Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 23
Click the photo or visit BlueRidge
Country.com/Dolly for video.
Dollywood's staff strings millions of lights on trees and
buildings in November, providing a warm glow in the
cold weather of the holiday season.
Christmas in July
The audience Takes sides, being
dawsons or Mcgraws, as guys cuT
up logs and preTTy girls cheer.
bluegrass Musicians perforM.
It was too late to have Christmas in July. But, on a humid
afternoon in August, there sat ol' Saint Nick at Santa's Land
Theme Park & Zoo, a grand getaway for anyone who believes
in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
aboard laugh as a breeze blows and the boat skims
across its own wake on the French Broad River.
CHEROKEE, NORTH CaROlINa
You'll find Santa's Land on the outskirts of Cherokee -
just down the road from Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort.
Even in August, celebrating Christmas is a natural at Santa's
Land, a park catering to the youngest of travelers. You can
meet a baby bear, see a camel, look at ducks and pedal a
boat to observe monkeys on islands at the center of
Whitebeard's Lake.
Little kids - like my elementary school-age son, John -
took turns on the park's tiny train, serving as assistant
engineer for the driver and park manager, Kenneth Howell.
At Santa's Land, the largest of all rides is the Rudicoaster
- a small but thrilling rollercoaster that flies quite like a rednosed reindeer. Other rides include cars and a carousel - all
going round and round. "It's a good safe place for small
children," says Robert Whigham, who helps operate the
theme park. "Santa's Land has been here for almost 50
years." - JT
SEEING THE SMOKIES might mean braving a tornado
simulator in the "upside-down museum" called
WonderWorks, just off the Parkway in Pigeon Forge.
Or it could include taking a ride on the 20-story-tall
Great Smoky Mountain Wheel on The Island.
Newly built, The Island of Pigeon Forge features
restaurants and specialty shops - all in a picturesque
setting, with water fountains and an inviting landscape. For lunch on The Island, I could not get enough
of the bacon-and-tomato-topped sandwiches at the
Timberwood Grill. This stylish restaurant sits just
below the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel - an airconditioned Ferris wheel that provides a royal view of
the resort city and the surrounding Smoky Mountains.
That wheel is big. OK, it's really big - just like the
portions served at Tony Gore's Smoky Mountain BBQ
& Grill, just down the road in Sevierville. At Tony
Gore's, the motto says, "Never Trust a Skinny Cook."
MORE SMOKIES!
For more info and Joe Tennis'
videos on the Smokies:
BlueRidgeCountry.com/
GreatSmokies
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 | 23
http://blueridgecountry.com/Dolly
http://BlueRidgeCountry.com/GreatSmokies
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014
Digital Help Guide
From the Farm
From the Editor
The Hike
Festivals & Events
Mountain Report
Creature Feature
The Smokies for All Seasons
Late-Fall Glories: The Photo Essay
Fine Dining in the Mountains
Winter Getaways for Snow Lovers and for Snow Not-Lovers
Vote for the Best of the Mountains: Scenic Drives!
Cabin in the Woods: The Red Horse Inn
Mountain Garden
Guest Column: Beth Macy & Tom Landon
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Digital Help Guide
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - From the Farm
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - From the Editor
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - The Hike
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - The Smokies for All Seasons
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Late-Fall Glories: The Photo Essay
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Fine Dining in the Mountains
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Winter Getaways for Snow Lovers and for Snow Not-Lovers
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Vote for the Best of the Mountains: Scenic Drives!
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Cabin in the Woods: The Red Horse Inn
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Mountain Garden
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Guest Column: Beth Macy & Tom Landon
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - Cover4
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