Pigeon Forge, one of the fastest growing tourist cities in the South, is filled with action-packed entertainment, natural beauty, and lots of old-fashioned mountain hospitality. The city entertains more than 11,000,000 tourists a year.
Pigeon Forge is one of the primary gateways to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Over half of the nearly 11 million visitors to the Smokies pass through Pigeon Forge, located on U.S. Highway 441, within a day's drive of two thirds of the nation's population. Pigeon Forge is five miles from Gatlinburg, 35 miles southeast of Knoxville, and is easily accessible from Interstate 40. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States.
The name Pigeon Forge was derived in 1820 when Isaac Love built an iron forge on the Little Pigeon River.
Although the forge was dismantled in 1885, a mill was built around the same time and still operates today using the same machinery.
The Old Mill, a national historic site, is more than 150 years old