Sevierville, TN—A Smoky Mountain Adventure
Tennessee’s Sevier County offers entertaining animal encounters (and so does Dollywood!)
Story by Erin Deinzer
Not far from Gatlinburg, TN lies the town of Sevierville. Mention it as a destination in-and-of-itself, and people will likely give you a quizzical look. Because even though thousands of tourists visit the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park or the nearby Dollywood theme park, most will stop in Sevierville (pronounced “suh-VEER-ville”) if they want to do some outlet shopping or grab a bite to eat.
But if you scratch the surface of what Sevierville—and its surrounding county of Sevier—has to offer, you’ll discover amazing spots where you can commune with nature and come face-to-face with a variety of creatures, both great and small.
Start your journey of discovery at the RainForest Adventures Zoo, which houses more than 600 animals and boasts exotic creatures such as sugar gliders, African bat-eared foxes, coatimundi, and the black-capped capuchin.
Though originally started as a showcase for reptiles (like the red-eyed tree frog), nowadays, RAZ belongs to a group that facilitates trades between zoos to aid in captive breeding programs.
Stroll around the property and look for placards that detail each species’ natural habitat and provide fascinating info about their abilities. (For instance: did you know a chinchilla can jump as high as 5-feet into the air? Or that the African serval has 20 different muscles in each ear?) You’ll also find a walk-through aviary where you’ll be surrounded by various winged animals; but the highlight for many visitors is an introduction to the African porcupine, which turns out is just as lovable as it is dangerous looking.
For a more domesticated spin, visit Smoky Mountain Llama Treks to get an introduction to the South American natives while simultaneously discovering the local flora of the Smokies. Be prepared to learn fascinating facts about the two-toed animals as you cross over burbling streams and make your way through groves of gently quaking trees. SMLT offers a one- or two-hour hike, both of which take you into the foothills of the Smokies to view wildflower-covered woodlands — or, in the case of the Foxfire Mountain trail, over a suspension bridge with llamas in tow. For the less adventurous (or little ones), coordinate a farm visit to meet, greet, and pet the resident llamas.
If horses are more your type of four-legged pack animal, head for Five Oaks Riding Stables, which offers trail rides for those aged six and up. You’ll be paired up with a horse reflective of your riding prowess and level of comfort, then ride off into a wooded area just behind the parkway. An experienced guide provides entertainment via tales of the local mountains and a history of the area before Dolly’s “Wood” came to town—all enjoyed from the comfort of a saddle as you follow trails at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
When you get right down to it, there’s something very special and sweet about Dollywood—the area’s most famous tourist attraction—located in nearby Pigeon Forge. Created as an homage to the “country life” of Sevierville-native Dolly Parton, it’s situated near the mountains she adores. (As Dolly once remarked, “I had a gift of rhyme and a big imagination, and that’s just how I started.”)
But along with its stupendous rides and high-quality entertainment, Dollywood also offers a show tailor-made for animal lovers.
Overseen by the American Eagle Foundation, ‘Wings of America’ Birds of Prey takes place in an indoor theater, where audiences are wowed by the aerial acrobatics of a variety of raptors, including owls, hawks, vultures, and eagles. The foundation is authorized to possess birds for education, exhibition, rehabilitation, and breeding under special permits from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, so the birds in captivity are all handled with great care.
But the show is only part of the story. The Dollywood complex also includes the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary: an eagle breeding and rehabilitation facility and an eagle medical clinic and nursery, which is not open to the public. The eagle complex is a cooperative effort between the foundation and Dollywood, and the sanctuary itself houses non-releasable bald eagles in a large aviary. The Breeding and Rehabilitation Center has also been home to numerous bald and golden eagles that have been hatched by permanent resident birds, then released into the wild—giving those magnificent raptors a chance at life beyond the enclosed acreage of the theme park.
Recently, the public learned that Dolly Parton had donated $1M to help fund research for a Covid-19 vaccine. So, in essence, you might say that the Tennessee native is the wind beneath our wings.
