Tag: great smoky mountains

The Smoky Mountain Region is quickly becoming a spring break hot spot

Posted by Rick Laney – March 17, 2011

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — There are two reasons the Smoky Mountains Region is becoming a favorite spring break destination for visitors from all over the country:

  • In the past three years, new attractions and resorts — like Wilderness at the Smokies and Titanic Museum Attraction — have opened and now offer visitors amazing things to do year-round regardless of the weather.
  • The Smoky Mountain Region covers two states and countless small communities around the national park.  Now that we are marketing the “Region” as a destination (as opposed to marketing each of the small communities and towns as individual entities) people get to see all of the offerings rather than just what each small town has to offer.

The Smoky Mountain Region is also a wildly successful destination because it is within a one-day drive for most of the U.S. population east of the Mississippi River.  And, as the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville continues to get new low fare carriers serving new markets, more and more travelers are flying to East Tennessee for their vacations.

Watch and read the CBS News report about the Smoky Mountain Region and its appeal to spring breakers by clicking the photo below.

WVLT (CBS) television shows why the Smoky Mountain Region is a new spring break "hot spot"

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

Ackermann’s Rick Laney talks travel and tourism changes in the Smoky Mountain Region with WBIR (NBC) television

Posted by Rick Laney – January 19, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ackermann PR ’s Rick Laney sat down to talk with WBIR (NBC) television about dramatic changes taking place in the tourism industry in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  In recent years, Ackermann identified some significant shifts taking place in the local travel and tourism industries and conducted a private study of visitors during 2007 and 2008 (with updated data for 2009 and 2010).

Two key figures came to light through the study:  The Smoky Mountain Region is drawing a huge number of first-time visitors every year (as high as 41 percent in some areas) and traditional tourism cycles that tied closely to the school year had disappeared and the Smoky Mountain Region is now a year-round destination.

Click on the image below to watch the entire report from WBIR television.

Click to watch complete WBIR segment

First-Ever Wedding at Titanic Museum Attraction in East Tennessee

Posted by Rick Laney – June 28, 2010

Casey and Kevin Foster

Knoxville, Tenn. – The new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. had its first-ever wedding last Friday morning when Casey Hollon and Kevin Foster, both of Savannah, Ga., tied the knot on the ship’s Grand Staircase.

The wedding, attended by approximately 30 friends and family members, was a beautiful event that included the ship’s Captain, the first class maids and the ship’s crew.  The Titanic Museum Attraction’s Grand Staircase, which is an exact reproduction built from actual Titanic blueprints, cost over $1 million to create and serves as the perfect backdrop for a dramatic wedding ceremony.

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 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.

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 strongly 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

Well over 135,000 “passengers” have boarded the new Titanic Museum Attraction in just seven weeks

Posted by Rick Laney – June 9, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – The new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. has been open for just two months and already more than 135,000 “passengers” have toured the painstakingly authentic recreation of the world’s most famous ship.

Titanic Museum Attraction in Tennessee

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 and sells completely out of tickets on most days. Because of the overwhelming response to the new museum, visitors are being urged to purchase tickets in advance or to make reservations by phone.

“I came down from Ohio specifically for the Titanic Museum Attraction,” said Amy Polczynski.  “I fully expected it to be amazing – but it far exceeded all of my expectations.  From the costumed crew members who meet you outside to the exact recreations of the grand staircase and first class suite, everything is so authentic.  It literally makes you feel as though you are standing on board the Titanic.

“In addition to the interior and exterior of the museum, the hundreds of actual Titanic artifacts that are on display are simply breathtaking.  To stand there and look at the actual master key that opened all of the first class suites, and the handwritten letters from those on board the ship, it just transports you back to 1912 – you feel like you are literally there.”

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.

The Isidor and Ida Straus Suite at Titanic Museum Attraction

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.

“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.”

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 and visitors are strongly urged to purchase tickets in advance or make reservations by calling 1-800-381-7670.

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 2,200,000 guests.

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

Internationally-recognized magician Terry Evanswood makes new, permanent home at WonderWorks

Posted by Rick Laney – April 27, 2010

Terry Evanswood

Terry Evanswood at WonderWorks

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – The movies have the “Oscar” and magic has the “Merlin.”  Both are highly sought-after awards given only to the most outstanding performers and artists.  WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. is now the permanent home to Terry Evanswood, one of a very select group of magicians to ever earn a Merlin.  Harry Blackstone, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy, and David Copperfield are a few of the past Merlin winners.

In addition to Evanswood’s daily performances of “Wonders of Magic” at WonderWorks, a new museum called the “Hall of Magic” just opened inside WonderWorks showcasing some of magic’s most treasured artifacts from legendary magicians like Harry Houdini, Howard Thurston and Harry Blackstone.  A huge collection of priceless props, costumes, autographs, mechanical toys, memorabilia and antique magic sets are now on display in the free Hall of Magic museum.

Over the years, Evanswood has thrilled audiences with his performances throughout the world, with some of his biggest fans being other famous magicians.  Now that Evanswood has found a home at the popular WonderWorks attraction in Pigeon Forge, he is within a one-day drive of most major cities in the Eastern U.S. and a must-see for visitors to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“When I begin my show,” Evanswood said, “I look out and see an audience full of children, parents and grandparents. By the time I am half-way through my performance, I look out on each and every face and I see an entire audience of kids.  The look of complete awe and wonderment on their faces turns every single person in the room into a child.  That’s the most impressive magic trick I can ever hope to perform.”

Merlin Award

Terry Evanswood's Merlin Award in the Hall of Magic Museum at WonderWorks

Evanswood, who knew he wanted to be a magician since he was 9 years old, has performed in front of well over a million people (including being invited twice to perform at the White House in Washington, D.C.).  Along with his cast – Brittany McElroy. Natasha Volvacheva, Linda Black and Mike Phillips –  Evanswood continues to thrill huge crowds daily at WonderWorks with magic, illusions, sleight-of-hand, Houdini-style escapes and a dose of comedy.

WonderWorks, is an indoor theme park that opened in 2006 and has nearly 60,000 square feet of fun for all ages. WonderWorks is housed in an upside down building (you have to see it to be believe it).  The building appears to have been ripped from its foundation and set back down on its roof.

Inside WonderWorks, guests will find 120 interactive adventures that include the “Challenge Zone” with a rock wall climbing, physical and psychological endurance competitions and even a “bed of nails” to lie on.  In the “Space Zone,” visitors are entertained with interactive, 3-D films about outer space plus life-size recreations of space suits they can try on for size, a Mercury Space Capsule, and simulators that allow guests to land the Discovery Space Shuttle as it glides in from outer space.

WonderWorks also houses a “Sound and Light Zone,” a “Natural Disaster Zone” (where guests can experience a 5.3 earthquake), and the “Control Center” where visitors create roller coasters on computers and then get to ride the roller coaster they created in a coaster simulator.  WonderWorks also features the WonderDog Café where guests can enjoy the world-famous WonderDog with its secret recipe chili sauce without ever leaving the attraction.

Every evening, WonderWorks comes to life with the “Hoot N’Holler” dinner show – one of the most popular shows in the Great Smoky Mountains.  For years, visitors have enjoyed a fantastic three-course dinner with their family while experiencing the 90-minute performance featuring “Scraps,” whose antics leave guests rolling in the aisles with laughter.  Kids are always FREE at the Hoot N’ Holler diner show with a paying adult.

ValueVacation tickets to WonderWorks are available in a variety of packages that meet the needs of any size family.  To learn more about WonderWorks, the Hoot N’Holler dinner show and the new Wonders of Magic show featuring Terry Evanswood, visit www.WonderWorksTN.com or call 865-868-1800.

WonderWorks operates from 9 a.m. to midnight every day.  We also operate in Orlando, Fla. and will open soon in Panama City, Fla. and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

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

Titanic Museum Attraction will open in less than a week

Posted by Rick Laney – April 2, 2010

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – The new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. will open in less than a week with a star-studded Grand Opening hosted by Regis Philbin. The event, which is open to the public, also will be attended by descendants and family members of those on board the Titanic and includes a christening of the ship.

The weekend-long Grand Opening Celebration at the new Titanic Museum Attraction includes the christening by Philbin, a free concert by country music legend Neal McCoy, a free concert by Beatles cover band Liverpool Legends (hand-picked and managed by George Harrison’s sister), nightly fireworks displays and special events and performances through Sunday, April 11.

Titanic Museum Attraction is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck reproduction of the Titanic. The museum houses 20 galleries to display hundreds of 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 reproductions (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.

A third class cabin

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 90-minute 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 Grand Opening event begins on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 10 a.m. and continues with special events and celebrity guest appearances throughout the weekend. Tickets to the new Titanic Museum Attraction, which will open April 8 after 3 p.m. (invited guests will tour the Titanic prior to 3 p.m.), are now available online at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com. (Note: The outdoor Grand Opening and christening are free and open to the public, but admission to the Titanic Museum Attraction requires a ticket.)

A master key to the Titanic's first class suites

The Titanic Museum Attraction will be open seven day a week from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Cedar Bay Entertainment 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.

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

Guests invited to jump in the lake at Wilderness

Posted by Rick Laney – August 11, 2009

Sevierville, Tenn. – With summer in full swing and temperatures heating up, guests at Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn. can now navigate the rapids, ride the waves or simply relax in a private poolside cabana – all features of Wilderness at the Smokies’ newest waterpark attraction.  Lake Wilderness, the newest phase of the full-service waterpark resort, is now open to those staying at the resort.

Guests look out from their balcony at one of two outdoor waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies resort near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Guests look out from their balcony at one of two outdoor waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies resort near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Wilderness guests can grab a tube and jump in the Lake Wilderness 12,000-square-foot Wave Pool – where waves within the pool can crest as high as five feet.  Also winding around the outdoor waterpark is Cataloochee Creek, a nearly 1,000 foot rapid-moving river with water spray features located along its path.

“We have been extremely pleased with the acceptance and success we have received with the recent opening of the Wild Waterdome Indoor Waterpark, and are excited to further enhance our guests’ experience with the opening of Lake Wilderness,” says David McGregor, general manager of Wilderness at the Smokies “With another exciting attraction now in place, we feel as though we have one of the premier indoor/outdoor waterpark resorts in the country.”

The ten private poolside cabanas situated around Lake Wilderness are available for guests to rent, with each cabana featuring shelter from the sun, cabana-style lounge chairs, a flat panel television and a personal cabana host.  An outdoor bar and grill is also located within the outdoor waterpark to help satisfy those afternoon cravings.

With the opening of the Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark, the Wilderness at the Smokies Resort boasts two outdoor waterparks and the Wild WaterDome Indoor Waterpark, making it the largest resort of its kind in the southeast.

Appropriately named the Wild WaterDome, the indoor waterpark spans more than 60,000 square feet with a see-thru, energy-efficient Texlon™ roof that allows UV rays to permeate the structure so guests can tan indoors year-round. The waterpark is home to the Smokies SurfRider, the state’s only surfing simulator that uses 50,000 gallons of water a minute to create a continuously moving sheet of water on which people can surf or boogie board. “It’s like riding an ocean wave, but indoors,” McGregor said.  “Parents and kids alike will love the thrill of riding a wave in a safe and controlled environment.”

The waterpark also boasts the Storm Chaser, a four-person tube slide that begins with a 58-foot drop into a giant orange-and-white funnel where riders swoosh back and forth up the sides of the funnel, causing shrieks of delight and flip-flopping stomachs. Other activities at the Wild WaterDome, which is reserved exclusively for resort guests, include the Great Wave, a 10,000-square-foot wave pool capable of generating waves up to five feet high. In addition, two tube slides, an indoor/outdoor hot spa, a multi-level play structure with a gigantic dumping bucket and 50-plus play-and-spray features, along with a special toddler area with mini-slides and a swing tree are sure to keep the whole family occupied for hours.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the scenic foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  Phase I of the resort opened in June 2008 with a 234-room hotel and outdoor waterpark.  The Wild WaterDome Indoor Waterpark opened in December 2008 and the resort has just opened its Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark which features an Adventure River and a 12,000 square foot Wave Pool. 

The developers of Wilderness at the Smokies Resort are the owners of Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort – America’s Largest Waterpark Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  For more information on the resort or for reservations, visit www.wildernessatthesmokies.com or call 1-800-867-WILD (9453). 

Media contact:
Rick Laney, Ackermann PR
865-584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com