Pigeon Forge July 4th Independence Day celebrations and cabin rentals

Pigeon Forge is an All American City with its family friendly attractions such as Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will have one of the best July 4th celebrations in the Smoky Mountains and if you act fast you can still rent a fabulous cabin in the mountains minutes away from the 19th Annual Patriot Festival!

Act fast as there are less than 20 cabins and chalets available for rent in Pigeon Forge Tennessee for the July Fourth weekend. From cozy 1 bedroom cabins to 2, 3, 4 and 7 bedroom huge cabins there are still rental cabins available for the Independence Day holiday to fit anyone's style and budget but they won't last long!

The will be plenty to do if you take the whole gang to the Smoky Mountains and the July Fourth celebrations planned for Pigeon Forge will be fantastic and best of yet - free!

Patriot Park is will be the place to be on Independence Day and the fun starts at 1 pm when the Twirling Medallion Majorette and Drum Corp coming to Pigeon Forge all the way from Virginia with Tina Hughes's Baby Doll, Tiny Tot, along with Junior and Senior Majorette Groups, and The Drum Corp will be taking center stage in beautiful Patriot Park near the Old Mill right off the Parkway.

Next at 3:45 pm 40 members from the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus will be performing a medley of both patriotic and gospel music under the direction of Dr. Deborah Hicks the Associate Professor of Music and Director of Professional Entertainment Program from Walter State Community College.

Nothing is more American than country music so an up and coming country artist from Knoxville, Tennessee Homer Hart will entertaining the crowd starting at 4:30 pm.

Next at 5:15 it's time to offer a spectacular tribute to our Armed Forces along with our beloved National Anthem performed by the cast of "Swing Time" from the Grand Majestic Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Watch and listen as they take you through a fun filled time travel adventure with the sounds of the band sounds of American favorites Glenn Miller, Judy Garland and the Andrew Sisters and then they will rock your world to the sounds of the 50's featuring the classic music of Elvis and even Buddy Holly.

4 of the original lead singers of the Rhythm and blues sensation "the Temptations" joined with Nate Evans, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with "Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions", to form the Temptations Revue and starting at 5:30pm they will perform some of their timeless tunes and tell Motown stories "the way they do the things they do".

Next to perform in Patriot Park for the 4th of July is another new up and coming country music artist Sarah Darling. Beautiful to the ear and the eye Sarah has appeared in a number of country music videos, with Kellie Pickler, Joe Nichols, David Ball, and Big and Rich and has even modeled so be sure to catch her performance starting at 6:15.

From and up and coming country music star to a seasoned professional with 19 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts John Berry takes the stage at 7 pm with his powerful and distinctive voice. John has a string of hits such as "What's In It for Me", "You and Only You", "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye", "I Think About It All the Time", "Change My Mind", and "She's Taken a Shine".

For the Grand Finale of the live entertainment at the Patriot Park Independence Day Celebration in Pigeon Forge prepared to be rocked by the Classic Rock All Stars - a supergroup up hit makers of the 60s and 70s. The high energy rock and roll set they will play starts and 8:15 pm and with musicians Pete Rivera, Dennis Noda, Jerry Corbetta and Mike Pinera the Smokies will never be the same!

And did we mention the fireworks? The Smoky Mountains fireworks display will begin at 9:45pm. Prepare to be dazzled!

Though the 4th of July Pigeon Forge celebration schedule and the performing artists are subject to change or cancellation without notice, the lineup is so great we hope nothing will change.

What we know won't change is the great value and service you will get when you rent a cabin or chalet in Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountains for the 4th of July Independence Day Holiday or any time of the year!

July 4th Events in Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountain Rentals

The 4th of July is a great time for a family to get away and take a vacation and the Smoky Mountains is a favorite destination of many because of the fun events, perfect location and you can still find a few great cabins and chalets for rent in Gatlinburg.

4th of July Independence Day events start earlier in Gatlinburg Tennessee than anywhere else in the nation with the famous Nations First 4th of July parade taking place at midnight to an estimated 100,000 spectators.

Gatlinburg's 34th Midnight Independence Day parade will also include a special 75th Anniversary event in celebration of the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To commemorate this historic even there will be a Presidential Motorcade with vintage automobiles and vintage motorcycles to escort the motorcade with everyone wearing costumes from the 1930s.

The recreation of the FDR presidential motorcade will be part of a mile long parade that will also include a large contingent of our armed services men and women, marching bands, equestrian displays and of course parade favorites: elaborately decorated parade floats and helium balloons.

The city of Gatlinburg is already starting to get decorated with flags and red white and blue and before the parade even begins on the night of the 3rd, the whole parade route in the city of Gatlinburg will feature pre-parade entertainers will get everyone excited about the parade to follow.

Gatlinburg is a great location as you can enjoy so many family friendly activities such as the Great Smoky Mountains national park, many Ripley's attractions such as the world class Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Believe or Not Museum, the Glades arts and crafts community, tons of fine restaurants and close by there is white water rafting, horseback riding and so much more.

Right now there are still a few 1, 3, 5 and 8 bedroom cabins and chalets for rent in Gatlinburg available on the Fourth of July independence day weekend - all just minutes away from all the action.

Fourth of July in your own cabin in the Smokies, what could be better?

Help the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Get a Discount on a Cabin Rental!

Everyone wants a cheap price on vacation accommodations and why not? What's even better is when you can find low cabin rental prices in a popular place such as the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg in the Smoky Mountains and it's even better when you can get a special discount on a cabin rental!

The Great Smoky Mountains national park is the most popular national park in the United States hosting almost 10,000,000 visitors a year and never charging anyone a cent to enter the park. The park is very under funded and the best cabin rental company in the Great Smoky Mountains: America Mountain Rentals wants to help the park and save tourists who stay in the Smokies money - all at the same time!

Times are tough for most everyone and it's even tougher for people to help contribute to the national park so America Mountain Rentals in Pigeon Forge Tennessee in the heart of the Smoky Mountains is giving a 10% discount off the price of a cabin or chalet rental to anyone who is or becomes a member of the Great Smoky Mountains most important organizations that help the National Park: The Friends of the Smokies or the Great Smoky Mountains Association.*

Membership to either organization is tax deductible and as low as $25 a year and for such as low price you will earn a 10% discount off of the already low cabin rental prices on more than 150 beautiful feature packed vacation rentals in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee.

All of these cabins and chalets rentals in the Smoky Mountains feature the three things: location, location, location, all being only minutes away from the Great Smoky Mountains national park, Dollywood theme park, Dolly's Splash Country, the Glades artist community in Gatlinburg, tons of outlet stores along the Parkway in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, Douglas Lake and so much more.

When you rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg from American Mountain Rentals you can expect clean well maintained vacation rental accommodations most with stunning mountain or wooded views with the amenities you expect from a luxury cabin rental company such as private secluded locations, hot tubs, game rooms and pool tables, fireplaces, Jacuzzi's, spacious living areas, fully equipped modern kitchens, TVs with DVD players along cable or Satellite service so every vacation in the Smokies will bring back fond memories.

When you drive, hike or bike in the Great Smoky Mountains national park you expect to see stunning vistas of the Great Smoky Mountains and beautiful waterfalls in rivers teeming with local brook trout.

You also expect the hiking and horse trails to be clean and well maintained so they are not only enjoyable but they are safe as well. Of course you also want to see our majestic eastern hemlock trees reaching high up into the sky and the elk that have been extinct for centuries in the Smokies roaming freely again.

Thanks to Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association who fund all of these projects to keep the GSM National Park as nice as it is as well funding scientific programs, educational materials and many of the seasonal personnel throughout the park.

Now you can help fund these projects and more with a tax deductible membership for as little as $25 and get a 10% discount on the best cabins for rent in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville. Help the Great Smoky Mountains national park and get a fantastic discount on a cabin rental in the Great Smoky Mountains, what are you waiting for?

* All new rentals on any of the more than 150 cabins or chalets American Mountain Rentals rents qualify for this special discount which cannot be combined with any other discounts or used on holidays.

Smoky Mountains firefly show in Elkmont near Gatlinburg

You can't come to the Smokies in spring and not see the synchronized firefly show in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park near Gatlinburg Tennessee.

No one is really sure why the lightning bugs are only synchronized here in the Smoky Mountains, in small areas in Kentucky and Asia. There are more than a dozen species of lightning bugs but only one of these fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Photinus Carolinus, gives us the light show that attracts thousands of visitors a year.

The peak of the lightning bugs synchronized light show is happening right now so shuttles are running from the Sugarland's Visitor Center off Newfound Gap Road to firefly viewing area in Elkmont in order to accommodate the almost 1,000 people a day who may come to see lightning bugs along the Little River flash in unison for hours.

The green light called bioluminescence the synchronized firefly uses to attract its mate is caused when an enzyme produced by the beetle is mixed with oxygen. As long as you stay away from bright lights you can see the fireflies light up from quite a distance and in various shades of from light green to blue.

While the lights from the lightning bugs will seem sparse and random at first, slowly the lights start to flash and roll up and down the mountainsides and fields in waves and at times in patterns, then huge sustained flashes and then total darkness. Random light flashes from the fireflies start again and then the whole light show begins all over.

You can't bring a cooler on board the shuttle tram which is the only way to get into Elkmont until Monday the 15th of June but you can bring a picnic in a carry on bag or backpack. Many people who come to the firefly show in Elkmont take along a blanket and enjoy a picnic dinner near the Little River, or along the hiking trail.

Since the beginning of the firefly viewing area is a hiking trail on an old road bed which is paved, it is accessible for people of all ages and levels of mobility. The trail is miles long and though most people who come to the lightning bug show stay close to the trail head near the parking lot, there is plenty of room for everyone to stretch out.

If you walk further down the trail there are plenty of boulders to sit on along the Little River and enjoy the fireflies, and a few log benches as well. To enjoy the light show look to the right side of the trail away from the river.

You can bring along a flashlight but you need to use one with a red lens cover or if it has a red led. Dark red cellophane works well too. If the light is not covered it can disrupt the fireflies from flashing and will make it harder for you and those around you to see well in the darkness.

The shuttle trams start running at 6 pm from the Sugarland's Visitor Center parking area for a $1 a person round trip to the Elkmont Firefly light show viewing area. The trams return back with the last tram arriving back to the Sugarlands around midnight.

Want to avoid the crowds? Check out the light show on your own next week starting next Monday. Until then the only way to get into Elkmont during the evening will be with the shuttle. The firefly light show will still be fun for all of next week too.

If you are staying in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville the firefly light show in the Great Smoky Mountains national park should not be missed!

Related Stories:
Fireflies synchronized light show season starts in Great Smoky Mountains national park.

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Smoky Mountains firefly show in Elkmont near Gatlinburg

Elkmont Section of national park yearly visit by synchronized fireflies

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Synchronized Fireflies

Discounts in Cabin Rentals for Firefly Season