July 4th holiday activities in the Great Smoky Mountains.

July 4th is a popular time for families to take a vacation, and there is no more favorite destination for a family friendly vacation than the Great Smoky Mountains. This year the crowds came early and the weather is spectacular.

Pigeon Forge kicks off the July 4th celebration today with music, activities, food, a salute to veterans by cast members from the Grand Majestic Theater and the end of the evening at around 9:45 pm, a fireworks display set to a soundtrack broadcasted live on WIVK 107.7 FM!

All of the free fun in Pigeon Forge takes place for at Patriot Park and the July 4th in the Smokies celebration has additional parking in the city parking lot on Teaster Lane with a trolley shuttle available to Patriot Park. Be sure to bring sun screen and blankets - umbrellas are not allowed.

Starting at noon, nonprofit organizations start selling drinks and food with the proceeds to benefit local charities and the Kid's Karnival Area will open with free Inflatable's to play in, a Rock Wall, Euro Bungee, Slides and even a Mechanical Bull!

The music begins at 1:30 pm with the local four-member band Grafite, which plays 70,'s rock and pop rock songs that the whole audience will be able recognize. All of the members of the band range in age from 9 to 11!

At 2:20 pm country-rock the husband and wife duo of Keifer and Shawna Thompson - the Thompson Square will perform songs such as "Let's Fight" and "Keeping up with the Joneses" with their unique and creative style of music.

The new group from Nashville named TelluRide will begin playing at 3:20 pm. TelluRide who has proceed an album named Four Square Miles, is comprised of musicians from all genres.

At 4:30 pm the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus will entertain everyone young and old.

Local music legend Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier will start at 5:30 pm. Jumbos' roots run deep in the Smokies with deep ties to the Greenbrier area and music always being a part of his life. He is an accomplished songwriter of such songs as The Foundation, M.R.s Rolling Store, The Legend of Jack Huff, and the fan favorite, The Kings of Orebank and he and his band have perfected bluegrass, country and mountain music.

6:20 pm is when the music trio from Nashville Eden's Edge will play their country music.

Talented singer-songwriter Steve Azar had the top country hits "I Don't Have To Be Me 'Til Monday" and "Waitin' on Joe" will start at 7:15 pm.

The headliner for the day, Diamond Rio starts at 8:30 pm. Diamond Rio was wildly successful with their mainstream country music but made the transition to Christian music with hits such as "I Believe", "Mama Don't Forget To Pray For Me", and "One More Day".

After they close, the fireworks will light up the sky over the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This winter and spring huge improvements have been made in the Great Smoky Mountains national park to areas such as Cades Cove, which has been completely repaved, Clingmans Dome Road, The Cosby picnic area and campground and the newly opens Sink parking area and trailhead.

The fish are biting in all the stream and rivers in and around the Great Smoky Mountains national park and tubes are having a blast floating don the rivers on the warm summers day. You can tube in the Townsend area and well as the Deep Creek area for just a few dollars and have a day's worth of fun!

Black bear are extremely active right now in the Great Smoky Mountains national park so make sure that when you are dine with your fourth of July picnic or BBQ in the park you clean up all scraps of food and make sure that the lid to the bear proof garbage cans are closed tight. Remember by law you must stay 150 feet away from black bear and elk.

Speaking of Elk, these are the last few days of calving season for elk and white tailed deer. You should stay out of all fields with talk grass where fawns and calves may be hiding and if you do see a baby deer or elk leave it alone, it is not abandoned, this is just how mom projects her newborn from coyotes and black bear.

Finally, we want everyone coming to the Smokies to have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, so local authorities will have perform enhanced traffic enforcement. Drive at posted speeds and do not drink and drive.

Hurry up if you don't have a place to stay in the Smokies as there are just 3 cabins left and they will be gone by the end of the day today.

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!