Pigeon Forge Tennessee Lodging
To turn Pigeon Forge Tennesee into a year-round attraction rather than simply a draw during summer vacation and the fall leaf-turning season, Pigeon Forge officials take special pride in having created Winterfest, which stretches from November to February. Performed against a background of several million twinkling lights and five miles of snowflake silhouettes strung along the road leading to the national park, Winterfest brings in well over 100 million dollars each year. Much of this revenue comes from Pigeon Forge lodging. Many are drawn to the region less for the natural beauty than for the array of shopping, entertainment and other lures. ''We spent last night in a honeymoon suite in Gatlinburg, and tonight we're aiming to stay here,'' said one man from Georgia. He and his bride, Mary Ann, had just pulled into the Pigeon Forge welcome center in a car whose windows were soaped with messages proclaiming them to be newlyweds. The many honeymooners make up a considerable portion of those seeking Pigeon Forge lodging as well.
Indeed, to keep things humming, Pigeon Forge has developed a tourism department that has contributed mightily to the town's success in taking in hundreds of millions each year. (Gatlinburg, which has its own tourist bureau, pulls in nearly as much revenue as does Pigeon Forge.) The largely home-grown tourism operation combines a small-town work ethic with big-city moxie, careful cultivation of the trade press, meticulous attention to detail and an multi-million operating budget that includes a high percentage of that for advertising for Pigeon Forge Lodging.
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