are dead set on having a lazy river, as one example, please make sure to follow up with the property to make sure that the lazy river is operational and will be operational during your stay.   

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Google Blogger with creating tables and spreadsheets, it is not feasible to upload the table to this blog post and call it day.  Instead, I've created a view-only link to my google spreadsheet.  From there, you can sort or filter the columns and results any way you like.  Want the places with indoor pools?  Sort it that way.  Closest to Dollywood?  Sort it that way too.  Pet Friendly - same idea.  You can even download my spreadsheet and make it your own!

I did not include pricing information due to fluctuations with the seasons and even during the season the prices can vary, so that will be one additional step for you in your research.

If you're undecided on a timeframe to visit Pigeon Forge, this article from US News offers a lot of considerations you may want think about - read that here..

Before researching for this post, I had not given much thought to the difference between what a Whirlpool and a Jacuzzi is, but there is a difference.  It seems that Whirlpools are not as common as Jacuzzi's are in this area, but people use both words to describe them...and sometimes they say hot tub too, to make it more confusing.  I've done my best to differentiate all three in my spreadsheet.

If you would like me to add your firsthand experience about a property, I would be glad to do so.  Just email me at whatsupatdollywood@gmail.com.  Likewise, if you see any information that is incorrect, email me that too.  

Click Here -->LINK TO GOOGLE SPREADSHEET

Again, please double check to make sure that the pools, jacuzzies, hot tubs ETC are all operational before you book so you'll know - especially if that is super important to someone in your group.  

Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with any hotel, inn, motel, lodge, campground, cabin, or Dollywood.  I'm a vlogger/blogger who is interested in helping you save time and money on your trip to our area, and hopefully helping you create a great experience that you'll want to come back and have again and again....and growing my YouTube channel and this blog 😁😁😁

Check out my blog for other helpful resources for your Dollywood trip...

• Best Breakfast Locations in Pigeon Forge
• Dollywood First Time Visitor Tips
• Getting to Dollywood by Plane
• Pigeon Forge Trolley to Dollywood
• Dollywood's Menus 2023
• Proposing At Dollywood?
• Big Bear Mountain - A new roller coaster for 2023 in Wildwood Grove

Check out my YouTube Page and Dollywood playlist for lots of different Dollywood videos, different festivals, walking tours, etc etc.  Find us on Facebook too!

• https://www.youtube.com/c/JeffBurkhardt
• YT Dollywood Playlist
• Facebook Page - What's Up At Dollywood.  

Please Like my Videos and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, follow my blog and Follow me on Facebook!  You can copy my RSS Feed into your favorite feeder (mine are Feedly & The Old Reader) - paste this link https://whatsupatdollywood.blogspot.com/=RSS

Until next time!

Getting to Dollywood by Plane

Hi everyone,

I've noticed that many people are asking about flying to Dollywood. I thought I would write an article that would be helpful.

As a Knoxville resident for 30+ years, I know that McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) can be expensive to fly in and out of. However, it is a great airport to fly in and out of, as it is compact and easy to navigate. If you are willing to add a road trip to your journey, there are some other airports that may be more budget friendly.

✈️The closest commercial airports to Dollywood:

👉Knoxville, Tennessee - McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) - Link Here.

TYS is the closest airport and is about 1 hour drive to Dollywood.

👉Chattanooga, Tennessee - Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) - Link Here

CHA is about 2 to 2.5 hours' drive to Dollywood.

👉Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Tennessee - Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) - Link Here

TRI is about 1.5 to 2 hours' drive to Dollywood. 

✈️Further Away, you have these options:

👉Asheville, North Carolina - (AVL) - Asheville Regional Airport - Link Here.

Google maps says this is about 2 to 2.5 hours away from Dollywood.  You'll be driving through the Smoky Mountains where nighttime driving is dark, and the roads are curvy.

👉Charlotte, North Carolina - (CLT) - Charlotte-Douglas International Airport - Link Here.   

This is about 3 to 4 hours' drive to Dollywood, including going through the Smoky Mountains. 

👉Nashville, Tennessee - (BNA) - Nashville International Airport - Link Here. 

This is about 4.5 to 5 Hours to Dollywood, and about 2.5 to 3 Hours on the return trip.

Note that this airport is in Central Time and one hour behind Dollywood, which is in Eastern Time.  You'll add the extra hour going from Nashville to Dollywood and gain the hour on the return trip.  This road trip will take you over the Cumberland Plateau in East Tennessee.

👉Atlanta, Georgia - (ATL) - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - Link Here. At least 4 Hours away.

Some important notes about Atlanta Airport - It's in the Eastern time zone, as is Dollywood.  It's the world's busiest airport by passenger count and in 2023 it had 104.7 million, and in 2022 it had nearly 94 million passengers pass through it....so, yeah.  It's a very large airport and it seems like my connecting flights are always on opposite ends of the airport, making connections challenging.  It's located south of Atlanta, so your road trip North to Dollywood will likely include passing through downtown Atlanta and its notorious traffic.  Atlanta Airport is next to I-285, which is the perimeter highway circling Atlanta and that may be an option to avoid passing through downtown Atlanta.  Google maps says it is a 4 hour drive IN NO TRAFFIC, so add a bit more time for rush hours.  Atlanta is Delta's main hub, so you'll easily find Delta flights, but almost every airline flies in to ATL.  Atlanta airport is connected to Atlanta's 'subway' system, MARTA, which adds lots of options if you want to spend time in Atlanta first or on the return end of your trip, great for those budget conscious travelers.  Some of the Marta stations have car rentals at or near the stations.  This road trip does not include driving through any mountains.  Traffic aside, it's a fairly easy drive.

👉Lexington, Kentucky - (LEX) - Bluegrass Airport  -  Link Here.

This is a 3.5-to-4.5-hour drive to Dollywood.  This is in the Eastern time zone, so no time change.  You do have to drive through the Cumberland Mountains North of Knoxville on I-75 to get to Dollywood.

👉Cincinnati Airport - (CVG) - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport - Link Here.

This is a 4.5-to-5-hour drive to Dollywood.  This is in the Eastern time zone, so no time change.   The airport is in Northern Kentucky - south of Cincinnati so you will avoid driving through Cincy. You do have to drive through the Cumberland Mountains North of Knoxville on I-75 to get to Dollywood.

KEY: Star=Dollywood, Circles=Featured Airports, Blue Line=Central/Eastern Time Zone

 

✈️Flying your own plane?

👉Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport - (IATA: GKT, ICAO: KGKT, FAA LID: GKT) is a county-owned public-use municipal airport in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The airport is well north of the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, but only two nautical miles (3.7 km) southeast of the central business district of Sevierville, and within its city limits.

This airport is 6 miles to Dollywood.

Wiki - Gatlinburg-PF Arpt

LINK HERE: https://www.gktairport.com/

👉Knoxville Downtown Island Airport or Knoxville Downtown Island Home Airport - (ICAO: KDKX, FAA LID: DKX), often referred to as Island Home Airport, is a general aviation airport located approximately one-half mile east of downtown Knoxville, in Knox County, Tennessee, United States.

This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a reliever airport.^[3] Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned DKX by the FAA,^[1] but has no designation from the IATA.^[4]

Wiki - Downtown Knox Arpt

Runway Lighting was recently installed at Island Home Airport

LINK HERE: https://www.dkxairport.com/

Recent (October 2023) Article about the Island Home Airport ...read that HERE.