Tag: Great Smoky mountains National Park

Beat the summer heat in one of Southern Living’s Best Pools of the South

Posted by Shane Rhyne – June 1, 2011

Sevierville, Tenn. – As summer temperatures begin to climb, families and travelers will soon be looking for Southern Living June 2011 coverentertaining ways to beat the heat. With that in mind, the editors of Southern Living began a search for best destination pools for dipping your toes and cooling off. Wilderness at the Smokies, the Southeast’s largest indoor-outdoor waterpark resort, was honored in the June 2011 issue as one of the magazine’s choices for “Best Pools in the South.”

The resort is featured in both the print and web editions of the popular magazine. The resort is located conveniently nearby the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation’s most visited national park. With two outdoor waterparks and a 6-acre indoor waterpark, Wilderness also has six restaurants, a deli, gift shops, convenience stores, mini-golf, and a 36-hole championship golf course. Wilderness is connected to a 100,000 square-foot conference and event center capable of hosting events for 10,000 people.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is one of the area’s only year-round vacation destinations.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, call toll-free 877-325-9453 or visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Titanic Museum Attraction welcomes 50,000 “passengers” in first three weeks of operation

Posted by Rick Laney – May 12, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee –   The new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. has welcomed 50,000 “passengers” in its first 21 days of operation.  The world’s largest Titanic Museum Attraction, which is also the newest major attraction in the popular resort area surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is exceeding its business projections in all areas.

“What we have created is special in so many ways,” said John Joslyn, co-owner of the Titanic Museum Attraction.  “It is truly a museum – with hundreds of priceless artifacts from the Titanic, but it is also an overall experience for our guests.  They get to talk to crew members and maids who know the detailed story of the ship and her passengers.  Visitors are able to touch an iceberg and feel the 28-degree water exactly as it was on that fateful night.

“While you’re visiting the Titanic Museum Attraction, you truly become a passenger on board the Titanic.  It’s a complete experience that honors and respects the ship and its passengers by keeping their stories alive.  It’s a one-of-a-kind place that you have to experience to fully understand.”

Titanic Captain Edward Smith (Lowell Lytle) and Margaret "Molly" Brown’s great granddaughter Helen Benziger McKinney on the Titanic Museum Attraction’s Grand Staircase.

The Titanic Museum Attraction opened in April with a star-studded weekend-long Grand Opening hosted by Regis Philbin.  The event also featured numerous descendants and family members of those on board the Titanic and included a christening of the ship by Captain Edward J. Smith.

Titanic Museum Attraction is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck recreation of the Titanic.  The museum houses 20 galleries to display nearly 400 authentic, priceless Titanic artifacts that were either carried from the ship and into lifeboats by passengers and crew, or were found afloat soon after the sinking and quickly salvaged by rescue boats.

Inside the Titanic Museum Attraction, visitors find full-size recreations (built to actual Titanic blueprints) of Third-Class quarters, a First-Class suite, dining rooms and – the museum’s centerpiece – a $1 million exact reproduction of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase.  The First-Class suite in the Titanic Museum Attraction, which is dedicated to Isidor and Ida Straus who co-owned Macy’s Department Stores, was also the cabin used in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Titanic as Rose’s suite.

In addition to being a world class museum in the truest sense of the word, Titanic Museum Attraction is also highly interactive and offers a hands-on experience for children, teenagers and adults.  The ship is anchored in water to create the illusion of Titanic at sea, and a two-hour self-guided tour gives guests the sensation of sailing on the original ship’s 1912 maiden voyage. Upon entry, each guest receives a boarding pass bearing the name of an actual Titanic passenger or crew member whose fate is revealed on the Memorial Wall at tour end. Along the way, powerful emotions surface as guests:

  • Walk Titanic’s Grand Staircase
  • Touch the frozen surface of an “iceberg”
  • Feel the chill of that fateful “Starry Night”
  • Study some of the largest, most detailed Titanic models ever built
  • Grip the ship’s wheel and follow the Captain’s commands
  • Tour world-class galleries and the rare historical artifacts they hold
  • Sit in a Titanic lifeboat and listen to actual survivors tell their stories
  • Send an SOS from the Marconi Wireless Room
  • Test their balance while standing on mini-decks built to show the ever-steeper slope of Titanic as she sank
  • Watch children eight years and younger explore the special interactive Tot-Titanic Play-and-Learn Room
  • Dive to Titanic’s wreck site via spectacular underwater camera footage

The Titanic Museum Attraction – which is conveniently located to all areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville – is now open every day from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. ET.  Tickets are available online at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com or by calling 1-800-381-7670 and visitors are urged to purchase tickets in advance.

Cedar Bay Entertainment, which owns and operates Titanic Museum Attraction, is a privately owned entertainment and development company headquartered in Branson, Missouri, the site of Cedar Bay’s first Titanic Museum Attraction. Since its April 2006 grand opening, it has welcomed more than 2,000,000 guests.

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Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Award-winning magician Terry Evanswood featured on WBIR’s Live at Five at Four

Posted by Rick Laney – May 11, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. –  Terry Evanswood, who recently announced he has a new permanent home for his “Wonders of Magic Show” and “Hall of Magic” museum at WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge, was a guest on WBIR’s Live at Five at Four yesterday with Beth Haynes and Russell Biven.  Evanswood brought along a few priceless pieces of magic memorabilia and magically made Beth extremely strong (or Russell extremely weak).  Watch the entire segment below.

Video courtesy of WBIR.

Learn to surf in Tennessee this winter

Posted by Rick Laney – October 30, 2009

 

Wilderness Color Logo

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. –  Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville, the southeast’s largest indoor and outdoor waterpark resort, is now offering surfing lessons.  Because it’s always 84-degrees at Wilderness at the Smokies, students can learn to ride the waves in the mountains – regardless of the weather outside.

Visitors who come to East Tennessee to enjoy the fall colors, hikes in the mountains, and wonderful local attractions can now add “learn to surf” to their list of things to do.  Wilderness at the Smokies resort has the only area indoor Surf Rider, which shoots 19,000 gallons of water per minute under you to create 5-foot waves.  Surfing lessons at Wilderness at the Smokies are offered in the morning before the park opens and class sizes are kept small for a one-on-one learning experience.

Combining the skills and thrills of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, the Surf Rider at Wilderness at the Smokies resort offers the exhilaration of surfing in a controlled, safe environment.  Both body-boarding and flowboarding skills are taught in the Wilderness at the Smokies class.

Learning to surf at Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn.

Learning to surf at Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn.

“The Surf Rider is one of our guests’ favorite attractions at Wilderness at the Smokies resort,” said David McGregor, general manager at Wilderness at the Smokies.  “It’s never the same ride twice, so guests get a different experience every time they ride the Surf Rider.  The lessons really help our guests get the most out of the Surf Rider – and some of them actually become very good at in the process.”

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in June 2008 with the Stone Hill Lodge and Salamander Springs outdoor waterpark.  Six months later, River Lodge and the 60,000-square-foot Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark were added.  In May 2009, Wilderness at the Smokies expanded again with the addition of Lake Wilderness, the resort’s second outdoor waterpark.  Lake Wilderness features Cataloochee Creek Adventure River, the Wilderness Rapids Wave Pool and a set of poolside cabanas.  This fall, the resort will open Runaway Canyon, a new indoor waterslide at the Wild WaterDome.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  With two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and Surf Rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Wilderness at the Smokies to open new Runaway Canyon indoor waterslide in November

Posted by Rick Laney – October 28, 2009

Sevierville, Tenn. – Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville, the southeast’s largest indoor and outdoor waterpark resort, will open its newest attraction, Runaway Canyon, in November.  Runaway Canyon will be located in the Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark at Wilderness at the Smokies.

RunawayCanyonSmallRunaway Canyon is a five-story high enclosed waterslide measuring more than 450-feet and featuring a total drop of almost 60-feet.  Using more than 8,000 gallons of water per minute, Runaway Canyon propels up to four people in rafts through a series of exciting, totally enclosed twists, turns and drops.

Runaway Canyon sends entire families rocketing through winding channels and gargantuan tunnels.  This dark journey has you blasting through water curtains, climbing high onto steeply-banked walls, and leaning into explosive turns, 360-degree loops and pulse-pounding dips.  Runaway Canyon features themed lighting, music and sound effects that provide the ultimate family thrill.

General Manager David McGregor said Runaway Canyon represents an additional local investment by Wilderness at the Smokies of more than $1 million.

“Our guests are going to love Runaway Canyon,” McGregor said.  “It is an exciting slide for the entire family.  We’re so excited about it and can’t wait until it opens in coming weeks.  Guests are going to recognize that Wilderness at the Smokies plans to give them something new every time they come to stay with us.”

The name “Runaway Canyon” was selected by fifth grade students at Catlettsburg Elementary School in Sevierville.  With the help of Principal Jerry L. Wear, Wilderness at the Smokies asked students to help them pick the name of the new attraction.  As a reward for selecting the name, fifth graders from Catlettsburg Elementary will be among the first people to experience Runaway Canyon when it opens.

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in June 2008 with the Stone Hill Lodge and Salamander Springs outdoor waterpark.  Six months later, River Lodge and the 60,000-square-foot Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark were added.  In May 2009, Wilderness at the Smokies expanded again with the addition of Lake Wilderness, the resort’s second outdoor waterpark.  Lake Wilderness features Cataloochee Creek Adventure River, the Wilderness Rapids Wave Pool and a set of poolside cabanas.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  With two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge is moving full speed ahead

Posted by Rick Laney – October 9, 2009

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. — The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge is taking shape quickly.  In recent weeks, the number of visitors to the attraction’s free Preview Trailer has steadily increased.  In anticipation of the Titanic Museum’s grand opening in early 2010, visitors are getting a sneak peek at what guests will experience when the Titanic Museum opens next year.  Visit www.titanicpigeonforge.com for more information.

Constructiono1

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Watch any NCAA or NFL football game in the “Wilderness”

Posted by Rick Laney – September 21, 2009

Wilderness017Sevierville, Tenn. – Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn. now has ESPN “Game Plan” and “NFL Sunday Ticket” with coverage of every NCAA and NFL football game on Saturday and Sunday in the Hidden Trail Restaurant at Stonehill Lodge.  The restaurant, which is open to the public, is next to the Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont.

While enjoying their favorite games on the restaurant’s eight flat-screen, high-definition televisions, football fans also have access to an all-you-can-eat pizza and wings buffet for just $10.  “There are very few places you can go in this area to watch any game from any part of the country,” said David Hayes, director of food and beverage for Wilderness at the Smokies resort.  “People love it.  Some of our guests come and stay for one game – others come and stay all afternoon and into the evening.”

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  With two outdoor waterparks, a 60,000 square-foot indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Ackermann PR will launch the Titanic

Posted by Rick Laney – September 15, 2009

Titanic Branson

Knoxville, Tenn. — Something exciting is about to set sail in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Ackermann PR is going to help launch it.  The new $25 million Titanic Museum Attraction has hired Ackermann PR of Knoxville to provide strategy and manage its public and media relations activities.

Thanks to owners John Joslyn and Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, the great Titanic story lives on. A towering symbol of hope and courage is literally being recreated in all its splendor at 2134 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.  The 30,000-square foot ship-shaped structure is already visible next to the Black Bear Jamboree.  The only other permanent Titanic Museum Attraction is located in Branson, Mo. and is also owned by the Joslyns.  Since opening in 2006, more than 1.6 million visitors have toured the museum.

“I had the privilege of touring the Titanic Museum in Branson,” said Cathy Ackermann, founder and president of Ackermann PR.  “It is an incredible, first-class museum unlike anything else we have here in East Tennessee.  I felt as if I truly got to know some of the passengers and what their experience was like on board the Titanic.”

Titanic Museum Attraction is a celebration of the ship, her passengers and crew.  Guests will get to know the passengers and crew in the galleries where over 400 priceless personal and private artifacts are on display. Each artifact has a unique story that relates directly to a passenger or crew member.

As guests enter the world of the Titanic, they will be given a passenger boarding ticket. On this ticket is the name of an actual Titanic passenger or crew member and the class they were traveling.  Guests will learn that individual’s story and, in the Titanic Memorial Room, they will find out the fate of their ticketed passenger.

During the approximately 90-minute self-guided tour, guests say they experience powerful emotions as they:

  • View hundreds of artifacts
  • Learn about the Titanic’s maiden voyage and the personal stories of its passengers
  • Walk the Grand Staircase
  • Touch the frozen surface of an “iceberg”
  • Listen to survivors’ stories as they sit in actual lifeboats
  • Feel the chill of that fateful “Starry Night”
  • Stand on the mighty ship’s bridge and hear the Captain’s commands
  • View life onboard, see a First Class Stateroom and a Third Class cabin
  • Explore world-class gallery rooms with rare historical artifacts
  • Try to send an SOS signal from the ship’s wireless communications room
  • View an exclusive exhibit of the only known interior and exterior Titanic photos

Visitors to the new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge can expect to see Titanic in a whole new light. Unlike traveling exhibits, Titanic in the Smokies is a permanent three-story museum attraction shaped like Titanic herself.  Titanic RenderingThe signature building will be built half-scale to the original Titanic and towers 100 feet above the Parkway.  The structure is anchored in water to create the illusion of the Titanic at sea.  Construction photos are updated weekly at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com.

For nearly 30 years, Ackermann PR has worked for some of the nation’s largest, most successful companies and organizations.  Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Ackermann PR is a full-service public relations and marketing firm providing strategic planning, research, marketing, account management, graphic design, media relations, crisis communications, writing, social networking and online/database management services.  Ackermann is ranked by PRWeek and the Council of PR Firms as one of the top 100 firms in the United States (one of only three in the state of Tennessee).

The new Titanic Museum is set to open next spring.  For more information, visit www.TitanicPigeonForge.com or www.AckermannPR.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com