Nation’s Best Christmas Event Begins Nov. 7 with Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Presented by Humana

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dollywood unwraps its 20th anniversary holiday season on Nov. 7 with the opening of its award-winning festival Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana, which continues through Jan. 2, 2010.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas festival recently won its second consecutive Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event. The awards are presented annually to the “best of the best” in the amusement industry by Amusement Today magazine from an international poll.

“I just love spending the holidays with family and friends, so I hope my Smoky Mountain Christmas festival brings families closer together this time of year,” Dolly Parton said. “My wish is for everyone to be wrapped in warm holiday memories, just like the ones of my family that I cherish and hold so dear.”

The Golden Tickets also honored Dollywood for Best Shows, which includes the park’s lineup of holiday entertainment. Dollywood’s live stage shows feature Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland, Christmas in the Smokies, O’ Holy Night, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs, and An Appalachian Christmas. Multiple performances are featured each day, and all shows are included with park admission.

Set amid a colorful display of four million holiday lights, Dollywood also offers guests more than 20 rides and attractions, including The Polar Express 4-D Experience™ which takes guests on a magical journey to the North Pole. Guests can enjoy the world-renowned Thunderhead and Mystery Mine coasters, as well as the Dollywood Express, a 110-ton steam engine that takes a nostalgic railroad journey into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Santa’s Workshop is Santa’s home-away-from-home at Dollywood where a larger-than-life-sized display of toys awaits visitors. Santa also appears twice each evening in the Parade of Lights, joined by a cast of fun characters and brightly colored floats. Breakfast with Santa is featured from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each Saturday during the festival. Seating is first-come, first-served for the meal which includes bacon, sausage, eggs, sausage gravy and grits. Prices are $15.99 for adults, $7.99 for children ages 4-11. Dollywood admission is required.

Seasonal favorites and special recipes from Dollywood’s best chefs are on the menu at the park’s many restaurants. Endless buffets featuring oven-roasted turkey and dressing with all of the trimmings are holiday favorites. Each year welcomes new additions, like this year’s chicken pot pie served at Backstage restaurant, all sure to become classic dishes offered for years to come.

Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.

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Mapping Out An Off-Season Getaway

(NAPSI)-Whether you enjoy trips off the beaten path or prefer mainstream vacation spots, off-season travel can be a delightful and affordable way to get away.

The trips can be an opportunity to discover that a destination-perhaps even one of your favorites-has a personality that changes with the seasons. Enjoying a ski resort in summer is a ready example. It's both weird and wonderful to hike on a cross-country trail or ride a mountain bike down a ski slope when your only memory of these locations is snow covered. Plus, many traditional warm-weather destinations offer incentives and activities to help save off-season travelers some cool cash.

Each year, for example, a four-month-long event called Pigeon Forge Winterfest attracts vacationers to the Great Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., an area once strictly thought of as a place for summertime fun. Now in its 20th year, the festival welcomes thousands.

The hallmark of the celebration is an unforgettably dazzling show of millions of decorative lights. The city even mounts lighted snowflakes on utility poles and erects gigantic storytelling displays-a popular one depicts a blacksmith pounding on an anvil producing snowflakes, not sparks, in the Tennessee night.

Complementing the city's efforts-which you can view on narrated trolley tours-are displays created by businesses throughout town. The Dollywood theme park adds millions more lights for its holiday event called Smoky Mountain Christmas, as well.

There's also the popular Wilderness Wildlife Week that offers eight days of free classes, seminars, photo shows and activities, most of which focus on Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located next to Pigeon Forge.

Additionally, travelers can enjoy hikes in the Smokies-where winter produces vistas that don't exist when summer's leaves are on the trees. Indeed, each year, Wilderness Wildlife Week hikers collectively cover about 5,000 miles on dozens of National Park trails.

For those looking for what may be a surprisingly authentic Western experience, Winterfest stirs things up with its popular celebration of cowboy poetry and Western music. Even though the city is east of the Mississippi, American Cowboy magazine still calls the experience one of its Top 101 Western Events.

For more information and tips on planning a trip, visit www.MyPigeonForge.com or call (800) 251-9100.

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Enjoy the 'Best of the Best' At Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa This Fall

/PRNewswire/ -- Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa was recently recognized by the radio talk show Speaking of Golf for its outstanding Golf Pro Shop and its Equani Spa. The syndicated show addresses golf and the lifestyle of golfers. The recognition comes at a time when Brasstown Valley Resort is offering its Fall Awakening Getaway Package which includes a choice of activities.

Catch the beautiful leaf season in the North Georgia Mountains and enjoy a specially priced getaway from $185 (Sunday - Thursday), or from $235 (Friday - Saturday). The Fall Awakening Package is for two guests sharing a traditional guestroom and includes: a full Breakfast Buffet for two in the Dining Room, and a choice by each of the two guests for either a round of golf at the Denis Griffiths-designed Brasstown Valley Resort Golf Club, or a one hour trail ride from the Resort Stables. Guests may also upgrade their activity to a 50 Minute Swedish massage or a manicure/pedicure at the Equani Spa for an additional $20. Upgrades to deluxe guest rooms with a balcony or a fireplace are also available for an additional $20 per night. Rates are based on availability and exclusive of resort fees and taxes. For information or reservations visit: www.brasstownvalley.com or call 800. 201.3205.

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Great deals, seasonal activities make pre-holiday a great time to get away

(ARA) – A vacation may be the last thing on your mind as the holidays draw near this year, but contrary to popular belief the holiday season is a great time to take a break. Pre-holiday season deals sweeten the appeal of a weekend getaway to decompress from the stresses of a busy fall and winter season.

“While airfares and hotel rates do rise on and immediately surrounding major holidays, the weeks leading up to those times can yield amazing deals and wonderful opportunities to escape the hectic pace of the holiday season,” says Brad Dean, president and chief executive officer for the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Still not convinced now is the time for a quick getaway? Consider these facts:

Getting There

Airports will be crowded and frustrating as soon as the holidays arrive. Yet airfares are lower and airports are less crowded in the weeks leading up to peak holiday season. You’re much more likely to score a good deal on airfare – and a less stressful airport experience – if you travel pre-holiday.

Driving trips are also easier before the holiday. Come Thanksgiving or Christmas, everyone will be visiting family and friends to celebrate. Highways are less likely to be clogged with traffic in advance of the holidays. To make the most of your weekend getaway, choose a driving destination that’s easily accessible and offers the most “bang for your buck.” Myrtle Beach, S.C., for example is a popular driving destination from many parts of the eastern seaboard and Midwest.

Hotel Deals

Hotel prices typically increase a day or two before a holiday – rates may even double over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. However, hotels are relatively empty and inspired to offer better deals in the weeks leading up to the holidays. In fact, rates can be reduced to more than half the cost of a room during peek summer season. You can find great package deals if you travel before the holidays, especially to affordable locations that are in their “off” seasons. Many beach resorts and hotels offer all-inclusive packages with admission to local attractions and many feature heated indoor swimming pools and even indoor waterparks.

Cool Prices on Hot Attractions

Attraction tickets that might seem pricey during high season will likely be more appealingly priced during the pre-holiday, “off season.” Some outdoor attractions in more temperate climes, such as Myrtle Beach will stay open through the holidays, as will shows, indoor attractions and sites. Plus, you won’t have to fight the “peak season” crowds or lines at year-round attractions like popular museums and aquariums.

A Taste of the Holidays without the Expense

What commercial venture in the United States doesn’t stretch the holidays? With Halloween items appearing on store shelves in early September, is it any surprise that resort attractions will don their holiday décor and feature holiday-themed events and shows long before the actual dates arrive?

It’s possible to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy themed shows, attractions and activities when you travel before the holidays. For example, the Myrtle Beach area offers everything from live holiday shows to candlelit gardens with carolers, Christmas tree festivals to holiday markets.

To learn more about a pre-holiday getaway to Myrtle Beach, go to www.visitmyrtlebeach.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Fall for Leaves in Georgia

Looking for some fall leaf colors? Look no further than our great state of Georgia. It is currently estimated that the leaf color change is at 30%.

The excessive rainfall in Northwest Georgia has delayed the leaf color change in the area, however, the leaves are just starting to pop in North Georgia.

Head on up to the Lake Rabun, and the Jasper area for some great views.



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Callaway Gardens® Presents a Mystery Theater Dinner: Halloscream

Looking to add a little scare to your Halloween weekend? Bring your detective skills and appetite to Callaway Gardens® on Friday, October 30, 2009, for another Mystery Theater Dinner. Those, not faint of heart, will participate in a symposium on paranormal research and development.

At this fictitious annual gathering, the world’s top experts on paranormal activity will report on the year’s greatest moments in the weird and bizarre. But, the night will become more unusually evil with a mysterious murder.

Who could have done it? Possibilities include the likes of Professor Alfred Hitchhike, the foremost authority on paranormal activities and a representative of The Paranormal Institute of Technology; Doctor Victor Von Beerenstein, the good doctor who has dropped his family practice for mysterious research; Doctor Heckyll/Mr. Jive, the prim and proper doctor who sometimes like to take a walk on the wild side; Helga Von Beerenstein, the lovely dear and departed yet - present and accounted - for wife of Victor; or Monique LeSpat, a beautiful, wealthy widow whose midnights cravings can sometimes be bloody awful.

This evening of mystery and macabre will include opportunities for guests to interact with the cast. Before the show, selected guests will receive reading parts and will be cued to deliver their award winning performances. Solving the mystery comes with prizes for the winning team.

Halloscream is calling your name. Reserve your spot today by calling 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292). Registration is limited, so make your reservation soon.

Callaway Gardens®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. For additional information, call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) or visit www.callawaygardens.com.

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Huge yard Sale! Celebrate Family Fall Festival at Historic Indian Springs October 31

Looking for a really good yard sale?

The Historic Village at Indian Springs is having a Huge Event on October 31st, traditionally known as Halloween. The Village is giving away $500.00 in CASH PRIZES for the best costumes. Now, everyone knows you have to be home on this Night of Trick-or-Treat, so this event starts at 7:00 AM and closes at 3:00 PM. Visitors can find some funky things to wear, paint pumpkins, enjoy homemade pies at the Cafe' , drink cider, and just enjoy being outdoors while they find those really awesome bargains on clothes, furniture, and all the things you need to buy before the holidays.

All the Village Shops will be open and every store will have sale merchandise during this event. If you want to sell, a booth can be yours for just $5.00. Stop in at THE BIG CHIEF COUNTRY STORE or call 770-775-5350 to register, but do it today, because space is limited.

To get an early start, folks may want to stay in one of the vintage cottages in the Village, or there's camping, RV space and cabins inside the Indian Springs State Park across the street. Start a new tradition - Bring the whole family, enjoy the lake, go hiking, and pick up some great buys. Ms Frankie Willis is looking forward to a big crowd. "People love to be outdoors when the weather starts to cool.

Now is the best time to enjoy The Whimsical Botanical Gardens with the kids. Be sure to visit Daisy Pearl's Fashion Boutique and LadyBug and Tadpole's Children Store.. We have just brought in the new fall styles. Plan on having lunch at Pinky's Parlor & Cafe'. We will be serving breakfast and lunch with homemade pies and cold beverages. " Mrs. Lee's Stagecoach Sweetstop is where friends meet and enjoy rich ice cream and homemade fudge. "We will have warm apple cider ready for you -but the weather is never too cool for ice cream, " says Ms Diann. "And don't forget, the children can paint pumpkins, draw and do art activities all day for free at Generations Gallery - and then come have ice cream here. It is a lot of fun."

"The writers are meeting every Saturday, and on the day of the Yard Sale we have a special guest, Rita Lewis, who will be talking about her new book, " Excuse Me, Your Honor..." , exlains Andi Kulp. "Rita came to our very first "Open Mike" at our Writers Conference two years ago and here she is - with her first book completed."

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