The Most Fun Place to Eat in the Smokies!
If there is one show that has made itself a stop for visitors to the area each and every year it is Dixie Stampede. Dixie Stampede became the second big attraction from the owners of Dollywood and Dolly Parton herself. The show is very simply a competition between the two sides of the audience with a faire amount of horsemanship thrown into boot. They also happen to serve one of the best meals that you will find in Pigeon Forge. Dixie Stampede is more than an attraction it is a destination
Dixie Stampede was the first dinner show in Pigeon Forge. Opening in 1988, it has been in the same location since that point and was one of the attractions that opened up the south end of Pigeon Forge. Before that point, the Herschend Company, that owns both Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country, decided that dinner show would go along well with the burgeoning attractions in Pigeon Forge. As Dollywood grew they decided to throw their hat, and the experience that they had with the live shows at Dollywood, into the growing live entertainment field on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. From the time they opened, Dixie Stampede has become one of those places that thousands of visitors to the Smokies make part of the trips to the Smoky Mountains.
Here is the premise behind the show. Once you walk in the door you will realize that you are in an indoor riding arena. The horseshoe shaped seating area covers three sides of the dirt covered ‘ stage.’ The crickets chirping and the man-made stars in the sky lend to the atmosphere. Once the action kicks off though you don’t have time to think about the scenery anymore, this high energy show will keep you on the edge of your seat. Horses, trick riding, games, competitions and plenty of music makes the time fly by. And the competition is the biggest part of the night. The idea is that the two sides of the audience are competing. Throughout most of the year, it is a competition between the North and South, during the winter months it is still the north and south but this time it is the North and South Poles. And not only is the cast involved in this competition but the members of the audience get brought down into the arena itself.
But let’s not forget the food. The food is just as big a highlight as the show. And because it is Dixe Stampede, the food is as big as the show. You get a whole rotisserie chicken, pork tenderloin, corn-on-the-cob, potato wedges, creamy vegetable soup, a biscuit and dessert. I know this sounds like a lot of food, and it is, but if you don’t finish everything they will bring you a doggy bag so that you can take the leftovers back to your hotel or cabin. The food is amazing and the fact that they can serve more than a thousand people while putting on a multi-million dollar show means that you get to watch two shows in one: the show in the arena and the show that the servers put on in the audience.
Make sure that you and your family have been to Dixie Stampede. Make it a tradition, make sure that you have fun eating in the most fun place to eat in the Smokies.
Dixie Stampede
3849 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN
865-453-4400