Experience the best of Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge lies in a valley at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee, along the Little Pigeon River, just north of Gatlinburg and the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Parkway, its main road, is lined with attractions: dinner shows, mini-golf, go-kart tracks and a half-scale replica of the ship Titanic. Dollywood, the theme park of singer Dolly Parton, who grew up nearby, stands at the edge of town.

The Old Mill, a grist mill by the river dating from 1830, still grinds corn. The national park, the most visited in the United States, has forested ridges, waterfalls and Cades Cove, a valley of historic cabins and churches where deer graze in the meadows and black bears roam. Clingmans Dome, at 2,025 metres, is the park's highest point, and the Newfound Gap road crosses the mountains to North Carolina.

Pancake houses serving biscuits and gravy, country ham, fried chicken and apple fritters are the local tradition. Summer is the busiest season, mid-October brings the brightest foliage on the ridges, and in winter the town is hung with lights.