February 15, 2023
When it’s time to try to figure out what to do for an evening out, it usually comes down to this question: dinner or a show of some kind?
As luck would have it, the best answer to this question when I can spend a night in Pigeon Forge is both! Whether I want the show part of my evening to include equestrian excitement, mountain music with a little mayhem, or a high seas adventure with pirates and mermaids, it’s all available for me to choose from – let me tell you what I like best about each of these dinner attractions other than the fabulous four-course feast that goes along with each show.
It’s almost impossible for me to pick a favorite part of this show. I probably have been to this “most fun place to eat in the Smokies” 50 or more times, but I’m always wowed by all the different elements of the show and how it all fits together so seamlessly. How do they get the buffaloes and the longhorns to venture out into the arena like they are on a Wild West cattle ranch, and how does the comic relief Skeeter get the girl in the barrel trick back to her seat in the audience? The audience participation always makes me laugh, and I love the new aerial act that combines the show’s equestrian stars with breathtaking aerial acrobatics and new music. However, my heart belongs to the two stars of the show every time: the 32 magnificent horses jumping through hoops of fire, trick riding and barrel racing and that four-course feast. Get me to the Stampede – it’s time for some creamy vegetable soup!
One of my new favorites for fun in Pigeon Forge is the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud. My husband and I went during the holidays and couldn’t stop laughing – except when we were busy eating the delicious fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and lots of other deliciousness. I come from a big, fun and sometimes crazy family myself, so I felt right at home with this bunch! The fact that they start off when you first sit down with a mountain of delicious food is the way to my heart - and it’s all you can eat! When the show starts (after my second or third piece of fried chicken!) the feud is action-packed with “battles” of musical talents, clogging and dancing, some “explosive” stunts that give the show a true bang, and dozens of crazy diving stunts in the 24-foot deep swimming pool that is part of the show set. How can you not love a show with a swimming hole right in the middle of the stage or main characters who just decide to clog to prove a point to the other family? That’s fun no matter who you are!
It’s a pirate’s life for me at the swashbuckling adventure that is Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show. Your family will go overboard when they become part of this sea-worthy adventure, and there is not a single part of that show that I don’t love. From the acrobatics and diving stunts into the 15-foot-deep lagoon to the antics of the sea lions to “actual” mermaids and battles both on land and sea between the Crimson and Sapphire pirates – wow! And did I mention that there’s a four-course pirate feast and you can say Aarrgh and Shiver Me Timbers and Sea Ya Soon and all kinds of crazy pirate talk, and no one will think anything of it. Ahoy, that’s just another seaworthy reason to set sail to this show. Ok, I’m finished with the pirate lingo – it’s just so much fun!
There is another great show option if you already have dinner plans, especially if you like to laugh – and who doesn’t! Do yourself a favor and visit The Comedy Barn, which offers an evening of fun and laughter combining the talents and antics of magicians, comedians, jugglers, ventriloquists and animal acts. The show also incorporates live country and gospel music and clogging for a variety show that everyone will enjoy.
Seems to me the hardest part of a trip to the Smokies is deciding which show will be at the top of your “Must Do” list. It’s hard for me to choose, so I’m putting on my cowgirl attire, clogging shoes and pirate hat and heading out for some fun at all four!
Dinner Shows All Blogs
Dinner Shows All Blogs
