Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is tucked away at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the United States, and is a great place for a family getaway with tons of activities for all ages. We were in town to check out Wilderness Wildlife Week, an annual event which brings together fans of nature with an astonishing variety of presenters, hikes, and bus tours of the area.
We really enjoyed our visit but what amazed us about this event is that every single activity from entrance to the displays in the beautiful LeConte Center to all the presentations, hikes, and tours are totally free to anyone who would like to attend. Professional writers, park rangers, musicians and storytellers, wildlife experts, and others all provide their expertise for free to rooms full of fascinated spectators. The LeConte Center is truly one of nicest venues for an event we have ever experienced – they even have roaring fireplaces and comfortable furniture in which to relax! There were lots of families there and they offer plenty of great activities for kids.
But before we headed to the LeConte Center to experience all the offerings, we checked into our amazing accommodations. I wrote all about our fabulous cabin with Eagles Ridge Resort HERE and can’t say enough about how it was the perfect place to stay during our visit. There is nothing like a full kitchen to save money on eating out and it was so nice to return to our little home away from home every night and enjoy the fireplace in our pajamas!
Our wonderful cabin.
We enjoyed attending a variety of different events and presentations at Wilderness Wildlife Week, but two were especially memorable. The first was a bus tour of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park especially for those interested in photographing the area. Encompassing over 800 square miles, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is huge and filled with incredible scenery and an amazing variety of wildlife. One of the most popular ways to see the park is driving around the scenic byways where you might be lucky enough to see deer grazing or bears gamboling about. Since our drive was during the winter, the large population of black bears in the area was tucked away for their winter naps, but we saw plenty of deer.
Deer grazing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
