We've heard about Pigeon Forge for years, but somehow we had never made the trek to the "other" side of Smoky Mountain National Park.  Now we can check this one off our list - thanks to our friends at Carolina Tours, we spent a colorful and entertaining few days in the hills of Tennessee. 

Our lodging was the Inn at Christmas Place, a luxurious and cozy retreat where it is Christmas every day, all year long.  Every corner of the place is decorated.

We even had a Christmas tree in our room.  

Our first tour stop was Dollywood, where we had plenty of time to explore and see the sights, the show and the lights.  And of course, there are dozens of shops selling all things country in general or Dolly Parton in particular.  

There are multiple shows going on around the park, so it takes a little planning to figure out where you are and where you want to be at what time to see a show.  We managed to make it to three:  Smoky Mountain Christmas, O Holy Night, and It's a Wonderful Life.  All were very professional and most enjoyable.  We were hoping Dolly would drop by to sing a tune, but no such luck.

 

A "show" of another type was the spectacular and gigantic Christmas tree at one end of the park (the far end).  When we arrived, it was just a pretty blue-lit tree.  When it got dark, the show got started - a dazzling array of colors and designs jumping around the tree.  The tree was fun to watch - and so were the kids who were transfixed by the spectacle.

The evening ended with Dolly's "Parade of Many Colors."  Lots of floats, lots of crazy characters, lots of lights, lots of music ... lots of fun. 

We took in a couple more shows in Pigeon Forge.  One was the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show; the show was juvenile, but the food was good.    The other show was the Christmas Show at the Smoky Mountain Theater.  This was a very professional musical variety show - with plenty of singing and dancing.  This year's production included a special guest performer - Chris Blue, Season 12 winner of 'The Voice'.  

 

Afterwards, we rode around town a bit to see some of the lights - even the old mill was shining on top of the hill.

 

Leaving Pigeon Forge, we headed over to Asheville in time to enjoy their holiday feast.  It's a grand and glorious spread, with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Time for some steps - it's always fun to get lost wandering around the inn, even better when it's decorated for the holiday.

And then, the grand finale - the 2018 National Gingerbread House Competition, held annually at the Grove Park Inn.   Photo to left is the grand prize winner for 2018. 

 There are four categories of entries:  adult (18+), teen (13-17), youth (9-12), and children (5-8).  Entries are judge on overall appearance, originality & creativity, difficulty, precision, and consistency of theme.  Another great show, another fine trip with Carolina Tours.