The Smokies at a Glance
Location: Southeast Tennessee
Access: About half of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive of the Smokies. Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport is less than an hour away. The entire area is accessible via U.S. Interstate 40.
Sevierville at a Glance
Accommodations: 4,200 rooms, suites, condos, chalets and cabins
Contact Info:
Visit Sevierville
865-453-6411
visitsevierville.com
Sevierville Convention Center
Built: 2007
Exhibit Space: 108,261 square feet of exhibit space, 20,000-square-foot ballroom
Pigeon Forge at a Glance
Accommodations: 13,500 rooms, suites, condos, chalets and cabins
Contact Info:
Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism
800-251-9100
pigeonforgemeeting.com
LeConte Event Center
Built: 2013
Exhibit Space: 232,000 square feet with seating capacity in excess of 12,000 people
Gatlinburg at a Glance
Accommodations: 16,000+ rooms, suites, condos, chalets and cabins
Contact Info:
Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
865-436-4178
gatlinburg.com
Gatlinburg Convention Center
Built: 1989
Exhibit Space: 160,000+ square feet of flexible meeting space, with 4,000 rooms surrounding the convention center
Destination Highlights
In any season, the Smokies are filled with an array of activities to suit attendees of all ages and inclinations, as well as their families. The nature on display at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is filled with wonders, whether explored by car, bicycling, on horseback or on foot. Wildflowers bloom throughout almost the entire year, and the pristine wilderness is home to black bears, woodchucks, elk, wild turkeys, pileated woodpeckers and colorful Eastern bluebirds. The 5.5-mile Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail loops through old-growth forest and thundering mountain streams. History lovers will find a selection of well-preserved log cabins and grist mills, while hikers won’t want to miss Rainbow and Grotto Falls. Best of all, there’s no admission fee to enjoy all the natural grandeur.
Sevierville is the home of country singer and American treasure Dolly Parton, and fans will want to snap a selfie with the bronze statue of her that graces the Sevier County Courthouse lawn. More than 8,000 caves have been discovered in Tennessee, but many consider the enormous onyx wall at Forbidden Caverns to be the prettiest. The town is also home to the RainForest Adventures Discovery Zoo, where among the 600 creatures, guests can encounter the golden-headed lion tamarin, one of the rarest monkeys on the planet.
Then of course there’s Dollywood itself, in neighboring Pigeon Forge. Stretching over 160 acres, the top-rated amusement park is home to rides, nonstop musical entertainment, a waterpark, a spa, shopping and dining, all infused with Parton’s signature charm. Travelers can cool off (or warm up) at Pigeon Forge Snow, the nation’s first indoor snow park where the temperature is always a pleasant 60 to 70 degrees and snow tubing is always in season. Another popular stop is the Titanic Museum Attraction, a half-sized replica that’s guaranteed not to sink.
There’s real snow on Ober Mountain, and the views during the 2.1-mile ride up the Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway will leave visitors breathless. Visitors can ski and snow tube (in season), but the year-round adventure park also offers an alpine slide, chair swings, an indoor ice rink and a carousel. At the Gatlinburg SkyPark, those who aren’t afraid of heights can cross the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America — with 30 feet of clear glass panels looking down in the middle of the span.
Major Meeting Spaces
If your meeting will have more than 1,500 attendees, the LeConte Event Center in Pigeon Forge can accommodate up to 12,000 people with its 232,000-square-foot exhibit space and 17 separate breakout rooms. The center books only one event at a time, so every meeting there gets personalized attention.
The Gatlinburg Convention Center offers 160,000-plus square feet of flexible meeting space. Its Mills Auditorium provides 8,800 square feet and can accommodate 1,100 people in theater seating and 580 people for banquets. The auditorium comes with a 925-square-foot built-in stage, as well as the Gatlinburg Boardroom and 16 meeting rooms, and is walking distance to all the attractions in the historic downtown. The Tennessee Ballroom offers 17,064 square feet, holding 2,100 people in theater seating and 1,050 people for banquets. It can be divided into four sections for smaller events.
The Sevierville Convention Center has two exhibit halls, with 108,261 total square feet of function space, and the ballroom can accommodate up to 1,100 guests. The auditorium at the Ridge Outdoor Resort events center comfortably holds 500 people.
At Dollywood, the DreamMore Resort and Spa welcomes groups with 6,000 square feet of meeting space, as well spacious porches and verandas opening onto outdoor areas. The 26,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor space at the HeartSong Lodge and Resort are perfect for several hundred guests. Riverstone Resort and Spa has four meeting rooms, with 3,600 square feet of exhibit space, with a capacity of 350 people for theater seating and 250 for seated banquets.
Distinctive Venues
At Anakeesta Adventure Park’s Cliff Top, where the indoor dining area and deck can accommodate up to 195 guests, attendees get an elevated dining experience with stunning mountain views. Anakeesta’s Vista Plaza has open-air dining for 200, and the Smokehouse can accommodate up to 240 indoors and out. The 35,000-square-foot hangar at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation offers the opportunity to socialize among vintage aircraft after touring the museum’s unique artifacts. Up to 100 guests can enjoy rustic elegance at The River Place, located on 56 acres of river with mountain views. The full-service Barn Event Center offers unique Appalachian architecture in a peaceful and comfortable setting.
Groups of up to 1,000 can enjoy an evening of horse-riding stunts, special effects, aerial performances and a four-course feast at Dolly Parton’s Stampede. At the Compass Rose Room at The Island in Pigeon Forge, event planners can hold receptions for up to 250 and banquets for 200. Attendees also enjoy free time to explore all of the exciting attractions at The Island in Pigeon Forge, including rides, an arcade, a 200-foot-high observation wheel, a multi-million-dollar show fountain and the Alcatraz East Crime Museum.
The Grand Majestic Theater features a number of live music shows, including an Elvis tribute, the “Soul of Motown Revue” and “Hit Parade Time Warp Jukebox.” And the Titanic Museum Attraction can provide an unforgettable private event for up to 350 guests. Visitors enjoy climbing the Grand Staircase, touching an iceberg and admiring more than 400 artifacts from the magnificent ship
Opportunities for team-building activities abound. Riders of all skill levels can try downhill mountain biking at Ober Mountain or get interactive with a hands-on cooking class at the Smoky Mountain School of Cooking, where attendees can prepare and eat mouth-watering mountain fair like hot honey chicken, black-eyed pea bruschetta and apple dumplings. And Gatlin’s Fun Center has a wide array of entertainment options, including an escape room and the Rugged Ropes Adventure Course, where they can face 38 challenges, such as rickety bridges, suspended ropes and other obstacles — all while suspending three stories above the ground.
After the Meeting
Open all year and proclaimed by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the most picturesque courses in America, Gatlinburg Golf Course is available for post-event golf outings.
There’s also plenty of arts and crafts. The largest grouping of independent artisans in North America call this area home, and the eight-mile loop of the Great Smoky Mountains Arts and Crafts Community has more than 100 shops with art such as straw brooms, pottery, dulcimers, jewelry, watercolors and photography. Visitors can buy a souvenir or get hands-on and take a class to create their own one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Baseball lovers will want to catch the Tennessee Smokies, a Minor League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Another popular stop is the Bush’s Visitor Center. Housed in the 1897 A.J. Bush and Company general store, the visitor’s center has a giant replica can of Bush’s Baked Beans, a museum, a theater, a gift shop, and a café that serves Southern delicacies and Pinto Bean Pie.
Auto enthusiasts will want to get behind the wheel at NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains, with 22 race-themed attractions including eight go-kart tracks, or tour some of television’s and movies’ most famous vehicles at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum, where they can get up close and personal with James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, Mike Tyson’s Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster and many more.
And to relax after a few full days of meetings, visitors can listen to bluegrass music and sample the spirits at Ole Smoky Moonshine or have a handcrafted beer at the Yee-Haw Brewing Company.
