The Smokey Mountains region is known for its breathtaking natural beauty, unbeatable vistas, charming towns and cities, rich history and so on but did you know that the Smokies are also home to some world-class entertainment?
All year round, you can attend incredible live performances, whether it be an evening at a dinner theatre, sipping your favorite cocktail while listening to new up-and-coming artists or dancing the night away to some beloved classics, there’s a show for everyone! Check out this handy list we’ve put together, to help you decide what live performances you might want to experience during your stay here in the Smokey Mountains.
Dinner Theater
Dolly Parton’s Stampede: Located in Pigeon Forge, this crowd favorite is a must-see when visiting the area. Enjoy a wonderful dinner theater experience with a good ol’ southern flare that’s perfect for all ages. Munch on a delicious and hearty meal while watching a high-spirited performance, complete with friendly competition, thrilling horse riding stunts, wonderful music and so much more! When you step foot through the front doors, you’re entering the most entertaining place to eat in town!
Hatfield & McCoy’s Dinner Feud: Another local classic, experience a piece of the Smokies’ history like never before when you partake in a night at this zany dinner theatre. Join the longest running feud in history as you watch and attempt to help the Hatfields And McCoys settle their differences Smokey Mountain style! Leave with sore cheeks and sides from laughing the night away while filling your belly with all-you-can-eat southern cooking.
Pirates Voyage Dinner Show: The perfect escape for any age, this swashbuckling dinner attraction offers an evening jam-packed with epic pirate battles and a scrumptious buccaneer feast. Chow down on a four-course meal as you’re transported to a hideaway lagoon filled with mermaids, tropical birds, festive sea shanties and (of course) pirates! So follow your compass and enjoy this seafaring adventure, nestled in the middle of the mountains!
Comedy
Impossibilities Magic Show: Enjoy an evening of laughter and magic when you attend this one-of-a-kind show. Located at the base of Gatlinburg’s historic Space Needle, this popular performance – put on by master magician and comedian Chris Collins in addition to expert mentalist Erik Dobell – is perfect for children and adults alike! So, grab your tickets and get ready for a night of magic, mindreading and sidesplitting comedy.
Comedy Barn Theater: Toting the title of the world’s most successful and attended clean comedy theatre, a show at the Comedy Barn is a perfect way for the family to share some laughs and make new memories. Including all sorts of whacky performances from comedians, ventriloquists, jugglers, barnyard animals and so many others, this show is guaranteed to have the whole family rolling with laughter.
Lumberjack Feud Show: Enjoy 90 minutes of high intensity challenges completed by professional athletes while giggling at their crazy antics in-between. Perfect for all ages, this zany show full of laughs, gasps and crazy tricks will leave audience members, of all ages, in awe and itching to test their own hand at some lumberjack challenges in the attached adventure park.
Music
Soul of Motown: For fans of Motown, this incredible and engaging show is a must for any visitors to the area. Even if you aren’t very familiar to the genre, this soulful concert put on by talented and tireless performers is a wonderful way to spend an evening, regardless of age or musical preference. Note: though this venue technically offers food, it doesn’t seem to wow past audience members (unlike the performance itself) so it’s probably smart to plan on dinner before or after the show.
Country Tonite: Celebrating their 25th anniversary, this powerhouse production is jam packed with some of the best singers, dancers and musicians you can find in the entertainment industry. Enjoy an assortment of performances from tributes to country music legends to slapstick comedy routines to moving gospel sets, all during one show. This incredible variety show is a Pigeon Forge staple with something for every audience member to enjoy!
The Listening Room Café: Enjoy some tasty eats while listening to excellent live music, from new singer-songwriters to major recording artists, the line up is different every night. As a fairly new addition to Pigeon Forge’s roster of performance venues, this spot is quickly making a name for itself in all the right ways.
Ole Red: Having gotten its namesake from Blake Shelton’s famous song by the same title (the second location of its kind too), it should be no surprise to here that this joint is a great place to hear some live music. Nosh on some delicious comfort food, from burgers to nachos, and sip on a refreshing cocktail while listening to some new musical talent coming out of the Smokey Mountains.
Tributes
Brian Hoffman’s Remembering Red: Probably one of the most unique comedy shows in the area, “Remembering Red” is a hysterical tribute to comedic legend Red Skelton. A ticket to Hoffman’s show offers a couple of hours of fond remembrance for the golden age of television accompanied by side-splitting laughs. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the subject matter, the humor is timeless!
A Salute to Elvis: Celebrate the life and legacy of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll when you attend this electric and glitzy performance featuring award-winning Elvis tribute artist, Eli Williams. Experience what being in the presence of “The King” himself might have been like during almost two hours of outstanding music, dancing and nostalgia at it’s best.
A Tribute to Conway Twitty: A long time staple of Pigeon Forge’s entertainment scene, Travis James’ tribute to Conway Twitty is nationally recognized as the number one performance of its kind! Sit back, relax and step through time as the sounds of a bygone country legend come to life. This is a trip down memory lane, you don’t want to miss!
When The Curtain Falls
As the sun sets on your day full of adventure, laughter and live entertainment, it’s time to make your way back to your luxury cabin at Parkside Resort. Sink into one of the comfy rocking chairs besides the outdoor firepit, overlooking a stunning view and reminisce with your friends and family about the performance you saw that day. If you’re a little full from tucking away one too many biscuits at Hatfield And McCoy’s or your sides twinge from laughing too hard at the crazy antics of Sweet Fanny Adam’s Theatre, slip into the hot tub to ease your aches. Kiddos still wound up after a couple of hours of dancing and musical merriment at Country Tonite? Let them take a dip in one of the pools on property or play some games at the arcade before calling it a night. At Parkside Resort, the fun doesn’t have to end when the curtain falls and the show lights dim, it’s just the beginning!
Parkside Resort is the NEWEST luxury cabin resort in the Great Smoky Mountains!
