Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
What Is There To Do In The Smokies Right Now?
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on May 12, 2020
This marks week number two of businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains reopening to the public since the governor lifted the Safer At Home restrictions throughout the state of Tennessee. And we've definitely seen more and more people returning to Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg as all kinds of businesses are opening their doors again, including restaurants, shops, hotels and motels, and even some attractions.
At Smoky Mountain Ziplines, we're still evaluating the best time for us to reopen for the season so our guests can zip line Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. Our number one concern is the safety of our guests, and until we feel certain we can ensure that while conducting our canopy tours, we're going to exercise caution.
In the meantime, however, folks traveling to the Smokies may be wondering what they can and cannot do during their visit. This week, we'll share a few tips about places that are currently accessible and a few that are not just yet.
As we talked about in last week's blog, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reopened, although on a limited basis. Currently, most of the major thoroughfares, such as Newfound Gap Road, Little River Road and the Cades Cove loop, are accessible, as are some of the restroom facilities located along these routes. However, campgrounds and visitor centers are not open yet. The National Park Service is phasing in operations for its parks, and beginning next week, they may allow visitors to begin accessing even more areas of the Smokies.
More restaurants and shops are open now too, but be advised that many business owners have put social-distancing measures in place to separate patrons and are requiring staff members to wear masks and gloves. Some shops may even require customers to wear masks before entering. Ultimately, mask wearing is a personal choice, but keep in mind that wearing one can go a long way toward preventing the spread of the coronavirus. You could be carrying the virus and still have zero symptoms, so wearing a mask is a courtesy to ensure that you don't spread it to others. Also, no matter where you travel in the Smokies, health officials recommend that you try to stay at least six feet away from other people and wash your hands frequently.
Keeping precautions in mind, yes, you can still find a little fun and excitement in the Smokies right now. More and more attractions have opened recently, including Outdoor Gravity Park, Parrot Mountain, Rocky Top Mountain Coaster, Sevierville Golf Club, The Track, TopJump Trampoline & Extreme Arena, several of the area whitewater rafting companies, Crave Golf Club, Hillbilly Golf, MagiQuest Pigeon Forge, Ripley's Old MacDonald's Farm Mini-Golf, The Escape Game and more.
Future attraction re-openings include Alcatraz East (5/15), Pigeon Forge Snow (5/14), Sevier Air Trampoline & Ninja Warrior Park (5/14), Stiffy's Ax Throwing (5/15), Anakeesta, Country Tonite Theatre (6/5), Gatlinburg Space Needle (5/14), Great Smoky Mountain Murder Mystery Dinner Show (5/23), Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre (6/5) and Titanic Museum (6/1).
Finally, like us, there are many businesses that have not yet chosen reopening dates. These include the Comedy Barn, Dollywood, Dolly Parton's Stampede, Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, NASCAR SpeedPark, Ober Gatlinburg, Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud Show, Pirate's Voyage Dinner & Show, Rainforest Adventures, most of the Ripley's attractions, Smoky Mountain Opry, WonderWorks and many, many others.
All of this information is current as of May 12.
