Southern Belle Riverboat Dinner Cruise and Fall Leaf Cruise!

Join them for a cruise down the scenic Tennessee River as you dine on their slow cooked Prime Rib & Chicken Wisconsin Dinner Buffet! Live entertainment for a toe tappin good time!  They have a fully equipped cash bar to wet your whistle! Sweet Tea, Coffee and Water are table service, along with a tempting dessert. Seating is based when reservations are made!  

 

 

Cruise the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee River and see one of nature's most magnificent wonders dressed in all of its fall splendor. The Southern Belle Riverboat will take you on a cruise of the famous Tennessee River Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of the South, to see nature's brilliant canvas of vivid fall colors. They'll have live entertainment for a foot stompin' good time, free bingo with gift shop prizes and a delicious Buffet for lunch!

 

 

 

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Posted in: Cruises,Mountains,Riverboats,Tennessee,Tennessee River,Tennessee River Gorge,Vacations

Incline Railway!

Explore Lookout Mountain & St. Elmo

Follow the signs to the Rock City side of Lookout Mountain and locate and park in the Incline lower station in historic St. Elmo. Ask our friendly staff about saving money with a combo ticket to several of the Lookout Mountain Attractions. Browse through the unique gift shops at the Incline lower station and enjoy seasonal music before you board on your journey up the world’s steepest Incline Railway.

At the top station on Lookout Mountain, enjoy the gorgeous vista views of the Chattanooga Valley. After you have taken you share of memory making photos, take the short walk into history just a few blocks away as you explore with your family the famed “Battle Above The Clouds”, fought in Chattanooga during the Civil War. Don’t miss the Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map & Museum and the National Park’s Visitor Center. While in the National Park’s Visitor Center make sure to get a map of Point Park and its trail system to enjoy the full experience of this part of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park.

On your way back down Lookout Mountain make sure to look through the panorama windows on the Incline as you descend into beautiful St. Elmo. As you disembark the cars don’t miss the unique St. Elmo shops & galleries featuring local artisans, great local Mexican cuisine and other outdoor dining options. You can even take home a home made candle to enjoy! There are always many events going on at Lookout Mountain during the entire year, as well as in Chattanooga that will make your vacation even more memorable.

History of The Incline Railway

The Incline’s home, Lookout Mountain, played a pivotal role in the American Civil War. Union forces under the command of William Rosecrans suffered one of their greatest defeats by Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s men in the shadow of Lookout Mountain, at Chickamauga. The loss was so great in fact that then Major General Ulysses S. Grant was called in to take over the Union troops while Bragg’s Confederate army kept an eye on their besieged opponents hiding out in Chattanooga from the top of Lookout Mountain.

Grant tapped Union Generals William Sherman and Joseph Hooker to break up the Rebel siege of Chattanooga. The resulting three-day conflict that took place on the face of Lookout from the foothills to just below the top of the mountain would later be known as the "Battle Above the Clouds."

Following the Civil War, more and more tourists flocked to the sites of these famous battles. However, the two-dollar, four-hour buggy ride up Lookout Mountain to attractions such as Whiteside Park, the Natural Bridge and Lula Lake prevented many from enjoying the mountain’s natural beauty and rich history.

During the railroad boom of the 1880's, a luxury hotel resort was developed on the mountaintop that was serviced by a simple narrow gauge railway. However, in November of 1895, a new, broader gauge passenger railway simply known as "The Incline" opened to easily whisk residents and visitors up and down the steepest part of Lookout Mountain.

Built by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, The Incline is a technical marvel that at its extreme reaches an incline of 72.7%, making it one of the steepest passenger railways in the world. The original coal-burning steam engines were replaced by two 100-horsepower motors in 1911, but other than that the railway hasn’t changed very much in its more than 100 years of operation.

Today, The Incline still attracts people from around the world and has carried literally millions of residents and tourists up and down historic Lookout Mountain. Hop aboard and enjoy a ride on “America’s Most Amazing Mile” today!

All information courtesy of RideTheIncline.com

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Posted in: Mountains,Tennessee,Train Carts,Vacations

Rock City!

About Rock City Gardens

Located atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia just six miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, Rock City Gardens is an enchanted, 4,100-foot walking trail showcasing soaring rock formations, caves and lush gardens. Nearly a half million people from all over the world visit this natural attraction each year.

Special Features:

• 60 to 90-minute, self-guided walking tour along The Enchanted Trail that gently meanders through the 14-acre property.
• Massive rock formations estimated to be 200 million years old
• Gardens featuring more than 400 different species of native wildflowers, plants, shrubs and trees.
• Panoramic views of seven states from 1,700 feet above sea level
• View of the Chattanooga Valley and Missionary Ridge-Civil War battlefields
• Some points of interest along The Enchanted Trail include: 
  
  • 100-foot waterfall
  • 1,000-ton balanced rock
  • Swing-A-Long Bridge (ideal for pictures)
  • Legendary view of seven states from Lover's Leap
  • Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village
  
  
  
  

  Mission Statement

  "Create memories worth repeating for our guests and partners"
  
  

  Vision Statement

  
  Created by God and enhanced by man, Rock City is a unique geological and botanical wonder. Located on the precipices of Lookout Mountain, this scenic, natural attraction offers people of all ages an opportunity to experience enchanting beauty as they adventure along a nature trail.
  
  
  This mountain top experience is developed sensitively with care to preserve natural wonders, to provide access into a strange and unusual environment, and to furnish top-notch services to the visiting public. Designed by the daughter of German immigrants and promoted by an ingenious entrepreneur, Rock City remains a national treasure of botanical, geological, and entrepreneurial significance.
  
  This fantastic place provides a fanciful experience that lightens the heart, soothes the soul, exhilarates the mind, and invigorates the senses.
  
  

  Green Way Forward

  Rock City Gardens: Doing our part to find our world's Green Way Forward. With a multi-faceted focus, Rock City Gardens commits to the pursuit of a holistic approach to sustainability. Our Green Way Forward orients our company toward four ongoing objectives: The Fundamentals, Cultivation of our Local Place, Education, and Best Practices. Read more about their Green Way Forward.
  
  
  All information courtesy of SeeRockCity.com

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Posted in: Mountains,Rock City,Tennessee,Vacations

Ruby Falls!

This is one of many destinations we have planned for our vacation in Tennessee. Ruby Falls offers a spectacular experience that anyone is sure to remember.

Located over 1120 feet beneath the surface, Ruby Falls is the nation’s largest and deepest waterfall open to the public. Hundreds of gallons of water rush over by the minute and amaze visitors.

Learn about Ruby Falls’ commitment to Environmental Sustainability including the installation of LED lighting and solar panels, recycling programs, and becoming the first U.S. attraction to receive the Green Globe certification.

Ruby Falls Environmental Sustainability 

Ruby Falls holds the distinction of being America's deepest commercial cave and most-visited underground waterfall. Annual visitation exceeds 400,000. Transformation of our 80-year-old natural attraction, listed in the National Register for Historic Places, into a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business operation was a challenge we knew we needed to undertake. 

Ruby Falls is committed to the reduction of our environmental footprint while providing a better experience for our visitors. The process included hiring an outside environmental consultant - Dobbin Callahan of Skye Con Consulting, the formation of internal environmental management teams, and 3rd party audits. We have four main environmental initiatives: the production of renewable energy, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, recycling and waste reduction, and land use planning. While our environmental journey will never be complete, we have made enough progress in these four areas to be the first U.S. attraction to successfully complete the Green Globe International environmental certification process. 

 "Third party certification is crucial to holding us to a higher standard and keeping us focused on more environmentally sensitive business practices," stated Hugh Morrow, President of Ruby Falls, LLC. "Since 1928, when Ruby Falls reused the limestone excavated from the cave to build the Ruby Falls building, until today, Ruby Falls is committed to another 80 years of offering one of the most unique natural attractions in the world." 

Renewable Energy

Ruby Falls' array of solar panels, installed by Big Frog Mountain, is capable of producing 16,000 watts of renewable energy, enough electricity to light over two hundred and fifty 60-watt light bulbs or to operate 16 microwave ovens at full power! This combined with the use of computer-controlled high efficiency lighting in both LED and compact fluorescents has reduced our power consumption by over 24%. This is just one way Ruby Falls is demonstrating our commitment to the reduction of our environmental footprint, while providing a better experience for our visitors.

 

1. This system will produce between 16,000 and 20,000 KWH of electricity annually.

2. Between our energy efficient lighting and solar offsets we will operate the cave on approx 8 to 9 months of electricity vs. 2007.

3. Electricity will be sold back to the Electric Power Board for their Green Energy Program.

Ruby Falls would like to thank the State of Tennessee Economic and Community Development Energy Division's Tennessee Clean Energy Technology Grant Program for assisting with the purchase of this state-of-the-art solar energy production equipment.

Reduction In Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Whenever we save energy - or use it more efficiently - we reduce the demand for gasoline, oil, coal, and natural gas. Less burning of these fossil fuels means lower emissions of carbon dioxide, suggested as the major contributor to global warming. The United States releases about 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year. If we can reduce energy use enough to lower greenhouse gas emissions by about 2 percent per year, in 10 years we will "lose" about 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per person.

In addition to installing the solar panels, we evaluated our indoor and outdoor lighting and have seen energy savings by:

     1. Replacing incandescents with both LED and compact fluorescent lamps
     2. Changing the timing and duration of lighting
     3. Adding lighting and equipment controls

We also traded our older van used for brochure distribution for a 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market.

Waste Reduction And Recycling

Our efforts in waste reduction and recycling address three needs:

1. Source reduction - to use less material overall by altering the design, manufacture, or use of products and materials to reduce the amount of toxicity of what gets thrown away.
2. Recycling - sorting, collecting, and processing materials allowing others to manufacture and sell them as new products.
3. Environmentally friendly products - the remaining materials used should have a lower environmental impact

Sustainable Land Use Planning

Ruby Falls is a natural attraction. It's our responsibility to protect and preserve the natural beauty of the natural environments inside and outside the cave.  Our initiatives for land use planning deal with development, environmental characteristics, and site level design.

1. Invest in drought resistant shrubs requiring less water
2. Evaluate capture of rain water on parking areas and basement
3. Guild Trail Development
4. Land Conservation
5. Land Trust donation

All information courtesy of RubyFalls.com

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Posted in: Caves,Mountains,Ruby Falls,Tennessee,Vacations,Waterfalls

Dollywood!

I figured I would get this blog going by adding some information about Dollywood and the other places and attractions we will be visiting on our vacation. Now, if you read the first post, our vacation won't be until October of 2014. So it is a while away, but worth the wait and savings. 

Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community.

In addition to standard amusement park thrill rides, Dollywood features traditional crafts and music of the Smoky Mountains area. Dollywood also owns the adjacent Dollywood's Splash Country, and the chain of Dixie Stampede dinner theaters. The park hosts a number of concerts and musical events each year, including appearances by Parton and her family, as well as other national and local musical acts.

Dollywood hosts 2.5 million guests in a typical season, as of 2009, up from 1.3 million visitors in 1986, when the park opened on the site of Silver Dollar City theme park. As of 2010, the park was the biggest "ticketed" tourist attraction in Tennessee each year for more than a decade. Parton attributes much of the success of the park to its location close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Since (as of 2010) 88 percent of tourists in Tennessee drive rather than fly, the economic impact of a large tourist attraction like Dollywood helps the economy in that region of the state, according to Susan Whitaker, the state tourism development commissioner. The theme park's operating season runs from early spring until around Christmas.

Dollywood is also the site of the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Southern Gospel Music Association, an independent non-profit corporation.

Parton said in 2010 that she would like to open more Dollywood parks in the future. "We definitely want to expand with new things every year, eventually with a resort," she said. "We may eventually have Dollywoods in other parts of the country, where we can kind of be true to whatever's going on in that part of the world."

The park first opened in 1961 as a small tourist attraction by the Robins Brothers from Blowing Rock, NC, named "Rebel Railroad", featuring a steam train, general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon. The park was modeled after their first successful theme park Tweetsie in Blowing Rock. In 1970, Rebel Railroad was renamed "Goldrush Junction" when it was bought by Art Modell, who also owned the Cleveland Browns football team. In 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend bought Goldrush Junction and renamed it "Goldrush" for the 1976 season. But in 1977, they renamed it "Silver Dollar City Tennessee" as a sister park to their original Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

In 1986, Dolly Parton became a co-owner, and the park was renamed "Dollywood". In 2010, Parton said she became involved with the operation because, "I always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area."


From 1986 to 2010, the park doubled in size to 150 acres (0.61 km²). In 2009, the park had a six percent decline in attendance, which a park spokesman attributed to bad weather, although many other theme parks in the United States suffered attendance drops that year, as often happens to relatively high-priced tourist attractions in recessions. As of 2010, prices for admission to the park were $56 for adults and $45 for children.


On November 16, 2010, Dollywood earned the industry's most prestigious award, the Liseberg Applause Award, which was accepted by Dolly Parton during a ceremony at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2010 in Orlando.

Dollywood is organized into ten themed areas. The Showstreet, Rivertown Junction, Craftsmen's Valley, Village, Country Fair, Timber Canyon, and Jukebox Junction areas reflect the historical eras and culture of east Tennessee, while the Dreamland Forest and Adventures in Imagination areas explore Dolly Parton's life and imagination. Many attractions focus on the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region.

• Showstreet - Attractions include The Showstreet Palace Theatre, Friendship Gardens, The Celebrity Theatre, and The Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame.
• Rivertown Junction - Attractions include The Tennessee Mountain Home, The Back Porch Theatre, and the Smoky Mountain River Rampage whitewater rafting ride.
• Craftsmen's Valley - Attractions include The Dollywood Grist Mill, The Valley Theatre, Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, Wings of America Theatre, Robert F. Thomas Chapel, Calico Falls Schoolhouse, the Tennessee Tornado coaster, Blazing Fury coaster, Daredevil Falls flume ride, and craft exhibits.
• The Village - Attractions include The Dollywood Express steam train, Heartsong, a Carousel, and the Magic Laughmaker.
• The Country Fair - Rides include The Dizzy Disk, the Amazing Flying Elephants, Lemon Twist, Shooting Star, Sky Rider, Veggietales Sideshow Spin Kid's Rollercoaster, Waltzing Swinger, Piggy Parade, Busy Bees, Lucky Ducky, Dolly's Demolition Derby, The Scrambler, and the Wonder Wheel.
• Timber Canyon - Attractions include the Mystery Mine coaster, Timber Tower, the Thunderhead coaster, and Lumberjack Lifts.
• Jukebox Junction - Attractions include the Rockin' Roadway car ride and The Pines Theatre.
• Owen's Farm - Attractions include the Mountain Slidewinder water-toboggan ride, The Barnstormer, a barn and plane styled Giant Swing attraction. It will also include soft pigs, planes and other things for the visitor's enjoyment.
• Adventures in Imagination - Attractions include "White Lightning" simulator ride and the "Chasing Rainbows" Dolly Parton museum.
• Wilderness Pass - Attractions include the River Battle water ride, the SkyZip upcharge attraction, and Adventure Mountain, America's largest rope course, Wild Eagle, America's first winged coaster.

Enjoy five of the south's largest festivals between March and December at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Each festival offers family entertainment and guarantees special events all season long.
Dollywood's Festival of Nations offers five weeks of cultural events by performers from around the world. Join your kids for a fun-filled day at Kidsfest, the South's largest children's festival. Come hungry to the Barbeque & Bluegrass, featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music while you savor the country’s tastiest barbeque. Southern gospel music takes center stage while master craftsmen demonstrate their skills at the National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. Bring the entire family and spend the holidays with us. Moments become memories at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas.

Throughout the operating season Dollywood hosts six different festivals:

• Festival of Nations

March 24 – April 30, 2012: Dollywood's Festival of Nations presents the most captivating entertainment from around the world during this month long celebration of music, dance, food and art.

• Barbeque & Bluegrass

May 26 - June 10, 2012: Come hungry to the Barbeque & Bluegrass, Dollywood’s free concert series featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music while you savor the country’s tastiest barbeque. Together, Barbeque & Bluegrass makes the beginning of summer in the Great Smoky Mountains a finger-lickin’, toe-tappin’ good time!

• Kidsfest

June 22 - July 29, 2012: Join your kids for a fun-filled day at KidsFest, the South's largest children's festival.

• Dollywood Nights

July 30 - August 12, 2012: Two weeks of extended park hours! Bring the whole family and ride into the night. The teens will love riding the coasters in the dark while the kids enjoy Country Fair! The park is open from 10am - 10pm with a special $25 ticket after 5pm.

• National Southern Gospel and Harvest Celebration

October 3 - November 3, 2012: Fall at Dollywood will lift you up with the biggest Southern gospel festival in the Smokies—four weeks featuring FREE concerts! (All concerts included with Dollywood admission.) Watch visiting crafters at work throughout the park as the country’s most talented artisans showcase their artistry with up-close demonstrations. Handmade treasures for the home, unique collectibles and stunning artwork create an impressive craft exhibit you won’t find anywhere else. Special dishes, all prepared with a taste of fall, showcase some of the harvest season’s most celebrated recipes, including a booth devoted to Dollywood’s signature fried green tomatoes.

• Smoky Mountain Christmas

November 10 - December 30, 2012: See the Smokies’ most spectacular light display and a lineup of live Christmas shows that celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, all at Dollywood. 4 million lights drape the park in holiday splendor, casting a warm glow that sets the scene for a winter wonderland like no other. Create a family tradition at Dollywood’s sensational shows, including the triumphant return of perennial favorite Christmas in the Smokies. Let the heartwarming sounds of the season set the stage for a Christmas the entire family will enjoy. Don’t miss Santa’s Workshop, where larger-than-life-sized toys and an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree fill guests of all ages with wide-eyed wonder as they discover a giant wagon, sailboat, dollhouse and more amid the hustle and bustle as Santa and his helpers ready for their big night! Santa’s also the star of the Parade of Lights, along with a cast of brightly lit floats and colorful characters. This festival has been named the world's best Christmas event four times, (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).

Information courtesy of Wikipedia and Dollywood.com.  

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Posted in: Dollywood,Mountains,Pigeon Forge,Tennessee,Vacations