roadtrip
Smoky Mountain Homecoming
Adventure Forest Fun Park
Smoky Mountain Homecoming
Adventure Forest Fun Park
FALLFromFUN IN THE SMOKIES an annual arts festival to a new adventure park, a visit to the Smoky Mountains is worth the trip this season TEXT BY JEssE MuchMorE and Janna FiTE hErBison
SMOKY MOUNTAIN HOMECOMING FESTIVAL The Smoky Mountain Homecoming October 6th and 7th, hosted by the Robert A. Tino Gallery in Sevierville, Tennessee, is an annual festival celebrating the art, cuisine, and culture of the Appalachian region. Robert Tino is a Tennessee painter that has used the John Denton Home on Sunset Farm, an official selection of the National Register of Historic Homes, to showcase his work since 1991, and the festival has been a seasonal tradition since 1992. T Robert’s paintings often illustrate the beautiful scenic landscapes of the Great Smoky Mountains and the wildlife that inhabits them. Robert and his wife, Mary John, began the Smoky Mountain Homecoming as a way to relive the bygone days of the Music and Arts Festival once held in Sevier County. “The success of this festival is due to the fact that it is a community-wide projecttsays Mary Jo.
The event boasts a range of activities for those of all ages from pony rides, games, instructional art classes, and a petting zoo for the kids, to basket weaving, dulcimer making, and lace tatting for adults. For those interested in local history, there is an old fashioned farmer’s market, antique shows, and local artisans eager to share their knowledge of the traditional Appalachian ways. Attendees are also graced with authentic bluegrass/gospel music from Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier, as well as the South of the River Boys. Cuisine includes local favorite Buddy’s BarB-Q, along with common festival staples such as funnel cakes and kettle corn. In what has now become a Smoky Mountain Homecoming custom, Robert will be also be debuting his much-anticipated fall print release. Admission is free and all proceeds go to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
alternative for kids and family entertainment this season. The “Adventure Forest” Fun-park at Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened this past spring and features an indoor “dry” park complete with a three-story ropes course, a multi-level enclosed laser tag arena, mini bowling and more than 100 arcade games. “If it were a stand-alone attraction, it would be an amazing attraction on its own to the local tourism market,” says Steve Cruz, General Manager of Wilderness at the Smokies. “But when combined with all the current offerings at the resort, it will truly be a premier Smoky Mountains destination.” In addition to the “Lazer Maze,” the Fun-park also features a 25-foot tall spring ride, 23-foot tall climbing wall, special birthday rooms and additional activities that don’t involve water, all-indoor and open throughout the year.
Wilderness at the Smokies is located near I-40 “This small, intimate festival draws in the foothills of the Smokies, and is one of the ADVENTURE FOREST participants from different states and even area’s only year-round vacation destinations. FUN-PARK foreign countries, mainly because of its unique qualities and authenticity to the region,” adds As the last of the summer waterparks close Robert Tino. after Labor Day, one park in Sevierville is a great 94 | At Home Tennessee • September 2012